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Vanilla Recipes

What Is Vanilla Extract?

In a nutshell, vanilla extract is made by soaking vanilla beans in ethanol (i.e. alcohol). Over time, the fragrant vanilla flavor is extracted from the vanilla beans as they sit in the alcohol — hence the name vanilla extract.

Pure vanilla extract should contain only vanilla beans, alcohol, and maybe water. However, many vanilla extracts sold at the grocery store are actually “imitation vanilla extract” AKA vanillin.

Vanillin is a man-made, imitation vanilla. Because it’s made in a lab, it’s much cheaper than purchasing pure vanilla extract (vanilla beans are the world’s second-most expensive spice, after all!), but it also lacks the same complex floral notes of real vanilla.

If you find yourself purchasing imitation vanilla extract to save a few bucks, it’s worth making your own at home! The vanilla beans are more expensive upfront, but making your own vanilla extract in bulk actually winds up being cheaper in the long-run.