Dana’s Homemade Kahlua

  • Prep Time: 0 mins
  • Total Time: 3 hrs
  • Yield: 2fifths
  • About This Recipe

    “This is a recipe I came up with since I enjoy white russians soo much, and also I like Kahlua in my coffee too. Let me know what you think if it is too strong, weak or is missing something..THANKS!!”

    Ingredients

  • 1quartwater
  • 2 1/2 cupssugar
  • 3tablespoonsinstant coffee
  • 1tablespoonvanilla
  • 2 1/2 cupsvodka
  • Directions

  • Boil water, coffee, sugar.
  • Simmer for 3 hours (stirring frequently).
  • Let cool and add vanilla and vodka.
  • Bottle and cap tightly.
  • Reviews

  • “Dana, (*hic*) this is terrific, just as the recipe is written.It’s the best homemade Kahlua that I’ve had.Next time I might try the (*hic*) 100-proof vodka instead of the 80-proof, just to see if it makes a big difference in taste.Now I have to go to the store to buy more milk for White Russians!Thanks for posting.”

  • “What a great recipe, I had it years ago and lost it, but sure is nice find it again, Thanks Dana!There is a vanilla vodka by Stoli’s, it makes a fabulous Vanilla White Russian.Equal parts kahlua and vodka over ice, top off with milk and shake.Yummeee!If you have a party, usually women don’t know what to drink because they really don’t like the taste of liquor, this one makes them come back for more!Be careful, it’ll sneak up on you!”

  • “Dana Loved this Kahula,I had a dinner party Saturday Nite and everyone loved it. I mixed vanilla ice cream as a Kahula milk Shake. Would make it again 🙂 Kym”

  • “What a great find!This an easy, tasty, and cheaper alternative to the expensive stuff!Thanks Dana!”

  • “This was the easiest liqueur I ever made! It has a good coffee flavor, I used espresso instant coffee. Used also over ice cream, in the coffee and on its own to serve with the coffee. I will definitely make it at Christmas time for gifts. Thanks for sharing this recipe. “

  • “Dana, This delicious, fabulous, What a find, sure won’t be buying the expensive stuff again. Great over vanilla ice cream. Thank you sooooo much Dana.”

  • “Dana 🙂 GREAT STUFF ~ I also know that the older it gets the better it will be ! Thank ~ I had a girlfriend that used to make this but lst her recipe ~ so Now were all set & we are making enough to last the summer by the pool~We will make it like a MUD SLIDE :)~POKER~”

  • “This was my first attempt at anything like this, but I will definately be making this again.I was very busy the day I made this, so for the first step I used my coffee maker.I just put the sugar and instant coffee in the pot, poured the water in and turned on.When the brew cycle finished, I stirred, let it sit there and then finished with simmering for a while.SOOOOOO Easy.I also will be making this for gifts at Christmas.Thanks Dana.”

  • “So easy!And tastes wonderful.It has a permanent place in my files! Saw the other reviewer’s suggestion about vanilla vodka..ooooooh white russian is now my drink of choice!”

  • “I’ve had this recipe for more than 25 years and it was a friend of my Mothers who gave it to me and I’ve loved it ever since!For those of you having trouble with simmering it 3 hours- maybe your pan is too thin or nota good quality.I’ve never had trouble with that nor with any crystallizing upon cooling- could be the type of sugar you use- I’ve always used just ordinary table sugar and no problems.One thing I’ve changed and glad I did was that I use de-caffienated instant coffee-wonderful for those of us who don’t want all that caffeine in the evening!Espresso powder and the vanilla vodka are 2 great substitutions but the vanilla vodka can give it too much of a vanilla flavor for some.Make your own vanilla vodka by putting vanilla beans in a plain bottle of vodka and let sit a week or more- saves even more money!”

  • “Fantastic recipe! I made a ton of this for Christmas gifts and was surprised at how excited everyone was to get it. I calculated what I spent and it is under $5 bottle (750 ml), not counting the bottle.We did, however, cut the sugar by 1/3 and it was perfect.After making several batches and doing online research we also discovered that you can use the cheapest vodka available, but use a better grade of instant coffee. We used Nescaf? Classico Suave and Popov and it was excellent!If you can plan ahead, save some dark wine bottles and corks. I will never buy another bottle of Kahlua!”

  • “Great recipe. It was too sweet for me though, so since I like the vanilla flavor, I now only use 1 c. sugar. I also used decaf instant coffee and used a little more than called for. I have an electric stove so getting the liquid to a simmer was difficult at first, but now after 3 batches I know what I’m doing, and yes, it can take the entire 3 hours to get to the desired syrup. Yum! I will keep making and giving out as gifts. Thanks!”

  • “The was extremely easy to make, and ended up costing me half the price of regular Kahlua.I started making it a bit late in the evening though, and only boiled the syrup for 2 hours.Next time I’ll definitely boil it the 3 hours.Also, I’m going to add an extra tsp of coffee to it next time to make that flavour a bit stronger.I doubled the recipe and ended up with 2 liters (just over 2 US quarts).Over all I’m really impressed at how well it came out on the first try!”

  • “Yum! Made this yesterday and it was great in our white russians! Can’t wait to see what it turns out to taste like after it’s had time to set for awhile. I did think it had a tad bit more of a vanilla flavor than regular kahlua, but it’s great! I’m wondering what it would taste like with some chocolate flavored coffee in there? Yum! thanks!! ** I also must add that it didn’t make 2 fifths for sure.We filled up an empty handle of vodka and it filled it up just a bit over half or so.”

  • “I have been wanting to make this for a couple of months now and I’m glad I finally made it!It is very sweet, but that’s OK.I read some of the earlier reviews and decided to put the sugar mixture into a large pot to keep it from overflowing once it hit a boil.This worked great.I simmered it for about 2 hours until it made a syrup that coated the back of a wooden spoon.Thanks for a great recipe!”

  • “Definitely Delicious! I made 1 fifth, and used 1cup vodka and 1/4 cup brandy, cuts it juuuust right. Oh and next time, I will leave the lid off while it simmers and let it reduce my first batch was thinner than I expected… thank you!”

  • “I have been making this great recipe for Christmas gifts every year since I found it. I collect unique bottles at garage sales and thrift stores and my friends always love it. I have started using 1/2 white sugar and 1/2 brown and really like it. I am thinking of adding just a little coconut extract this year and see how it comes out. Thanks for the recipe!”

  • “This is a great recipe! I like it a lot, and my friends too. And yes, adding a little brandy or cognac essens makes it a little smoother, and it almost make you white russian into an brandy alexander.”

  • “Just made this yesterday but had to try it out today with recipe #70644.It is good, I can’t wait until it has sat for awhile it can only taste better with age. I didn’t know how much it was suppose to be reduce by simmering but after 2 1/2 hours very little had reduced. I turned the heat up to get a medium boil and after a half hour had about half so I turned the heat off and let it cool. Great recipe. Thanks Dana!”

  • “Great flavor.I made it back in Dec. and just used it for the first time.I made Recipe #62170 and it worked great.”

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