I Tried 15 Vanilla Bean Pastes to Find the Best Ones
As a baker and recipe developer, I go through a lot of vanilla. I use vanilla extract most often because it’s more economical, but I also love using vanilla bean paste. There’s just something about the extra flavor and little speckles that make desserts shine! Since vanilla bean paste can get expensive, I tend to reserve it for unbaked goods or vanilla-forward baked goods. And with so many options on the market, I thought it was time for a comparison between popular vanilla bean pastes—much like my post on the different vanillas at Trader Joe’s!
I tested a total of 15 different vanilla bean pastes in two rounds to find my new favorite. For me, the most important quality is good taste and vanilla flavor (obviously). But texture, packaging, and availability are also big considerations when purchasing such a pricey ingredient.
Each of the products in the first round were largely available in-person in my central California grocery or warehouse stores. The vanilla bean pastes in the second round were largely available online. Some US grocers carry Watkins and Taylor & Colledge products, but the other brands are mostly online retailers. I’ve included affiliate links in each section if you’d like to purchase a specific one.
What Is Vanilla Bean Paste?
Vanilla bean paste is made of a sugar syrup, vanilla extract, vanilla beans, and thickeners (gums). These thickeners are used to help suspend the vanilla beans evenly in the mixture; otherwise, the paste would separate over time, and the beans would all sink to the bottom of the jar.
Vanilla bean paste can be used as a 1:1 substitution for vanilla extract and has a slightly stronger vanilla flavor due to the presence of extract and beans. Vanilla paste is best used in applications where you’ll really be able to taste the difference. Think unbaked goods like ice creams and frostings, or vanilla-forward baked goods like vanilla cupcakes or cheesecakes!
And while you can use vanilla bean paste in any baked goods, the high oven temperatures tend to destroy the delicate nuances of the vanilla bean. Paste is more expensive than plain vanilla extract, so I try to use it thoughtfully. I usually use vanilla bean paste for baked goods with vanilla as the main flavor profile and stick with vanilla extract for baked goods with strong flavors, like chocolate or coffee.
The First Round
Here are the vanilla bean pastes I tested in the first round:
Watch a short video summary of the first round below:
The Second Round
Here are the vanilla bean pastes I tested in the second round:
Watch a short video summary of the second round below:
Comparing the Best Vanilla Bean Pastes
Almost all of the vanilla bean pastes I tested were labeled as Madagascar (or Bourbon) vanilla bean paste, so there weren’t a ton of differences in the nuance of flavor. In round two, I tried one Mexican vanilla, one Papua New Guinean vanilla, and one Tongan Madagascar vanilla. Of the Madagascar vanillas, there were some that had a stronger overall flavor or were sweeter than others, but the flavors themselves didn’t vary too much.
For the main portion of my test, I baked a double batch of vanilla bean cupcakes and split the batter (and then the buttercream) into eight. I added the same amount of vanilla to each bowl, mixed, and then scooped the batter into labeled cupcake liners before baking. And by using copious amounts of blue tape, I topped each cupcake with the coordinating buttercream after baking.
After this test, I licked the spoons of each to try the vanilla bean pastes plain (for science!). And because I’m now swimming in VBP, I have also mixed some into my protein shakes and matcha lattes for testing in drinks.
My husband has also tried all of the vanilla pastes I’m covering today and shared his feedback with me. Here’s what I found when comparing the best vanilla bean pastes:
Rising Star Baking Supply Vanilla Bean Paste Review
Rising Star had one of the largest bottles and best prices of organic vanilla bean paste I found. At 8 ounces, it retails for $13.69 ($1.71/oz) at Costco. On their website, it sells for $24 ($3.00/oz), or $21.99 on Amazon ($2.75/oz). As of publishing time (summer 2025), it was sold only in select northern California Costcos; however, a non-organic version is sold nationwide at Sam’s Club under the name Magnolia-Star Baking Supply. Both vanilla bean pastes are made with agave rather than cane sugar.
