There's no doubt about it: Vanilla extract is one of the most frequently used staples in the kitchen pantry, especially for avid bakers. Vanilla brings its deeply aromatic, distinctly floral flavor and character to all kinds of cookies, cakes, pies, custards, ice creams, and more. Even chocolate tastes better when it's paired with a bit of vanilla, and that's because the two seemingly opposite flavors bring out the very best in one another. But what happens when you run out? Turn to one of these vanilla extract substitutes, and you'll never notice what's missing.
Why Chefs Always Have Powdered Milk in Their Kitchen
The story of vanilla begins with tropical orchids, which bear elongated pods, or beans, filled with lots of tiny seeds. The orchid that gives us vanilla bean pods originated in Mexico, though much of today's world supply of vanilla comes from orchids cultivated in the South Pacific (which is why you may see "Tahiti" or "Madagascar" on the label).
What Is Vanilla Extract?
Pure vanilla extract is made from steeping chopped vanilla beans in a solution of alcohol, then straining and aging it to develop the flavor. Pure vanilla extract is our go-to for baking. It is pricy, but a little goes a long way. But when you consider the beans have to be harvested by hand, then aged, and the plants are subject to weather patterns and more, the price tag for this precious ingredient doesn't seem steep.
You may be tempted to try the more inexpensive artificial vanilla flavoring in place of pure vanilla extract substitute, but avoid the temptation. As its name suggests, imitation vanilla flavoring comes from artificial flavorings, and the flavor doesn't compare to the real thing. This is especially true in dishes like ice cream or custards that feature vanilla as the prominent ingredient.
Extract is the most common form of vanilla, but you may also have vanilla powder, vanilla paste, or the vanilla beans themselves on hand—these are our top picks for a substitute for vanilla extract.
Vanilla powder: You need about 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla powder for every 1 teaspoon of extract your recipe calls for.
Vanilla paste: The paste is roughly equivalent to the extract in terms of flavoring, so substitute in a 1:1 ratio. (Be sure to read the label on the paste or powder, as some brands may vary in concentration.)
Vanilla bean: One vanilla bean split open lengthwise and scraped of its seeds, equals about 1 tablespoon of extract.
Maple Syrup
If you are preparing a recipe that requires vanilla extract and you find that you've run out of vanilla in all its forms, some bakers use an equal measure of pure maple syrup in its place. Avoid imitation maple syrup, which is mostly just corn syrup.
Flavoring Extracts
You may also choose to swap in other flavoring extracts in place of the vanilla. Almond imparts a nice flavor to baked goods and spoon desserts. It is much stronger than vanilla, however, so you will only need about half as much.
Other extracts, including lemon or peppermint, impart their own distinct flavors. Depending on your recipe, experiment with one or another in place of vanilla to see if you like the result. If it's a simple sugar cookie or butter cake, it shouldn't be a problem. (Who knows? You might even create a new favorite cookie or cake in the process.)
Bourbon and Other Alcoholic Spirits
You can also try using a spirit, such as brandy, rum, whiskey, or bourbon, as a vanilla extract substitute. Because bourbon picks up some of the flavors from the oak barrels in which it is aged, its flavor is closest to vanilla. The reason? Oak is rich in compounds known as vanillins.
Make Your Own
There are two homemade substitutes for vanilla extract, neither is ready the day you make it, so they aren't substitutes you can use today, but they are an investment in future baking.
Homemade Vanilla Extract: To avoid running out of vanilla extract (those small grocery store bottles only hold so much), plan ahead by making your own extract from scratch. It's easy to make your own using vanilla beans and vodka. The extract needs about two months to develop flavor before you can use it—and it keeps indefinitely.
Vanilla Sugar: You may enjoy making vanilla sugar, which is simply a matter of burying vanilla pods in an airtight container of granulated sugar. Use new pods or those that have been scraped of their seeds for other recipes (don't let those powerhouse pods go to waste!) to prepare it. Then, whenever you need a vanilla extract substitute, simply use this sugar in place of regular granulated sugar in a recipe to achieve a similar vanilla flavor.
