The short answer: to make cinnamon extract, break 4 cinnamon sticks, put them in a jar and cover them with 240 ml (1 cup) of vodka at 40% alcohol. Keep the jar dark and shake it once a week. Strain it after 3 to 4 weeks, as soon as it smells clearly of cinnamon.
Cinnamon extract is cinnamon soaked in alcohol. Ground cinnamon gives flavour, colour and brown specks. Extract gives the flavour alone, which is what you want in white icing, whipped cream, custard and drinks. It is the quickest of the homemade extracts: two ingredients, ten minutes of work, less than a month of waiting.
| At a glance | |
|---|---|
| Work | 10 minutes |
| Waiting | 3 to 4 weeks, taste from week 2 |
| Ratio | 4 cinnamon sticks to 240 ml (1 cup) vodka |
| Keeps | A year or more, closed, cool and dark |
Ingredients
- 4 cinnamon sticks, from a fresh pack
- 240 ml (1 cup) vodka, 40% alcohol (80 proof)
- A clean glass jar with a tight lid
- A fine sieve and a coffee filter
Fresh sticks matter. Sticks that have sat open in the cupboard for years have lost most of their scent. Snap one: it should smell sweet and sharp at once.
The spirit: vodka tastes of almost nothing, so the cinnamon comes through clean. Use at least 35% alcohol. Weaker spirits pull out less flavour and keep less well.
Cassia or Ceylon cinnamon?
| Cinnamon | The stick | Flavour | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cassia | Thick, hard, one rolled layer | Hot and bold, the cinnamon roll taste | Apple cake, cinnamon rolls, coffee |
| Ceylon | Thin, brittle, many papery layers | Mild, sweet, a little floral | Custard, cream, fruit, tea |
Sticks sold simply as cinnamon are usually cassia. Ceylon is labelled as Ceylon or true cinnamon. Cassia gives a bolder extract in the same time. With Ceylon, give it the full 4 weeks.
How to make cinnamon extract
- Break. Snap each stick into 2 or 3 pieces. More broken edges let the alcohol in faster.
- Cover. Put the pieces in the jar and pour in the vodka. Close the lid and shake.
- Wait. Keep the jar in a dark cupboard and shake it once a week.
- Taste. From week 2, put a drop in a spoon of warm milk. It should taste of cinnamon first and alcohol second.
- Strain. When it smells clearly of cinnamon, usually at 3 to 4 weeks, pour it through a sieve lined with a coffee filter. Sticks left in for months make it bitter and woody.
- Bottle. Pour it into a clean bottle and write the date on the label.
A thicker cinnamon concentrate
Finished extract is mostly alcohol. Reduce part of it and you get more cinnamon in less liquid. The NOIDS Herb Lab has an Evaporation function for this. It reduces infused liquids with a boiling point no higher than 100 °C / 212 °F, and it stops by itself at 102 °C / 215.6 °F.
- Pour 200 ml of strained extract into the Glass. Stay under the MAX mark.
- Cover with the Dish Lid, place the Glass in the Main Body and turn the Rotary Control to Evaporation.
- It reduces about 50 ml per hour. Turn the Rotary Control to OFF when the volume is where you want it. About a third of the start is a good first try.
- Let the Glass cool, then bottle the concentrate. Use about a third of the amount of plain extract.
Safety: use only food-grade spirits. Run Evaporation in a room larger than 50 m³ with fresh air coming in. Keep the cooker at least 5 m from any open flame. To collect the alcohol instead of letting it into the room, fit the Condenser.
How to use cinnamon extract
- Coffee and hot chocolate: a few drops per cup.
- Icing and whipped cream: ½ to 1 teaspoon per 250 g of icing sugar or 250 ml of cream, with no brown specks.
- French toast and pancakes: ½ teaspoon in the batter or the egg mix.
- Apple cake and crumble: 1 teaspoon next to the ground cinnamon, for a deeper spice.
Extract does not replace ground cinnamon one for one. Start with ½ teaspoon of extract for each teaspoon of ground cinnamon you leave out, then taste.
Cinnamon extract, syrup, sugar or butter?
| Option | What it adds | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Cinnamon extract | Flavour, a few drops of liquid, no specks | Icing, cream, custard, coffee |
| Cinnamon syrup | Flavour and sugar | Coffee, iced tea, pancakes |
| Cinnamon sugar | Flavour, sugar and crunch | Toast, doughnuts, baked apples |
| Cinnamon butter | Flavour, sugar and fat | Toast, waffles, sweet potatoes |
For sweet drinks, make our cinnamon syrup. For toast, mix cinnamon sugar. For a spread, whip up cinnamon butter. A drop of the extract in either the syrup or the butter makes the cinnamon taste deeper.
How to store cinnamon extract
- Keep it closed, in a cool, dark cupboard. No fridge needed: the alcohol keeps it.
- It keeps a year or more. The scent slowly fades, so smell it before you bake.
- Fine brown sediment is normal. Pour carefully, or strain it again.
For a full baking shelf, start homemade vanilla extract and maple extract the same day. More flavours are in our homemade extracts guide.
Questions
How long does cinnamon extract take to make?
3 to 4 weeks. Taste it from week 2 and strain it once it smells clearly of cinnamon. Much longer turns it bitter.
How many cinnamon sticks per cup of vodka?
4 sticks, broken into pieces, per 240 ml (1 cup) of vodka at 40% alcohol.
Can I make cinnamon extract with ground cinnamon?
It works, but it makes a muddy extract that is slow to strain. Pour it through a coffee filter and expect it to stay a little cloudy. Sticks give a clearer, cleaner result.
Should I use cassia or Ceylon cinnamon?
Cassia for a bold, classic cinnamon taste. Ceylon for a milder, sweeter one. Both work with the same ratio.
Can I make cinnamon extract without alcohol?
Not one that keeps for months. Food-grade glycerin works, but it is weaker and does not last as long.
