We Tried 8 Vanilla Bean Pastes, Here’s the Best We Tasted

I used to think vanilla bean paste was a lot like golf: vanilla and needlessly expensive. Why use paste that’s double the price of the extracts, especially when it boasts being a 1:1 substitute? But, as is almost always the case, I was wrong. Though vanilla bean paste and vanilla extracts both provide vanilla flavor, that’s really where the similarities stop. How do I know? I tasted eight vanilla bean pastes in search of the best vanilla bean paste on the market. And I am forever changed.

What’s the difference between vanilla bean paste and vanilla extract?

Vanilla bean paste tends to contain some combination of sugar, vanilla extract, vanilla beans, and thickeners. This (ideally) gives you a luxurious, deep, dark spread speckled with vanilla bean. Vanilla bean paste generally has a slightly stronger flavor than vanilla extract, and is best used where it can really shine, like in whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. You know, vanilla-forward applications where you’ll be able to identify and appreciate the nuances.

Why is vanilla bean paste more expensive than vanilla extract?

Prices are usually higher for vanilla bean paste vs. vanilla extract because paste offers a certain je ne sais quois. That’s French for “it’s made with more whole vanilla bean than vanilla extract, which means more complex flavor and more little vanilla flecks that make my baked goods look fancy.”

How I tasted vanilla bean pastes for this ranking

I tasted eight different vanilla bean paste brands by making a batch of pudding, splitting that same batch up into small portions, and adding the same amount of each paste into its own portion. I got this idea from a brilliant writer awaiting her Pulitzer (hint: it was me, who also tested vanilla extracts).

As I wait for the phone to ring with the news of my award, join me as I answer the age-old question: What is the best vanilla bean paste?

Best vanilla bean paste brands, ranked

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Best Texture

Simply Organic Madagascar Vanilla Bean Paste

Amazon

“Best texture” may not seem like the most important accolade for vanilla bean paste, especially since most people aren’t licking spoonfuls of vanilla bean paste (at $7 an ounce? Who are you, Rockefeller?!) But, it matters! Not only did I try a few pastes that were horribly gritty, but it’s also heartbreaking to pry open a jar of vanilla bean paste to see that it’s crystalized. However, Simply Organic has scienced its way around that pesky problem by using invert sugar. What is invert sugar? It is made by breaking down sugar in such a way that it’s sweeter and more soluble, for a smoother texture and less crystallization. As for the flavor, it’s on the sweeter side (which makes sense with the invert sugar), but otherwise tastes like a very good vanilla extract. Not super mind-blowing, but nothing to scoff at, either.

Credit: Liv Averett / Amazon

Rating:

8/10

Sporks

Best Packaging

Watkins Organic Pure Vanilla Bean Paste

Walmart

By the time I tasted this paste, there was a thin trail of vanilla slime across my counter from spooning vanilla paste out of jars. There had to be a better way that was not simply me being more careful. Turns out, it’s a squeeze bottle! Watkins’s bottle allows for one handed measuring that’s easy to control and simple to rectify by just unscrewing the top and returning your shame—aka the extra stuff you accidentally squirted out. It’s sweet without being cloying, and is fairly true to vanilla flavor. It’s a workable consistency with lots of vanilla bean flecks. But really, this is the best vanilla bean paste for folks who love a good packaging innovation.

Credit: Liv Averett / Walmart

Rating:

8.5/10

Sporks

Best Classic Vanilla Flavor

Rodelle Vanilla Bean Paste

Amazon

Rodelle promises vanilla and delivers vanilla. If you want a straightforward, clean, pure vanilla flavor, this is the best vanilla bean paste to buy. It smells pretty boozy at first whiff, but the flavor is a simple and well-executed ode to vanilla. Offer it to the Michelin chef whose tired palate wants a reset or the picky-eater who just wants a “plain” birthday cake. If people communicated their feelings as well as this paste communicates vanilla, we’d have, like, no good TV. The paste is also on the thicker side, so it made for a velvety and luxurious addition to the vanilla pudding I was eating out of a plastic cup at 11 a.m. If something can make that feel luxurious, it’s worth the runner-up position in our best vanilla bean past ranking.

Credit: Liv Averett / Amazon

Rating:

9/10

Sporks

Best of the Best

Nielsen-Massey Pure Vanilla Bean Paste

Amazon

Ina Garten refers to Nielsen-Massey as “the good vanilla.” Alright, Ina. I see you. While their extract was great, it didn’t blow me out of the water. However, the brand has redeemed its standing in the competitive world of vanilla bean pastes. The first thing I wrote when I took a bite was “this would make me feel fancy.” It has a bold but sweet flavor, with a little bit of oak. While it’s prominently vanilla, there’s some extra depth that really sends it over the edge for me. The paste is dark, thick, rich, and packed with vanilla flecks. If you’re really gunning to impress at a dinner party with a sophisticated vanilla dessert, this is the best brand of vanilla bean paste of them all.

Credit: Liv Averett / Amazon

Rating:

10/10

Sporks