It has never been easier to make Vanilla Extract. The Instant Pot takes the one hard part out of traditional extract, the two month wait, and yours is ready to use in 24 hours for all your favorite baked goods.
I have been making my own vanilla extract for years. I use it in all my baking and give it as gifts during the holidays. But the waiting and shaking of the bottles every few days for up to two months can be torture. Now you can make it in your Instant Pot and it is ready the next day. Make sure you grab my free printable labels at that vanilla extract link, too.
I have to say, when I first made this I was concerned about putting alcohol in the Instant Pot, so I took it outside and made my first batch there. It came out great with no problems, and now I make it on my counter.
Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 5 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 45 minutes at high pressure, plus a 20 minute natural release
- ⏳ Total Time: about 70 minutes, then a 24 hour rest
- 🍽️ Serving: 6 cups, three 16 ounce jars
- ⚡ Calories: 24kcal per tablespoon
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Deep, dark, real vanilla, the kind the little store bottles imitate
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, the Instant Pot does the two months of work
Quick Answer
Cut each vanilla bean in half down the middle vertically and place two beans in each 16 ounce mason jar. Pour 2 cups of vodka into each jar, less a tablespoon, and close the metal lids finger tight, not with force. Pour 1 cup of water into the Instant Pot, set the trivet at the base, and place the jars on it. Seal the lid and valve, cook on high pressure for 45 minutes, then let the pressure release naturally for about 20 minutes. Remove the jars with a towel or tongs, tighten the lids, and let the extract sit at least 24 hours in a dark, cool room before using.
Jump to:
Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- Heat is a fast forward button. Extraction is just vanilla compounds dissolving into alcohol; 45 minutes of pressurized heat does what two months of counter time and shaking do.
- Splitting the beans is the whole prep. The flavor lives in the seeds and the inner pod wall; the lengthwise cut exposes both to the vodka.
- Finger tight lids are a safety feature. The jars need to vent and equalize as pressure rises, then they self seal during the process. Cranked down lids can stress the glass.
- The tablespoon of headspace you take out of each jar gives the warming alcohol room to expand.
- Natural release is not optional. A quick release flash boils the hot alcohol and can crack jars; the slow 20 minute release lets everything settle gently.
- 80 proof is the ceiling for a reason. Forty percent alcohol extracts fully, stays safely below flammability concerns at pressure, and costs less. Expensive bottles add nothing a vanilla bean can taste.
- Grade B beans beat Grade A here. They are drier, cheaper, and bred for extracting rather than for looking pretty in a dessert.
- The 24 hour rest finishes the job. The extract keeps deepening as it cools and settles; a week or two in the pantry makes it even better.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Ready in 24 hours instead of two months of waiting and shaking bottles.
- Three ingredients: beans, alcohol and the water in the pot.
- Dramatically cheaper than store bought, and you know exactly what is in it: no imitation flavor, no corn syrup.
- Six cups at once. One batch covers your baking year and the whole gift list.
- The best holiday gift on your list. Pretty bottles of homemade extract, started in October, are the gift bakers brag about. My free printable labels finish them.
- Your baking tastes the difference everywhere vanilla leads: birthday cupcakes, lemon bars, scones with clotted cream.
Key Ingredients
Three ingredients and the right jars. Quantities are in the recipe card below.
- 6 Grade B Vanilla Beans. Two per jar. Choose Grade B over Grade A for cost reasons; they are made for extracting.
- Inexpensive Vodka or Bourbon. 16 ounces per jar, 80 proof or 40 percent alcohol. Vodka is the most neutral flavor, while bourbon or rum gives a darker, smoky edge. Buy at Costco or a discount market for the best pricing, and if you are making three 16 ounce jars, make sure you have 48 ounces, not a 32 ounce bottle.
- 3 -16 oz Mason Glass Jars that fit in Instant Pot. They must fit inside your Instant Pot together on the trivet.
- Water. One cup in the bottom of the pot to build the steam.
- Decorative Jars if you want to transfer for gift-giving if you want to transfer the finished extract for gift giving.
See the recipe card below for exact quantities and full instructions.
Variations & Substitutions
- Bourbon vanilla: swap the vodka for bourbon for a rounder, caramel leaning extract that is wonderful in bread pudding and spice bakes.
- Rum vanilla leans tropical and is lovely in frostings.
- Double strength: use four beans per jar for a bakery grade extract that carries through heavy batters.
