Make homemade amaretto, a sweet Italian almond flavored liqueur, inexpensively at home! It’s easy, and can be used for cocktails or in other recipes.
I recently whipped up some homemade Amaretto. It was so easy to make, and it only took a few minutes. I wanted to have it on hand, to use in a few recipes, but didn’t want to go to the store to buy an entire bottle just for a small amount needed.
Really… why pay some serious bucks for an entire bottle, when all you need might be 1/4 cup for a recipe? So I decided to make my own! If you are familiar with Amaretto, you know that it is a sweet, almond-flavored Italian liqueur.
A lot of people use it in cocktails, but it can also be used in numerous recipes. I adapted a recipe I’ve had for years, and ended up making a small bottle of amaretto (approx. 13-14 ounces) that will be more than enough for several recipes, plus a few more.
Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page
Is Homemade Amaretto Easy To Make?
Homemade Amaretto is totally easy to make. You do need to have a bottle of cheap vodka in order to make this amaretto (you need 1 cup).
I happened to have a bottle stuck away because I make my own vanilla extract, and use that as the base (but that’s a completely different recipe, right?)
So How Do You Make Homemade Amaretto?
Making the amaretto is very easy! Water, granulated sugar and brown sugar are cooked in a saucepan, on medium heat, until the sugars are dissolved.
Bring this mixture to a boil, then remove the pan from the heat. Let it cool completely.
Add Extracts
After the homemade amaretto has cooled completely, add the vodka, pure almond extract and vanilla extract, and stir to combine.
Have a clean jar ready for the homemade amaretto. Use a funnel to pour the cooled homemade amaretto liqueur into the bottle.
Into the bottle goes the homemade amaretto. It sure smells good! In fact, even a year or two later, I occasionally open the bottle just to smell this liqueur… it smells heavenly!
Put a label on the bottle, add a cork or screw top to seal it, and store your homemade amaretto in a cool, dark place.
If you are interested in making this recipe, you will discover you can make your own homemade amaretto for a fraction of the cost of buying it at a store. Hope you will consider giving this recipe a try.
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Recipe inspired by: Todd Wilbur’s Top Secret Recipe’s version of DiSaronno Amaretto
↓↓ PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW ↓↓
Make homemade amaretto, a sweet Italian almond flavored liqueur inexpensively at home! It's easy, and can be used for cocktails or in other recipes.
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup dark brown sugar + 1 Tablespoon
- 1 cup vodka
- 1 Tablespoon almond extract (extract with no added oils)
- 1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
- In a medium pan, add the water, granulated sugar and brown sugar. Mix to combine. Cook over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugars.
- Bring the mixture to a boil; if all the sugar has dissolved, remove the pan from the heat. Set aside and let the hot syrup cool for 10-15 minutes.
- To the cooled mixture, add the vodka, almond extract, and vanilla extract. Mix well, to combine.
- Pour amaretto into a clean bottle using a funnel. Place cork or a top on the bottle to seal it. Store in pantry or cool, dark place.
- Enjoy!
Note: Recipe inspired by: Todd Wilbur's Top Secret Recipe's version of DiSaronno Amaretto
Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!
I have made this wonderful recipe countless times. I am a rum girl so gave it a go. Exceptional! Friends say it is wonderful sipped, in coffee, mixed with lemon- lime soda and mixed with bourbon and lemon lime. I found a great amaretto Bundt cake (easy) that is a crowd pleaser. You can’t go wrong with vodka or rum. Just personal taste. Thank you so much for this recipe!
OK CAN I HOT BATH SEAL THIS INTO A CANNING JAR,,,
I have never tried that before, so can’t speak to whether it is safe to can or not or what the quality of this would be after high heat pressure canning. Sorry!
Thank goodness for you! Unfortunately Bering unemployed has brought great difficulties to my family.
As I set out to find something that would bring in some much needed cash I also wanted to enjoy whatever it was I decided.
Scrolling through Pinterest your
Amaretto blog spoke to me as no other blog has. I quickly printed and read the entire entry several times then gathered the supplies accordingly.
So here we go… wish me luck folks as we are off to the kitchen to make dreams come true!
Thank you I can’t wait to share the end results with Everybody!
