Homemade flavor extracts are easy and inexpensive to make at home. They’re great to make for your own personal use to save money and ensure pure ingredients plus they’re excellent to make in bulk to give away as gifts.
Homemade Flavor Extracts
I have a total of 15 homemade flavor extracts in this article, complete with FREE printable labels for them towards the end of this post. But these 15 different flavors aren’t the limit. You can make an extract using just about any kind of fruit, nut, herb, or spice!
What You Need
- Alcohol. Just about any kind of alcohol will work, but the most common are vodka, rum, brandy, and bourbon. Aim for some that is at least 40% alcohol content (80 proof).
- Flavoring ingredients. What and how much you need will depend on the type of extract you want to make. Details in the recipes below.
- Mason jars. You will need some pint size (or larger if making double or triple batches) mason jars.
- Bottles. Once the extract has been made, you’ll need something convenient to store it in. I recommend glass amber colored bottles. These bottles are the ones I used for the article, but you can use bigger bottles as well.
- Printable extract bottle labels. These are located below.
- Avery 22804 oval labels. These are the stickers you’ll print the labels onto. Details below.
What You Do
- Put the flavor ingredient (prepared as detailed in the recipes below) in a glass mason jar. For ingredients such as leaves, press it down towards the bottom so the alcohol covers it.
- Pour the alcohol over the ingredients. Make sure the alcohol completely covers the ingredient (add more if it doesn’t). Screw on the two piece lid.
- Place the jar in a cool, dark place (such as inside a cabinet). Once a day, pull it out and give it a good shake. Make sure the ingredients are still covered with alcohol; if they’re not, add more alcohol until they are.
- After the extract has infused for the allotted time (indicated in the recipes below), strain it through cheesecloth or a coffee filter. Discard the food bits and save the extract.
- Using a funnel, carefully pour the completed extract into an amber-colored glass bottle. Store in a cool, dry place.
Extract Recipes
Vanilla Extract
- 3 vanilla bean pods, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 cup alcohol
6 weeks infusion time
Mint Extract
- 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves (any kind), removed from steps and chopped
- 1 cup alcohol
6 weeks infusion time
Nut Extract
- 1/4 cup raw blanched nuts (almonds, hazelnuts, etc.), roughly chopped
- 1 cup alcohol
6 weeks infusion time
Citrus Extract
- 1/4 cup zest (no pith) from any citrus fruit (lemon, lime, orange, grapefruit, etc.)
- 1 cup alcohol
6 weeks infusion time
Cinnamon Extract
- 4 cinnamon sticks (Ceylon for a healthier version)
- 1 cup alcohol
6 weeks infusion time
Lavender Extract
- 1/4 cup dried lavender flowers
- 1 cup alcohol
4 weeks infusion time
Fruit Extract
- 3/4 cup fruit (blueberry, raspberry, strawberry, blackberry, cherry*, banana, etc.), crushed
- 1 cup alcohol
8 weeks infusion time
Coffee Extract
- 1/4 cup coffee beans, crushed
- 1 cup alcohol
2 weeks infusion time
Coconut Extract
- 3/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1 cup alcohol
6 weeks infusion time
Chocolate Extract
- 1/2 cup raw cacao nibs, crushed
- 1 cup alcohol
12 weeks infusion time
Anise Extract
- 2 tablespoons fennel seeds OR 8 anise pods
- 1 cup alcohol
6 weeks infusion time
Pineapple Extract
- 1 ounce dried pineapple* (no sugar added)
- 1 cup alcohol
6 weeks infusion time
*On Trim Healthy Mama, homemade cherry or pineapple extract is usually a Fuel Pull because such a small amount is used per recipe. However, if used in larger amounts per serving, it may make a meal an SH (S-Helper) or a light E.
Printable Labels & Recipes
Instructions
What’s in the Printable: The printable above is a PDF that contains 1 page with 18 vanilla extract labels.
How to Make the Printable: You’ll need some Avery 22804 oval labels and some 4-ounce bottles (or bigger). Simply print the labels and they’re good to go!
Want the Other Labels Too? If you’d like all the flavor extract labels, you can buy them (now with a FILLABLE label sheet!) via my Etsy store!
Printable Recipes
Below is a printable with all of the recipes to store in your kitchen binder or to stick on the fridge!
Homemade Flavor Extract
Ingredients
- 1 cup alcohol (see article for the best kind to use)
- plant material as desired (see article or printable for ideas and amounts)
Instructions
- Put the flavor ingredient (prepared as detailed in the article) in a sterilized glass mason jar. For ingredients such as leaves, press it down towards the bottom so the alcohol covers it.
