Get my newsletter, tips, deals, and the Seven Small Easy Habits that changed my life. CLICK HERE to become a VIP member!
,

Homemade Stevia Extract

Katie Wells Avatar
Katie Wells

Reading Time: 2 minutes

This post contains affiliate links.

Read my affiliate policy.

natural tincture remedy recipe
Wellness Mama » Blog » Recipes » Condiment Recipes » Homemade Stevia Extract

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.

natural tincture remedy recipe

Homemade Stevia Extract Recipe

A sweet extract made from stevia leaves, useful for sweetening tea, coffee, and baked goods such as cheesecake. 
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 day 12 hours 35 minutes
Author Katie Wells
Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Servings

0

Equipment

Ingredients

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

Stevia can be grown outside in a garden or in a pot on a sunny window sill. 

Like this recipe? Check out my new cookbook, or get all my recipes (over 500!) in a personalized weekly meal planner here!

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!

Stevia is a naturally healthy sweetener and this homemade stevia tincture provides natural sweetness without the chemicals.

Sources

Become a VIP member!

Get access to my VIP newsletter with health tips, special deals, my free ebook on Seven Small Easy Habits and so much more!

Easy Habits ebook on ipad

Katie Wells Avatar

About Katie Wells

Katie Wells, CTNC, MCHC, Founder of Wellness Mama and Co-founder of Wellnesse, has a background in research, journalism, and nutrition. As a mom of six, she turned to research and took health into her own hands to find answers to her health problems. WellnessMama.com is the culmination of her thousands of hours of research and all posts are medically reviewed and verified by the Wellness Mama research team. Katie is also the author of the bestselling books The Wellness Mama Cookbook and The Wellness Mama 5-Step Lifestyle Detox.

Comments

113 responses to “Homemade Stevia Extract”

  1. Yolanda Avatar
    Yolanda

    I made this with fresh stevia leaves with vodka, just like you said and it kind of taste like grassy. Is that normal. I didn’t boil it or burn it at all. I also strained it.

    Reply
  2. Carol Avatar
    Carol

    I tested stevia and have to say I’m not a fan as the taste is too bitter
    but maybe it isn’t all bad? I think more research over a longer period
    of time is needed anyhow to really see the benefits and dangers. In Germany and the UK Stevia
    is very new to us, only was legally allowed in our countries dec 2011 so
    we’re being quite cautious about it. Plus there is only one powdered
    brand type at the moment and no liquid form unless we import it from
    America. getting hold of the leaves is impossible lol but interesting post!

    Reply
  3. Kelly Ragan Avatar
    Kelly Ragan

    Where do you get those little dropper bottles? So, it’s ok that my extract is brown? I just used distilled water and a coffee filter with my dried stevia leaves.

    Reply
  4. sayuri Avatar
    sayuri

    with regard to the above recipe, can you tell me what the sugar equivalent is for the stevia syrup?

    Reply
    1. Wellness Mama Avatar
      Wellness Mama

      You wouldn’t be able to use in in place of sugar in baking recipes because the consistency is different, but a couple of drops is usually equal to a teaspoon of sugar.

      Reply
  5. Dana Avatar
    Dana

    Any chance of being able to do this with just water? I am sure the shelf life would not be near as long. What about the taste? Just curious. I would like to try both ways. Thanks for any help.

    Reply
  6. Minnie Avatar
    Minnie

    Hi, i don’t know whether i missed something, but how many leaves do you use, if using freshly plucked stevia leaves? thanks!

    Reply
  7. Peg Avatar
    Peg

    Tried this and it cooked for hours but never thickened and I simmered it all the way down to practically nothing? What could I have down wrong?

    Reply
    1. Denise Passero Avatar
      Denise Passero

      Same thing happened to me. I won’t cook it so long next time.