The flavor of Rising Star’s vanilla bean paste was very good, and I thought it had the strongest vanilla flavor of the ones I tested in the first round. The seeds are mixed with ground vanilla bean, which led to huge, visible speckles in everything I put it in! The agave flavor is mild, so I think it’s used more to prevent crystallization than for flavor. And it works: My cap still hasn’t gone crusty after a month of regular use.
I really love the squeezable bottle and cap. It makes it almost effortless to squirt anywhere from a fraction of a teaspoon to a whole Tablespoon into drinks or batter without dirtying a measuring spoon. And as the creator of a recipe blog with cleanup ratings for every recipe, you know that that’s something I value!
One last thing to note: The tops and bottoms of the cupcakes made with Rising Star vanilla bean paste had a much deeper golden brown hue compared to the other cupcakes. I’m guessing this is due to the sugar content and Maillard reaction, because the inside of the cake didn’t look any darker than the others.
Key Points
Key points: Made with agave, very good flavor, organic, large speckles, squeezable plastic bottle, affordable, and no gums.
Simply Organic Vanilla Bean Paste Review
I bought the 2-oz glass bottle of Simply Organic vanilla bean paste for $11.59 ($5.80/oz). It had a good overall vanilla flavor from double-fold vanilla extract, and the texture was nice and thick. It’s made with invert sugar, so it doesn’t crystallize at the top of the jar, which is great. I saw only vanilla bean seeds, not ground vanilla bean pods, which led to really consistent speckles in my cupcakes. It was available in quite a few different grocery stores near me, so it was easy to find, and I’d happily use this vanilla paste again.
The Simply Organic glass jar has a fairly wide opening for the screw-on lid, so you’re able to scoop out—rather than pour out—the vanilla bean paste if you like. This is helpful, because over time, the lid does become more difficult to open if vanilla bean paste gets in the grooves of the lid. To keep the jar easy to open, I’d recommend wiping down the grooves of the jar when needed or scooping out what you need.
Key Points
Rodelle Vanilla Bean Paste Review
The 2-oz bottle of Rodelle vanilla paste sells for around $9.66 ($4.83/oz), and the 4-oz bottle for $15.72 ($3.93/oz). After posting this review, Rodelle reached out to let me know that they recently changed their formula and sent me a few samples to try. It’s now much improved!
My main complaint with Rodelle’s vanilla bean paste was that it crystallized a ton, but the new formula does not have that issue. It also still has good flavor and consistent vanilla speckles from seeds, not ground up vanilla bean pods. The texture is a little thicker and still easy to portion onto a measuring spoon. I found myself reaching for this one pretty often if I wanted to spoon out vanilla bean paste.
Key Points
McCormick Vanilla Bean Paste Review
McCormick’s vanilla bean paste is probably the most widely available vanilla bean paste on the market, and it retails for $11.99 for 1.98 oz ($6.05/oz). The squeezable tube is a really nice touch and made portioning easy, even without a measuring spoon! There were also a good number of vanilla bean seeds per spoonful. But while I usually like McCormick spices, this was my least favorite vanilla paste by far.
My husband and I thought this vanilla paste imparted an artificial “birthday cake” flavor, rather than plain vanilla. It’s hard to tell exactly what from, though; the ingredient list was double what I expected! In addition to the base ingredients, it also contains glucose syrup derived from wheat, modified corn starch, citric acid, and pectin. I believe the citric acid causes a sour aftertaste that mimics artificial flavor.
More odd things: The bottle says to refrigerate after opening and that two teaspoons of this paste is equivalent to one vanilla bean. No other brands call for refrigeration, and the conversion is usually three teaspoons of vanilla paste to one vanilla bean. It didn’t taste super concentrated, so I’m not sure where they got that number from.
The vanilla frosting made with McCormick vanilla paste was the only one in the lineup that my husband didn’t like. I didn’t think it was that bad, but I wasn’t a big fan of the flavor. Either way, I don’t plan to buy McCormick vanilla paste again.
