From Pure to Powder To Paste, Here Are the Best Vanilla Extracts

Final Verdict

The top spot goes to Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Extract because of its rich, high-quality vanilla flavor. Another favorite of ours is the thick, flavorful, and fragrant Heilala Vanilla Bean Paste.

What to Look for When Buying Vanilla Extract

By Jenny Kellerhals

Vanilla Bean Origins

Vanilla beans are the seed pods (technically fruits) of the vanilla orchid plant. Once the arduous process of manual pollination was discovered and refined in the 1840s, the large-scale production of vanilla was set into motion—prompting the creation of industrial extracts. Not sure which vanilla you’re buying? Like good wine and coffee, the country of origin should be on the label. Occasionally, the extract may be a blend, and if no country of origin is listed, it is likely from Southeast Asia. 

• Madagascar: Eighty percent of the world’s vanilla is now grown in Madagascar. It is most commonly referred to as Bourbon or Madagascar Bourbon vanilla. Bourbon refers not to the liquor, but the island just to the east of Madagascar, where that particular vanilla was originally cultivated. Madagascar vanilla is known for its richness, high quality, and consistent flavor. The flavor is strong enough to stand up to, and enhance, equally intense flavors in both sweet and savory recipes. And it's an expert favorite—"My favorite is the Madagascar bean which has the purest vanilla flavor to me- it is sweet and creamy," Joanne Chang, a pastry chef, cookbook author, and co-owner of both Boston's Flour Bakery and Myers+Chang restaurant, says.
  
• Mexico: Vanilla is native to Mexico and was carried across the globe in the 16th century by Spanish and Portuguese merchants and sailors. While no longer the leading producer of vanilla in the world, Mexican vanilla is still highly regarded as the finest vanilla on the market. Known to be more woody and spiced compared with other vanillas, this vanilla is lovely when showcased on its own or in conjunction with warm baking spices like nutmeg, allspice, and cloves. 
• Tahiti: Tahitian vanilla is celebrated for its floral and fruity cherry-like notes. It gained popularity for its unique flavor profile over the last decade or so; consequently, it can come at a higher price than other vanillas. Some of the delicate tropical flavors can be lost when using this vanilla in heavier recipes, so to really get the most out of this particular vanilla, try using it in cold or frozen recipes. 
• Indonesia and other tropical regions: While the three regions above are considered the main sources of the highest-quality vanilla, Indonesia and other tropical vanilla-farming regions also produce vanilla in relatively large quantities. Where these vanillas differ is in their drying process. Vanilla is traditionally dried in the sun, taking a month or more to cure. In Indonesia, vanilla beans are typically dried over fire, expediting the drying and curing process, and adding a smoky flavor to some of the vanilla crops. 

Size

Vanilla extract is sold in as small a quantity as 1 ounce and up to a gallon by some producers. Don’t despair if some of those larger bottles of single-origin vanilla extracts are cost-prohibitive; 2- and 4-ounce options are typically more reasonably priced and can last for a decent amount of time, depending on how often it is used. 

For more delicate recipes like ice creams, custards, and buttercreams where the flavors of the vanilla are really going to shine through, it’s worth it to splurge on the higher-priced vanilla—perhaps in a smaller quantity—to get your recipe made. For larger baking projects or baked goods that will be cooked at temperatures over 300 degrees Fahrenheit, a less expensive pure vanilla extract without specific regionality listed will get the job done and is a little lighter on the wallet in larger quantities. The price of extracts usually decreases a little by volume, so you’ll probably be getting a better deal in the long run with a larger bottle. 

For an idea of how much use you’ll get out of your bottle of extract, 1 tablespoon is about 1/2 of an ounce. Also, switching between different types of vanilla products is easy to convert: 

1 vanilla bean = 1 tablespoon vanilla extract = 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste = 1 tablespoon vanilla powder.

Key Ingredients

Vanilla extract is typically made by infusing vanilla beans in alcohol and water, and then straining out the beans at peak infusion. Extracts can also include sugar, and occasionally additional flavors. Depending on the type of vanilla product you’re using, it may also include a thickening agent. Generally speaking, the fewer ingredients listed on the label, the better the extract. 

Strength

In some cases, you may find extracts in single-strength or double-strength (also called single- and double-fold). This means that a ratio of about 100 beans infused in a gallon of alcohol and water was used to create single-strength vanilla extract. Double-strength extract doubles the concentration of beans in the gallon. Double-strength vanilla extract is most commonly used for industrial baking or highly sensitive projects where additional liquid could adversely affect the recipe.

You may also see an extract labeled as "concentrated," but this does not mean that the strength of the vanilla extract is greater. In these cases, the synthetically produced “vanillin” has been added to a watered-down vanilla extract to produce a lower-cost alternative to pure vanilla extract. 

