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Homemade Vanilla Bean Paste

This homemade vanilla bean paste delivers professional results with surprisingly little hands-on time. Costs roughly one third the price of premium store bought paste and stores beautifully for up to two years in your refrigerator. Those gorgeous black specks throughout your custards and cakes tell everyone you mean business.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings: 48 teaspoons
Course: Baking Essential, Pantry Staple
Cuisine: International
Calories: 15
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Main
  • 10 vanilla beans Grade B preferred
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 3/4 cup water
  • 2 tablespoons light corn syrup or golden syrup
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • Pinch of salt

Equipment

  • Sharp paring knife
  • Cutting board
  • Small heavy bottomed saucepan
  • Wooden spoon or silicone spatula
  • Fine mesh strainer (optional)
  • Glass jar with tight fitting lid
  • Measuring cups and spoons
  • Blender or food processor (optional)

Method
 

  1. Lay each vanilla bean flat on your cutting board and slice it lengthwise with a sharp paring knife. Hold the bean steady and run the back of your knife along the inside to scrape out all the seeds. Collect the seeds in a small bowl and set the scraped pods aside.
  2. Cut the scraped vanilla bean pods into small pieces, roughly half inch segments. Smaller pieces release more flavor into your syrup during cooking.
  3. Combine the sugar, water, and corn syrup in your saucepan over medium heat. Stir gently until the sugar dissolves completely, about 3 to 4 minutes. Avoid stirring vigorously once the sugar dissolves.
  4. Drop the chopped vanilla pods into the sugar syrup and add all the scraped seeds. Stir gently to distribute the seeds throughout the liquid. Add your pinch of salt now to round out the sweetness.
  5. Reduce the heat to low and let the mixture simmer gently for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent the bottom from scorching. The syrup should reduce by about one third and coat the back of a spoon.
  6. Remove the saucepan from heat and stir in the vanilla extract. Adding it off heat preserves the delicate alcohol based flavor compounds.
  7. For a chunkier paste with visible pod pieces, let the mixture cool as is. For a smoother consistency, transfer everything to a blender once cooled slightly and pulse until you reach your preferred texture.
  8. Let the paste cool completely to room temperature before transferring to a clean glass jar. The paste will thicken significantly as it cools. Seal the jar tightly and store in your refrigerator.

Notes

Save any vanilla beans that seem too dry or old for other uses. They work beautifully in this paste because the simmering process rehydrates them and extracts every last bit of flavor. The paste actually improves over the first week as the flavors meld and intensify. This paste substitutes one to one for vanilla extract in any recipe. Properly stored vanilla bean paste keeps for up to two years in the refrigerator.