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Love the flavour of vanilla? Here’s how to make vanilla bean paste. You have to try this!

I have a love of vanilla. I make vanilla extract and so when I heard about making paste, I knew I had to try it.

What is Vanilla Bean Paste?

Vanilla bean paste is pretty much what the name implies. It’s a paste, made out of vanilla beans.

You can use vanilla bean paste in any way you’d use vanilla extract. However, it would be in paste form instead of being a liquid. I must say, however, that the vanilla flavour is more prominent and intense.

Use vanilla bean paste as much as you would for vanilla extract. So if the recipe calls for 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, you would use 1 teaspoon of vanilla bean paste.

When added to your baking it will seem like that vanilla bean paste won’t blend but it really does! I love seeing all those vanilla bean caviar flecks in my baking.

Why Vanilla Bean Paste?

What I like about vanilla bean paste is that you can use it almost right away. I say almost because you should let it sit for a couple of weeks before using it. When making vanilla extract, I have to wait a good year before it’s ready.

How Do I Make Vanilla Bean Paste?

There are a few different recipes, but I like the simplest one, using only 3 ingredients – vanilla beans, rum and agave or honey.

Some recipes call for additional ingredients like corn syrup and xantham gum but I prefer to keep things simple and basic.

I used fresh vanilla beans for this recipe. I got them from IndriVanilla. They often have group buys at a discounted price. Those seem to be the best deal.

Now I have read how some people have used vanilla beans from their extracts to make paste. So those beans would have had some flavour and caviar already extracted out of it so I would think that you would have to use additional beans if going this route. I haven’t tried this yet as I still have extracts brewing, but this sure would be a good way to get your money’s worth out of those vanilla beans!

There are also other sweeteners you can use instead of agave or honey. Some use maple syrup, coconut sugar or dates. I just used what I had on hand.

To make things easier, I cut up the vanilla beans into smaller segments, around 2 inches. All you have to do is blend up the 3 ingredients in a high-powered blender and that’s it! My Vitamix blender is perfect for this job.

Blend for about 35 seconds. You will want a thick, yet pourable consistency. Add additional agave or honey and keep blending until you achieve the right consistency. There is no right or wrong – some people like it on the thinner side while others like it on the thicker side.

Once blended, pour into sealable jars. I used the Ikea Korken jars for this batch. It looks nice for gift-giving as well.

Let the vanilla bean paste sit for a couple of weeks before using. I store mine in the cupboard.

Cleaning Your Vitamix Afterwards

Now there is still some vanilla bean paste in the container of the blender. Don’t let that go to waste! I added some oat milk to it and blended it to make vanilla bean oat milk. It tastes great in my coffee.

Vanilla bean paste is so flavourful and good! I almost prefer it over using my vanilla extract. The little jars make great gifts as well!

Want to remember how to make vanilla bean paste? Be sure to save this to your favourite Pinterest board.