Price

The price of vanilla beans and vanilla extract can be surprising to those buying either for the first time. The beans are commonly sold in grocery stores in glass jars with two beans, costing around $15. For recipes requiring multiple beans, vanilla can easily become the most expensive ingredient in your recipe. 

The high price of vanilla—both beans and extract—is a reflection of the labor-intensive, and often fickle nature of vanilla farming, beginning with the years-long process of growing individual vanilla orchid vines, hand-pollinating each flower in a window of time that lasts less than a day, and carefully protecting the pods as they grow. 

After the bean pods have been harvested, the long curing process begins, starting with blanching the beans to halt their development, followed by drying the beans in the sun by day, and then sweating them tightly wrapped in fabric by night. This process ferments the beans, which takes at least a month, and is done completely by hand. Then, the beans are conditioned before being sold whole or turned into extracts. 

With all of that in mind, it’s no wonder that the price of vanilla can be staggering, especially as you move up in both the quality and quantity of vanilla used. Luckily there is a range of vanilla prices suited to the intensity of your cooking needs. 

On the lower end of the price spectrum are imitation vanilla extracts and extracts that are blended or produced quickly, which can be found for less than $10. If you’re looking for organic, alcohol-free, or sugar-free options, the extracts will likely cost more, anywhere between $10 to $20 for a 2- to 4-ounce bottle. Once you begin purchasing vanilla with more distinctive flavors from specific regions, you will likely see the price begin to increase anywhere from $20 to $80 or more. Vanilla bean pastes and powders are both specialty ingredients and are typically more expensive than vanilla extracts, based on their package size. 

Types of Vanilla Flavorings

Vanilla Beans

Fresh vanilla beans should be purchased looking a little pudgy with a nice oily gloss. While you may not be able to take the beans out of the container at the store, they will be a little sticky to the touch, with the smell of vanilla and bark. Beans that are on the older side will be dry and crumble or shred when cutting, and it will be difficult to remove the seeds for cooking. Dry beans can be set aside for liquid infusions that can rehydrate the bean while soaking up the vanilla flavors, or for making homemade vanilla sugar.

Vanilla beans can be used by splitting and scraping the tiny, juicy beans out of the pod and into your mix, or infusing into a liquid recipe with the bean pod included for additional flavor. When including the bean pod, you’ll want to make sure you can remove it at the end of a recipe. Given the sticky and oily nature of pure vanilla beans, it’s best to go with an extract option for cake batters and other baked goods that might be difficult to thoroughly incorporate a sticky bean clump into. 

Pure Vanilla Extract

Pure vanilla extract is considered the most versatile of the vanilla products on the market. It’s made by infusing vanilla beans in a minimum of 35 percent alcohol. The vanilla is extracted either by gently heating the liquid, which expedites the extraction process, or by a cold extraction, which typically takes longer and costs more. The benefits of the cold extraction process include a wider range of flavors from the vanilla bean, which has over 300 flavor compounds. 

Cold extraction vanilla should be used for cold food applications to preserve the additional flavors. Once it is heated to over 220 degrees Fahrenheit, many of those additional compounds are cooked off. 

While most of the alcohol in vanilla extract evaporates in the cooking process, there are also alcohol-free options. In these cases, the vanilla is extracted using glycerin instead of alcohol. The quality of the extract is still predominately based on the origin of the beans, not the alcohol or glycerin used, although it is typically a little more expensive than its alcohol-based counterparts. 

Imitation Vanilla Extract

Imitation vanilla extract skips the vanilla bean entirely and relies solely on the synthetically produced chemical vanillin. Vanillin has the same chemical structure as the vanillin compound naturally found in vanilla beans, but the extract itself lacks the complexity of the hundreds of other flavor compounds found in pure vanilla extract. Imitation vanilla extract is either sold clear or with an additional caramel color to mimic pure extract. 

Imitation vanilla should be reserved for large projects where the price of pure extract would be prohibitive, or recipes where the quality of the vanilla plays a negligible role in the final baked goods. Some people claim that imitation extract has a slightly chemical or artificial aftertaste, so it’s best used in products that are fully cooked to minimize any unpleasant aftertaste. 

Vanilla Bean Paste

Vanilla bean paste is the thicker, visually exciting counterpart to vanilla extract, blending both vanilla extract with vanilla seeds. For those—like our expert Joanne Chang—who prefer the ease of an extract but also want the visual appeal of vanilla seeds speckled in their final dish, vanilla bean paste is the way to go. Chang also likes it, though, for the more intense vanilla flavor it brings to your baking.

It is thickened with the addition of gum and sugar, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it has a more intense flavor. Bean pastes or extracts with seeds included can be used in both hot and cold cooking applications and are typically more expensive than vanilla extract. 

