The rum flavor is a secret addition in many delicious dishes like eggnog, cakes, pies, sauces, waffles, and more! If you’re wanting to level up your culinary experience, you have to give rum extract a try!
Rum extract is one of the most convenient and easiest ways of adding the rum flavor to just about anything! Just a few drops of it will add a pop of flavor, and give a whole new dimension to whatever you pair it with!
That being said, there are a lot of rum extracts out there, both bad and good. We’ve gone ahead and tested out a bunch of them, and ranked our findings! That way, you can get yourself a great rum extract without having to go through a trial-and-error process – who has time for that!
Now, let’s jump in and check them out!
What is rum extract?
Rum extract is essentially a liquid with the rich and complex flavor of rum, which has similarities to sweet, toasted sugar. However, its flavor is much more concentrated and it has less alcohol than actual rum.
There are a couple of different ways that rum extract is made. One way is through distillation, which involves putting rum in a beaker, applying heat, and venting off the liquid/gasses that come out. Another way, which is the easiest way, is to put rum on a slow simmer. This burns off the alcohol, resulting in a more concentrated rum flavor – water is often added to the resulting liquid and then simmered again multiple times.
How to use rum extract in recipes
Rum extract is a great way to add the rum flavor without messing up the liquid balances in a dish, because you’d have to add more rum than rum extract to get the same amount of flavor. It’s also cheaper to buy a bottle of rum extract than it is to buy a bottle of rum!
You can use it in drinks, bakes, and cooked dishes. Really, you can get as creative as you want with it!
It’s also a great way to add the rum flavor without the high alcohol content, and can really level up your oatmeal, sauces, eggnog, muffins, and many other bakes! It can also be used to substitute rum…
If a recipe calls for real rum, but you want to use the extract instead, use 1 tablespoon of rum extract for every 2 tablespoons of dark rum the recipe calls for. And, use 1 tablespoon of rum extract for every 5 tablespoons of light rum that’s called for.
Keep in mind that if you’re substituting real rum out, you may have to compensate for the lost liquid by adding some water along with your extract!
For most beverages, start with ½ to 1 teaspoon of rum extract, and add more or less as desired! For standard baking batches, start with about 1 teaspoon, and add more for more oomph!
4 great recipes to use your rum extract
Give these delicious recipes a try with your rum extract:
- Coconut milk eggnog: If you’re an eggnog fiend like myself, you absolutely have to try this delicious one made with coconut milk! It boasts the same festive vibe, but adds a tropical flair with the coconut flavor! If you want an extra kick, add 1 teaspoon of rum extract!
- Starbucks eggnog latte: Now, if you want more of an eggnog latte than just the straight stuff, this copycat recipe is for you! You’ll want to add a bit less rum extract in this one than with the above recipe, so start with about ¼ to ½ a teaspoon depending on how much flavor you want.
- Almond flour waffles: Breakfast just got even more fun! Nutty and moist waffles are already a delicious treat, but adding a bit of rum extract will add some delicious sweetness with a unique flavor twist – try it out!
- Almond flour pancakes: If waffles aren’t your style, try these delicious almond flour pancakes with ½ to 1 teaspoon of rum extract for a delicious pop of flavor!
How to choose the best rum extract
Rum extracts come in many different versions, with some being much better than others. We’ve tested a lot of them, and also made this list of criteria that helped us weed out the bad ones:
- Ingredients: The ingredients should be simple and high-quality, without unnecessary artificial stuff!
- Consumer feedback: We make sure to read the reviews to see what other customers say, as that gives us an even wider perspective of what makes a rum extract good or bad!
- Track record: A brand needs to have a good reputation with a drive to make high-quality products and treat their customers well!
- Price: There is a wide range of prices when it comes to rum extracts, so we made sure to include affordable to expensive options!
Let’s jump right into the rankings!
#1 Best Overall: OliveNation
The best rum extract is from none other than OliveNation!
These guys find themselves among the top of the list for many of our “bests” lists, and their rum extract got them to the top spot here – it’s delicious, strong, and powerful!