Is McCormick Vanilla Bean Paste Gluten-Free?
The National Celiac Association says glucose syrup is fine for gluten-free people to consume, but some of my friends with celiac personally would not risk it.
Key Points
LorAnn Organic Vanilla Bean Paste Review
This was the first vanilla bean paste that I truly loved. LorAnn’s organic vanilla bean paste is sold at $10.49 for 2 ounces ($5.25/oz). It’s thick, full of vanilla bean seeds, and has a really strong, classic vanilla flavor. The texture of the paste and the shape of the bottle make it easy to pour out a small dollop at a time. Just note that some crystallization around the lid over time will occur!
For a couple years, Trader Joe’s actually sold this LorAnn vanilla bean paste under their packaging. I stocked up on a bottle any time I saw it in the store, so I still have a lot leftover and did not purchase a new bottle for this blog post (hence the blue tape clarification). However, it is the organic vanilla bean paste on LorAnn’s site, just with a different label.
LorAnn also sells a non-organic vanilla bean paste at $8.70 for 2 ounces ($4.35/oz). In full transparency, I haven’t tried it, but I have a hard time believing it wouldn’t taste good. It’s probably made the exact same way, just with a mix of vanillas and not only Madagascar vanilla.
Key Points
Trader Joe’s Bourbon Vanilla Bean Paste Review
Trader Joe’s sells the cheapest vanilla bean paste I’ve ever seen at $4.99 for 4 ounces ($1.25/oz). It’s made from Bourbon vanilla beans (another term for Madagascar vanilla beans) and doesn’t contain any bourbon or whiskey. This Bourbon vanilla bean paste has stronger oaky notes than others I tested, but the flavor overall is pretty mild.
It seems to have fewer vanilla beans per teaspoon than other pastes on the market and has a thinner, more runny consistency. Because of that, TJ’s vanilla bean paste acts more like a syrup than a true paste. It can be tricky to pour a dollop quickly without getting a long string of paste that trails behind. For strong vanilla flavor, I would recommend pairing this vanilla bean paste with extract in baked goods.
Another thing to note: The tops and bottoms of the cupcakes made with Trader Joe’s vanilla bean paste had a much deeper golden brown hue compared to the other cupcakes. I’m guessing this is due to the sugar content and Maillard reaction, because the inside of the cake didn’t look any darker than the others.
Key Points
Nielsen-Massey Vanilla Bean Paste Review
This was the largest bottle of vanilla bean paste I found. The Nielsen-Massey vanilla bean paste retails at $19.99 for 10 ounces at Costco ($1.99/oz). It’s more commonly sold in 4-oz glass bottles, though those tend to be pretty expensive at around $27 each ($6.75/oz). They also sell “Pure Vanilla Bean Paste” that is made with a blend of different vanilla beans, not just Madagascar.
This vanilla paste has a strong and pleasantly sweet flavor with a light, oaky aftertaste. The texture was good and thick out of the bottle, with a large enough opening to scoop some out. The paste was dark, too, meaning it has a lot of vanilla extract for extra flavor. I really liked this one and see why it’s highly recommended!
Key Points
Blue Cattle Truck Trading Co Mexican Vanilla Bean Paste Review
This was the only Mexican vanilla bean paste I tried, and I’m happy to report that it did have a slightly different flavor and color compared to the Madagascar/Bourbon vanilla bean pastes. Blue Cattle Truck’s Mexican vanilla bean paste sells for $43.95 for 8 ounces ($5.49/oz) in a large, amber-colored glass jar. The texture is on the more gelatinous side.
There was a subtle warmth to this vanilla bean paste, similar to the warmth in cinnamon. I enjoyed the nuances of the flavor in vanilla buttercream but couldn’t pick up on them when used in the cake itself, or in a batch of waffles I made with cinnamon later.
