We've been talking on my blog this week about making homemade vanilla
extract. I've been doing this for years because it saves so much money and tastes absolutely amazing!
But recently, the price of vanilla beans went up quite a bit. What a super bummer. We had to do the math again to see if in fact we could actually save money doing this, or just decide that it's worth it just because homemade vanilla tastes so incredible.
The verdict?
The cost of Homemade Vanilla Extract is still less than half off the cost of pre-made, purchased vanilla!! Not only that, homemade vanilla is pure and strong, while most commercial vanilla extracts typically have "water" listed as an ingredient. This means you can use half the amount of vanilla called for in most recipes, which saves even more
money!
Cost breakdown:
4-ounces bottled vanilla extract purchased through my health food co-op is $8.65
I typically make 1-2 gallons at once so I can give it as gifts. Thirty-two 4-ounce bottles of purchased vanilla (equal to one gallon) would cost
$276.80.
Cost for supplies for homemade vanilla:
$25.00 for a gallon of vodka (I just get the cheap stuff because I've found that it doesn't take expensive vodka to make amazing vanilla!)
Total cost for one gallon of homemade vanilla extract:
$100.00.
Happy dance!!!!
Now, of course, there is the cost for bottles if you bottle it individually for gifts. (I buy my bottles here.) But even with that, there is significant
savings!
And let's not forget how incredibly delicious homemade vanilla extract is.
So, we can continue to make homemade vanilla and enjoy great money savings.
BONUS
I save even more by waiting until Olive Nation offers a 20%
discount code. They are offering this right now (the code expires tonight!), so take advantage if you'd like to get some homemade vanilla extract started in time to use for Christmas baking and Christmas gifts!
Buy your vanilla beans here, using the code
SAVE20 on any order over $25. Olive Nation always offers free shipping on vanilla beans (as long as there's nothing else in your cart). Don't forget that this coupon code expires tonight!
Some of these links are my affiliate links.
Let me know if you have any vanilla bean questions!
