Let’s Talk About Vanilla Bean Paste

In a lot of my recipes, I use vanilla bean paste—because I absolutely love vanilla flavor. It’s my number one favorite flavor to use. And when you use vanilla bean paste, it really takes your frostings, ganaches, and cakes to the next level taste-wise.

Whenever I include it in a recipe, I always write vanilla bean paste. There are so many brands out there, but not all of them taste delicious.



The only brand that I personally favor is Nielsen-Massey. I love it because it gives such a rich and natural vanilla flavor, and it’s packed with beautiful vanilla seeds. It smells amazing, it tastes amazing, and it truly gives your cakes, frostings, and ganaches a real vanilla bean boost. It’s so expensive—but honestly, it’s worth every drop.

If I’m not using vanilla bean paste—or sometimes I use both—I go for whole vanilla pods. I always buy plump, organic pods on Etsy. They cost about 80% less than at the supermarket here in Scandinavia, and they’ve become my go-to.

A lot of people ask if they can substitute with vanilla extract. Technically, yes—you can. But I don’t recommend it taste-wise. I even once accidentally bought a bottle of vanilla extract when I meant to get vanilla bean paste—such a bummer. I was surprised that it cost just as much, but the flavor? It’s just not the same.

That said, I’ll still use that bottle of extract when I make ice cream—it actually helps make the ice cream more scoopable and adds a nice touch of flavor.



But personally, I don’t think it’s worth it for cakes or ganaches. You get so much more flavor, aroma, and visual appeal from vanilla bean paste than from extract—especially in ganaches or frostings, where extract tends to lose its flavor when heated.

Of course, vanilla bean paste is expensive, and if you’d rather not use it, that’s totally fine. Just leave it out—your recipe will still be delicious, just with a little less vanilla flavor.

And while I haven’t tried every brand out there—maybe you’ve found one that you love even more—the most important thing is to use what tastes best to you. The brand doesn’t matter as much—flavor does.

 Note: If you want to learn more about vanilla beans, how to make them more plump, and at the same time make your own vanilla extract (perfect for using in ice cream), just head over to the No-Bake category in the app—or simply search for Soaked Vanilla Beans.