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Homemade Stevia Extract

Katie Wells Avatar

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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

Servings

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. 

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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!

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

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

108 responses to “Homemade Stevia Extract”

  1. Shelly Fisher Putnam Avatar
    Shelly Fisher Putnam

    5 stars
    I grew my own stevia this year, dried, and ground it up into a powder form.

    1. Can the powdered form be used to make this recipe?
    2. Would I have to strain the final product?
    3. How much powder would you suggest for a pint size jar?

  2. Melonie Carlson Avatar
    Melonie Carlson

    Hi! First time I’ve tried this… i was so afraid of boiling it, I’m wondering if I got it hot enough It never thickened and it’s not sweet enough for a few drops to sweeten my cup of coffee.. I would love a video to accompany a recipe.
    BTW, Love your elderberry recipe. My children have not been sick in 3 years
    Suggestions about the Stevie issue??

  3. Brooke Avatar

    5 stars
    Made this over the weekend. I’m really pleased with how it turned out. I was not expecting it to yield such a small amount after using a pint of Bacardi. Is this normal or did I just reduce it too long? I only simmered for a half an hour.

  4. Janet Avatar

    I don’t think that statement makes any sense as vodka is like 80-100 proof. The only thing that cooks off is other moisture in the steam. Now if you put a flame to it (minor explosion!) you’d burn off the alcohol, but you wouldn’t have anything left in the pot! My most recent research said that alcohol does not “cook out” of things in a sauce pan like we’d always been told.

  5. jamie Avatar

    5 stars
    you say to store it in the fridge is this necessary or just to add longevity and you say to use within 3 months is this a cautious estimate as the commercial ones i buy says to use within 6 months and you only have to store it in a cool place away from sunlight.

  6. Cheri Avatar

    Not sure if I missed the info, but I understand that when you process the stevia and it becomes thicker, you place it in the fridge and use it over time. My question is, what about liquid tincture? Can you make it from this same process or does it require modification?

    We’ve always bought NOW organic stevia but I am concerned:
    1. Grown in China so therefore unsure of processing
    2. Wonder if it’s really pure steviol glucosides?

    Any advice appreciated.

    Thanks.

  7. SQWIB Avatar

    I just made a batch and it is sweet but has a “spinach” aftertaste and smell.
    The only thing I’ve done different was run the leaves through a coffee mill into a powder prior to extracting.
    I will try again next year without milling the leaves, hopefully this will help with the taste.
    Spinach coffee is tough to drink.

  8. Suzie Avatar

    I love your blog! Thank you for doing what you do!
    About how much of the package of stevia leaves do you use when making this? Is it the entire package? (And what size jar do you usually use?)

    Thanks!
    Suzie

  9. Debbie Avatar

    Do you have to boil this after extracting or is it just for thickness? Does it have another reason such as keeping bacteria at bay or can I skip it without harm? Thank you!

  10. Norma Avatar

    When you’re using this, it’s only a few drops per serving so the alcohol content is negligible.

  11. Yasmin Avatar

    Does anybody know of a replacement for the alcohol? Can it be done using anything else?

  12. Celine Avatar

    Hi ! thanks for the recipe ! Does this taste like alcohol in the end? Can I use it to sweeten my tea without getting an alcohol-bitter taste ?!

    thanks

  13. Doneva Avatar
    Doneva

    I am trying to grow my own plants but these are not a fast growing plant. I figure for the small amount I use in my coffee and tea, I’m not going to drop dead or get some funky ailment from using stevia. Large amounts of anything isn’t good for you.

  14. Lisa Avatar

    I’ve read recently that stevia has shown in some studies to be more affective in treating Lyme disease and other related bacterial infections such as Rickettsia, than antibiotics. What I’m not finding is details on how to use stevia for this?! Any thoughts?

  15. Nora Avatar

    According to the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture website, stevia harvesting should take place in mid-late September (at least up here in the southern part of the Great White North) when plants are 40-60 cm (16-24 inches) tall and just prior to flowering when stevioside quality and quantity are best. Now, all I have to do is find a plant and keep it alive long enough to harvest and try out this recipe!

  16. Nicole Johnston Avatar
    Nicole Johnston

    I’m very excited to try this recipe. I wanted to know if anyone has tried to flavor the extract. I have a cookbook containing grain-free and sugar-free recipes. Most of the recipes use flavored stevia extract. Could someone help me figure out how to flavor stevia extract using this recipe? I would appreciate any tips. Thanks.

  17. Jennifer Avatar
    Jennifer

    Can you make this “flavored” like you find in the stores? Like Lemon, Orange, Lime, Vanilla, or coconut?

    What would you add for the citrus ones the peel?

    How would you make other creative flavors?

  18. Mariana Avatar

    How did it happen that I’ve never crossed this post before?
    Plus: I found it by chance when reading your post about chia seeds.
    Plus: Just today, at lunch break, went to a natural food store for some tea tree essential oil and while I was waiting, I saw a jar with stevia dried leaves, which I have never seen before. And I know it wasn’t there before, because last month I bought stevia powder at that store and asked for other sweeteners as well, but they didn’t tell me about stevia leaves.
    So think about good timing!

  19. Dana Avatar

    Can you use this in your toothpaste recipe instead of the xylitol or stevia packets?

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