I suspect you won't save anything by making your own....good beans are expensive.

I make my own vanilla extract with Everclear. Just toss the beans into the bottle and keep steeping. I make my own vanilla sugar too, with a couple pods split, deseeded, chopped, and all mixed into the sugar and allowed to steep.

I don't bake a lot, so having a big bottle of the extract and a couple quart jars filled with sugar lasts me forever. Using both the extract and the sugar ups the flavor too.

I was gifted with vanilla beans though, so it was more affordable to make the stuff.

Lizbeth, I've never made my own. Just thinking you might check Ina Garten's version. For the most part, I use vanilla extract from Nielsen-Massey and Baldwin & Sons. Those are both good sources for vanilla beans...or Penzey's. I've also bought them at World Market.

My Mom used to extend her vanilla by adding whiskey to it. Not sure if it was really to extend the vanilla or to help use up the whiskey someone gifted my Dad with every Christmas :-\ but it seemed to work OK as we never really noticed anything different. However I don't know what the ratio of vanilla to whiskey was. I use Watkins and love it.

Yes, vanilla beans are expensive. The last ones I bought a few months ago, were 25 vacuum packed 4-6" beans for $36. You could pay that much and more for just 8 ounces of vanilla extract. And the beans can be used again. I add a few more beans to a subsequent batch. The beans I bought were grade B. You might think grade A would be better than B, but that's not really how it is with them. I believe it has to do with moisture content of the beans.

As for the vodka, I don't have a specific brand I buy. We don't drink, so I don't know much about alcohol, but I seem to remember reading that you don't want rotgut, but you also don't need the "best". I choose something in the middle.

I really had no idea about the best vodka to use. Found this online...

"Vodka has the most neutral flavor, but you can also use bourbon, brandy, or rum to create unique extracts. There’s no need to use a top-shelf or high-proof alcohol when making vanilla extract. An inexpensive 40% (80 proof) alcohol will work just fine. (Commercial vanilla extracts are typically 35% or 70 proof alcohol.) I prefer using a mid-tier alcohol, not bottom of the barrel but not too expensive, either."

I don't drink vodka but I've always bought Stolichnaya or stoli, unflavored, vodka for all my cooking uses. It's supposed to be good but it's not wildly expensive.

Shoot me but I've switched to imitation vanilla. For years I used to buy McCormick and then Nielsen-Massey as it was cheaper in comparison, though too pronounced or aggressive for me. I really liked the McCormick best. Either someone is robbing me or the product is simply beyond my means. Either way I shouldn't be buying it. After all, I grew up on imitation vanilla. Ironically enough no one's the wiser. I'm the only one can tell the difference and I can live with it.

@wintercat_gw, Cook’s Illustrated did a taste test on real vanilla vs imitation vanilla (I think it was in 2011 or earlier). They came to the conclusion that if the vanilla is going to be heated (cakes, muffins, cookies, etc.) there was no taste difference between real and imitation. However, if the vanilla were added at the end of the cooking process (puddings, ice cream, sauces, etc), real vanilla was the better choice. Their imitation vanilla of choice was Gold Medal. I’ve looked for it online for a couple of years and never found it. I’m currently using Costco vanilla extract. I think it was $30+ for a pint.

@annie1992, I’m with you! I’ve made my own vanilla before and found it lacking. I think the “recipe” I used called for steeping it for 90 days before using. All I tasted was the vodka (I probably used Tito’s, since that is what I usually buy). I eventually let the beans steep for a year and it never mellowed out. It was a huge disappointment!

bbstx, I remember that taste test from Cook's Illustrated. Their results surprised me but kind of made sense. I can't even remember buying imitation vanilla but am sure I did at one point. No question my mom did.

I've made and used only my homemade vanilla for almost 50 years. (Read about making it in a cookbook I bought). It's easy. The recipe from the cookbook was 6 ounces of RUM to 1 vanilla bean, cut into pieces. Steep for a month or so. I have a big jar filled with beans and I use white rum -- cheap rum is fine -- I buy it by the gallon -- and when it turns dark it is done. I always have a bottle that I use and that big jar in the ready. When I use some from the big jar, I just pour more rum in it. Every once in a while I add more beans when I add rum.

I love Ina Garten and she used vodka and so I tried it. I like the rum better -- it's more rounded. Thought the vodka as too austere. Was glad when the vodka vanilla was used up for sure!

I don't think there is any better vanilla than homemade rum vanilla.

I've been using my own extract too for many years now, but I sometimes get some store bought. Now, though the prices for extract have been so high, I find several whole beans cost a lot less and last a lot longer too.

I understand the high prices are due to a shortage? Wasn't there a thread here about it awhile ago?

I make mine using the scraped out bean shells (rinds?) and some good bourbon to cover. I just keep adding more to the jar to top it off. I buy whole vanilla beans and use the pulp/seeds for flavoring some things, and pieces of the rinds(shells?) for things like rice pudding, and other things that are simmered, but there are always more leftover rinds.

A few months ago, I had a lot accumulated in the jar, so I ran it through the blender to extract more of the goodness, and have been topping that off with more bourbon as needed. It's seemed to last me a long while. I don't even bother to strain it either, when I use it cookies or cake - unless the little brown bits will show.

I shake the jar up whenever I remember.

I used to buy the vanilla at Costco but the price went crazy a few years back - I think highest price was $43 per bottle. I ended up buying some beans and making my own. The end product is okay but not as flavourful as a really good store bought vanilla. The price at Costco has dropped to $29.99 but it also looks to be more diluted than in the past so I haven't bought any. If I am making something that requires a real hit of vanilla i.e. ice cream, I use some premium stuff from the grocery store (PC Black Label in Canada).

Lots of good info here. I was looking for which brand/price point of vodka and I learned that I CAN use vodka, but also rum, bourbon or even Everclear (had to look that up), but doesn't sound like many here like it made with vodka. Also, I need to consider using imitation for some things. bbstx: If you do a goggle search for Gold Medal vanilla, it does come up and is very inexpensive. I hadn't thought about vanilla sugar-now will have to see how it is used. Thanks for sharing your experiences!

@lizbeth-gardener, Everclear (or PGA as we call it) might be harder to come by than usual. Some of us are using it as a disinfectant when we cannot get isopropyl alcohol. I was able to snag 2 liters of it at the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak, but my sister had to wait a while for her local liquor store to re-stock.

The only batch of vanilla that I ever made, I made with vodka. I wouldn’t call it an epic fail, but it was close. I’ve never done it again.

Will check on the Gold Medal. Didn’t think to google to find it. Just looked at the local supermarket and Walmart. I see that Amazon has it, but I will be required to buy a case of 12 8-oz bottles.

Lizbeth gardener -- there are also some cities/states where you cannot buy Everclear -- I'm not sure which states it is outlawed but I know there are some -- it wasn't here and people from those states would buy it here and bring it back. Don't forget you don't need gallons of booze -- get half pints and make small jars of it -- try rum, bourbon and vodka.

bbstx: I think that is what I found also-having to buy a case to get Gold Medal online.

Martha Scott: I discovered that when I did a search to find out what it was-sounds a bit like what they make in the stills in bootleg country. I will start small.

FWIW, I've used vanilla powder and really liked it too , but I can't find it here

I am amazed no one has mentioned Mexican vanilla. It's yummy and cheaper than madasgar vanilla. Of course be sure to buy real vanilla and not the flavoring from tonka beans.

Linda, Nielson Massey mexican vanilla gets the highest rating above and over their Madagascar Bourbon, but costs more. on Amazon 2 ounces of Mexican is 15.95, MB is 4 ounces for 21.95

I like to use Everclear because it really has no taste- not even the neutral flavor that vodka has. While neutral, it does have it's own flavor.

And something to note about the vanilla beans- they taste different too. Madagascar Burbon has the standard vanilla flavor most commonly known and popular in all applications. Mexican has the same flavor, but with additional warm spice notes of clove/nutmeg that can go well into more savory as well as sweet applications. Indonesian is more woody and smoky that pairs better with deeper sweets and some savory applications. Tahitian is more floral and cherry with anise notes, and best for lighter applications like pairing with fruits, custards and ice creams, and some drinks. There's also Indonesian (balanced flavors) and Tonga (earthy and deep fruits like figgy) vanillas, but those are much less common.

There's also different folds to vanilla. Single fold is the most commonly made for regular extracts, and pretty much what we are talking about in this thread. 2x and 3x increase the amount of vanilla beans to make it more concentrated and is often used by pro bakers. It can go up to a 10x vanilla, which is created as an oil (vanilla is oil soluble, not water soluble), and that's what we see as the food grade essential oil- it's process isn't really doable by the home cook, it requires more complicated processing.

I love vanilla bean paste. To me it packs more flavor than extracts. But it does have all the seeds so I would never use it in buttercream frosting or anything else where presentation is all.

For those of you looking for a mail order source for extracts and beans, Vanilla Saffron Imports is excellent. I have no connection to them. Just love their saffron and vanilla.

I recently got their organic vanilla extract. It's much less aggressive than Nielsen-Massey. Their regular paste is phenomenal, and my secret for really good vanilla pudding.

They have many varieties of excellent beans, including certified organic.