Best Vanilla Beans for Extract

Vanilla Extract is a wonderful way to add the unique taste of vanilla to your food or beverage. Many of you are looking into creating your own, and you’re searching for the best vanilla beans for extract. This is an important choice; quality vanilla beans will greatly improve the ultimate flavor. You’ve come to the right place, this post contains our Top 3 List to help you create delicious extract that will enhance your desserts with the powers of vanilla.

If you want to learn some other factors, you can check out our detailed Top Vanilla Extract post.

Why Choosing the Best Vanilla Beans Matters

When it comes to making your own vanilla bean extract, choosing the ingredients is extremely important. Just like any recipe, the quality of the finished product is dependent on what you decide use. For vanilla extract, the most important ingredient is the vanilla beans. Vanilla beans are grown in many different countries, so there are many different species to choose from. This post will help you decide some of the best.

Quality Vanilla Flavor

When it comes to the freshest quality vanilla beans, their flavor profile is powerful and exquisite. It starts with smell, the best beans have a rich, creamy aroma that has a natural sweetness with floral undertones.

When you taste quality vanilla, you encounter a wonderful blend of sweetness with hints of a few different flavors. These flavors include caramel, chocolate, and even a touch of spice.

This flavor enhances many different dishes, bringing them a uniqueness and depth, which makes selecting the proper vanilla beans for this extract very important.

Vanilla Flavor can Degrade over Time

The power of vanilla’s unique flavor can fade over time. As the vanilla beans age, they slowly begin losing their trademark aroma and taste. The complex flavors mentioned above will degrade, leaving behind a more subdued sweetness. To ensure you get the most out of your vanilla beans, you need to use them to make the extract while they are still fresh. Once they are added to the extract, time is back on your side.

The Star of the Show

Vanilla beans are like the main actor in the film of vanilla extract (our kids are currently into watching the same movies on repeat). You can save money by going with a sub-par actor, but it is not advised. If you’re going to spend the time and money to make a feature film (extract), choose a star that’s fits the role.

The beans infuse the alcohol with the rich, complex flavors transforming into the delicious extract that all will adore. Other inputs are important, but the performance of a quality experienced actor will likely help lead to a great performance and movie.

Top 3 Best Vanilla Beans for Extract

Your individual choice might vary depending on the situation, but you can’t go wrong with any of these choices. And don’t worry, to keep things entertaining, I’ll continue with the movie metaphor 🙂

1. Grade A Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Beans
2. Grade B Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Beans
3. Tahitian Vanilla Beans

#1 – GRADE A MADAGASCAR VANILLA BEANS

Our top choice for the best vanilla beans for extract is definitely Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Beans. The habitat of Madagascar provides a unique flavor profile that cannot be matched anywhere else in the world. All of the harvests are weather dependent, but fortunately the last several have been excellent. All vanilla beans are broken down into different grades based upon appearance, moisture content, etc. The top (and most expensive) vanilla beans are earn the powerful title of Grade A.

These Madagascar Vanilla Beans have a naturally sweet flavor that holds a rich buttery aftertaste. Madagascar vanilla may be a bit more expensive, but they are like the Julia Roberts or George Clooney of the vanilla bean world. They are experienced, versatile, and reliable. They always take the overall performance to another level. Whether you choose the top Grade A or more budget friendly Grade B, you’ll end up with an extract that will take your baking to another level.

This Grade A is the grade that we currently use for our vanilla extracts, and it has helped set us apart. If you want your vanilla extract to be on the same level, click the picture or link above to check out our Grade A Madagascar Vanilla Beans.

#2 – GRADE B MADAGASCAR VANILLA BEANS

Not all beans earn the title of Grade A, and that’s ok! Another great option for those on a budget is Grade B Madagascar Vanilla Beans. These beans do not meet all of the qualifications of Grade A beans. Perhaps they have a lower moisture content, or a slight crack. Maybe they just aren’t as big & plump as Grade A. Either way, you are getting the great taste of Madagascar vanilla for a more reasonable price. A majority of companies selling natural or “pure” vanilla extract utilize these Grade B beans. They might not have the same powerful flavor as Grade A, but they are still a great option.

We feel that the Madagascar Vanilla Beans go great with the flavor of Brandy Vanilla Extract.

#3 – TAHITIAN VANILLA BEANS

Although Madagascar is the home to the best vanilla beans for extract, there are plenty of other places that grow some excellent vanilla. We have tirelessly tried vanilla sources from all over the world. My wife & I both agree that Tahitian Vanilla Beans have earned their place in the #3 position on this list. They have a well-rounded flavor that isn’t as distinct as Madagascar, but you can usually find Tahitian beans for a cheaper price. Once again, the higher graded beans will be more expensive. I would always try to stick with Grade A or Grade B Tahitian Vanilla Beans.

Choosing the Tahitian vanilla beans is like hiring a solid, recognizable actor that isn’t exactly the most expensive (or the most experienced), but someone that you can trust to deliver a good performance that is both memorable and impactful. I think of these vanilla beans like a Paul Rudd. He’s not even always the leading man, but he is memorable and you know who he is. He also brings a unique wit, humor, and perspective to each role he plays. Tahitian vanilla have a floral and fruity aroma that is unique but not overpowering. It will make vanilla extract both flavorful and memorable. Paul Rudd and vanilla extract made with Tahitian vanilla beans will add a touch of smoothness and soul to everything they touch.

Hopefully, we should be adding Tahitian beans to our product page in the near future. Check it out or message us to find out!

Our Take

Taste and flavor can both be subjective, and each of you will have unique preferences. The options I have mentioned above will all make excellent vanilla extract with a potent natural vanilla flavor. All of these are WAY above the chemical vanillin that is artificially added to many cheap vanilla “flavored” products. Choose these natural options mentioned above, and you will be happy you did!

Make Your Own Vanilla Extract Kit with Vanilla Beans Included

If you don’t want to go through the trouble of finding all of the individual ingredients/items necessary to make homemade vanilla extract, you should check out our Pure Vanilla Extract Kit. We use the top choice vanilla beans and include detailed instructions. This has become one of our most popular products, especially around the holidays when all of us have limited time!

Conclusion

This post should’ve helped clarify some great choices for the best vanilla beans for extract. Any of the choices mentioned above can be used to make delicious vanilla extract. If you have any other questions regarding the creation of vanilla extract, leave a comment below or send us a message via the Contact Page.

Overwhelmed???

If you would like to have the quality of homemade vanilla extract but you feel overwhelmed with making it yourself, no worries! You can have the same premium taste by checking out our Pure Vanilla Bean Extract. Since it is “Pure,” it contains only vanilla beans and the extracting alcohol.

Comments

Do you have a special type of vanilla beans that you like to use in your vanilla extract? Please share your questions and comments below. Your unique perspective enhances this baking community and make it a more valuable resource. We read and appreciate all comments!