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.
Where to buy vanilla beans? They are so expensive. Any links would be appreciated. Thanks!
Hi Julie! Zoe shares all the details on which beans and where to buy in this blog post: https://zoebakescom.bigscoots-staging.com/2012/01/03/homemade-vanilla-extract/ Enjoy!
Why isn’t anybody mentioning putting the whole vanilla bean pods in the blender with rum or vodka and pulverize them until a smooth liquid? Is this an option other than all the other methods?
Hi Edgar, this should work well, you’ll just need to strain the mixture before bottling it up!
Hello! Can you provide a link to the vanilla beans you’d buy to make your own vanilla, please?
Hi Natasha,
It looks like the first link was sold out, but I switched it to another brand I buy often.
Enjoy! Zoë
i am looking at purchasing vanilla beans. i found pkged ones that states split vanilla beans. they look whole in pkg. do i want to buy these vanilla beans. (making extract)
I also have a stupid question. I have a recipe that calls for adding a vanilla bean, with no mention of scraping the seeds. Other recipes in this book specifically say to scrape the seeds and use them. My question is, “Can a whole bean that has not had the seeds scrapped out impart flavor to a recipe?” Thank you!
Hi Vickie,
If you cut the bean down the length, to expose the seeds, then it can be used whole. The recipe probably calls for you to strain it, so the bean is removed and you are just left with the tiny seeds. What is it that you are making?
Thanks, Zoë
Thank you so much for the quick response. Your answer makes perfect sense! I’m making Strawberry & Vanilla Bean preserves and, as you thought, the mixture will be strained before it’s put in the jars. Thank you again – now I can get started on the recipe 😉
Hi Zoe,
Could you tell me how to make vanilla powder.
Do I grind the whole pod with the seeds?
Thanks
When making jam would it be better to use a vanilla bean or extract?
My beans are five years old but were well packaged. They are still soft but the smell of them doesn’t smell good in my opinion. Are they bad?
Thx
Hi Diane,
If the smell isn’t pleasant to you then the oils have probably gone rancid and you’ll need to throw them out.
Thanks, Zoë
Are you familiar with ‘vanilla powder’? I have loved using Cobra ‘vanilla powder’ and am about out of it. I am curious if I the powder I made by pulverizing pods in a Vitamix is the same thing; it looks pretty similar. The commercial powder isn’t just seeds, is it?
Hi Beth,
Typically the pods are scraped and then discarded, but I’m not sure about the product you refernce? How does your powder taste?
Thanks, Zoë
Hello, I make a green tea with vanilla bean and orange, I am still pretty new to making my own tea and I am struggling a but with the vanilla part so I was wondering if you have some advise/tips for me on that
I was wondering, when making an extract, would it be okay to put the vanilla beans into a food processor and then add that to the vodka? The reason is that I’m making a LOT of vanilla extract and to be quite honest, I’m lazy! Plus, I think I’m getting carpol tunnel 🙂 Thanks!
Hi Larry,
You could, but then you’d have to strain it every time you used it in a recipe. Not sure that would save you any time in the end.
Cheers, Zoë
I am making espresso cocoa mix for Christmas gifts. I am thinking of adding some vanilla. If I cut a pod into pieces and put it in the container will the moisture from the bean affect the powder?
Hi Regena,
Yes, I am afrait that the vanilla pod will affect the powder. You are better to rub the pod in the sugar, which will scent the sugar and then add that to the mix.
Thanks, Zoë
hi i was wondering can i use the bean in making a regular homemade cake instead of vanilla extract i would love to use my beans. and how would i go about putting them into the cake mix?
I live in Costa Rica. I have not looked for the whole bean here, but I will browse the Central Market tomorrow. I want to make a vanilla cake for my son’s birthday and it calls for the whole bean. Without the explanation on your site, I would be at a loss. Thanks.
Hi Jeffery,
So glad you will try the vanilla bean, you will love it. Enjoy your son’s birthday cake!
Cheers, Zoë
Hi, I am wondering whether after using the seeds, drying the pod as indicated… whether I can grind the pod very fine and mix it into the coffee powder for my Espresso? Giving me a strong dark coffee with a fresh vanilla flavour? Thanks,
Hi Ross,
I love this idea and think it will work beautifully. If you try it, please let me know what you think.
