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Home » How To Make » Vanilla Sugar

Vanilla Sugar

Published: Aug 6, 2013 · Modified: Jan 9, 2021 by Arlene Mobley · This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

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How to Make Vanilla Sugar

Vanilla sugar is a wonderful ingredient to have on hand. Anywhere you would use sugar as an ingredient you can substitute vanilla sugar.

A few years ago I made homemade Vanilla Extract. It turned out so good and was so easy to make.

I noticed my supply was getting low so  I made it again last Christmas for a Homemade Christmas #SundaySupper. Both times I made homemade vanilla extract I had plenty of Vanilla beans left over.

Vanilla beans are very expensive and  the more vanilla beans you buy the better the price is and I do like to get the most bang for my buck.

The problem with buying a large quantity of vanilla beans is that they tend to get dry and brittle if not stored properly.

Honestly I still haven't figured out the correct way to store vanilla beans because every time I have bought them no matter how I have stored them they have started to dry out.

They are still usable and will still add the wonderful vanilla essence to recipes but they are harder to work with since it is very difficult to split and scrape a dry vanilla bean.

Since vanilla beans are expensive and I am frugal there was no way I was going to throw out the vanilla beans so I came up with a way to turn those dry and brittle vanilla beans into the best vanilla sugar I have ever tasted.

Homemade Vanilla Sugar, Vanilla Beans, Sugar
How to make Vanilla Sugar

What is Vanilla Sugar

 Vanilla Sugar is simply sugar infused with the essence of a vanilla bean. If you buy it in the store it is very expensive for a very small amount.

But it is very easy to make vanilla sugar at home if you happen to have a bunch of vanilla beans laying around that you thought were past their prime but just couldn't bear the thought of throwing away.

How to make Vanilla Sugar

There are a couple of ways to make vanilla sugar. I've tried adding a few plump and moist vanilla beans to a jar of sugar. It worked great but because of the moisture in the vanilla bean the sugar became damp and clumped. It was hard to use the vanilla sugar because the sugar would clump.

vanilla beans, vanilla sugar, how to make vanilla sugar
How to make Vanilla Sugar

To make vanilla sugar using vanilla beans that have dried out a bit you will need a blender that has some power to it.

I used a Blendtec blender but you can use whatever blender you happen to own.

Take 6 vanilla beans and break them into piece. I only broke each vanilla bean into fourths. If you are using a regular household blender you may want to break the beans into more pieces.

Place all the piece of vanilla beans in the blender and pulse until the beans are totally broken down into very small pieces.

vanilla sugar, vanilla bean,  how to make vanilla sugar, dry vanilla beans
Blend the vanilla beans until they are chopped into small pieces.

 As you can see some of the vanilla bean pieces didn't break up on the first go around. Pulse the vanilla beans again until they look like the next picture.

vanilla sugar directions, making vanilla sugar, vanilla bean, flavored sugar, vanilla
Ground up Vanilla beans

Once the vanilla beans are ground into very small pieces scrape the sides of the blender down. There will still be some pieces of the bean pod. That is fine. You will be sifting them out later.

After you scrape all of the vanilla bean off the sides of the blender pour 2 to 3 cups of granulated sugar in the blender and put the lid back on.

Hold the lid in place and shake it up good. Most of the vanilla will mix with the sugar.

Put it back on the base of the blender and give it 2 quick pulses. No more than 2 pulses are needed. If you do it anymore you will end up with powdered vanilla sugar.

Which is fine but for this batch I wanted the vanilla sugar to be closer to the texture of granulated sugar.

vanilla sugar, homemade vanilla sugar, DIY Vanilla SUgar, Vanilla Beans, Vanilla recipes
Homemade Vanilla Sugar

Pour the vanilla sugar into a mason jar. Cover the jar and leave it for 2 weeks or longer.

Sift the large pieces of the vanilla bean pods out with a fine mesh metal strainer.

Pour the sifted vanilla sugar back into the jar and cover.

You may use the larger shifted pieces of vanilla bean to make another smaller jar of vanilla sugar by mixing the pieces into a cup of sugar and sealing in another container.

 Use the vanilla sugar any time you'd like to add a vanilla flavor to a drink or recipe.

