Once you make Homemade Extracts, you’ll never go back to buying them again! With just minimal ingredients, you can learn how to make Homemade Orange Extract for baking or as a great DIY gift!
Need more homemade extracts in your pantry? You will want to try making my Homemade Vanilla, Coffee, and Cinnamon Extracts!
If you can never find natural extracts – outside of Vanilla – in your area, then you should definitely consider making simple homemade versions. It’s so easy, and actually much cheaper than buying at the store. Plus, many extracts, like Orange and Lemon, are great ways to use up food scraps and limit waste.
Extracts made with citrus are perfect for Spring and since you hopefully have a stockpile of vodka from making other homemade extracts, it’s the perfect time to stock up your pantry. This recipe takes a little while to finish, but its very low maintenance – set and forget!
How to Make Homemade Orange Extract
Just like other extracts, this recipe only requires two ingredients. The vodka pulls the orange zest straight from the peels, causing the vodka to sweeten and bring in that juicy, acidic citrus taste perfect for cooking and baking.
Ingredients
- 1 orange, zested
- 1 cup vodka
Directions
- Zest your orange.
- Place all of the zest in your jar and cover with the vodka, making sure the zest is completely submerged.
- Seal the jar and set in a cool, dark place for at least two weeks, up to three months. Shake the extract weekly. The longer you leave the extract setting, the stronger the flavor will be.
- Strain out the zest and store the liquid in an airtight jar.
Peeling the Oranges
The trickiest part of the this recipe is peeling the oranges. You want to make sure you peel the oranges thinly, removing only the orange part of the peel and not getting any of the white. The orange peel is rich in orange oil, while the white is bitter and would add an unpleasant flavor to your extract.
The Container
Anytime you make a homemade extract, the container you are storing it in is just as important as the ingredients themselves. You want to make sure you have a secure, airtight seal on your bottle or jar to keep the extract fresh. If sealed and stored correctly, your extracts can last for months in your pantry.
Homemade Orange Extract
Once you make Homemade Extracts, you’ll never go back to buying them again! With just minimal ingredients, you can learn how to make Homemade Orange Extract for baking or as a great DIY gift!
Ingredients
- 1 orange zested
- 1 cup of vodka
Instructions
- Zest your orange.
- Place all of the zest in your jar and cover with the vodka, making sure the zest is completely submerged.
- Seal the jar and set in a cool, dark place for at least two weeks, up to three months. Shake the extract weekly. The longer you leave the extract setting, the stronger the flavor will be.
- Strain out the zest and store the liquid in an airtight jar.
Notes
You can make as much or as little of the extract as you want. Try to keep a 1:1 ratio to ingredients as above. Ex. If you are making 2 cups, zest 2 oranges
The extract will get stronger the longer you leave it.