The 8-oz jar is the smallest size Blue Cattle Truck sells, which is a bit of a commitment and a higher upfront cost than most other vanilla bean pastes. This was an issue for me because the first jar I received hadn’t been sealed properly (or came unsealed in the heat of shipping) and quite a bit leaked out in transit. However, I received a replacement jar very quickly, and that one arrived with no issues.
Another thing to note: This vanilla bean paste also has a reddish tint compared to the others. The vanilla cake made with Blue Cattle Truck vanilla bean paste was distinctly darker than the others I made, with a red-orange hue and dark bottoms.
Key Points
Vanilla Bean Kings Vanilla Bean Paste Review
At $14.99 for 4 oz ($3.75/oz), the vanilla bean paste by Vanilla Bean Kings is competitively priced. It comes in a dark plastic bottle and has a gelatinous texture that helps it slide off the spoon easily. That texture allowed me to get practically all of the vanilla bean paste into my batter without having to scrape it off with a spatula or second spoon, which was appreciated.
The flavor of this one was good, with a light smoky flavor. However, the ingredient list on the bottle doesn’t match the ingredient list online (either on the Amazon product listing or their website). The bottle says it’s made with natural vanillin rather than vanilla extract, but the literature online says that it’s made with vanilla extract, not natural vanillin. That’s a big red flag for me!
Key Points
Taylor & Colledge Vanilla Bean Paste Review
Taylor & Colledge’s organic vanilla bean paste comes in a squeezable 1.7-oz tube for around $11 ($6.47/oz). The opening for the vanilla bean paste is a little recessed into the cap, so some vanilla bean paste pools there after use, but it’s not as messy as a jar or bottle.
This vanilla bean paste has a classic vanilla flavor—sweet, but without much nuance for being on the pricier side. The texture is good, and there are plenty of beans per spoonful. The back of the tube says that it’s for high temperature baking, but I couldn’t tell a difference in the strength of flavor in the cupcake made with this vanilla bean paste compared to the others.
Key Points
Heilala Vanilla Bean Paste Review
People recommended the Heilala vanilla bean paste to me many times after I did the first round of tests, and it did not disappoint! It retails for $24.97 for 2.29 ounces on their website ($10.90/oz), but I was able to find it for $14.97 on Amazon in the same glass jar ($6.54/oz). This was one of the most expensive vanilla bean pastes I tried, but the excellent flavor might be worth it.
Heilala’s vanilla bean paste has a real warmth to it when used in unbaked goods—my husband even described it as having a “glow,” which I agreed with. There’s a very sharp bite when eaten plain (like if you were to lick the spoon), but it balances out when mixed into buttercream for what I would call a warm vanilla glow of an aftertaste. This was also the only vanilla bean paste that had an alcohol percentage on the label (14%).
Appearancewise, Heilala’s vanilla bean paste is cloudier, lighter in color, and on the runnier side of the others I tested. The batch of buttercream I made with it was slightly looser than the others I made. It was closer to the consistency of buttercream made with vanilla extract rather than vanilla bean paste, but again, the flavor was excellent.
Key Points
Cook’s Vanilla Bean Paste Review
Cook’s has been in the vanilla business for over 100 years, and I think it shows. Their 4-oz glass jar of small batch vanilla bean paste retails for $19.99 ($4.99/oz), and it has a classic, sweet vanilla flavor and a fragrant scent. It has a nice consistency that separates from the jar pretty easily but isn’t runny. It also slides off the spoon really nicely, leaving very little behind.
Out of all the vanilla bean pastes I’ve tested, I loved the label on the Cook’s vanilla bean paste the best. The matte paper with perforated edges is reminiscent of a collectible stamp, and it really added a lot of class to an otherwise unremarkable glass jar. It was comparable to LorAnn, just in a glass jar.
Key Points
Native Vanilla Vanilla Bean Paste Review
The vanilla bean paste from Native Vanilla had the most unique and largest vanilla bean speckles of all the pastes I tried (even bigger than Rising Star!). It’s made with agave and ethically sourced Papua New Guinean vanilla bean powder and vanilla extract. It retails for $14.99 for a 4-oz glass jar ($3.75/oz).
