Vanilla is a staple in the kitchen. Learn all about vanilla beans and how to get the most out of the unique flavor.
This is one of my favorite ingredients and essential in the pastry kitchen. Vanilla beans come from the fruit of an orchid and are not cheap, second only to saffron in costly spices. So, you want to pick a good one and use the whole thing, pod, and seeds. The beans should be soft, oily, and have an intense vanilla aroma. Avoid a bean that has no luster, is dry and brittle.
Don’t forget to use your beans for my simple and delicious homemade vanilla extract.
Types of Vanilla Beans
Mexican beans are the original and most highly prized beans. They have a mellow, smooth, quality and a spicy, woody fragrance.
Madagascar Bourbon beans are long and slender, with a very rich taste and smell, have thick, oily skin, contain an abundance of tiny seeds, and have a strong vanilla aroma. They are also considered high-quality beans and reflect this in the cost. This is where most of the world’s vanilla comes from. The name refers to the region they are grown and is not at all related to the booze.
Tahitian beans are usually shorter, plumper, and contain a higher oil and water content than Bourbon beans. The skin is thinner, they contain fewer seeds, and the aroma is fruity and floral. They are often described as smelling like licorice, cherry, prunes, or wine.
You will have to get your hands on them all and decide for yourself which is your favorite. There are others, but they are hard to come by, if this changes I will update the post.
You want to store your vanilla beans in an airtight container, in a cool, dark spot. If you buy them in bulk and won’t be using them all at once you can throw them in the freezer to prevent them from drying out.
How to Cut a Vanilla Bean
To maximize the vanilla bean you want to cut the pod in half, lengthwise with a paring knife.
Scrape out all of the oily seeds from the inside to use in your recipe. You will have flecks of vanilla throughout, which will infuse the dish with vanilla.
You can either throw the whole vanilla bean, once it is cut, into the recipe or you can just use the scraped seeds and save the pod for another use later. The most efficient way to get the flavor from the vanilla is to add it to something warm, which helps to disperse the seeds and the oils. If you are using vanilla bean in a pound cake or other recipe that does not call for you to cook the bean in a hot liquid, then just scrape out and use the seeds. You will want to add them when you are creaming the butter so they incorporate well. (I submerge the unused pods in sugar to make vanilla-scented sugar.)
Once a pod has been used I wash them off and then dry them out in a bowl that sits above my stove. I blend them with sugar in a food processor and then put it through a sieve. It is a wonderful way to scent the sugar and use every part of the vanilla bean.
This sugar can be used in any recipe you want a vanilla flavor and it is wonderful in coffee and tea.
Don’t forget my post on homemade vanilla extract.
Hi Josh,
Just wrap it in plastic wrap and save it in a dry cool spot. Or, you can freeze it if you don’t think you will use it for a long while.
Enjoy, Zoë
Hi,
I noticed that you said, if a recipe calls for 1tsp of vanilla extract to use half a bean. Is it possible to save the other half for later, or will it go bad? Im unsure of what to do or how to store the other half.
thanks
Im so naive, I bought a pack of vanilla bean to use in a hot chocolate milk, but I cut them up in peices not knowing how to use it. Is it ok to still use them and how? Thank You.
Hi Abigail,
You can add the vanilla either way. You can process it with the sugar or add it to the batter. If you add it to the batter do it at the very beginning to make sure that it gets very well dispersed into the dough.
It will be fantastic! Thanks, Zoë
Hi, I would like to make a vanilla bean cheesecake; should I blend the beans with the sugar in a food processor or just add them to the batter? Thank you. 🙂
Hi Bridgette,
I think this is a question for the jam lady! http://zoebakescom.bigscoots-staging.com/?p=2366 My only concern about adding the vanilla after the cooking is for safety. Barb will know or know where we can find out!
Thanks for the great question!
Zoë
Hi there! I am a HUGE fan of homemade cranberry sauce, and this year I would like to can some cranberry preserves for my friends for the holidays. However, I would like to jazz it up with fresh vanilla. Can I add the seeds to the preserves while they are reducing? Or should I add them during the cooling process? Thanks!