- Pour the alcohol over the ingredients. Make sure the alcohol completely covers the ingredient (add more if it doesn’t). Screw on the two piece lid.
- Place the jar in a cool, dark place (such as inside a cabinet). Once a day, pull it out and give it a good shake. Make sure the ingredients are still covered with alcohol; if they’re not, add more alcohol until they are.
- After the extract has infused for the allotted time (indicated in the recipes in the article), strain it through cheesecloth or a coffee filter. Discard the food bits and save the extract.
- Using a funnel, carefully pour the completed extract into an amber-colored glass bottle (discard or compost the spent plant matter). Store in a cool, dry place.
Notes
Nutrition
Hi TJ, I was looking for a apple extract recipe and found your site. Can apple extract be made? If it can how would I make it? Should I use the peel only or apple pieces? Thanks
Hi, Rosa! I have never tried making apple extract. I did a google search on it and found where people make apple oil by slicing the whole apple, so that’s probably what I’d do in this scenario–thinly slice several apples, cover with alcohol, and let brew. Probably check it ever 3 weeks or so for flavor. Since apple has a pretty mild flavor, it might take longer for it to get into the liquor. Hope this helps! Please let me know if you give it a try and how it does. Have a great day, Rosa!
Hi, thank you for this! Have you made or seen macadamia nut extract!? I have not found much online and I have an abundance of macadamia nuts! If not, do you think it would be a similar process to any of the other nut extracts?
Thank you!
Yes, it should be the same process as the other nuts. Please let me know if you try it and how it turns out. 🙂
Hello, do you know any way to make labels waterproof? (dishwasher safe)
How would you make chocolate extract? And if making other fruit extracts, would you just follow the same way you would for making the blueberry, raspberry and strawberry extracts. Or would it be more like the banana or more like the orange? I live in Canada and to buy the pure extracts here I would be looking at, just for 4 oz, at least $30! Thanks so much!
I tried looking online on how to make pure maple extract, but I keep finding recipes that call for using fenugreek seeds. That doesn’t sound like pure maple extract. Do you have any experience making your own maple and caramel extracts?
I do not. I gave up on making my own maple or caramel for a while as I couldn’t figure them out. If you ever find out how, please do share.
Hi, Mary-Ann! For chocolate, you can infuse raw cacao nibs in the alcohol and you’ll have to experiment to see how long (taste it after like 4 weeks, then again after 5, 6, and so on). For other fruits, if the flavoring is coming from peel such as citrus fruits, then follow the orange extract; for other fruits, add the fruit itself and follow the berry extract recipe. How long they infuse will depend on the specific fruit, so you’ll need to do the checking thing again. Hope that helps. Let me know if you give them a try. Have a great day!
Great recipes. Thanks for sharing. Would 180 proof be to much?
Thanks.
180 proof will work just fine.
Do you think if I was trying to make Corn Extract, 3/4 cup of fresh corn would work?
Hi, Candice. I have never heard of corn extract! It seems like corn might be too mild, but it might be worth a try. 3/4 cup is probably a good start. Let me know how it turns out if you give it a try!
I was about half way into my vanilla and went out of town leaving my vanilla with someone to shake each day. She kept it in front of a window in the sunlight. Is it ruined?? :/
Smell, taste, and observe it. If you don’t smell or taste anything off or see anything growing on it, it’s probably okay, especially if the vanilla was submerged. But that is your judgment call, so be on safe side it’s probably best to throw it out. Sorry. 🙁
I tried the raspberry and cinnamon extracts. The cinnamon came out perfect, but the raspberry doesn’t have any flavor 🙁 It still smells heavily of alcohol (unlike the cinnamon), and it doesn’t contribute any flavor at all when baked– I mean, I’m glad the cake didn’t taste boozy, but… :s
Thank you so much! I just made banana, peach and cacao extracts.
how did you make the peach extract???
please share how you made the peach extracts. I love peaches.
I’m wondering if the leftover fruits from making the infusions could be used for other things? My brother (a great cook, in my opinion) is thinking of trying a jam, or salsa, with the strawberries, and blueberries. He mostly cooks things like meats, veggies, you know… dinners. So jams, jellies, and pastries are all new to him!
So glad I found your site, really want to make strawberry extract using glycerin. May I ask, is there any potential for mould to form when using fruit and glycerin? I guess that would be my main worry. Could it be kept in the fridge to preserve it’s life and prevent mould?
I only have raw almonds and hazelnuts
with the skin, not blanched.
Can I use them?
Or is there a way to blanch them at home?
