How to Make Clear Vanilla Extract

The fragrant spice we know as vanilla is actually the seed pod of an exotic tropical orchid. The best quality of vanilla beans is called Grade B, but is sometimes listed as "bourbon vanilla beans." Genuine vanilla is a clear amber color, as the color of true vanilla cannot be removed from the bean or its seeds. Transparent versions are imitation vanilla flavor using vanillin, not the genuine extract. In this example, vodka is used as an all-purpose medium for extracting high-grade clear vanilla extract. Time is key in this project. The best genuine vanilla extracts do not even begin to mature until they have aged at least six months. When you taste the results, you will know why it pays to wait.

Things You'll Need

• Vanilla Beans---Grade B (8 beans per cup of vodka used)
• Vodka (no more than 40% proof alcohol)
• Dark colored bottles (green, blue, or amber) with tight-fitting caps
• A sharp knife and cutting board
• Funnel
• Coffee filter or a double layer of cheesecloth
• Measuring cup with a pouring spout
• Smaller colored bottles with tops for decanting

Instructions

1. 

   Remove the hard tip off of one end of each vanilla bean with your knife. Split each bean along its length and open it, revealing the tiny seeds inside. This is where all the flavor of the beans is located.

2. 

   Remove all of the seeds from each bean pod by using the edge of the knife. Collect the seeds in a pile on your cutting board---you will be using them later. Collecting the seeds for the extract creates the strongest and most flavorful vanilla extract.

3. 

   Chop the vanilla beans into smaller pieces to ensure that the beans will be completely submerged in liquid throughout extraction.

4. 

   Fill the empty bottle with the chopped segments of the vanilla beans and the collected seeds. Use a funnel to add the vodka to the bottle. Close the bottle tightly. Shake it vigorously for at least one minute, and then place it in a cool, dark location. You need to shake the bottle daily for the first seven days, and twice weekly each following week. A mild extract will develop six weeks later, but the vanilla extract won't become mature for six months.

5. 

   Place a funnel into a clean bottle. Line the funnel with a double layer of cheesecloth or a coffee filter. The extract will be murky and cloudy with seeds and the fibrous remnants of the beans floating in it. Pour this liquid into the lined funnel suspended over a measuring cup with a pouring spout to strain it. Next, pour it from the measuring cup into small bottles. Alternatively, you may strain it directly into the smaller bottles through the lined funnel. The resulting liquid will be a clear amber-toned vanilla extract of high quality. Even after the clear vanilla extract is strained out, the vanilla will continue to mature over time, developing an even richer flavor.

Tips & Warnings

• Be creative and make labels for your homemade vanilla extract. A nice touch would be to include the time aged or the date of its "birth," as with some fine wines.

• While the extract ages, avoid drastic changes in temperature or sudden drafts. Keep exposure to sunlight at a minimum, except of course when you shake the mixture. A cool and dark area in a cabinet or a walk-in pantry would be the ideal storage place.

References

• More information on the process of making vanilla extract.
• See the results of a taste test between imitation vanilla and pure vanilla extract.