Homemade Vanilla Extract Made in the Instant Pot- Easy Recipe! (2024)

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This frugal recipe is a guest post from Rachel!

The Instant Pot(AKA Instapot) is pretty amazing! This lovely little kitchen appliance is always blowing my mind. I’ve thought about making vanilla extract a handful of times. The normal process for making vanilla extract is incredibly simple. You fill a jar with vodka, throw in some vanilla beans, and screw on the lid. Then let it sit for forever while you forget you even made it! Luckily, when you make vanilla in the Instant Pot you have ready to use vanilla extract in under an hour! Plus, your house smells amazing! That makes it a pretty perfect recipe in my book! If you have an Instant Pot, youhave to try this recipe for Homemade Vanilla Extract Made in the Instant Pot!

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links to Amazon and/or Etsy, which means that I may earn a small commission from some of the links in this post. Please see our Disclosure Page for more information.

Homemade Vanilla Extract Made in the Instant Pot- Easy Recipe! (1)

When you’re finished making your homemade vanilla extract, you’ll want to find some ways to put it to use! You could always bake with it, like in this yummy cherry vanilla bread. Or you could use it in homemade beauty products, like my homemade vanilla whipped body butter!

Homemade Vanilla Extract Made in the Instant Pot

Ingredients

Vodka – 40% alcohol
4 Madagascar vanilla beans
1 cup water
Quart canning jar
Scissors

Directions

Homemade Vanilla Extract Made in the Instant Pot- Easy Recipe! (2)

1. Toughly wash and dry your canning jar and scissors. Cut the vanilla beans in half and place them in the jar.

Homemade Vanilla Extract Made in the Instant Pot- Easy Recipe! (3)2. Fill the jar with vodka to the thread lines. Leave the lid off.

Homemade Vanilla Extract Made in the Instant Pot- Easy Recipe! (4)3. Put the trivet on the bottom of the Instant Pot and pour in 1 cup of water. Next, position the canning jar on the trivet.

Homemade Vanilla Extract Made in the Instant Pot- Easy Recipe! (5)Homemade Vanilla Extract Made in the Instant Pot- Easy Recipe! (6)Homemade Vanilla Extract Made in the Instant Pot- Easy Recipe! (7)Homemade Vanilla Extract Made in the Instant Pot- Easy Recipe! (8)4. Lock the Instant Pot’s lid into place and turn the pressure valve to sealing. Cook the vanilla extract using the manual button on high pressure for 40 minutes. To release the pressure, use a long utensil to turn the pressure valve to the open position. Be careful, steam will shoot out.

Homemade Vanilla Extract Made in the Instant Pot- Easy Recipe! (9)Homemade Vanilla Extract Made in the Instant Pot- Easy Recipe! (10)5. Use oven mitts to remove the jar of vanilla from the Instant Pot. Let the extract cool completely before screwing the lid on the jar. Putting the lid on the jar while it is still warm will cause it to vacuum seal. Your homemade vanilla extract is now ready to use right away! Leave the beans in the jar to allow the flavor to strengthen over time.

Store in a cool dry place. The alcohol smell will lessen over the next week.

As mentioned in the recipe, I left the vanilla beans in the jar so that the flavor can continue to strengthen as it sits. When the vanilla is gone, I’ll use the beans to make something else. I see some homemade vanilla bean paste in my future!

I didn’t test this vanilla for shelf life, alcohol level, or anything else. Normally vanilla extract has a shelf life of a couple years. This homemade vanilla extract may or may not keep that long. From what I have read it seems it will last at least a year, but I won’t have it long enough to find out! This recipe made 1 quart of vanilla extract, but I do so much baking that it will only last me about 2 months.

This recipe was adapted from TIDBITS pressure cooking vanilla extract.

Have you ever made homemade vanilla extract using the traditional method?

Homemade Vanilla Extract Made in the Instant Pot- Easy Recipe! (11)

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Homemade Vanilla Extract Made in the Instant Pot- Easy Recipe! (12)

Homemade Vanilla Extract Made in the Instant Pot

  • Author: A Cultivated Nest
Print Recipe

Description

Easily (and quickly!) make your own delicious homemade vanilla extract in your Instant Pot!

Ingredients

Scale

  • Vodka – 40% alcohol
  • 4 Madagascar vanilla beans
  • 1 cup water
  • Quart canning jar
  • Scissors

Instructions

  1. Toughly wash and dry your canning jar and scissors. Cut the vanilla beans in half and place them in the jar.
  2. Fill the jar with vodka to the thread lines. Leave the lid off.
  3. Put the trivet on the bottom of the Instant Pot and pour in 1 cup of water. Next, position the canning jar on the trivet.
  4. Lock the Instant Pot’s lid into place and turn the pressure valve to sealing. Cook the vanilla extract using the manual button on high pressure for 40 minutes. To release the pressure, use a long utensil to turn the pressure valve to the open position. Be careful, steam will shoot out.
  5. Use oven mitts to remove the jar of vanilla from the Instant Pot. Let the extract cool completely before screwing the lid on the jar. Putting the lid on the jar while it is still warm will cause it to vacuum seal. Your homemade vanilla extract is now ready to use right away! Leave the beans in the jar to allow the flavor to strengthen over time. Store in a cool dry place. The alcohol smell will lessen over the next week.

