Homemade Vanilla Sugar is the easiest way to boost flavor

You’ll love this homemade vanilla sugar, made with just sugar and vanilla beans to boost vanilla flavor in anything.

Vanilla sugar is something that I came across in European baking. The packets of Dr Oetker’s vanilla sugar seem ubiquitous instead of the vanilla extract (or more recently vanilla paste) we use here in the US.

As a constant experimenter with flavors I’ve been curious as to whether the flavor of vanilla sugar on its own could replace my favorite vanilla extract.

If you’re a flavor experimenter too, or if you’re looking for another easy easy easy homemade gift for the Holiday season, grab some vanilla beans, and let’s make some homemade vanilla sugar.

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Homemade Vanilla Sugar

Why you’ll reach for vanilla sugar once you have it

1. Convenience: flavor and sweetness in one location makes vanilla sugar a win win.
2. Cheaper: a couple vanilla beans and sugar is far less expensive than a good quality extract or even my money saving homemade vanilla paste.
3. Easy flavor booster: Vanilla is popular because it undergirds the flavor of so many other flavors (chocolate, coffee, sweet spices, every fruit ever, cream etc). With a little more subtle flavor than extract or paste, vanilla sugar can do that same work a little bit more elegantly at times.

What is vanilla sugar anyhow?

Vanilla sugar is exactly what it sounds like. Vanilla mixed into a base of sugar. There’s a couple ways to accomplish this:

1. Infusion: Split a vanilla bean, scrape out the seeds and mix them into a jar of sugar, letting it sit, shaking it occasionally until the vanilla perfumes the sugar. This method takes a while, and I’ve always thought that it would yield sugar that’s inconsistently vanilla flavored. Let me know in the comments if this has worked for you!
2. Blender: grind up the vanilla beans with vanilla sugar. This takes about 1 minute and you’re rewarded with intensely flavored vanilla sugar.
3. Pre-made packets: I can’t recommend the vanilla sugar packets. Most of the time they’re made with artificial vanilla, a flavor I despise because its fake chemical smell as it bakes. Lately, I’ve seen Dr Oetker bourbon vanilla packets made with real vanilla. is It my understanding is that these are newer and not what people have been using in Europe for forever.

What vanilla should I use? Extract vs. paste vs. vanilla sugar

The type of vanilla you use largely comes down to preference. You can substitute vanilla paste and vanilla extract in a 1:1 ratio.

More and more, I find myself using paste instead of extract because I get the benefit of the whole vanilla bean flavor AND the extract. Once in a while, I will use extract probably because I ran out of paste, but also sometimes when I don’t want more moisture in my recipe.

When to choose vanilla sugar

I’m new to this, but as I’ve been experimenting, I will swap out some of the sugar in the recipe for the vanilla sugar in a recipe where I want vanilla as a supporting flavor, not necessarily the main one. I use it in my Apple Pie Spice to bring balance to the cinnamon flavor, and likewise in my Lemon Zucchini Muffins to boost the lemon taste without overpowering it.

Having read cookbooks for decades, I think it’s pretty safe to say that we Americans pretty much put vanilla extract in nearly all of our sweet bakes. It turns out there’s an infinite number of other flavors. Experiment yourself with extract, vanilla paste, and vanilla sugar, and see what you like! Or reach for almond extract, whiskey, or rum–you won’t be disappointed there either.

Ideas for using homemade vanilla sugar

1. Coffee!: My favorite coffee right now is a French Vanilla, but add a little sprinkle of vanilla sugar? Awesome.
2. Whipped cream: Whip your cream and use vanilla sugar instead of powdered sugar. The vanilla sugar adds some convenience to this process rolling your sweetness and flavor into one.
3. Pastry cream: again, for convenience, it’s nice to sweeten your pastry cream with the vanilla sugar instead of adding extract or paste at the end of cooking.

Storing vanilla sugar

It could not be easier to store vanilla sugar. Make up a batch, then scoop it into a lidded glass jar. I have mine in a small Mason jar and a Le Parfait spring lid glass jar.

Since there’s no moisture in this recipe, theoretically your homemade vanilla sugar should last indefinitely. Obviously, use your nose as there’s always a chance that in scooping out your sugar you could introduce some kind of bacteria that could make it spoil.

As a bonus, the same glass jar you store your vanilla sugar in can easily be made into a homemade gift. Tie on a pretty ribbon and print out a cute label, and you’re good to go.

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