      Reply
  8. Rachel Avatar
    Rachel

    I’ve seen lots of comments around the internet about homemade tasting grassy.  Do you find this to be the case, or not?  Or is it something that you’ve just grown accustomed to and are not bothered by?  I have a stevia plant growing and thought I’d give this a try but have other things I’d like to put in alcohol, too, for later use 🙂

    Reply
    1. Wellness Mama Avatar
      Wellness Mama

      I don’t really notice a grassy taste, but I would suggest using small, young leaves if you can…

      Reply
      1. Rachel Avatar
        Rachel

        I have small young leaves so I’ll give them a try before my plant gets too big.  Thanks for the suggestion 🙂

        Reply
  9. Candace Avatar
    Candace

    Why is this only good for 3 months and why refrigerate? I thought alcohol based extracts were basically good forever.  Are you cooking off the alcohol?

    Reply
    1. Wellness Mama Avatar
      Wellness Mama

      It does change it when you cook off the alcohol. If you skip that step, they do last forever. The cooked version may last longer than that too, but that was the longest any of mine lasted before we ran out, so I didn’t want to say they could last longer when I hadn’t tested it…

      Reply
  10. Qaya Avatar
    Qaya

    hi im wondering if you have heard about stevia leaf being used as an anti fertility herb. ive used a powder form of stevia for at least 15 yrs and its one that its not completely white so its much better than most white powder forms. it can be so expensive so i was hping to use the leaf and try the tinture you have done but i read tghat using it in the green natural form causes infertility issues. not sure what stevia to use. we are hoping to get pregnant. any recommendations?

    Reply
    1. Wellness Mama Avatar
      Wellness Mama

      There is some evidence that it blocks fertility, though the white powdered forms would cause this as well. I’m yet to see anything definite on it, but it would probably be prudent to avoid it (and green peas) while trying to conceive. If you’ve been using it for that long, there are some supplements that can help get fertility back… https://wellnessmama.com/motherhood/get-pregnant-naturally/

      Reply
  11. Jess Avatar
    Jess

    Could this same method be applied to other extracts such as lavender or mint?

    Reply
  12. Leesy Bosezcu-Phillips Avatar
    Leesy Bosezcu-Phillips

    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?

    Reply
    1. Wellness Mama Avatar
      Wellness Mama

      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

      Reply
      1. Michele Avatar
        Michele

        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.

        Reply
    1. Wellness Mama Avatar
      Wellness Mama

      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.

      Reply
    2. Mari Avatar
      Mari

      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.

      Reply
  14. Melanie Avatar
    Melanie

    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!

    Reply
    1. Wellness Mama Avatar
      Wellness Mama

      We do…. we grow a bunch outside in the garden and keep a small pot inside during the winter.

      Reply
      1. Melanie Avatar
        Melanie

        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!

        Reply
        1. jackie Avatar
          jackie

          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

          Reply
        2. Nanna Avatar
          Nanna

          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

          Reply
          1. Bradly Avatar
            Bradly

            I purchased seeds from Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Co, and germinated them indoors under lights. They did fantastic! 3ft+ tall!

    2. Wellness Mama Avatar
      Wellness Mama

      We do…. we grow a bunch outside in the garden and keep a small pot inside during the winter.

      Reply
      1. Rachel Avatar
        Rachel

        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

        Reply
        2. Dedra Morgan Avatar
          Dedra Morgan

          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.

          Reply
  16. Helene Avatar
    Helene

    I’m so excited to try this.  I found store-bought stevia to be horribly bitter.

    Reply
    1. Jane Avatar
      Jane

      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.

      Reply
  18. Kim Ratcliff Avatar
    Kim Ratcliff

    is there anyway to make a tincture out of the powder sold in stores? and pure vanilla extract? yummm…

    Reply
    1. Tanya Avatar
      Tanya

       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.

      Reply
  19. Chaela Avatar
    Chaela

    is there a possibility that the tincture could ignite while being heated??

    Reply
      1. Rebecca Avatar
        Rebecca

        Any thoughts on if I can use a fresh stevia leaf in my french press with my coffee?

        Reply
  20. Anitra Sweet Avatar
    Anitra Sweet

    i love stevia! use it in my coffee every morning. i haven’t used it in baking just yet but i plan on it!

    Reply
1 2 3 4
Newer Comments
3.89 from 26 votes (15 ratings without comment)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating