Homemade Gluten-Free Vanilla Extract

This DIY gluten-free vanilla extract just needs 2 ingredients and a little patience. Use this homemade version in all of your favorite cakes, cookies and baked goods that call for vanilla extract.

Be sure to check out my collection of gluten-free baked goods including my luscious gluten-free vanilla cake recipe, gluten-free cookies and more.

Is Vanilla Extract Gluten-Free?

Yes, vanilla extract is gluten-free. The ingredients in vanilla extract are vanilla beans and alcohol, that’s it. Vanilla beans come from orchid plants and are naturally gluten-free.

Many people wonder about alcohol. But even if alcohol is distilled from wheat, barley or rye, the gluten does not survive the distillation process. So vodka, gin, whiskey are all safe if you’re gluten-free.

So why make your own?? The price of vanilla extract is sky high and making your own is much more cost effective. I was able to make 8 ounces of vanilla extract for about $7. In 2023, this is about 1/3-1/4 the price of buying it ready-made.

Ingredients

You’ll need whole vanilla beans for this recipe. Vanilla beans are grown in different places around the world and vary slightly in flavor depending where they come from. Mexico, Madagascar (aka bourbon vanilla beans) and Tahiti are the most common sources. I find that Mexican vanilla beans have the most complex flavor, but any vanilla bean will work in this recipe.

The other ingredient is 80 proof vodka. The vodka does not need to be anything fancy or expensive. The vanilla beans will be providing the flavor, so in this case, go for an inexpensive brand of vodka.

How to Make Gluten-Free Vanilla Extract

The only difficult thing about making vanilla extract at home is the time and patience required. Here’s how to do it:

• Cut a lengthwise slit in the vanilla beans.
• Place them in a jar with the vodka, seal tightly and place the jar in the pantry.
• Then wait . . . and wait.
• Give the jar a shake every week or so.

It is a slow process that can be jumpstarted with an instant pot but it doesn’t shorten it much. The vanilla needs to gradually impart its flavor into the vodka. Six months is the ideal amount of time that will give you a flavorful extract.

In the photos below, the jar on the left was steeped for 2 weeks. The one on the right was started in the instant pot on the day of the photo. As you can see, with a 2 week difference, the instant pot version looks the same as the vanilla that steeped for 2 weeks. So the instant post gave it a short jump start.

Even at six months the vanilla beans will continue imparting their flavor. So start using it, but leave the vanilla beans in the jar.