Thank you for your wonderful recipes!
Sincerely, Staci
Hi, Staci. I found this article via Google you can try to blanch them at home: https://theloopywhisk.com/2018/03/27/how-to-blanch-almonds-in-under-5-minutes/ Let me know how it works!
What can we do for the peach lovers out there?? Any peach extract recipes???
Hi TJ,
I want to make the Cherry Extract, but I’m on Keto and don’t want any sugar. Do you know if the Cherry (and other fruit extracts) retain any of the sugars?
Thanks!
Erech
Hi, Erech. Great question. I’m not sure. It works as a Fuel Pull (neutral) on THM in the majority of cases since so little is used per recipe (therefore does not affect blood sugar neither does it cause weight gain), but I’m not sure how it’d react as far as maintaining ketosis. This might be a good question to ask someone more proficient in the keto diet (a Facebook keto group would work) or if you want to give it a try and check your ketones as it’s in your system to see if it affects it (but you might not want to wreck ketosis lol). I would think it’d be low enough since most recipes you’d use it in are like a teaspoon for the whole entire recipe and thus diluted enough to not cause issue, but again, I’m sure. Sorry I’m not much help!
can I use a transparent bottle?
if no, why?
Yes, you can. The negative with it is that light (from sunlight or light bulbs) can get in easier which reduces the strength of the extract over time.
Hi TJ, Thankyou for your extracts..!
I was wondering..why bother straining out the fruit after the necessary infusion time. Why not just leave it in. It seems to me, the extract should just continue to get better and stronger over time. And in the end, you would need less when using it. And the look is so rich. The Coconut and strawberry ( even mashed ) looks beautiful in the mason jars. And when using the banana extract, wouldn’t it be even nicer to have some real banana added to your baking recipe via the unfiltered extract..? Also, do you have to use amber jars for storage. Why not just leave them in the mason jars..?
Thankyou..!
Hi, Caroline. Straining the fruit, etc. out makes the extract more for flavoring and reduces unwanted texture (example, you might not want chunks of strawberry in a cookie). For banana extract, that can add extra carbs that are not conducive to weight loss. Things like that. If you have an application where the fruit works in it, go for it. Also, I recommend amber colored jars because they filter sunlight better and less sunlight means better integrity/stronger flavor when the extract is stored over time. But you can definitely keep using the mason jars or any other clear bottle or jar.
Hello! How long can these essences be kept for after they have been infused for the alloted amount of time?
They’ll last pretty much forever. Keep an eye out for mold or off smells in case impurities got/get in them, but so far I haven’t found an expiration date with them.
Hello! These recipes look amazing, I cannot wait to try make them! Do you have a recipe for apple extract?? Thank you
Hi, Hannah. I have never tried it and a Google search didn’t find much. I have a feeling apple extracts are probably made with distilling or crushing type machinery since they might have a pretty mild flavor if homemade. However, you’re more than welcome to give it a try. Throw some apples in some liquor and experiment. 🙂 Let me know how it goes!
How about a butter extract? Is that a possibility or just a fake chemical flavor?
I have not found a way to make butter extract unfortunately. You could try just adding butter to the alcohol and see what happens, might work but I have no idea lol.
Perhaps fat washing the alcohol with butter might give it a buttery taste?
Hello
Thank you for sharing your homemade flavor extracts.
Can you you please help me on how to make an Ube (purple potato) flavor extract like Mccormick ube flavor extract.
Thanks in advance
– Filipina
Hi. I have never heard of that till just now lol! I looked up the ingredients and it looks like McCormick uses a chemical to recreate the flavor of the ube (doesn’t use real ube in it). So if I were able to locate some of the potatoes necessary for it, I’d probably just chop some up (peel and all) and put in with the alcohol same as the process I do in my post here and just see how it does. It’d be a bit of experiment. Let me know if you try it please. Have a great day!
Did you try making this? How did it work out?
Thanks
I’ve made the vanilla several times and love it!
Do you have to use Mason Jars to “steep” the extracts?
It can be any glass jar or bottle with an airtight lid.
your free labels are all for the same extract, vanilla nothing else
Hi, Sheila! Yes, that is correct.
This is wonderful! Thank you so much for sharing!
This looks great. My family is choosing to eat low-carb foods and I miss my bananas terribly. I plan on making some banana extract so that we can have some banana muffins!
I was wondering as to shelf life is on the homemade extracts.
Hi, Kevin. They should last pretty much forever. If they ever develop a funky smell or start growing mold, obviously throw out, but since alcohol is the base of it, it should really last pretty much forever.