Thanks, Zoë
a very helpful post!! thank you!! 🙂
just a few questions (actually quite a bunch of questions):
can’t i just dump in the entire vanilla stick into the grinder along with the seeds in it? would it even then be suitable for mixing with sugar? or will there be lumps, etc.? and also is there any substitute for alcohol? i was thinking of steeping the vanilla sticks in water and then filling them up in a bottle and storing it. would that work?
Hi Payal,
The outer pod is very leathery and will give your recipe a gritty texture. You’d need to strain the recipe before eating. The reason alcohol is used is so that it can be stored without any fear of the beans spoiling. Water won’t do the trick.
Thanks, Zoë
Thank u so much Zoe for your immediate reply. 🙂
So suppose if I grind the entire bean, sieve the grinded powder thoroughly and then mix it up with powdered sugar, will it do the trick??
Hi Payal,
Yes, that will work just great!
Thanks, Zoë
I will surely try it let u know how it worked out!! 🙂
Thanks,
Payal.
Thanks for this post Zoe. I’ve always cooked – meals, soups etc, but baking has never been my thing. About 8 or 10 years ago it became my role to make the family Xmas pudding. The recipe calls for vanilla essence, but I thought it would be ‘better’ to use a vanilla bean. I was aware of the concept of vanilla sugar, so transferred the concept to the flour (there is only 1tbsp sugar in the recipe, 1/2 cup flour, so I fiugred more vanilla flavour.) But I have never heard of anyone else doing this. I usually infuse the bean in the flour for a month before making the pudding. I also put the pod in the brandy sauce while it’s cooking, and when thats done, wash & dry it and put it in the sugar cannister. In your opinion is this ‘correct’, would I get more flavour if I used vanilla sugar instead? Or should I put the pod in pudding batter as I’m mixing, and remove it before steaming the pudding?
I should have added that when the mulled wine is packaged to sell, the dry ingredients (including the vanilla) are packaged to sell, they are put into the tea bag and sold with the bottle of wine. The consumer then warms the wine with the spice bag in it. So, the vanilla needs to stay fresh until added to the wine. Any advice would be much appreciated.
Hello,
My husband and I own a winery. I am going to make a warm apple mulled wine today and want to use a vanilla bean in it. I have an emtpy tea bag to infuse my ingredients into the wine in a crock pot. Any thoughts as to how much of a bean I’d use for one bottle of wine? I’m thinking 1/2 of a bean but I’m not really sure since this is my first time using it. Also, could I use the pod part of it or would I just use the seeds? Thanks for the input!
Deana
Hi Deana,
I think your idea to use 1/2 a vanilla bean is perfect!
Thanks, Zoë
Hi Zoe,
I have been a great cook for many years. I have just starting baking and ordered many vanilla beans. I just received an icecream maker today and want to make lowfat/fat free yogurt. I have greek non fat yogurt and want to add a vanilla bean. My question is do I have to cook the seeds to get the true flavor? I am not using any cream. will the flavor infuse in the curning for 30 mins? love your blog,
Jill
Wow, what an amazing website…nicely done. I am new in the cooking world and thought you could help me out. Lately, I have been making fresh Almond Milk in Vita-Mix. I use a whole vanilla bean for one serving. But I want to make more so I don’t have to do it as often but can’t double the batch. So long story short, can I cut the vanilla bean in half and the unused portion still be good if I use it within a week after cutting?
Again, thank you in advance for your help!
Hi Cindy,
If the vanilla bean is wrapped tight in plastic and stored in a cool, dark spot, it will last for way longer than a week.
Thanks and enjoy! Zoë
hi,
i have a ton of used vanilla beans that I’ve already split open and used the inside seeds, but are there other uses that for the pods other than the vanilla sugar?
Hi Abbi,
You can throw them into some alcohol and make extract: http://zoebakescom.bigscoots-staging.com/2012/01/03/homemade-vanilla-extract/ To get the intense flavor you’ll want to add some fresher beans as well. You may need to start this out in a larger container, since you’re dried pods will take up more space.
Enjoy, Zoë