Homemade Almond Extract

By On April 16, 2012 · 12 Comments · In Craft, Vegan Recipes
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how to make almond extract

I know, it seems like ages ago that I made that batch of vanilla extract and mentioned wanting to make homemade almond extract next.

Of course, I made that decision while we were out of almonds, which meant waiting until we’d had time to go to the store. Also, extracts have to steep for a long time, and I didn’t want to share my recipe until it was completely ready, so I could tell you how it turned out! What I’m trying to say here is that I finally made almond extract! Yay!

Why make extracts instead of buying them?

It takes two months for almond extract to steep, and all of that waiting can seem like a pain, so why not just pick some up at the store instead? For the same reason you cook anything! It’s cheaper to make it yourself, and you have total control over the ingredients. This recipe uses just two ingredients: organic almonds and booze. They’re ingredients you can buy at the store and that you recognize. No benzaldehyde (aka artificial almond flavor) here!

Homemade Almond Extract

Ingredients

  • 1/2c vodka
  • 1 1/2T raw, organic slivered almond

Equipment

  • funnel
  • small, clean glass bottle. I used an empty single-serving juice bottle.
  • another small, clean bottle to strain your extract into
  • strainer or cheesecloth
  • sticky labels and a pen or marker

almond extract ingredients

Directions

1. Spoon your almonds into your bottle.

2. Grab your funnel, and measure the vodka into the bottle.

pouring vodka

3. Give your bottle a shake, then stick it in a cool, dark place to steep. Once or twice a week, shake the bottle.

4. In two months, your almond extract will be all finished. Strain it into a fresh glass container, label and date it, and store it in a cool dark place–like the pantry–until you’re ready to use it.

Waiting two months for your extract to steep might test your patience, but once you have it this stuff lasts for a long time. If you hate waiting, you can just start a new batch when your first one is ready, so you’ll never run out!

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About The Author

Becky Striepe

Hi there! My name is Becky Striepe (pronounced “stree-pee,” like “sleepy”), and I am a freelance writer and vegan crafter living in Atlanta, Georgia. My life’s mission is to make green crafting and vegan food accessible to everyone! Check out my new book: 40 Days of Green Smoothies!

Visit Authors Website →

12 Responses to Homemade Almond Extract

  1. kari says:
    June 22, 2012 at 4:33 am

    What are Raw almonds? I have a 3-lb bag of salted crunchy (like yummy eat-out-the-bag) almonds. Are they the same thing?

    • Becky Striepe says:
      June 24, 2012 at 11:05 am

      I am not sure that those will work. Raw almonds will be labeled as raw. Try whole foods or trader joe’s!

  2. Trish says:
    June 21, 2012 at 11:12 pm

    “1 1/2T raw, organic slivered almond” Is that teaspoons or Tablespoons?

  3. Jilly Bean says:
    May 17, 2012 at 7:11 pm

    Almond extract is also great if you like a little sweet alchoholic drink after a special dinner with your coffee. It makes wonderful homemade Amaretto, which recipe requires a couple of tablespoons, or a whole bottle of store bought extract. This is way, way cheaper, and the liquer is ready to drink without aging. Saves mucho big bucks!!!

  4. Sunday Surf: Screen-Free Week | A green living, green parenting blog says:
    April 29, 2012 at 9:13 am

    [...] Kitchen Work. We all know that making everything from scratch is almost always better than anything else. It’s cheaper and you can choose what ingredients you use. I don’t use extracts often, but I might start using homemade almond extract a little more if I used this recipe! [...]

  5. Brenna @ Almost All The Truth says:
    April 24, 2012 at 8:18 pm

    I love this! I rarely use almond extract, but definitely might if I were to make my own. Can you shop up regular raw almonds? I already have the whole ones.

    • Becky Striepe says:
      April 25, 2012 at 6:57 am

      I don’t see why not! Just cut them into little slices or matchsticks. I’m pretty sure the idea is to increase surface area but keep the pieces big enough to strain out with a regular strainer (rather than lots of cheesecloth).

  6. eryn says:
    April 19, 2012 at 8:36 pm

    This looks so easy to do! Thank you for this post. I pinned it: http://pinterest.com/pin/91690542383720272/

    What do you use almond extract for?

    • Becky Striepe says:
      April 20, 2012 at 8:35 am

      Thanks, Eryn! You can use almond extract in baking to give cookies, cakes, cupcakes, etc a nice almondy flavor. There’s a great recipe for almond cupcakes with green tea icing in Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World (my favorite vegan baking book)!

      • eryn says:
        April 20, 2012 at 2:28 pm

        Thanks, Becky! We use almond flour for most of our baking anyway since we follow the Paleo diet, so everything already has a bit of a nutty flavor to it from that to begin with. Maybe I’ll try out your vanilla extract recipe first…