Native Vanilla’s vanilla bean paste was the most visually distinctive of the batch due to the large pieces of vanilla bean. The vanilla buttercream made with Native Vanilla looked more like a cookies and cream buttercream because of it. And because the pieces are so large, they tend to clump together on the underside of the lid and along the top edges of the jar. It makes the paste look gritty, but there’s no gritty texture. There’s an almost smoky/bourbon flavor, and this one also has a subtle warmth to the aftertaste.
Key Points
Key points: Made with agave, very good flavor, glass jar, ethically sourced, and no gums
Watkins Pure Vanilla Bean Paste Review
Watkins sells pure vanilla bean paste and organic vanilla bean paste for similar prices—around $9.99 for 2 oz ($4.99/oz). The flavor was very good, with a very sweet and classic vanilla flavor. The texture and consistency are both good, with plenty of vanilla beans per spoonful.
I am a big fan of the design of Watkins’ vanilla bean paste bottle. There’s a very small opening under a flip top to squeeze out the paste, and it was easy to squeeze out a lot or a little at a time. Watkins is the only vanilla bean paste I recommend that you are able to use one-handed. (McCormick’s can also be opened with one hand, but I did not like the flavor.)
Key Points
Vanilla Bean Project Vanilla Bean Paste Review
The organic vanilla bean paste from Vanilla Bean Project retails for $24.95 for a 4-oz glass bottle ($6.24/oz). There were plenty of beans per spoonful, but the texture of the Vanilla Bean Project’s vanilla paste was a little odd to me. It has a similar stringiness to Trader Joe’s Bourbon vanilla bean paste, but with the thickness of LorAnn’s vanilla bean paste. That results in a very thick but stringy paste that makes a bit of a mess.
As one of the pricier vanilla bean pastes on the market, I was expecting more nuance to the flavor. It tasted like classic, sweet vanilla (which isn’t a bad thing!), but I think there are options with more distinct flavors, especially at this price point.
Key Points
Which Vanilla Bean Paste Is Best?
After trying so many products, I don’t think there’s a vanilla bean paste that would be perfect for every occasion. I still would like to do a side-by-side test with a few of my favorites from both groups. But for specific uses, I think there are clear winners.
Best For Casual Use
Rising Star Baking Supply‘s was my favorite vanilla bean paste for casual use. The squeezable bottle and affordable price makes Rising Star/Magnolia Star vanilla bean paste perfect for everyday use. I feel no guilt adding a squeeze to oatmeal, protein shakes, yogurt, etc because it’s not overly expensive. The flavor was much stronger than Trader Joe’s, which is similarly priced, and it’s still a very good option for baking.
Runners Up: LorAnn, Rodelle, Watkins, and Cook’s. All of these had a strong, classic vanilla flavor. If you find any of these in your local grocery stores, they’re worth picking up.
Best For Nuanced Flavor
Heilala takes the cake for the best flavor in a vanilla bean paste, though! Deciding to use my jar of Heilala feels like a special occasion. There was a definite warmth to the buttercream made with it that I didn’t get with any other vanilla bean paste. I don’t want to lose any of the nuanced flavor, so I don’t plan to use it in baked goods.
Runners Up: Nielsen-Massey, Native Vanilla, and Blue Cattle Truck. Each of these had a distinct flavor that went beyond the classic vanilla flavor. I’d recommend using them in unbaked goods to really taste the nuance between them all.
That said, almost any vanilla bean paste on this list would make a good gift for a home baker!
Worst Overall
Of all the vanilla bean pastes I tried, McCormick is still the only one I wouldn’t recommend. I wasn’t a big fan of the sour notes with the citric acid, and it made unbaked goods have an almost “artificial birthday cake flavor,” according to my husband.