Vanilla Bean Powder

Vanilla powder was developed as a dry, alcohol- and liquid-free, and sometimes color-neutral alternative to whole beans and extracts. It is made by spraying pure vanilla extract onto maltodextrin (typically made of corn), which dries the extract on contact. It can be dissolved in liquids, but can also be used in dry spice rubs, tea blends, or as an addition to regular baking recipes. If you are looking for vanilla flavoring without the brown color, choose a white-hued vanilla bean powder.

How to Store Vanilla Extract

Vanilla extract is incredibly shelf-stable thanks to its curing and alcohol base, and it can last years stored in a dark cabinet away from heat. Some people report that the flavor is even better after sitting. With that said, you don’t need to age your vanilla extract to get a great product. Buy what you think you’ll use in a matter of months. 

Vanilla beans, paste, and powder are also shelf-stable. All vanilla products should be tightly wrapped or sealed with a lid and stored in a cool area away from sunlight. Most extract bottles are dark in color to help prevent light from damaging the extract. Avoid storing vanilla products in the refrigerator; vanilla beans may grow mold when refrigerated due to the extra moisture, and beans, as well as extracts, may pick up the ambient flavors of the refrigerator during storage. 

After you’ve scraped a vanilla bean pod, you can make extra use of it by storing it at room temperature in a jar filled with sugar to make your own vanilla-infused sugar. This process also works with salt for a moody vanilla-sea-salt garnish sprinkled over glazed ribs or a chocolate caramel tart.

FAQs

Where does vanilla extract come from?

Vanilla extract is made with vanilla beans, which are pods that grow on pollinated orchids. These aren’t just any orchids though—vanilla orchids are a variety of tropical orchid that grows in a long vine and typically requires special care. Once these orchids develop bean pods, the vanilla beans are harvested, cured, and soaked in alcohol to create vanilla extract. 

Does vanilla extract go bad?

A pure vanilla extract made with an alcohol base has an extremely long shelf life and doesn’t tend to go bad. With that said, Chang says the intensity of the flavor will diminish with prolonged storage, which is why quality extracts are stored in darker bottles, "as it protects the extract from degrading in the light," and in a cooler atmosphere, as well.

If you’ve had a bottle of extract sitting on the shelf for more than a couple of years, it won’t hurt to use it, but it also won’t add much flavor to your baked goods. It’s best to buy about as much vanilla extract as you reasonably think you’re going to use in the next few months. 

Is vanilla extract gluten-free?

Theoretically, vanilla extract is gluten-free. Pure vanilla extract is made with distilled alcohol, which, unless specified, could be grain alcohol-based. But most of the gluten is removed in the distillation process and registers well below the limit of being legally classified as gluten-free. If you are primarily concerned about working with a gluten-free product, there are vanilla extracts on the market explicitly created for gluten-free bakers.

What is a substitute for vanilla extract?

If you’re in the middle of a baking project, only to open your cabinets and find you’re out of vanilla extract, don't worry. Vanilla extract is a lovely addition to recipes, but it mainly helps round out the flavors in your cooking. Unless it’s the main flavor ingredient (like in vanilla ice cream), consider substituting some strongly brewed coffee in chocolate, brown-sugar-based, or nutty recipes, or using almond extract in fruity, citrusy, or buttery recipes.  

How much alcohol is in vanilla extract?

To be considered a pure vanilla extract, the extract must contain at least 35 percent alcohol. Many extracts will list the percentage of alcohol on the bottle.

Is vanilla extract vegan?

Yes, both pure and artificial vanilla extracts are typically vegan.

How We Selected

Our team of editors and contributors spent hours researching the best vanilla extracts on the market, evaluating their key features—like bean type, origin, and price—in addition to reviews from customers and other trusted sources. We then used our own knowledge and first-hand experiences to choose the items listed above.

Why Trust The Spruce Eats?

Donna Currie has written for The Spruce Eats since 2016. A seasoned recipe developer and gadget tester, she also wrote the cookbook Make Ahead Bread.

This article and buying guide was updated and written by Jenny Kellerhals, a professional pastry chef in New York City and a freelance food writer. Jenny started baking professionally over a decade ago and enjoys testing ingredients and baking techniques to achieve the best possible results.

Amanda McDonald is an editor at The Spruce Eats and has over seven years of experience researching, writing, and editing about all things food — from what new products are at the grocery store to chef-approved hacks that keep tricky leftovers fresh for days. She also updated this article to include the most up-to-date information.

Sources

• Jenny Kellerhals, Baking Expert for The Spruce Eats
• Joanne Chang, pastry chef, cookbook author, and co-owner of both Boston's Flour Bakery and Myers+Chang restaurant