How to extract mint oil from leaves without alcohol

Have peppermint growing in your garden? Go pick some, and use it to make your own peppermint extract. It makes a great gift during the holidays. Here’s what you do:

Peppermint Extract Recipe

Prep Time:

5 minutes

What You’ll Need:

Vodka (go with the cheapest bottle you can find)
A handful of fresh peppermint leaves
A pint canning jar
Brown glass bottles

What You Do:

Crumble the peppermint leaves up in your hand to bruise them. This will help to release the oils. Then, place them in the jar.

Pour a cup of vodka over the mint. Make sure the mint is fully submerged. Then, screw the lid on the jar, and store it in a cool, dark place for at least two months.

When your peppermint extract is ready, strain out the mint leaves, and pour the finished extract into brown glass bottles. This will protect it from sunlight.

Your extract will be a greenish-brown color when it’s ready for use. That’s perfectly normal.

Free Printable Peppermint Extract Labels

Here are some free, printable labels, that you can use to share your peppermint extract with friends and family.

These labels are designed to fit full-sheet label paper. Use Avery 8165, if you have an inkjet, or Avery 5265, if you have a laser printer.

I like to print my labels on vinyl. This makes them waterproof and dishwasher-safe, so it’s easy for me to reuse the bottles over and over. If you decide to do the same, be sure to buy vinyl that’s compatible with your type of printer – whether that’s an ink jet or a laser printer.

Many web browsers have their own built-in PDF viewers, but they tend to be buggy. If you’re having trouble printing or editing one of our printables, click here for help.

Tips:

• Want to make peppermint extract without the alcohol? Just substitute the vodka with three parts food-grade liquid glycerin and one part water
• Peppermint extract can also be made from hard peppermint candies. Just drop a handful in the vodka, and proceed with the directions
• Make an extra batch to keep on hand for the next time you need a gift
• Save the bottles from your store-bought extracts, and refill them with your own extracts
• Whip up your own lemon extract, vanilla extract and orange extract, so you’ll have lots of flavoring options when you bake

clockclock iconcutlerycutlery iconflagflag iconfolderfolder iconinstagraminstagram iconpinterestpinterest iconfacebookfacebook iconprintprint iconsquaressquares iconheartheart iconheart solidheart solid icon

Peppermint Extract

★★★★★

5 from 2 reviews

Print Recipe

Pin Recipe

Follow these simple steps to make peppermint extract from fresh mint. Makes a wonderful gift.

• Total Time: 5 minutes
• Yield: 1 cup 1x

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• A handful of fresh peppermint leaves
• 1 cup vodka

Instructions

Bruise the peppermint leaves by crumbling them up in your hand. Then, place them in a jar.

Pour vodka over the mint. Be sure the leaves are completely submerged.

Screw the lid on the jar, and store it in a cool, dark place for a month (or longer).

When your peppermint extract is ready, strain out the mint leaves, and pour the finished extract into brown bottles. This will protect it from the sunlight.

Notes

• To make non-alcoholic extract, replace the vodka with three parts food-grade liquid glycerin and one part water.

• Author: Erin Huffstetler, myfrugalhome.com
• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Category: Ingredient
• Method: No-Cook
• Cuisine: Global

Keywords: vanilla extract recipe, how to make vanilla extract, how to make non-alcoholic vanilla extract

Did you make this recipe?

Share a photo and tag me @erinhuffstetler — I can’t wait to see what you’ve made!

Want to learn how to make other types of extracts? This video shows you how to make vanilla, lemon and orange. It also shows you how to make non-alcoholic extracts.

How do you extract mint leaves without alcohol?

How do you extract mint from mint leaves?

How do you make extracts without alcohol?

Does mint extract have alcohol in it?