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!
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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!
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.
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.
Have you ever made homemade vanilla extract using the traditional method?
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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
Toughly wash and dry your canning jar and scissors. Cut the vanilla beans in half and place them in the jar.
Fill the jar with vodka to the thread lines. Leave the lid off.
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.
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.
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.
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You only need 2 ingredients for homemade vanilla extract: vanilla beans and vodka. Let the vanilla beans infuse the vodka for as little as 8 weeks, but for optimal flavor, wait at least 6-12 months before using. Homemade vanilla is more cost efficient than store-bought options. You can try homemade vanilla sugar too.
One trick we've long relied on to speed up the vanilla extraction process is gently heating the alcohol. The only problem is that this is a delicate process—you can't let the alcohol get too hot. Heat can damage the volatile flavor compounds in vanilla and vaporize the liquor if it reaches 170 F.
Step-by-step photos and instructions for how to make the best Homemade Vanilla Extract! All you need is vodka, vanilla beans and a few tips and tricks. You'll find that homemade vanilla is less expensive (store-bought vanilla extract can cost $4 an ounce) and more flavorful than store-bought, and it's so EASY to make!
Answer #2: Alcohol is normal. Remember that all "Pure" extracts are required to have a minimum 35% alcohol content, which is just as much alcohol that is in hard liquor.
What is the shelf life of my vanilla extract? When stored properly, vanilla extract will keep indefinitely, but using it within five years will allow for best flavor and aroma. Do not refrigerate or freeze, even after opening.
You can use vanilla beans for extract more than once, which makes them a gift that keeps on giving. Just know that the flavor will get weaker over time. Many recommend using them no more than four times.
Anything over 80 proof is fine and makes a lovely extract. It's true, though, that the higher the proof, the more vanilla essence will be extracted into the liquid.
Feel free to use the cheapest vodka you can find—all the flavor comes from the vanilla, anyway. You can substitute bourbon, rum, or brandy, but I find flavorless vodka offers the most straightforward, versatile vanilla flavor.
Some DIY extract makers have told us that by cutting the bean open they have a great tasting extract in just 90-120 days. Scientifically, this does make sense as cutting the bean open provides more surface area contact with the pod and the alcohol, and the more surface area contact the faster the extraction.
Indonesian Vanilla – The beans from Indonesia are mass-produced and usually a grade B bean. For making homemade vanilla extract, this is the type that is recommended. They may be a bit more brittle and dried out which makes them perfect for the long soaking in vodka or bourbon.
If you've got a vanilla bean that you've split and scraped the seeds out of for a baking project, you can totally breathe new life into that bean by throwing it into a batch of vanilla extract. Beans you've already used in a batch of extract can be reused in the next batch.
Actually, most of the available vanilla beans from Mexico are purchased by USA-based companies that make extract from them. Real Mexican vanilla extract is not cheap. Therefore, if it is inexpensive it is probably fake.
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.
Use more beans if you want a more robust flavor and a darker-colored extract. Also opt for 3 vanilla beans for every 6 ounces if the beans you're using feel slightly stiff or look dry. This means they're likely more than a few months old.
All you need are fresh beans and cheap booze to make an ultra-flavorful extract at a fraction of the cost. All products are independently selected by our editors. If you buy something, we may earn an affiliate commission.
If you're baking, imitation vanilla extract is a great substitute for pure vanilla extract. However, if you're making icing, pudding, creams, or a no-bake dessert, artificial vanilla can sometimes have a bitter aftertaste, so experts recommend sticking to pure vanilla extract.
Use a clean glass jar with a tight-fitting lid when you make homemade vanilla extract. Choose a large clear glass container for your Mother Jar that you keep in a dark, cool place like your pantry and you can keep adding to over the years.
If you'd like to skip straining altogether, you can simply remove the bean from the jar. Don't toss out that precious vanilla bean, though! Dry it off and save it for when you're ready to make vanilla sugar, another enticing vanilla product you can make at home.
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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.