If you don't have any on hand, you can almost always omit the vanilla without impacting the final texture of your baked goods; although the rich flavor extract—or any form of vanilla—brings will certainly be altered. Just remember one thing: flavor comes first.
If you don't have any on hand, you can almost always omit the vanilla without impacting the final texture of your baked goods; although the rich flavor extract—or any form of vanilla—brings will certainly be altered. Just remember one thing: flavor comes first.
If a recipe calls for 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, you can swap in 2 teaspoons of imitation vanilla or vanilla flavoring to get a similar flavor. So, no matter what extract you haveon hand, it should be easy to get that warm, vanilla flavor you love in your baked and non–baked treats!
Almond extract is a natural go-to to replace vanilla, being another popular extract in the pantry. Its nutty notes will surely complement most anything vanilla would have, however, it is notably stronger in flavor than its mellower counterpart, so it's best to cut the amount needed in the recipe by about half.
Vanilla does offer more than just a bit of floral flavor. Sometimes it's a flavor enhancer and sometimes it's a flavor balancer. But to be honest, unless it's a vanilla cookie, it's not a true dealbreaker. Especially if you're making cookies that have lots of other flavors going on, like coconut or dark chocolate.
Cinnamon, Cardamom, or Nutmeg. If you use the vanilla extract in the recipe for reasons other than the flavor, you can easily replace it with different spices and powders such as cinnamon, cardamom, or nutmeg. Since the essence of these spices can be pretty intense, just a pinch is usually sufficient!
If you use vanilla regularly in baked goods like cookies and cakes, there's no reason to spring for the fancy stuff, or even the real stuff—artificial extract will do just fine. If you drink a lot of nog or make uncooked ice cream bases or cold desserts like panna cotta, you might consider buying real extract.
Vanilla beans, paste, and extracts have more depth of flavor than imitation vanilla, but many of those flavor notes break down at the high temperatures used during baking. For this reason, imitation vanilla is preferred by some bakers for cookies and cakes.
Vanilla Extract: What's the Difference? Vanilla flavoring uses artificial ingredients and additives like synthetic vanillin, corn syrup, and lignin, an ingredient typically extracted from wood pulp. By contrast, pure vanilla extract uses only two ingredients: real vanilla beans and alcohol.
In oven-baked goods, such as cakes and cookies, it's almost impossible to taste the difference between the flavor of items prepared with imitation vs. pure vanilla extract. Basically, for baked goods, imitation vanilla flavor will be just fine.
(If you have none of the above, you could try almond extract or maple syrup, too.) Simply swap out the vanilla extract and replace with 1 to 2 times that amount in alcohol. Example: If a recipe calls for 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, replace with 1 to 2 teaspoons dark rum.
The flavor of maple syrup is similar enough to vanilla extract that you can replace the vanilla extract with an equal amount of. Pure maple syrup is best, but if you only have pancake syrup, that will work fine too. Any changes in flavor will be subtle, but maple syrup has more sugar than vanilla.
Maple syrup doesn't exactly taste like vanilla, but it's warm and sweet, so it's not a bad swap. Just don't add too much or you'll make your dish overly sweet, and it may mess up the recipe ratios.
In most recipes, you can freely substitute vanilla extract and vanilla sugar. Using Vanilla Sugar Instead of Vanilla Extract: In recipes that call for vanilla extract, use 1 1/2 teaspoons of homemade vanilla sugar per teaspoon of vanilla extract.
Sweet galium is a wild herb you can use as a substitute for vanilla. It's widespread across North America and easily identified. For most of my career working with wild food I've ignored cleavers (Galiums) with one or two exceptions.
Maple extract – Use half as much maple extract as vanilla extract. This is a great substitute in pancakes, waffles, french toast, blondies, or oatmeal cookies. Almond extract – Use half as much almond extract as vanilla extract.
Introduction: My name is The Hon. Margery Christiansen, I am a bright, adorable, precious, inexpensive, gorgeous, comfortable, happy person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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