I hope this breakdown of the most popular vanilla bean pastes on the market was helpful for you. If I missed one of your favorites, please let me know in the comments!
Wow, this was incredibly helpful—thank you for such a detailed comparison! I’ve been eyeing the Watkins paste for a while and finally feel confident picking it up. Loved the side-by-side cupcake testing idea too. Super thorough and easy to follow!
very helpful
I really appreciated this comprehensive write-up. My jar of Heilala is going to run out soon – I agree it is great for a special occassion and now I know what other options to consider!
Did your favorites have a chemically aftertaste? Which one would you recommend for drinks? Thanks! This was so thorough!
Hi, Kim! The only vanilla bean paste with an unredeemable flavor was McCormick with a sour aftertaste. All the other vanilla bean pastes I tested had good to excellent flavor, and that covers the overall flavor of the product. You can see the rating I gave each one at a glance in the “Key Points” summary under each product.
For drinks, I would gravitate towards one of the pastes with a squeezable bottle, like Rising Star, Watkins, or Taylor & Colledge, for convenience. I use Rising Star’s VBP in my matcha lattes quite often, but I don’t think you could go wrong with any of the vanilla bean pastes with good flavor if you were up to washing a spoon every time 🙂
Excellent review and tedious I am sure. Thank you for the info.
Thanks! I never had a local option so I’ve always ordered LorAnn vanilla bean paste for making cantaloupe jam rather than deal with actual vanilla beans as directed by the recipe. Now Watkins is available locally and I wanted to see if it was comparable.
Love that you separated the options into casual use and nuanced – I’ll pick up the Watkins locally in a pinch but may shop around for best price online among the casual category and stock up next year for jam making.
Appreciate all your hard work – and thanks to your taste testing husband as well.
I’m so glad to hear that my research was helpful for you, Cheryl! Thanks for leaving a comment 🙂
This was such a a great detailed post! I’ve been seeing vbp everywhere but wasn’t sure about brands because I know they tend to vary and I live in a somewhat rural area with very few options for the vbp. With Thanksgiving coming up, I have a favorite pumpkin pie that I’m making, it calls for vanilla bean pods but I’ve never had the money or patience to do that myself, so I’ve usually used a cheap vanilla extract which isn’t very good. Would using vbp in baked pies work? One of the few I’ve seen from this list is lorann’s and was hesitant to buy it
I’m glad it was helpful for you, Victoria! For something like pumpkin pie, I don’t think you need vanilla bean paste or vanilla beans over vanilla extract. You won’t really be able to see the vanilla beans in the pumpkin custard or taste much of a difference due to the high temps of the oven destroying the most delicate nuances of the vanilla bean, so I would recommend just using a good vanilla extract.
Of course, if you’ve been wanting to splurge on vanilla bean paste and this could serve as your reason to finally pick some up, by all means, go for it! But I’ve made my mini pumpkin pies with VBP and extract and couldn’t tell the difference between the two because the other flavors are so strong.
If you have a Trader Joe’s near you, I like their double fold vanilla extract best, but most any of the brands I tested in this post make good vanilla extracts 🙂
This was so helpful and informative. Thank you for this. I know this was alot of work and I can’t thank you enough for sharing helped me to decide on a paste for my ganache! Yay! Thanks again!
Love to hear that this post was helpful for you, Cerina! Hope your ganache turned out fabulously 🙂
If I remember correctly, the first ingredient of the Heilala is high fructose corn syrup which is why I won’t use it. At least Nilsn Mason is made with cane sugar. But ideally, I would like one that has no fillers.
You must be thinking of another product, Lauri. The first ingredient of Heilala’s vanilla bean paste is vanilla bean extract, and there was no high fructose corn syrup in any of the vanilla bean pastes I tested.
From the vanilla bean pastes I tested here, you would probably like the ones from Rising Star Baking Supply and Native, as they use only ground vanilla beans, vanilla extract, and agave. But you may also want to try ground vanilla, which is 100% ground vanilla beans—no other ingredients 🙂