How to use Vanilla Sugar

  • Use vanilla sugar to flavor your coffee.
  • Replace part or all of the sugar called for in any baking recipe.
  • Make vanilla iced tea.
  • Sprinkle vanilla sugar over a pie crust before baking

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How to make Homemade Vanilla Sugar, using 2 ingredients - dried out Vanilla Beans and Sugar

Homemade Vanilla Sugar

Arlene Mobley - Flour On My Face
Don't throw away those expensive vanilla beans that have dried out. Use semi dry or hard dry vanilla beans to make homemade vanilla sugar. Vanilla sugar can be used in beverages or added to your favorite baking recipes.
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Prep Time 15 minutes mins
Cook Time 0 minutes mins
Total Time 15 minutes mins
Course Condiment
Cuisine American
Share by Text
Servings 144 teaspoons
Calories 17 kcal

Ingredients  

  • 6 large vanilla beans (fresh or dry)
  • 3 cups granulated sugar
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Instructions 

  • Break vanilla beans into pieces
  • Pulse in a blender until vanilla beans are chopped up into very small pieces.
  • Mix vanilla bean powder with sugar.
  • Seal in a covered jar for 2 weeks or longer.
  • Sift large pieces of vanilla bean pods out of the sugar with a fine mesh metal strainer.
  • Pour sifted vanilla sugar back into the jar.
  • Cover and use in any recipe calling for sugar.

Recipe Expert Tips

  • Don't throw away those old and dry vanilla beans. Use them to make vanilla sugar.
  • Semi dry or dry vanilla beans have been used with this technique.
  • You can try using fresh, plump and moist vanilla beans but I can't say they will work as well.
  • Drying out the beans-You could leave some fresh vanilla beans exposed to air to help speed drying them out if you don't have any dry vanilla beans around to use.

Nutrition

Serving: 1TeaspoonCalories: 17kcalCarbohydrates: 4gFat: 1gSodium: 1mgSugar: 4gIron: 1mg
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About Arlene Mobley

Arlene Mobley author of Flour On My Face-a Food & Lifestyle website helping busy families get dinner on the table by serving easy recipes every week.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Paige

    December 29, 2013 at 12:54 pm

    I've been making vanilla sugar this way for years but using moist beans and yes, you are right, the sugar clumps. How long do you recommend drying them out and are they still as effective/potent as the beans that are moist? Also, how long does vanilla sugar last? A year or longer (not that it ever does in my house), just more curious. Thank you.

    Reply
    • Flour On My Face

      December 29, 2013 at 9:46 pm

      Hi Paige

      I'm not sure how long it would take to dry the beans out. I had mine for about a month, stored in a jar when I noticed they were getting dry. It may only take a week or two for them to dry out if you leave them exposed to the air. They should be brittle.

      The vanilla sugar I made this way is very potent and will last indefinitely if stored in an airtight container.

      Reply
  2. Jea

    November 22, 2013 at 3:06 pm

    Store the pods in a airtight box in the freezer, then the will stay fresh and soft(:

    Reply
  3. Sue

    September 22, 2013 at 10:53 am

    I am currently making vanilla extract and looking for a way to use the beans after infusion. Vanilla sugar sounds awesome. Should I let the beans dry out? I am concerned about the clumping of the sugar. Thanks

    Reply
    • Flour On My Face

      September 22, 2013 at 10:45 pm

      Sue

      Yes I would let the beans dry out before making the vanilla sugar. It will clump if the beans have any moisture on them.

      Reply
  4. Stephie @ Eat Your Heart Out

    August 06, 2013 at 11:40 pm

    "Sprinkle vanilla sugar on a pie crust before baking" <--YES. That. I want to do that for the rest of my life.

    Reply
    • Flour On My Face

      August 06, 2013 at 11:55 pm

      Stephie

      LOL vanilla sugar on pie crust is heavenly!

      Reply

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Arlene Mobley Food & Lifestyle Blogger


Hi, I'm Arlene Mobley the cook & photographer here at Flour On My Face. I have been cooking for my family for over 35 years. I love sharing recipes to help busy families get dinner on the table. Learn more here

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