The short answer: homemade extracts are a flavour soaked in a spirit until the spirit takes on its taste. Use vodka at 40% alcohol, a clean jar and one flavour: vanilla beans, citrus zest, mint leaves, almonds or cinnamon. Leave it in the dark for 4 to 8 weeks, shake it weekly, then strain and bottle.
Start a jar in October and you have a gift bottle in December. Each extract needs two ingredients and ten minutes of work. A dark cupboard does the rest. Here are six baking flavours, with the ratio and the wait for each, plus bottles and labels.
| At a glance | |
|---|---|
| Spirit | Vodka, 40% alcohol (80 proof) or stronger |
| Work | 10 to 15 minutes per jar |
| Wait | 4 to 8 weeks, depending on the flavour |
| Keeps | A year or more, closed, cool and dark |
What you need
- Vodka, 40% alcohol (80 proof): 240 ml (1 cup) per flavour
- One flavour per jar (see the ratios below)
- Clean glass jars with tight lids
- A fine sieve or coffee filter, and small bottles for gifts
Vodka is the best all-rounder because it tastes of almost nothing. Use at least 35% alcohol. Weaker spirits pull out less flavour and keep less well.
How to make homemade extracts
- Prepare the flavour. Split vanilla beans, zest citrus without the white pith, bruise mint leaves, chop almonds, or break cinnamon sticks.
- Fill the jar. Put the flavour in the jar and cover it fully with vodka.
- Label it. Write the flavour and the start date on the lid.
- Wait. Keep it in a dark cupboard and shake it once a week.
- Taste. Put a drop in a spoon of warm milk. When the flavour is clear and strong, it is ready.
- Strain and bottle. Pour through a fine sieve or coffee filter into small, clean bottles.
6 homemade extracts, with ratios
| Flavour | Per 240 ml vodka | Ready in |
|---|---|---|
| Vanilla | 6 to 8 beans (about 24 g), split | 8 weeks, better at 6 months |
| Almond | 70 g (½ cup) raw almonds, chopped | 6 to 8 weeks |
| Lemon | Zest of 4 to 5 lemons, no pith | 4 to 6 weeks |
| Orange | Zest of 3 oranges, no pith | 4 to 6 weeks |
| Peppermint | About 30 g fresh leaves (a loose cup) | 4 to 6 weeks |
| Cinnamon | 4 cinnamon sticks, broken | 3 to 4 weeks |
Vanilla
The one everyone bakes with. Grade B beans are cheaper and work just as well. Our full vanilla extract recipe covers ratios, beans and topping up.
Almond
Homemade almond extract is gentler than shop extract. Toast the almonds lightly first for a deeper taste. See how to make almond extract.
Lemon and orange
Use only the coloured zest. The white pith turns the extract bitter. Unwaxed fruit is best. Our guides to lemon extract and orange extract go step by step.
Peppermint
Fresh leaves give the brightest flavour. Bruise them gently to release the oils. Use it in brownies, hot chocolate and icing. Strain it once it smells clearly of mint: leaves left too long start to taste of hay. The full method is in how to make peppermint extract. See mint syrup for an alcohol-free mint flavour.
Cinnamon
The quickest of the six. Add a teaspoon to coffee, French toast or apple cake. Strain it once it smells strong, or it starts to taste woody.
A thicker extract with the Herb Lab
Finished extract is mostly alcohol. Reduce part of it and you get a thicker, more concentrated flavour. The NOIDS Herb Lab Evaporation function does this for liquids with a boiling point no higher than 100 °C (212 °F). It runs at about 50 ml an hour and stops by itself at 102 °C (215.6 °F). Use food-grade spirits only, run it in a room larger than 50 m³ with fresh air, and keep it at least 5 m from any open flame. To collect the alcohol instead of letting it into the room, fit the Condenser.
When to start each one
Work back from the day you want to give them. Vanilla and almond need the longest, so start them first, by early October for Christmas. Lemon and orange can wait until early November. Peppermint can start in early November and cinnamon by mid November. If you start late, give the jar with a "ready from" date on the label, and let your friend watch it darken.
Common mistakes
- Too little flavour: a few zest strips make a weak extract. Follow the ratios.
- Leaves or zest above the spirit: anything not covered can go soft. Push it under.
- Light: a sunny shelf fades the colour and taste. Use a dark cupboard.
- Straining too early: taste first. If it is weak, give it another week.
Bottles and labels for gifts
- Small amber or clear bottles of 50 to 100 ml are the right size.
- Leave one vanilla bean in each vanilla bottle. It keeps working. Strain citrus and mint fully; leftover peel and leaves turn bitter.
- Write the flavour, the date and "ready from" on the label.
- Add a line of use: "a teaspoon in cakes, icing or hot drinks".
Questions
What alcohol is best for homemade extracts?
Vodka at 40% alcohol (80 proof). It tastes of almost nothing, so the flavour comes through clean. Use at least 35% alcohol so the extract keeps.
How long do homemade extracts last?
A year or more. The alcohol preserves them. Keep them closed, cool and dark, and the flavour stays strong.
When should I start homemade extracts for Christmas?
By early October for vanilla and almond, which take 6 to 8 weeks or more. Citrus and peppermint can start in early November, cinnamon by mid November.
Why is my citrus extract bitter?
White pith got into the jar, or the zest sat too long. Use only the coloured zest and strain once it tastes right.
Can I make extracts without alcohol?
Not ones that keep for months. Glycerin versions exist, but they are weaker and do not last as long.
