The short answer: to make orange extract, peel the zest of 3 oranges with no white pith, put it in a clean jar and cover it with 240 ml of 40 percent vodka. Close the jar, keep it in a dark cupboard and shake it now and then. After 4 to 6 weeks, strain it into a bottle.
Orange extract is orange zest soaked in alcohol. The alcohol pulls the bright oils out of the peel. Half a teaspoon flavours a whole cake. How to make orange extract comes down to fifteen minutes with a peeler and four to six weeks in a dark cupboard. Below: the ratio, how to keep it from turning bitter, how to tell when it is ready, and five more extracts for gift bottles.
| At a glance | |
|---|---|
| Work | 15 minutes |
| Wait | 4 to 6 weeks in a dark cupboard |
| Ratio | Zest of 3 oranges per 240 ml (1 cup) vodka |
| Keeps | About a year, best in the first 6 months |
Ingredients
- 3 large oranges, washed and dried, unwaxed if you can find them
- 240 ml (1 cup) vodka, 40 percent alcohol (80 proof)
- A clean glass jar with a tight lid
- A swing-top or dropper bottle for the finished extract
Vodka gives the cleanest orange flavour. Use at least 35 percent alcohol: weaker spirits pull out less flavour and keep less well. If your oranges are waxed, scrub them under hot water and dry them well.
How to make orange extract
- Zest. Peel the orange part of the skin in strips with a vegetable peeler. Press lightly so you leave the white pith behind.
- Trim. Scrape off any white pith left on the strips with a small knife. Pith makes extract bitter.
- Jar it. Put the strips in the jar and pour in the vodka. Every strip must be under the liquid.
- Wait. Close the jar and keep it in a dark cupboard. Shake it once or twice a week.
- Check. After 4 weeks, smell and taste a drop in a glass of water. Leave it longer for a deeper flavour.
- Strain. Pour it through a fine sieve or coffee filter into a clean bottle. Label it with the date.
How to tell when it is ready
- The colour is a clear golden orange.
- It smells of orange first and alcohol second.
- A few drops in warm milk or water taste clearly of orange.
- The zest strips look pale. They have given up most of their oil.
Making a thicker orange concentrate
Finished extract is mostly alcohol. If you reduce part of it, you get a stronger extract that adds less liquid to a batter. The NOIDS Herb Lab Evaporation function reduces liquids with a boiling point no higher than 100 °C (212 °F) at about 50 ml per hour, and stops by itself at 102 °C (215.6 °F). Pour 200 ml of strained extract into the Glass, under the MAX mark, and turn the Rotary Control to Evaporation. Turn it off when about a third is left.
Safety, because this step evaporates alcohol: use only food-grade spirits. Run Evaporation in a room larger than 50 m³ with fresh air coming in, and 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.
Other homemade extracts for gifts
| Extract | Per 240 ml vodka | Wait |
|---|---|---|
| Vanilla | 6 to 8 beans, split | 8 weeks or more |
| Lemon | Zest of 4 lemons, no pith | 4 to 6 weeks |
| Lime | Zest of 6 limes, no pith | 4 to 6 weeks |
| Cinnamon | 4 cinnamon sticks, broken | 3 to 4 weeks |
| Coffee | 40 g coarsely ground coffee beans | 2 weeks |
For the full vanilla method, see our guide to homemade vanilla extract. For an alcohol-free gift, try vanilla bean paste.
Common mistakes
- Pith in the jar: the white layer under the zest is bitter. Peel lightly and trim.
- Zest above the liquid: exposed peel dries out and browns. Keep every strip covered.
- Weak spirit: below 35 percent alcohol, the extract is thin and keeps less well.
- Straining too early: two weeks gives a faint extract. Wait at least four.
- Wet oranges: dry the fruit well after washing so no water gets into the jar.
Gift bottles
- Small 100 ml amber or clear bottles are the classic size.
- Drop one fresh strip of zest into each bottle for colour.
- Label each bottle with the flavour, the date and how much to use: ½ to 1 teaspoon in a cake.
- Start by early November to have extract ready for December baking.
Questions
How long does homemade orange extract last?
About a year in a closed bottle in a dark cupboard. The fresh orange aroma is best in the first 6 months.
Why is my orange extract bitter?
White pith got into the jar. Peel lightly with a vegetable peeler and scrape off any pith before soaking.
Can I make orange extract without alcohol?
Not as an extract that keeps. Glycerin versions exist, but they are weaker and keep for a shorter time.
What can I use instead of orange extract?
Use finely grated orange zest: about 1 teaspoon of zest for each ½ teaspoon of extract.
Can I use orange peel from a juiced orange?
Yes, if you zest it before juicing. Peel is much harder to zest once the orange is squeezed and soft.
How much orange extract should I use?
Start with ½ to 1 teaspoon in a cake or a batch of cookies. It is concentrated, so a little goes a long way.
