A bundle of glossy cured vanilla beans tied with twine on a wooden board, one pod split to show its seeds

Banilya is vanilla, in Tagalog and Turkish

Know your vanilla before you buy it

Beans, extracts, pastes and labels explained in plain words, so you can spend wisely and bake with confidence. An independent guide: we explain, we do not sell.

Start with the beans

1 dayHow long each vanilla flower stays open
By handHow most vanilla flowers are pollinated
8–9 monthsFor a pod to grow on the vine
MonthsOf curing to develop the flavour

Label decoder

What does the bottle actually say?

Pick a phrase you have seen on a label to read what it usually means. Rules differ between countries, so always read the ingredients list too.

Label phrase

Pure vanilla extract

Vanilla beans steeped in alcohol and water. In the United States, the name is reserved for extract made to a set standard, with at least 35 percent alcohol and a minimum amount of vanilla beans per gallon.

Best for: almost everything. A little goes a long way.

Where vanilla comes from

Most vanilla sold today comes from one species, Vanilla planifolia. Where it grows and how it is cured shape the flavour.

Madagascar

Rich · creamy · sweet

The world's largest producer. Often sold as “Bourbon” vanilla, the classic flavour most of us know.

Mexico

Smooth · spicy · woody

Vanilla's original home, where it was used long before it reached Europe.

Tahiti

Floral · fruity · aromatic

A different species, Vanilla tahitensis, with a perfumed, cherry-like aroma prized by pastry cooks.

Uganda

Bold · earthy · deep

A growing source with a strong flavour that holds up well in chocolate and coffee bakes.

Indonesia

Woody · smoky · robust

Often used in commercial blends, with a sturdy flavour for long baking.

India & Sri Lanka

Sweet · balanced

Smaller producers whose beans appear in specialist shops and blends.

Two rows of vanilla beans on parchment: plump dark oily beans above and thinner, drier reddish beans below

Grade A or Grade B?

Moist for scraping, dry for steeping

	Grade A	Grade B
Also called	Gourmet, prime	Extract grade
Feels	Plump, supple, oily	Drier, firmer, thinner
Best for	Scraping seeds into custards and creams	Making extract, infusing sugar or spirits
Price	Higher	Usually lower

Grade B is not worse, just drier. For homemade extract it is often the better buy.

Hands scraping vanilla seeds from a split pod into a bowl of cream and sugar

In the kitchen

Make every pod count

Split the pod lengthways with a small sharp knife.
Scrape out the seeds with the back of the blade.
Add both seeds and pod to warming milk or cream, then remove the pod.
Rinse and dry the used pod, then bury it in a jar of sugar.

Homemade extract, the patient way

Split a handful of beans, drop them into a clean bottle of neutral spirit such as vodka, seal and keep it somewhere dark. Shake it now and then and wait at least two months. The longer it rests, the deeper the flavour.

Read Extract & Labels

Two swing-top bottles of amber homemade vanilla extract with beans inside, next to a small measuring jug

Pale yellow vanilla orchid flowers on a climbing vine with green pods hanging below

Every vanilla pod began as an orchid flower that opened for a single day.