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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 bunch of homemade flavor extracts in this article, complete with FREE printable vanilla labels for you towards the end of this post. But the flavors I have here 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. Vanilla ones are are available for free below or you can buy all of the labels here.
- 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.
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.
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!
Homemade Flavor Extract
5 from 7 votes
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.
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Diets 
THM Fuel 
Prep Time 5 minutes mins
Infusion Time 42 days d
Total Time 14 days d 5 minutes mins
Course Miscellaneous
Cuisine American
Servings 48 teaspoons
Calories 12
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
Visit TJsTaste.com/flavor-extract for flavoring ideas and printable labels.
Nutrition
Serving: 1teaspoonCalories: 12kcal
Hungry for more?Check out my filterable Recipe Index!
https://tjstaste.com/flavor-extracts/
