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See why.Ground Vanilla and Vanilla Powder
These dry vanillas are beloved by professional bakers. We explore how, when, and why you should use them at home.
By Published Feb. 11, 2022
Looking for more? Check out our primer on the various forms of vanilla and how to use them.
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What You Need To Know
Most home bakers are familiar with vanilla extract, but there are two lesser-known vanilla products on the market that also provide great vanilla flavor: ground vanilla and vanilla powder. The names are often used interchangeably, but we distinguish them by their ingredients. Ground vanilla is made of only vanilla beans, while vanilla powder contains additives. We wanted to learn how these products’ vanilla flavor compares, when and how they can be substituted for liquid vanilla, and which brands we liked the best. (We also love vanilla paste. Read our review of vanilla paste here [link TK].)
Ground Vanilla
What It Is: A dark-brown, crumbly powder made strictly from ground vanilla beans. Its flavor is very concentrated and complex; a little goes a long way.
What It Costs: Up to $56.00 per ounce
Why You Use It: Use it when you want to see the appealing specks you’d get from a vanilla bean without the prep work required. Ground vanilla is also less expensive than a whole bean (about half the price). Some may opt for ground vanilla over vanilla extract because it is alcohol-free and contains no additives and sugar like vanilla paste does.
How to Use It: Stir it in with the dry ingredients when making cookie, cake, and brownie batters. When using it in recipes such as puddings and custards, prevent clumping by adding it with the other dry ingredients. Note that it will add a slight light-brown tint to puddings, custards, and ice creams. It can be mixed with confectioners’ sugar and sprinkled on top of cakes, tarts, and fresh fruit or added to spice rubs for grilled meat.
Vanilla Extract Equivalency: Substitute the amount of vanilla extract with half the amount of ground vanilla.
Our Winner: Beyond Good Pure Ground Vanilla
Tasting Notes: “Really bold vanilla flavor”; ”pleasant nutty flavor”; “notes of almond”; “punchy, prominent vanilla”
Vanilla Powder
What It Is: A dry powder base of either sucrose, dextrose, or maltodextrin flavored with vanilla. It’s white or pale brown and sweet and adds subtle vanilla flavor.
What It Costs: Up to $14.00 per ounce
Why You Use It: Reach for it when you want to sprinkle vanilla, such as on top of a dessert. Use it when you want to add vanilla flavor without altering the color of your dessert or when you want an alcohol-free alternative to pure extract.
How to Use It: Stir it in with the dry ingredients when making cookie, cake, and brownie batters. When using it in recipes such as puddings and custards, prevent clumping by adding it with the other dry ingredients. It can be sprinkled directly onto the tops of cakes and tarts and over oatmeal and fresh fruit and added to spice rubs for grille...
Everything We Tested
Recommended - Ground Vanilla
Our favorite ground vanilla was “really bold,” with “pleasant,” “nutty” “notes of almond.” Pudding made with it was “creamy” and “sweet,” and one taster said it was “like the best vanilla ice cream [they’ve] ever had.” Tasters liked the flecks of vanilla it added to the cookies. The cookies were “bright and sweet, with punchy, prominent vanilla.”
The most expensive ground vanilla in our lineup was “warm and comforting”—it reminded one taster of birthday cake batter, with “very intense” vanilla flavor. This product was finer in texture than the other two ground vanillas, so its flecks were less prominent. The cookies tasted “creamy, smooth, and pleasant.” Note that although this product is labeled as a powder, we treated it as ground vanilla because it is made solely from vanilla beans.
This product had “strong vanilla flavor” with “floral” and aromatic notes. Its distinctive flavor is likely due to the Tahitian vanilla beans it’s made from; they are often touted as being fruitier and more floral than Madagascar Bourbon vanilla beans. Cookies made with this ground vanilla tasted “intensely vanilla, fruity, with notes of cherry.” Like another ground vanilla in our lineup, this product is also labeled as a powder. We included it here because it is made solely from vanilla beans.
Highly Recommended - Vanilla Powder
Our winning powder had a pleasant “strong vanilla that hits you up front.” Tasters noted it was “toasty,” with “slightly nutty flavor.” Vanilla pudding made with this powder was “rich, sweet, and balanced.” The vanilla also “nicely complements the cookie.”
Recommended - Vanilla Powder
More than one taster compared vanilla pudding made with this powder to creamy vanilla ice cream. It was “mildly sweet,” which “allowed the vanilla to come through.” Sugar cookies made with this powder were “sweet at first” and had “mellow vanilla flavor.”
This vanilla powder provided “solid and good flavor” in our vanilla pudding. A few tasters noted that the “vanilla didn’t come through as much” as it did with other vanilla powders. When used in cookies, the vanilla was “subtle.”
Reviews you can trust
The mission of America’s Test Kitchen Reviews is to find the best equipment and ingredients for the home cook through rigorous, hands-on testing.
Carolyn Grillo
Carolyn is a senior editor for ATK Reviews. She's a French-trained professional baker.
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