Best Flavors and Scents to Complement Vanilla
By Kristie | October 10, 2020
Let’s face it: you’ve probably seen vanilla as a flavor for all kinds of things. Coffee. Ice Cream. Cake. And then there are the vanilla-scented things, like perfume, candles, and essential oils. Oftentimes, other flavors and smells and mixed in, resulting in some interesting — some doubtful — combinations.
With so many options to choose from, how are we to know what the best flavor or scent combinations are? After all, vanilla doesn’t go with absolutely everything. That’s why we’ve put together this article to help you imagine the right combinations for whatever vanilla-laced creation you have a mind to make or buy.
Fruity Notes
Since vanilla is a tropical spice, it goes especially well with tropical fruits like mango, pineapple, and coconut. Make a tropical cocktail with any of these flavors, with a brown liquor as a base — the sweetness of vanilla pairs especially well with whiskey, rum, or bourbon. In fact, we loved the flavor combination so much, we created our unique Bourbon Whiskey Vanilla Extract.
Or, if cocktails aren’t your cup of tea, try a fruit-based dessert or juice tinged with vanilla. Other fruits that go particularly well with the spice include cherry, fig, orange, and strawberry. The tartness of these fruits balances well with the sweetness of vanilla, bringing out the subtle flavor profiles of both as a result.
Flowery Concoctions
Some of the best floral flavors — and scents — for a vanilla pairing include lavender, jasmine, and lily of the valley. You can make DIY perfumes, candles, or essential oils from home using these scents.
Vanilla is associated with calming aromatherapeutic properties, like reducing anxiety and depressive symptoms. Even if it weren’t, the wonderful scent of vanilla is reason enough to smell it for the heck of it!
Spices
The complexity of real vanilla knows no bounds, boasting over 250 different chemical compounds, most of which aren’t detectable by the human nose. So it’s no wonder that such a vibrant flavor and olfactory profile can complement a wide variety of different spices.
Take anise, for instance, whose sharp, earthy sweetness evokes the taste and smell of licorice. Paired with vanilla, any food comes boldly to life.
Or try finding the right balance of cinnamon and vanilla flavoring in your next batch of cookies. Neither of these spices is good in high concentrations, so finding the right proportion for your particular taste buds is a fun and tasty art form.
Nuts
Vanilla is popular during the holiday season. Sprinkle it into warm and cozy baked goods like almond cakes or treats like chestnut jam and hazelnut lattes. Or experiment with other kinds of nuts you pair with vanilla, whether it’s a candle scent or a new family recipe you’re creating.
Chocolate and Buttercream
We hope it’s pretty self-explanatory that chocolate goes well with vanilla — just thinking of all the ice cream, cakes, and milkshakes that are possible with these flavors makes our mouths water.
The same goes for vanilla buttercream. The rich texture of the buttercream leaves a lasting impression no matter if you’re making cake frosting or macaron filling, allowing the taster to savor the rich subtlety of the real vanilla flecks you added.
Of course, you can substitute authentic vanilla for vanilla extract in any of the above recipe suggestions. It depends on the kind of flavor — or bake — you’re going for. For non-food or low-heat concoctions, you can use either vanilla extract or vanilla pods. But with high-heat bakes, like cookies and cakes, you might want to save the pods and opt for extract, since high heat can compromise the full complexity of flavors from pure vanilla beans.
The Smell of Natural Vanilla
Check out our Grade A Madagascar Vanilla Beans
As we all know, there is nothing like the smell of natural vanilla. High quality vanilla beans have a pleasant scent that can lift your mood in any room. When we are baking with our vanilla beans, the smell is powerful enough to fill our entire home. These same vanilla beans can be used to create candles, oils, and perfumes we mentioned above. Get creative and invent an unique aroma that lasts for days!
There is no substitute for the complex scent of naturally grown vanilla pods. Our 100% Natural Vanilla Pods can be used to create a premium scent derived straight from nature.
Tell Us!
Do you have experience making vanilla scented products? Please share your previous attempts/recipes or your plans for your next vanilla candle or essential oil. We hope you not only enjoy the final result of what you make but also the process of getting there. Leaving a comment or tagging us on social media will help others learn from YOU!
Can you make essential oils used in a diffuser with vanilla beans? Can you just chop up the beans and put them in the diffuser with water?
Lori – Yes, you definitely can. You can leave the vanilla beans in there for multiple uses because they are so potent. I wouldn’t leave them for more than a few days, however; because they might go bad. Thanks for the comment!
I love making natural vanilla candles, nothing better than that smell!
So true, Heather! One of the huge benefits of working with and selling vanilla is that it fills our office with that fantastic aroma.