Making clove extract at home requires just two ingredients: whole cloves and a solvent like vodka, vegetable glycerin, or oil. The standard ratio is ¼ cup of whole cloves to 1 cup of vodka, steeped in a dark place for four to six weeks. The process is simple, but a few details around clove form, timing, and filtration make the difference between a weak extract and a potent one.
Why Whole Cloves Work Better Than Ground
This might seem counterintuitive. Ground cloves have more surface area, so you’d expect them to release more flavor and active compounds into your solvent. But whole cloves actually retain more of their essential oil in their intact interiors, giving them a medium-to-high potency. Ground cloves lose most of their essential oil during the grinding process through evaporation and oxidation, making them the least potent form of the spice.
There’s also a practical reason to use whole cloves: filtration. Ground cloves create fine sediment that’s difficult to strain out completely, leaving you with a murky, gritty extract. Whole cloves steep cleanly and strain easily.
Alcohol-Based Extract (Standard Method)
This is the most common approach and produces the longest-lasting, most potent extract. Alcohol is an excellent solvent for the oils and aromatic compounds in cloves.
You’ll need:
- ¼ cup whole cloves
- 1 cup vodka (90-proof is ideal for its neutral flavor)
- A clean glass mason jar with a tight-fitting lid
Place the cloves in the jar and pour the vodka over them. Seal the jar tightly and give it a good shake. Store it in a cool, dark place, like a pantry or cabinet. Shake the jar twice a day if you can remember, or at least every couple of days. The agitation helps the alcohol penetrate the cloves and pull out their oils more efficiently.
Let the mixture steep for at least four weeks. Six weeks produces a stronger, more rounded flavor. There’s no real upper limit on steeping time; longer maceration won’t make the extract go bad, it just intensifies the result. After your chosen steeping period, strain and bottle the extract.
Stored in a cool, dark place, an alcohol-based clove extract lasts four to six years.
How to Filter for a Clear Extract
Straining is a two-step process if you want a clean final product. First, pour the extract through a fine-mesh strainer or a double layer of cheesecloth to catch the whole cloves and any larger debris. Squeeze the cheesecloth to press out as much liquid as possible from the spent cloves.
Then run the strained liquid through an unbleached paper coffee filter one or two more times. This catches the fine particles that cheesecloth misses and gives you a clear, sediment-free extract. Coffee filters work slowly, so be patient. Pour the finished extract into a clean, dark glass bottle for storage.
Alcohol-Free Extract With Vegetable Glycerin
If you want to avoid alcohol, vegetable glycerin makes a good alternative solvent. Glycerin extracts are sweeter and slightly less potent than alcohol-based versions, but they work well for baking and for people who prefer not to consume alcohol in any amount.
Since cloves are dried, you need to add water to the glycerin so the mixture can properly rehydrate the plant material and extract its compounds. Use a ratio of 3 parts vegetable glycerin to 1 part distilled water (75% glycerin, 25% water). Pour this mixture over ¼ cup of whole cloves in a mason jar, making sure the liquid covers the cloves completely.
The steeping process is the same: seal, shake twice daily, and store in a dark place for at least one month. Strain using the cheesecloth-then-coffee-filter method described above. Glycerin-based extracts have a shorter shelf life of about one to two years, so label your bottle with the date.
Oil-Based Clove Extract
An oil infusion is useful for topical applications or for cooking where you want clove flavor in a fat-soluble form. You can use olive oil, sweet almond oil, or another neutral carrier oil.
Cold Method
Place ¼ cup of whole cloves in a jar, cover with 1 cup of oil, seal, and let it sit in a dark place for four to six weeks, shaking regularly. This preserves all the heat-sensitive compounds in both the cloves and the oil.
Warm Method
If you need the extract sooner, combine cloves and oil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Heat the mixture over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until it reaches about 60°C (140°F). Hold it at that temperature for five minutes, then remove from heat and let it cool. Don’t let the oil get hotter than this, as higher temperatures degrade both the oil and the clove compounds. Strain once cooled.
Oil-based extracts are more perishable than alcohol or glycerin versions. Store them in the refrigerator and use within a few months. If the oil develops an off smell, discard it.
Getting the Most From Your Extract
A few small choices affect the final strength of your extract. Lightly crushing whole cloves with the flat side of a knife before adding them to your solvent exposes more of their interior oil without creating the fine powder that makes filtering difficult. This gives you a middle ground between whole and ground cloves.
Temperature matters during steeping too. Room temperature is fine for alcohol and glycerin extracts, but avoid placing your jar near a stove, in direct sunlight, or anywhere that gets warm. Heat can cause volatile aromatic compounds to evaporate out of the mixture, even through a sealed lid.
The color of your extract is a useful indicator of progress. A well-steeped alcohol-based clove extract turns a deep amber to dark brown. If it still looks pale after two weeks, shake more frequently and consider lightly crushing the cloves to speed things along.
How Much to Use
Homemade clove extract is typically stronger than store-bought versions, so start with less than a recipe calls for and adjust upward. For baking, ¼ to ½ teaspoon is usually enough for a full batch of cookies or a cake. Clove flavor is intense and can quickly overpower other spices if you’re heavy-handed. Taste as you go when adding it to drinks, sauces, or glazes.