This post contains affiliate links to Amazon. Please see our Disclosure Page for more information.

About Rachel:Rachel is a big believer in living life as your best self. She likes her coffee black and loves to curl up with a good book. At HyperHypoMama.com she writes about creating a healthy life with Thyroid Disease through food, yoga, and love.

You might also be interested in: 10 Yummy Instant Pot Recipes You Have To Try!

Homemade Vanilla Extract Made in the Instant Pot- Easy Recipe! (2024)

FAQs

How is vanilla extract made step by step? ›

Instructions
  1. Slice each bean lengthwise and place in bottle. ...
  2. Pour one cup of vodka (or alcohol of your choice) into the bottle. ...
  3. Shake once or twice a week.
  4. Wait at least 8 weeks, but 4-6 months is ideal. ...
  5. Presto, your alcohol has turned into delicious homemade vanilla extract!

What is the best alcohol to make vanilla extract? ›

Use either. 80 proof Alcohol: Vanilla extract is most commonly made from vodka, but you can use bourbon, brandy, or rum instead. I usually use vodka, but the one bottle of bourbon vanilla I made 7 months ago is DIVINE. No need to splurge on expensive alcohol.

How long does homemade vanilla extract need to sit? ›

For the best flavor, let the beans steep for 6 months or up to 12 months. However, you can use the extract after 2 months, it just won't be as strong. Once the extract is ready, you can transfer the liquid to 4-ounce glass bottles for easy use or gifting. Place a piece of vanilla bean in each bottle if desired.

What is the ratio for making vanilla extract? ›

It's easy to scale this recipe up or down, the proportions are 4 whole vanilla beans per 1 cup (8 oz) vodka, or 2 vanilla beans per 1/2 cup (4 oz) vodka. *It's not necessary to get the most expensive brand of vodka; something middle of the road like Smirnoff triple distilled 80 proof will work just fine.

How many times can you reuse vanilla beans to make vanilla extract? ›

Re-fillable: Once you run out of vanilla, refill the bottle with Vodka and use the beans for another batch (they will last for up to two batches). Also, the vanilla extract wont expire as long as it's stored in a cool, dry place.

Is it worth it to make your own vanilla extract? ›

A bit of simple math reveals that homemade vanilla extract is the more economical choice. Say you buy two 4-ounce bottles of the good vanilla extract from the grocery store every year. If each jar costs $18, that's $180 over a five-year span.

Will homemade vanilla ever go bad? ›

How long does homemade vanilla extract last? If stored in a clean bottle in a cool, dark place, it will keep for several years. It does not need to be (and should not be) refrigerated or frozen. If your ever notice that the liquid looks cloudy or smells bad, discard it.

Can bacteria grow in homemade vanilla extract? ›

Vanilla extract is at least 35% alcohol by volume, so you don't have to worry too much about bacterial contamination if it's been stored properly (cap firmly on and undamaged, in a cool dry place, the usual).

What are the best vanilla beans for making vanilla extract? ›

The most common is Madagascar vanilla. (Madagascar is an island off Africa) It is typically a Grade A or “gourmet” bean that is used in cooking and gourmet extract is made from this bean.

How many vanilla beans does it take to make a gallon of vanilla extract? ›

FDA standards call for at least 13.35 ounces of vanilla beans per gallon of liquid. This equates to approximately . 9 oz of beans per 8 ounces of alcohol! Many people really like to use rum, bourbon, or brandy.

What is the best rum for vanilla extract? ›

Bacardi Superior White Rum - This is a simple, affordable and very sweet rum. We like white rums because of their neutral flavor that allows the vanilla beans to be the star of your extract show, but since they are a sugar-based, they add sweetness to your vanilla that only rum can.

Do you use the same amount of vanilla paste as vanilla extract? ›

If your recipe calls for paste but you only have extract on hand (or vice versa), you can substitute an equal amount of extract for the paste. For example, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract can be substituted for 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste.

How much alcohol is in 1 tsp of vanilla extract? ›

The amount of alcohol in pure vanilla extract varies by brand. Some contain as much as 35% alcohol by volume (ABV), which is equivalent to 70-proof vodka. However, a teaspoon of that vanilla extract has very little alcohol, somewhere closer to 1%.

What are the ingredients in vanilla extract? ›

You need only 2 ingredients: vodka and vanilla beans. That's really it! You can use rum or bourbon instead of vodka, but the flavors won't be as clean. I used rum for a batch, and we didn't like it very much.

How is vanilla extract manufactured? ›

Producing Vanilla Extract

The extraction process basically involves washing and then soaking the ground vanilla beans in a solution of alcohol and water. The flavor compounds are soluble in alcohol, which means that the flavors are pulled from the beans into the alcohol.

Can I use grade A vanilla beans for extract? ›

For shorter-timed stuff including culinary use, such as dinner or desserts, Grade A beans will be much the better option. Many also use Grade A beans from vanilla extract making since they are so much easier to work with, have a stronger aroma, and don't cost much more!

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