Vanilla Paste & Powder

Vanilla Powders and Pastes - Extract Alternatives & Substitutes for Baking

Vanilla Paste and Vanilla Powder are non-liquid forms of natural vanilla flavoring that make great alternatives to traditional extracts and liquid flavors. These alcohol-free ingredients offer different consistencies that can help control the final texture of baked goods and cooked dishes. While these versatile vanilla products can be used interchangeably with vanilla beans or vanilla extracts in most cases, vanilla paste and vanilla powder are powerful flavorings that also help control the moisture content of ingredients. When to use vanilla paste or vanilla powder depends in some ways on the application and the desired result.

Vanilla Paste

Most home cooks have heard of vanilla extracts or dried vanilla beans, but less have heard of vanilla paste. This is a shame, as it is a favorite of professional chefs and the perfect addition to any kitchen. What's more, it can be less costly to use vanilla paste. Vanilla paste provides a deeply rich and highly concentrated taste of vanilla, without the need to spend ages preparing the vanilla beans before adding the flavor to a dish. In fact, using vanilla paste is as simple as dipping a spoon in the jar and then placing it into the mixture. Another benefit is that vanilla paste sold at Olive Nation is 100% natural, only containing vanilla extract and seeds, natural thickener, water and sugar. There are no chemicals and no preservatives or additives, so you can be confident that you are only eating food that nature herself created. You can also be confident that you are getting the finest vanilla taste possible, which could be even more important.

What is the difference between vanilla paste and vanilla extract?

In addition to its delicious taste, vanilla paste can ensure that you get that classic "speckled" vanilla look in dishes. Tiny black vanilla seeds are added to the vanilla paste when it's produced and when it is used you won't be able to tell whether vanilla beans or vanilla paste has been added!

How to use vanilla paste

There are a number of different recipes that it can be used in, such as homemade ice cream, custard, icing, cakes, and even creme brulee. In fact, vanilla paste can be used in anything that regular vanilla can, but at a fraction of the cost! Just think you can make authentic vanilla flavored products without the need to spend huge amounts of money in the process.

Vanilla Powder

Vanilla powder is a convenient alternative to beans, paste, or extract. The biggest advantage to using vanilla powder is the fact that it can easily be added to liquid and it won't evaporate away, which would happen when using vanilla extract. This means that icing and other viscous foodstuffs can benefit from the strongest vanilla taste possible (so if you are looking for a more subtle flavor then vanilla extract is better suited for the job instead). Vanilla powder comes in several different formats:

• Ground vanilla bean powder: Dried whole vanilla seed pods are ground until they reach a powdery texture. This means that although the form has changed from bean to powder, the constituent elements are still all there leading to a taste that is identical to if you sliced and scraped your very own vanilla beans in your own kitchen.
• Vanilla powder: A combination of dextrose powder and vanilla extractives. No coloring or artificial ingredients are added. It is also completely alcohol free. Gently sprinkling vanilla powder over hot drinks, such as a latte or a nice warm hot chocolate is a wonderful garnish vanilla really does go with everything! Our OliveNation vanilla powder is made using Bourbon Madagascar vanilla beans, which are regarded as the best in the world. They have the most exquisite taste and are used by top chefs around the globe, including some of the world's biggest restaurants.
• Vanilla sugar: A versatile sweetener created by adding natural vanilla flavor to real sugar, vanilla sugar features a fine granular texture similar to "regular" sugar.

Our convenient powdered vanilla products can add richness to your coffee, cappuccino, or latte and are delicious sprinkled on fresh fruit, French toast, cupcakes, cereals and other recipes. Our chef friends add the powdered vanilla flavor to savory dishes and have discovered that it also brings out the essences of poultry, shellfish, beef and lamb. Some even add a splash to barbeque sauce and braising liquid for that unmistakable zing!