Organic vanilla bean powder is expensive even on Amazon. A small one ounce package of Sigmeau brand runs about $12.50. If you use it frequently in recipes , you’re better off buying a larger package from your brand of choice.
But frankly, I wasn’t even familiar with vanilla bean powder until I saw it in a chia seed pudding recipe I wanted to try. You can check out my favorite version Chocolate Chia Seed Instant Pudding recipe here.
With no powder on hand but two old empty vanilla bean pods in my fridge I decided to try making my own. Quick search on the Internet brought up several how-tos. I picked the easiest, tweaked a bit, and soon had approximately 3 ounces of homemade vanilla powder ready to use.
Instructions
Start with empty vanilla bean pods.
Our two were already empty because we had scooped out and used the vanilla bean paste. It’d been at least two months prior.
Then we set out the pods on clean paper towel, covered them with another, and set them aside to thoroughly dry out. Took about a week for ours. Yours may take longer to dry if they are fresher than the ones we started with, or if you use a dehydrator.
Once dried, I broke the pods into a few pieces and ground them up in our little electric coffee bean grinder. Then I transferred the powder into a small glass jar.
The powder has stored well for many months in fridge.
YOUR TURN
Do you have your own method for making vanilla bean powder? Or a favorite recipe you use it in? I’d love to hear about it. Please comment below.