- Smaller jars work the same way; keep the bean to alcohol ratio and make sure the lids sit below the pot’s max line.
- Refill the jars. The spent beans have a second, slightly milder batch in them; top up with fresh vodka and run the pot again.
- Vanilla sugar bonus: once a bean has given its all, dry it and bury it in a jar of sugar for free vanilla sugar.
How to Make Instant Pot Vanilla Extract
This is one of the simplest recipes you can make. By using the Instant Pot, you are taking the biggest step out of traditional extract: the time.
- With a knife, cut each vanilla bean in half down the middle, vertically.
- Pour 2 cups of vodka into each canning jar, less 1 tablespoon each.
- Place two sliced vanilla beans in each jar and seal the jars finger tight, not with force. The jars will self seal during the process.
- Pour one cup of water into the bottom of your Instant Pot and place the trivet at the base.
- Place the closed jars on the trivet inside the pot.
- Close the Instant Pot lid and close the valve.
- Set to high pressure for 45 minutes. Once the time is done, allow the pressure to release naturally, about 20 minutes. Remove the jars with a towel or tongs and tighten the lids.
- Allow the vanilla extract to sit for at least 24 hours before use for best results, and keep it in an airtight glass jar in a dark, cool room when not using.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Choose Grade B beans over Grade A for cost; the extract cannot tell the difference.
- Do not go over 80 proof, and use the less expensive alcohol. Vodka or bourbon both work.
- Let the pot release naturally for at least 20 minutes. This one is a safety rule, not a texture preference.
- Finger tight means finger tight. The lids seal themselves during the process; forcing them stresses the glass.
- Leave the beans in the bottle. You don’t need to remove them, and the extract keeps deepening around them. Use it after 24 hours, or let it steep a week or two for even more depth.
- Starting in October? Perfect timing. The jars are ready in a day, and the extract only gets better sitting in the pantry until gift wrapping season.
Serving Ideas & Suggestions
Use it anywhere a recipe says vanilla: tiramisu cake, lemon bundt cake, caramel pumpkin cookies, chocolate cupcakes, Amish cinnamon bread and every bake in my dessert collection.
For gifting, transfer to decorative bottles, add my free printable labels, and tie a bean into the ribbon. And while the Instant Pot is out, it also makes my blackberry iced tea, keto chili, lemon curd cheesecake and key lime cheesecake.
Vanilla Extract FAQs
Vodka, bourbon or rum all work. Vodka is the most neutral flavor, while bourbon or rum gives a darker, smoky flavor. Use 80 proof, 40 percent alcohol, and do not buy the most expensive bottle; a discount market bottle extracts just as well.
Done this way, yes. The alcohol stays sealed inside the jars over a cup of water, the lids go on finger tight so the jars can equalize, and the natural release lets everything cool gently. I was nervous enough to make my first batch outside, and it came out perfectly; I make it on my counter now.
You can use it within 24 hours, and letting it steep for a week or two makes it even better. Keep it in an airtight glass jar in a dark, cool room.
No, the beans can stay in the bottle. The extract keeps deepening around them, and a bean in a gift bottle looks beautiful.
Essentially forever. The alcohol preserves it, and it only improves with age in a cool, dark pantry. If you gift it, there is no use by date to apologize for.
Grade B beans are drier and less pretty than Grade A, which makes them cheaper, and they are exactly what extract making wants. Save Grade A beans for recipes where the pod itself is on display.
Instant Pot Vanilla Extract
Equipment
- Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 6 Vanilla Beans Grade B (2 per jar)
- 6 cups Vodka
- 1 cup Water For bottom of Instant Pot
Instructions
- With a knife, cut each vanilla bean in half down the middle vertically
- Pour 2 cups of vodka to each canning jars less 1 TB each
- Place Two Sliced Vanilla Beans in Each Jar. Seal Jars Finger Tight.
- Pour one cup of water to the bottom of your Instant Pot. Place the trivet at the base of the Pot.
- Close each canning jar with metal lids, and place on the trivet inside your Pot.
- Close the Instant Pot by screwing on the lid. Close the valve.
- Set the Instant Pot to High Pressure for 45 minutes. Once the time is done, allow it tor elease pressure naturally, which will take about 20 minutes. Remove jars with towel or tongs and tighten jars.
- Allow the vanilla extract to sit for at least 24 hours before use for best results. Make sure to keep in an airtight glass jar in a dark, cool room when not using.
Donna says
Just 2 beans per jar??