Having easy substitutes for kitchen staples is one of the best ways I know to save money on your grocery budget. I already use Powdered Egg Replacer, DIY Powdered Sugar, Easiest Coconut Milk, Easiest Almond Milk, Rice Milk, Coffee Substitute and more.
But a vanilla extract substitute is something that I have only used straight vanilla beans for in the past (without really knowing what I was doing :)!) Now, with this Toasted Vanilla Powder from Naomi of Almost Bananas, you have a new kitchen substitute in this vanilla extract substitute, plus you have a great new Homemade Gift idea too.
For many people, holidays include lots of baking. And baking includes lots of vanilla.
There are a bunch of DIY vanilla extract recipes out there, which is great. I bought a bunch of vanilla beans to make it, but I'm embarrassed to say how long ago.
I've been meaning to make vanilla extract for quite a while, never got around to it, and then when I needed it I didn't have time to wait for 4 weeks for it to steep.
This way, I can have a vanilla extract substitute ready in a few minutes. No fillers or funky ingredients–just exotic perfumey vanilla.
How to use and store this Homemade Vanilla Powder
And you can use this vanilla powder in so many things, really. Even in recipes that don't actually call for it, like Pumpkin Gingerbread Smoothie, or Orange Walnut Cardamom Balls, or Ghee Rooibos Chai Tea.
From three beans the little jar pictured was overflowing. The jar is one of those sample jam jars, you could also fold an origami purse to hold the powder. All spices in Slovakia, actually, are sold in something like envelopes.
You could also make a little funnel to put it in cleaned essential oil bottles.
This vanilla powder is perfect for holiday baking. Simply use 1/4-1/2 tsp vanilla powder for each tsp of vanilla extract in a recipe.
And of course, you can always taste test your recipe to see if you have enough vanilla and add more of the vanilla powder if you like.
It's also a great holiday gift.
Wrap around a bit of ribbon, and you have a thoughtful and original handmade gift (that took about 5 min, I might add). Two other easy but creative holiday gifts are Nuts in Honey and Origami Toys (4 toys from 1 piece of paper!).
Ingredients
- Whole Vanilla Beans (Make sure they are still pliable and moist. If they are dry the toasting process will burn the beans rather than toast them)
Instructions
- Slice vanilla beans lengthwise.
- Place on a cookie sheet and roast for about 4 minutes at 350F. Watch it carefully, it should smell fragrant when you pull it out.
- Place into a spice/coffee grinder (my high speed blender mixed 3 beans, although I had to scrape the sides down well.)
- Process to a powder. Place into desired container.
- As mentioned above, use ¼ - ½ tsp vanilla powder for each tsp of vanilla extract in a recipe.
I hope this gives you inspiration for a way to easy have homemade vanilla in your home, or a simple Homemade Gift that you can bless others with.
How about you?
Have you ever made your own vanilla powder?
What is one of your favorite Homemade Gifts?
Naomi is originally from Canada but is now a wife and mom in Slovakia. She tries to live each day as a follower of Christ in the chaos of caring for children. Using real food and creating an environmentally-friendly surrounding for her family is a priority. She dreams of a little farm while living in an apartment, enjoys handmade creations, and still doesn’t like brussels sprouts. Naomi shares her food creations and photos of Slovakia at Almost Bananas. She looks forward to connecting with you on Pinterest, Google+, and Facebook.
Can these be dehydrated rather than roasted?
I think so.
What if you are actually allergic to vanilla?
Oh my. I guess go w/ other flavorings or artificial if you must have it. Orange, chocolate, or almond perhaps?
I love making vanilla extract. I was wondering if I could use the leftover vanilla beans (that have been seeping for quiet some time) for this recipe. Might be more like a vanilla paste though right?
I think you’d be fine – the toasting should dry them out I would think.
Wow, a great tip! I hadn’t ever thought of using vanilla beans this way. I have made my own extract with vodka or rum, but I’ll have to give this a try!
Thanks Virginia! I love it too!
I am very excited about this. I have made my own vanilla for many years. Since I have moved, the past two years have made getting organic vodka (I do not want anything made from GMO’s.) nearly impossible. This will work just wonderful. I can not wait to do this. THANK YOU!!
Oh I hadn’t even thought about the need to get organic vodka. I am going to have to ask my friends about that. I have made some with glycerine from non GMO sources. Hmmmm…You are welcome!
I’m excited to try this recipe. I don’t tolerate alcohol well in any form so this looks doable for me.
I’m afraid this might be a silly question, but I am unsure about whether you put the whole vanilla pods in the blender after roasting, or if you scrape the seeds out and blend them??
Thanks so much.
The whole bean, no scraping or fiddling around required. Glad you found an alternative!
This is great to have in the recipe collection. I wanted to make the liquid version but never get round to it – it is hard to find vanilla beans here in Trinidad and Tobago and when you do find some it is very expensive. I am going to try and source some and do this lovely recipe. Thank you and Naomi for sharing.
You’re welcome! I can’t wait to make it myself!
You’re welcome! Never get around to it – that’s me!
I am sooo excited you posted this today. I ordered 20 vanilla beans today, so I could soak them in vodka to make my own extract. BUT, I would prefer to make this and not use the alcohol. What is the shelf life of the powder? I didn’t know if I should do up all the beans or if I should store some. I never bought vanilla beans before.
That’s great! I’ll have Naomi drop by to answer :). I did hear that you can cut the beans in half and store them in glycerine to keep them longer.
What great timing! I wouldn’t do all the beans at once. Grinding up the bean will expose it to air, which in turn will lessen the vanilla-ness over time. Every spice is much stronger freshly ground than packaged ground. If it’s in an airtight container, I would keep it for 3-6 months. It won’t go bad, just loose flavour. And make sure the rest of the beans are kept airtight, otherwise they will dry out. Good luck!