Hi Amy,
Yes, you should make vanilla sugar, it is lovely. Just take the vanilla pod out of the cream, rinse it with cold water (you don’t want to use hot or it will remove the oils), let it dry out completely and then submerge it in the jar of sugar. If it is not completely dry it will make your sugar lumpy and hard to work with.
I buy my vanilla beans in bulk and if I can’t use them right away I freeze a portion of them.
Thanks, Zoë
I just used my vanilla bean in creme brulee. I split it open & scraped it, placing the miniscule seeds & the entire bean pod into the cream while it was heating. Alton Brown off “Good Eats” says that you can save your bean for later or add it to sugar to make vanilla sugar, but do I need to rinse the cream off or just place it in the sugar with all the cream still on it? Won’t it spoil if the cream is not rinsed off? Thanks in advance!
Also, do you buy your beans in bulk or at a traditional grocery store?
Hi Wayne,
It will depend on how long it takes you to use them up and how humid your house is? I leave mine at room temperature and they are fine for a couple of months, but I tend to use them up by then. If you think it will take you longer you can wrap them well and refrigerate for a few months or freeze for several months.
I hope this helps! Zoë
I have a very basic question, if I may. Recently I was given some vanilla beans which are still encased in their plastic wrapped packaging. How do I preserve these? Room temp until I open them up, then refrigerate the remaining ones? Or should they be in the refrigerator or freezer until needed? The individual I received them from did not know either. Thank you for any response. -Wayne
Hi Diana,
This is a very interesting question. I’ve always added the flavor after making the yogurt. Adding it to the milk mixture before making should work, although the vanilla may settle to the bottom of the jars.
When you try it, let me know how it goes!
thanks, Zoë
Hi,
I just bought some vanilla beans_ and was wondering if I could use them with making yogurt with a yogurt maker. I figured I would scrape some seeds into each jar…or put some seeds into the yogurt and milk mixture while heating up_ before putting the yogurt into jars. Any suggestions?
Thanks, Diana
Hi PegE,
Are your vanilla beans dried out? If so all you have to do is soak them in a hot liquid for a while 15-90 minutes depending on how dried out they are. This should plump them enough to cut them and split them open.
you can always just add a teaspoon of vanilla extract to the recipe instead.
Enjoy, I adore rice pudding!
Zoë
I have some very old Vanilla Beans and was planning to do a Rice Pudding which calls for A Vanilla Bean. I know this won’t work but what can I use as a substitute?
Hi Megan,
I would probably add a half of a vanilla bean to the recipe. It depends if it is the predominant flavor or if it is in addition to other things. I think half is a good place to start!
Enjoy, Zoë
Thanks for posting this! I am wondering what a good substitue amount is when you are replacing actual fresh vanilla beans for the extract. If a recipe called for a teaspoon vanilla, how much of the vanilla bean would you add?
Hi Ann,
Thanks for stopping back to let me know. I’m so pleased that it turned out so well.
Zoë
The ice cream was just wonderful. I heated the vanilla seeds in the cream very slightly and then added the mixture to the buttermilk and sugar while whisking. Thanks for the advice!
Hi Ann,
Yes, you can add the vanilla bean to the uncooked ice cream base. You will have to whisk it in very vigorously to spread it around. Usually you heat the vanilla with the cream, this helps to break up the oils and then the flecks disperse on their own. If there is no heat applied the oils don’t spread as easily.
It will be delicious. Let me know how it goes!
Zoë
Can I use the seeds in my uncooked recipe for buttermilk ice cream? It calls for 2 tablespoons of vanilla extract, but I’d like to figure out how to use vanilla beans instead.
Hi Deeba,
Thank you for visiting my site. I really hope you find the book. If so, please let me know about all the bread you are baking in India!
Cheers, Zoë
I’ve been on your fantastic site for ages…must have been living under a rock. Just cant get enough of it! Will have to see if I can find a copy of this wonderful book in India around where I live. *sigh*…if wishes were horses!! Cheers Deeba
Hi Kathy,
Thank you for your question, it was very helpful and I rewrote the post as a result. Please check it out and let me know if it is clearer.
Thanks, Zoë
Sorry to be so dense, but do you then get rid of or use the oily seeds you’ve scraped from the inside?