How to make pure vanilla bean paste

Vanilla is my favorite flavor in sweet baking and cooking. There are many different ways to incorporate it into dishes, including in the form of vanilla bean paste. This is incredibly easy to make. I’ll give you all the tips and tricks in this recipe.

Vanilla Flavoring

A vanilla bean is the purest vanilla flavor. You can easily process the vanilla pods and pulp to make vanilla sugar, extract, or paste, so you always have it on hand to incorporate into recipes.

These days, pure vanilla extract is (thankfully) as readily available as its artificially manufactured sibling, vanilla flavoring, but I can’t say the same for vanilla bean paste.

The advantage of pure vanilla paste is the presence of the typical black speckles, the real vanilla seeds from the pith of the whole vanilla beans, which allow you to immediately see that real vanilla has been used in your baking.

That always has a lovely visual appeal. By starting to make your own vanilla paste, you will not be dependent on the availability in stores and will always have a supply on hand. And to be fair: it’s fun to make it yourself!

Learn more about vanilla

If you want to learn more about vanilla or get started creating your own supply of vanilla flavoring, these articles are sure to come in handy:

• Making your own vanilla sugar
• Making your own vanilla extract

Making Your Own Vanilla Bean Paste

I have been using vanilla paste for several years, but when I was writing my latest cookbook, I decided to make it myself.

Making vanilla paste is incredibly simple. However, you will need glucose syrup. This keeps the paste liquid so you can easily incorporate it into recipes. It is available at many online webshops, and once you have a jar in your home, you can make a lot of vanilla paste.

You can also use corn syrup instead of glucose syrup. Corn syrup has more water content and is a bit more liquid but you can use both.

Vanilla Paste Storage

In addition to the ingredients listed in the recipe below, a good sealable jar is essential for storing vanilla paste. I use a small airtight jar. This jar can be labeled with what is in it and when you made it

How long does the vanilla bean paste last?

As long as you work cleanly (always use a clean spoon) and seal the paste airtight, you can keep it in a dark place for up to a year.

Can you freeze vanilla paste?

You can definitely freeze vanilla paste (in small portions) and it will keep for a year. The question is if this is more convenient than the storage advice above which also keeps the vanilla paste for a year. Plus the upside of storing it in a dark and cool place is that you can use it right away.

Here’s how to use vanilla paste in recipes

I’ve come to appreciate vanilla paste more and more over the past few years. It’s such a great product to use. Not only does it add the flavor of vanilla to a recipe, but you can see it thanks to the actual vanilla seeds.

This is not the case with vanilla extract, even though it adds just as much delicious flavor to baked goods. That’s why I use vanilla bean paste in recipes where it’s going to show those beautiful vanilla seeds, like vanilla cheesecake, homemade ice cream, crème brûlée or panna cotta.

Once you’ve made a nice batch of this paste, it’s helpful to know in what proportions you can use it in recipes (replacing other vanilla flavors). Optionally, you can write this on a label on the jar to keep it handy.

The easiest replacement is in place of vanilla extract where you can simply replace it one on one.

1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste equals :

• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons vanilla sugar
• 1 vanilla pod
• 1 tablespoon vanilla bean powder

You can even use the vanilla bean paste in savory sauces or savory dishes as it adds a rich vanilla flavor.

You can find the magic of vanilla in a couple of the below recipes as well

Some of my favorite recipes are using vanilla in the ingredient list. The below is just a small selection of the many recipes that feature a form of vanilla!

• Vanilla crème brûlée recipe
• Easy vanilla cupcakes
• Vanilla sauce recipe
• Vanilla muffins
• Vanilla loaf recipe