Making my own vanilla essence is so rewarding. I go through a lot of vanilla essence in my baking, and it is not the cheapest ingredient. So being able to make my own has been a satisfying experience.
It is really easy to make and all you need to do is to add about 10-15 vanilla beans to 1 L of 40% vodka. I make mine by opening a brand new vodka bottle, dropping the beans in, replacing the cover, and putting it in a dark cool storage.
Grade of beans: I have tried making vanilla essence with Grade A or B beans and there is no difference (at least from what I could see and taste). Both gave great results and the vanilla essence was equally as dark when left to infuse for the same period of time. The only difference was the flesh of the Grade A beans came out quicker at the start than the Grade B beans as it had more moisture in it.
Alcohol brand: I have only used unflavoured Absolut Vodka at this stage, but am confident any unflavoured, minimum of 40% alcohol content, would work as well.
Storage temperature: I leave mine in a dark cool cupboard.
Infusion time: I don’t have a hard and fast rule when to use the vanilla essence. I start using it when I am satisfied that it is concentrated enough or when I run out of vanilla essence!
Here are two bottles which have been sitting for different periods of time. The one on the left has been soaking for 10 months and the one on the right has been soaking for 3 months. As you can see, the longer it sits, the darker and more concentrated it gets. I started using the one on the left when it was 8 months old.
So there you have it! Making homemade vanilla essence is really easy. All you need is patience and a little planning, but it will go a long way. I start a bottle every 6 months to ensure I don’t run out of vanilla essence!
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