Instant Pot Vanilla Extract—One Week from Start-to-Gift

For nearly a decade I’ve been making vanilla extract for Christmas gifts. And every year I find myself scrambling because it’s a process that requires a minimum of three months—six months or even six years is even better! Vanilla extract gets better and better with age. But all that has changed since discovering how to make vanilla extract using my Instant Pot electric pressure cooker. Instead of months, Instant Pot vanilla extract takes just one week from start-to-gift!

 

 

For me (and friends and family on my gift list), vanilla extract is still the perfect homemade holiday gift. The difference in taste is extraordinary. And now that pure vanilla extract has become so expensive (more on that in a bit), it’s like pure gold!

Processing homemade vanilla extract in an electric Instant Pot pressure cooker gives it the intensity of aged high-quality store-bought vanilla in a fraction of the time. Now our perfect homemade gift can be a perfect last-minute gift, too.

 

 

 

 

Instant Pot Pure Vanilla Extract

Ingredients

• grade B vanilla beans
• 32 oz. vodka

Equipment

• pint-size new glass canning jars with lids and rings
• Instant Pot electric pressure cooker with a trivet, like this 6-quart size or larger (DO NOT attempt this in a stovetop pressure cooker).

 

Instructions

1. Cut the vanilla beans into about 1-inch pieces, then slice each piece lengthwise but only partway so the pieces remain connected. Do not scrape the seeds out. They will release naturally during the extraction process.
2. Divide the cut pieces between the two canning jars.
3. Fill each jar with vodka to about 1-inch below the rim.
4. Apply the lids and rings to the jars loosely, only finger-tight.
5. Place trivet in your Instant Pot and set the prepared jars on it.
6. Pour 1 cup water into the Instant Pot.
7. Set Instant Pot to high pressure for 30 minutes with the valve set to “sealing.”
8. Once finished, allow for natural release, about 20 mins.
9. Carefully remove jars (they will be hot!) and allow them to cool.

Place in a dark cupboard and shake well each day for one week. All done and good to go!

• MORE: 10 Best Homemade Gifts Under $10

Frequently asked questions

Will a 60-minute cook work even faster?

This is weird, but no. I’ve tested pressure cook times up to 90 minutes. The difference between that time and 30 minutes, has nothing to do with the taste of the finished extract—but the beans begin to break down after 30 minutes. That makes the extract cloudy and even muddy, which is a condition you do not want to create.

At 30 minutes the extract comes out delicious, clear, and gorgeous. Shaking the extract at least once a day for a week increases the intensity and color of the extract as that releases all those beautiful teeny vanilla seeds, making it super gift-worthy. You can achieve a darker more intense flavor in 30 minutes by increasing the number of beans.

Where to buy vanilla beans?

You can find them in some supermarkets, warehouse clubs like Costco and Sam’s, or online. Prices have come down considerably (don’t skimp here), so shop around. Just recently I scouted like a cheapskate and found the best online price for Madagascar Grade B beans at Amazon. This year I purchased these Tahitian Grade B Vanilla Beans

What is the best type of vanilla bean?

Vanilla grown in Madagascar is known for its high quality and the best flavor, although beans grown in Tahiti and Mexico make a fine extract, too. Grade B beans, surprisingly, are better than Grade A for extracting. They’re cheaper too.

 

 

Why are vanilla beans so expensive?

If you follow international weather, wars, and politics, you may recall that in the 1980s, cheaper artificial vanilla with “natural flavoring” overtook the market (read what that natural thing is if you dare—Yikes!).

As a result and as reported in Business Insider, vanilla farmers cut back production because they weren’t making enough money. They switched crops from vanilla to coffee and cocoa. But around 2011, demand for real vanilla rose again as big companies were pledging to eliminate artificial flavorings from their products (thank you!).

Add to that, vanilla thieves, severe cyclones that wiped out delicate crops—plus the many years needed to produce mature trees—it’s taken a while for the vanilla farmers to get back in the game. Some say they don’t want to.

Good news! As of the holidays season 2021, the price of vanilla beans has dropped considerably.

Do I have to use vodka?

No. An alternative food-grade glycerin version of vanilla extract will make a fine substitute. Just don’t expect anything close to high-quality, excellent vanilla extract. Personally, I’d look for another type of homemade gift altogether than compromise with glycerin which does change the flavor.

What kind of vodka?

You want a mid-range, unflavored vodka that is 40% alc/vol and 80 proof. Look for that on the label. And look for one that’s on sale. I recently purchased a 2-quart bottle of Fleischmann’s Royal Vodka locally for $6.99 on sale. Perfect.

What is the shelf-life of vanilla extract?

Because of the alcohol content, pure vanilla extract has an indefinite shelf life. Bonus: If you leave pieces of a vanilla bean in the extract, the flavor will continue to intensify over time.

Prepare gifts

Gift bottles as seen in the last photo above are sold as “hot sauce bottles,” and just perfect for gifting gourmet extracts. They come in 12- or 24-packs including screw-on lids, dripper inserts, and black shrink bands.

To fill the bottles with vanilla extract, use a small funnel and pour it in—completely unfiltered. To add a touch of class, I drop in 2 or 3 of the vanilla bean fragments from the brew. Then screw the lid on very tightly, slip a black shrink band over the bottle’s neck, and hit it with a hot hairdryer. That shrinks it to fit and creates a lovely note of security.

Bonus

You can use the same vanilla beans over and again to make extract in the future. Just replace the liquid you poured off for your own baking or for gifts with new vodka. Either process again in an Instant Pot or tuck away in a  dark cupboard for a nice long soak over the coming year. The beans do lose their intensity over time, so dropping a few new beans into each new batch works fabulously. Shhhh! I’m still using beans I bought in 2013 in batch after batch … after batch!

Helpful resources

Madagascar Grade B vanilla beans

Tahitian Grade B vanilla beans

Instant Pot electric pressure cooker

Traditional non-pressure cooker recipe and instructions for homemade vanilla extract

Gift bottles as seen in the last photo above, are called “hot sauce bottles,” and they come in 12- or 24-packs including screw-on lids, dripper inserts, and black shrink bands.

Pressure Cooker Vanilla Extract and FAQ – Tidbits

 

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