Make Homemade Vanilla Extract as a Gift

Vanilla extract with beans with nice decoration

Pure vanilla extract can be expensive to buy in the grocery store or often has water added, and imitation vanilla is gross imitation flavors and chemicals. Homemade vanilla extract has a richer vanilla flavor and scent because you can control the amount and type of vanilla beans that you use, and it’s much cheaper to make per ounce when you buy the vanilla beans in bulk. I started out making vanilla extract for myself and I promise I will never go back to store bought — the flavor really stands out in baked goods. Once I started making it for friends and family, they either keep asking me to give them more, or they start making it themselves. To get directions and the recipe, visit our sister site, Living on the Cheap.