The DIY Guide to Making Flavorful Homemade Extracts

You are making a pan of cupcakes with buttercream frosting, or perhaps using the browning bananas on your counter for freshly baked banana bread. How can you step up the flavor? Reach into your cabinet and grab the small dark bottle of vanilla extract and add a few drops.

Have you wondered exactly what flavor extracts are and if you can make them on your own? Creating homemade extracts is an easy and fun process. Keep reading this guide to learn how you can make your own homemade flavoring extracts.

What Are Flavor Extracts?

Flavor extracts are concentrated solutions derived from herbs, spices, fruits or nuts. The extracts you buy at the store may be referred to as “natural” or “artificial.” By using ingredients like real vanilla bean and real lemon zest, you can make your own natural flavor extracts.

The process of extracting flavor from substances such as vanilla beans or almonds requires a few basic ingredients: The raw ingredient you want to extract flavor from and alcohol. Vodka is the most popular choice for distillation but any type of alcohol will work as long as it is 40% alcohol (40 proof) or stronger.

How to Make Homemade Flavor Extracts

You can make simple flavoring extracts on your own. The most common flavors people make at home are vanilla, lemon, orange, mint, cinnamon, and so on. To make these flavors, you only require the components of one base ingredient and alcohol.

You will need 8 ounces of 40 proof vodka and a jar with a lid to distill each raw ingredient. The ratios are:

• Vanilla extract: 4-6 vanilla bean pods per 8 oz of alcohol
• Lemon extract: 2 lemon peels per 8 oz of alcohol
• Orange extract: 1-2 orange peels per 8 oz of alcohol
• Mint extract: 1 cup of mint leaves per 8 oz of alcohol
• Cinnamon extract: 4 whole sticks per 8 oz of alcohol

Keep your extracts sealed and stored in a dark and temperature-controlled area. If properly stored, your flavor extracts should not go bad, due to the high alcohol content.

On average, it will take about six weeks to fully extract the flavor from the raw ingredients you distill. Having trouble? Let the Sensapure Mobile Flavor Lab help you out.

Beyond Homemade Extracts

If you are looking for some more adventurous homemade extracts, have a higher demand, are producing products for a business, or simply do not have the time to create your own extracts, you can partner with the Sensapure Mobile Flavor Lab to help you get started. Sensapure’s certified flavor chemists collaborate with clients to remove impediments and delays.

Instead of sending and receiving samples in the mail, Sensapure’s Mobile Flavor Lab brings created flavor samples and all of the additional elements needed onsite. This partnership program is designed to save you time and money.