Liquid stevia extract is a relatively easy tincture to make at home, and it is a less expensive alternative to the store bought versions. If you grow your own stevia, you can preserve the leaves while still fresh to make the most potent extract. This is my basic stevia recipe, and it is suitable for kids and pregnant women as the alcohol cooks out.
I get dried stevia leaf from here in bulk, or you can preserve your own.
Homemade Stevia Extract Recipe
Ingredients
- quart or pint glass jar with lid
- fresh or dried stevia leaf
- enough vodka rum, or Everclear to fill the jar
Instructions
- Sterilize the glass jar and lid in boiling water.
- Put enough fresh or dried stevia leaf in the jar to fill it 2/3 full.
- Pour alcohol of choice over the leaves to fill the jar and put the lid on tightly.
- Put in a place where you will see it and let it sit for 36 hours, shaking occasionally.
- Strain the liquid into a small saucepan.
- Turn the heat on low and bring to a simmer. Do not boil! It will ruin the taste!!!
- Simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring constantly and making sure not to boil. It will thicken. When it gets to your desired thickness, remove from heat.
- Store in small jar in the refrigerator for up to 3 months.
Notes
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This can be used in baking recipes like Crock-Pot cheesecake or pumpkin cheesecake. It is also great in coffee, tea, chai lattes, or pumpkin lattes. It is pretty much the only sweetener we use in our house and by making it ourselves, we avoid the bitter aftertaste in the bleached store versions.
Do you use stevia? Ever made it? Share below!
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Could this same method be applied to other extracts such as lavender or mint?
Absolutely. Same proportions
I have used Stevia for years, back when I first started using it about 10 years ago the only one I knew of was soo bitter it had chrysanthemum extract added. Now its everywhere and not as bitter however I was concerned if it was actually better. Thinking that perhaps it is more processed, so the thought of making my own really appeals to me, I will definitely be making this! I was wondering if u could use the dried stevia to make a powder, or do u use it straight?
I have dried and powdered actual stevia leaf before and it works well. It doesn’t mix well into liquid though, so this version is the one I use in tea, coffee, etc
I use dried stevia leaf when I make tea by placing some in a tea ball or bag and steep with the tea. It works well like this. So, Wellness Mama, you say you’ve cooked with dried stevia leaf but you also stated, on down in the comments, that you’ve not baked with it, does it not work well in baked goods? I’ve been wondering about how to use it for baked goods. What about the extract in recipes that call for artificial liquid sweetener? I am trying to get away from sugar and although I’ve baked with Splenda before, with good results, I’m also trying to stay away from that since some are now saying that it is not healthy for you. But the powder you buy from the store has fillers in it so I have been trying to avoid that also.
How much stevia leaf should I order to be able to do this?
Four ounces should be plenty, depending on how much you want to make. That should be enough to do about a quart in the original jar and 8-12 ounces once it cooks down.
How exactly can you make stevia extract? Can you dry the leaves and use it? Where do you get the stevia seeds? Stevia in the store is expensive and I want to be able to do this on my own. I live your site wellness mama! God bless.
Can you grow your own stevia in your home? I so don’t have a green thumb but I love stevia and this could sure save us a lot of money!!! thanks!
We do…. we grow a bunch outside in the garden and keep a small pot inside during the winter.
May I ask where you get your seeds? Is it a tough thing to grow in the house? I live in a condo so a garden unfortunately isn’t an option;( thank you!
i grow stevia in the house i used miracle grow potting soil when i transplanted it in a bigger pot and it sits on my east window as it loves the sun so if u have a window or balcony that gets moderate to full sun u can grow it
it is an easy plant to grow and u can find stevia seeds on ebay
i hope this helped
Stevia plants are very difficult to start from seeds and to get the best stevia to grow in your home or garden it needs to be a cutting from an established plant
I purchased seeds from Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Co, and germinated them indoors under lights. They did fantastic! 3ft+ tall!
Burpee sells them, $5 for a pack of 15 seeds
We do…. we grow a bunch outside in the garden and keep a small pot inside during the winter.
The recipe says leaf. Does that mean you only use one single leaf or one bunch? I realize that leaf means singular, but it didn’t sound like enough. Thank you
It does mean one leaf – it’s surprisingly potent.
The recipe says leaf, but it also calls for filling the jar 2/3 full, so that would be with leaves…..What they wanted you to realize in the recipe was NOT to use powder form, but to USE leaf form.
How much does this recipe make and what is the best way to store it?
I’m so excited to try this. I found store-bought stevia to be horribly bitter.
Less is more with Stevia. Start small.
Do you ever use agave?
I bought some organic agave but have never used it. I have been reading about the problems our livers have processing fructose and am trying to reduce it in my diet. Agave is almost all fructose. I don’t think I’ll be using it any time soon.
is there anyway to make a tincture out of the powder sold in stores? and pure vanilla extract? yummm…
Hi,
Vanilla extract is done in the same way by putting whole vanilla beans in alcohol such as bourbon, vodka and letting it sit, adding new bean skins whenever you’ve scraped them for other recipes.
is there a possibility that the tincture could ignite while being heated??
I don’t think that it could on that low of heat
Any thoughts on if I can use a fresh stevia leaf in my french press with my coffee?
i love stevia! use it in my coffee every morning. i haven’t used it in baking just yet but i plan on it!