I've amassed a bit of a vanilla bean paste (VBP) collection over the past couple years, and I thought it was high time I compared them all to see which one is really my favorite!
Flavor is obviously the most important, but because most of them were made with Madagascar Bourbon vanilla beans, the flavor profiles were pretty similar for the most part. So I also considered texture, price, and packaging (because no one likes a crusty lid).
Here are my rankings:
- Rising Star Baking Supply. Excellent flavor with vanilla bean seeds and ground vanilla bean pods for extra-visible speckles. It has a squeezable bottle with a cap that has yet to go crusty thanks to the agave, a very good texture, and is $1.71/oz at Costco. (I think this is the organic brand/version of non-organic Magnolia Star vanilla bean paste, which is sold nationwide at Sam's Club for a little cheaper, but I don't have one near me to confirm.)
- Nielsen-Massey. Very good flavor and very good texture. This had a more prominent oaky flavor (which you usually get with Madagascar beans) than the others, which was nice. I got a big 10-oz bottle at Costco for $1.99/oz that's plastic, but the small 4-oz jars are glass.
- LorAnn (tied for second). Very good flavor and very good texture. The shape and size of the bottle is nice for pouring out little measured dollops for drinks. It used to be the $2.50/oz organic version at TJ's before they dropped it last year, but now you have to buy it through LorAnn directly at $5.25/oz.
- Simply Organic. Very good flavor and good texture. It's made with invert sugar so it doesn't crystallize around the lid (or at least, hasn't yet for me). I like that the glass jar has a wide mouth so you can scoop in with big spoons rather than having to pour out. $5.80/oz
- Rodelle (tied for third). Very good flavor, good texture, and sold in a glass jar. There was quite a bit of crystallization on the lid after a week, but that's a small complaint. About $4.85/oz for a 2-oz jar.
- Trader Joe's. This one is okay. It's the cheapest of them all at $1.25/oz, which is practically unheard of, but it doesn't have a super strong vanilla flavor. It's also really runny compared to every other VBP on the market, which I don't like. I usually pair it with vanilla extract so I get the speckles and the vanilla punch I'm looking for. It's not bad if you're on a budget, but it's not my favorite.
- McCormick. I do not recommend. The squeezable tube is nice, but it has citric acid, which makes the flavor all wrong for unbaked goods! I didn't notice it in baked goods, but the sour taste is very prominent in unbaked goods like buttercream, which gives the whole batch an artificial "birthday cake" flavor—without it actually being artificial?? It's also made with glucose syrup derived from wheat, and while the National Celiac Association says that's safe for gluten-free people, I'm personally not risking a bake with it for my friends with celiac. $6.05/oz
I have even more pictures and 2500 more words on the subject here, but this is the short version. Hope it's helpful! 🙂
by thefloralapron
38 Comments
Thank you for doing this! I’ve been wondering for a while and you did the legwork.
Do you have a preference of paste vs. liquid? I just bought a paste and I gotta say there’s more to it. Maybe I just like the texture.
Saving this post! Thank you for your efforts!!
I love this! Thank you!
All heroes really don’t wear capes 😌
Ok America’s Test Kitchen!!! Saving this. One of those products I agonize over, every time.
Last one I had was the Simply Organic one, but it just tasted like very good extract and wasn’t worth the extra price to me. Would happily use it again, loved it, but would not buy it again. I like when I can taste the wood / tobacco notes in a paste and using real beans would have been cheaper for me than that one.
Seriously thank you this is so helpful and a lot of work and investment.
Aw I used to love the nielson masey vanilla paste but you can’t seem to buy it in the UK anymore 😢
I use the Massey vanilla sugar often, been satisfied with it but I do appreciate competitor reviews.
You are a saint!
Wow, thanks for posting this! I’m definitely saving it for future use 🙂
Thank you! I’ve used some of these and it’s nice to know what other people think of them. Plus a few more to try out for myself. I appreciate you.
Unfortunately for me and my wallet, I have recently discovered that vanilla bean paste does in fact taste better. I used the LorAnn vanilla bean paste and I make a vanilla sponge. Thank you for the confirmation ☺️.
I used the Nielsen-Massey Tahitian vanilla bean paste for my wedding cake years ago and the floral quality of the Tahitian vanilla really shined through. People raved about it. It was special order and took weeks to arrive in the mail but definitely worth it.
Thank you! I use the Nielssen-Massey one all the time, glad to see you ranked it high!
You’re a literal earth angel 😇
You’re doing gods work. But also good idea in the Trader Joe’s. Didn’t want it to go to waste but couldn’t figure out what to do with it.
I read this as ‘tasted’ for a second, and I was horrified.
Thank you for this! The only vanilla paste I’ve tried so far is the McCormick one and I hated it, so I’ve been hesitant to try others
This is wonderful, thank you! I notice you also have the Costco vanilla extract in your lineup. Any notes to share on how that compared to the pastes?
Thanks for sharing this and doing so much legwork! I make my own extract with madegascar beans and use the NM for vanilla is the star items (cheesecake, vanilla cupcakes, buttercream, etc). I just found the Trader Joe’s bourbon paste today after weeks of checking for it, and now I fear I’ll be disappointed!
Thank you so much for answering a lingering question of mine. I am definitely saving this post
I make my own and never looked back once I started doing this.
I concur with your TJ ranking. It’s the one I use because it’s accessible but I’ve been looking for something better
My go-to is Nielsen-Massey. Fortunately, I can get 8 oz bottles at Costco online for a “reasonable”price.
I’ll have to splurge and try the Rising Star. I think the Trader Joe’s version is good so I bet this one will be amazing!
Saved! Thank you for this. I love when science meets food! I am by no stretch of the imagination on your level of baking and bought the TJs paste on a whim lol. That’ll do for now but it’s nice to know that there is better out there 😊. Beautiful blog btw ❤️!
I make my own VBP and give it out as Christmas presents. Now is the time if you’re making it for this year. Lmk if anyone wants tips, this will be my third year doing it.
Now this is women in stem
Thank you for doing this! I’m off to the store now.
Beautiful work! Shame I can’t get any of these where I am 🙁
McCormick is the only one I’d ever tried and it was so sour it completely turned me off vanilla bean paste – I didn’t realize it was just the brand!
Thanks for sharing your tests and rankings! followed you for future posts! 🙂
would you recommend a paste vs liquid for something like chocolate banana bread? I always have used liquid but was wondering about the pastes perhaps in the future..?
Thanks again for sharing with us!
I found N-M one time at Homegoods for $5-8 cheaper than in the box stores/on-line. So I keep going back searching for more, it’s my favorite.
Sweet jeebus, now I know what $300 of vanilla looks like
Well done and much appreciated.
But now I want a dang cupcake.
Thank you for doing this leg work for all of us 🫡
Thank you for doing this and the pictures are nicely done as well. Extremely helpful!! Thanks
You took baking is science literally and I think this is amazing 😁✌
This is fantastic! Glad to see the one I sort of stumbled into buying (LorAnn, which they sell here in NE Ohio at our local Meijer) come out tied for second. 🎉 Also, just took a peek at your blog, and the cleanup rating is SUCH a brilliant idea. Definitely will be taking more of a look around there. ☺️