Amanda from Louisiana
I have been making various fruit flavoured Vodkas and Gins for family Christmas hampers for a couple of years can’t wait to add this to the hampers this year.
Can you use dark bale top beer bottles
Not quite sure what you mean? If you mean a certain type of bottle to store the amaretto in, yes. Just be sure you can seal it and keep it airtight.
Earlier Elizabeth had questioned if you can use imitation almond and vanilla extract. So really it’s for Elizabeth to see if she tried it or did anyone else? Can anyone reply please!!! Merry
I used imitation almond and vanilla and within a week it still tasted great! I can’t speak for past that amount of time (because I enjoyed it too much and drank it! 😄), but I can’t imagine it would change too much.
Thanks for the great recipe!! I might scale back the sugar just a tad next time, but otherwise, SO GOOD!!!!
Elizabeth do you use the artificial almond extract? How about the vanilla? Merry
My mixture has been in my cabinet for 2 years.(I forgot ) and it tastes more like a sweet treat than amaretto.what can I do ??
Made the amaretto last night. It was wonderful. Thank you for sharing the recipe. Will definitely be making this again!!!
It’s delicious! But we’re going to need to double or triple the recipe! 😃
Just to clarify about the almond extract…so it can’t have oil of bitter almond in it? Or is it just that it can’t have an oil other than almond oil? Thanks!
Hi! 2 questions, after making it can you use it immediately or does it need time to sit and steep? Second-How long does it last was thinking about maybe making some as add-ons to the christmas baskets Ill be making this year. Thank you!!!
Hi!
I live in England and have tried your recipe. Just to make you aware the almond extract that I have used contains sunflower oil! I’ve probably no need to tell you but, the oil has separated out and floats to the top! Please could you let your followers know that they will have to make sure that the almond extract shouldn’t contain any ‘extra’s’!
Good morning, Pam! What an unusual experience that must have been for you. I have never heard of sunflower oil in vanilla extract before. Thanks for the tip! Take care, and have a great day.
Can you use rum instead of vodka?
Good morning, Donna. Sorry for the late response, as I have been out of state. I am not sure, to be truthful. I have NEVER made amaretto using rum… I’ve always made it using vodka, so I don’t have a good answer for you. It “seems” like rum would alter the flavor a bit, but honestly am not sure what rum would do to the almond flavoring.
I just made it with rum. It tastes great!
Does artificial almond extract work?
Good morning, Elizabeth. I have never used artificial extract, so I can’t speak to what it would do for the flavor, but I’ll bet it would not be too much difference. Hope you have a great day.
Looks like will be good.
I will info you when I make it
Great, Dan. Hope you enjoy it.
Made this today. Used my homemade Vanilla. Fantastic
flavor will make this with some 80 proof Moonshine. Will info when done
Thanks for writing, Dan. I make homemade vanilla, too! Hope you have success with this recipe. Have a great day.
can you use raw cane sugar because light and dark brown sugar is white graular sugar mixed with variious amounts of unsulphured molasses. ( in case you did”nt know that ) ?
Good morning, Stuart! Thank you for writing. Yes, I do know that about the two types of brown sugar (and the molasses content), because I have had to do that very thing when I have run out of brown sugar. Unfortunately I have never made this amaretto recipe with any other ingredients than what I have posted, so I cannot speak with any authority at all on what slight differences raw can sugar might make to the flavor. Not sure there would be too much of a difference, but honestly cannot answer you with any first hand knowledge. I sincerely hope you have a great day.
How much does the final product yield?
About 14 ounces, Jen. Thanks for writing, and have a great day.
Hi There
Can you please tell me where you got the bottle?
Good morning, Sue! Thank you for writing. I originally purchased the bottle at a farmer’s market, and it had coffee liqueur in it. After the bottle was empty, I sterilized it, and used it to store the amaretto. Sorry that doesn’t help you too much, but that’s the story on the cute bottle! You might want to try online. One company I’ve heard of that sells a variety of bottles (but cannot vouch for the company, since I have never purchased through them) is: https://www.bottlestore.com/glass-containers/glass-bottles.html Hope you have a great day.
can you use light brown sugar ?
Good morning, Suzie. Thanks for writing. I have never made it using light brown sugar. I am sure that would work overall, but the taste might be altered slightly. Have a great day.