OliveNation rum extract boasts the perfect flavor for adding that rum taste into your dishes without using actual rum, and it’s kosher, non-GMO, and the most budget-friendly option on this list!
It comes in at $1.50 per fluid ounce, and boasts an amazing 4.6 out of 5 stars. This stuff will truly elevate the culinary game for you – try it out!
Ingredients: Alcohol, water, and rum extractives.
#2 Great Value: Watkins
At number 2 we have Watkins rum extract!
Watkins is massively popular – and for good reason! They consistently make high-quality products, and have been in the flavoring game for over 150 years now! That means they definitely know what they’re talking about, and their rum extract is truly one you can’t go wrong with!
It boasts nearly 51,000 reviews and 4.7 out of 5 stars, which is amazing! Plus, it comes in at the great price of $1.58, which is a little more expensive than number 1 – but it comes in a 12 fluid ounce bottle, which gives you a bit more value (as you don’t constantly have to buy new stuff).
Give Watkins rum extract a go!
Ingredients: Water, Alcohol, Natural flavors, Rum.
#3 Best In Bulk: Cook’s
If you’re looking to buy rum extract in bulk, Cook’s has got you covered! Their rum extract comes in a 16 ounce bottle, which is 4 ounces more than the next biggest option on this list – that’s a lot!
Plus, it costs just $2.19 per fluid ounce, which is a solid price. And all of those 16 ounces are a delicious rum extract that tastes great – you’ll be happy with the bigger bottle size because you’ll want to put it in everything, without worrying about running out!
Ingredients: Sugar, fine Meyer’s Rum, propylene glycol, and water.
#4 Honorable Mention: Native Vanilla
Native Vanilla gets a special shout out here!
Their rum extract is absolutely delicious, and comes from an amazing brand. Native Vanilla is dedicated to leaving a positive mark on the world by taking care of the environment and only using sustainable products and practices. They work with micro-farmers, ensuring that only the highest-quality ingredients are used and that the processes are energy-efficient.
It’s a little pricier, which is what kept it out of the top 3. Native Vanilla rum extract comes in at $3.75 per fluid ounce, which still isn’t nearly as expensive as the next two in these rankings – and, you get to support an awesome cause!
Ingredients: Alcohol, water, rum extractives and caramel color.
#5 Best Kosher: McCormick
McCormick is one of the most popular flavoring agents company, as they have a massive assortment of high-quality products that you can choose from! However, I strongly suggest taking a look at their wonderful rum extract – it’s delicious and kosher-certified, making it a strong choice if you’re looking for a kosher rum extract.
However, as great as it is, it’s the second most expensive on this list, which is unfortunate – but if you’re happy to pay the $8.30 per fluid ounce, you won’t be disappointed!
Ingredients: Alcohol, Water, Rum, and Natural Flavor.
#6 Honorable Mention: Ossoro
Last but not least, the final rum extract in our rankings is from Ossoro!
This is a great option if you’re wanting a non-alcoholic rum product – this technically means it’s not an extract, but rather a rum flavoring agent.
It boasts a solid flavor profile that’s very similar to rum, but a bit different since it uses different ingredients and processes than the extracts listed above. It’s also quite expensive, coming in at $11.99 per fluid ounce…
That being said, if you want a non-GMO rum flavoring agent that’s alcohol free, Ossoro is a great choice!
Ingredients: Propylene glycol, nature identical flavoring substances, natural flavoring substances.
Others we reviewed
With the many great rum extracts come some less-than-good ones…
Happy Home is one rum extract we tested that didn’t make the cut. We usually like them for their flavoring agents, but their rum extract uses a bunch of artificial ingredients that we just can’t stand behind…
Adams Extract made a rum flavoring product that’s also artificial, as it’s an imitation – that means they use artificial ingredients to get that rum flavor rather than making it like true extracts do.
This isn’t to say they taste bad, but we don’t recommend something fake over the real thing – that wouldn’t make sense at all! Rather, we recommend checking out the real extracts in the list above for a higher-quality experience!
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