Quick answer: Vanilla powder is a whole pod, dried then ground, skin included. It differs from caviar, which is only the small seeds scraped from inside, and from vanilla sugar, which is sugar flavoured with vanilla. It is used like a dry spice, in a batter or sprinkled over fruit or a cream, without infusing.
In the vanilla range, powder is sometimes less well known than the pod or caviar, yet it has its place: a ready-to-use dry spice, which flavours without adding any liquid or very visible little black specks. This page explains what vanilla powder is, how it differs from caviar and vanilla sugar, and where it is most useful.
What vanilla powder is
Vanilla powder is obtained by drying a whole vanilla pod, then finely grinding it, skin and seeds included. It therefore keeps all the pod's aroma, in a dry, fine, dark brown form. Our Bourbon vanilla powder comes from the pods we grow in the SAVA region, in north-eastern Madagascar.
Powder, caviar or vanilla sugar: what changes
Vanilla caviar is only the pulp and the small seeds scraped from inside the pod, without the skin: it is a slightly sticky paste, more concentrated in visible little black specks. Our page on vanilla caviar details its extraction. Vanilla sugar, meanwhile, is not vanilla alone: it is sugar mixed with ground vanilla. Vanilla powder differs from both: it is only the whole pod, ground, with no sugar or addition.
Where powder is most useful
Vanilla powder suits preparations where you don't want to add liquid, unlike extract, nor leave a whole pod to infuse, such as a cake batter, a pancake batter or a financier mixture. It mixes directly into dry ingredients, flour or sugar, before the liquids are added. It also works well as a finishing touch: sprinkled over fruit, a cream or an already-finished dessert, it brings its aroma and colour without waiting for any infusing time.
How to dose it
Vanilla powder is dosed by the pinch rather than by number of pods: a small amount is enough to flavour a preparation, and you can always add more gradually. For dosing guidelines by type of preparation, our page how many vanilla pods: dosage by preparation gives useful pointers, even though they are written for the whole pod: powder is used in the same aromatic proportions.
Powder in a hot or cold drink
In a drink, vanilla powder mixes less easily than an extract: it leaves small specks more visible at the bottom of a glass or a cup. It therefore suits a hot drink, which you stir as you drink, or an already thick preparation such as hot milk or a smoothie, better than a very clear drink. For other ways to use vanilla in a drink, see our page on vanilla in cold drinks.
Also used in professional pastry-making
In professional pastry-making, vanilla powder is valued for its consistent dosing: the same amount of powder always gives the same intensity of aroma, whereas a pod can vary slightly from one piece to another depending on its size. Our page on vanilla in professional pastry-making details this choice according to grade, cost and volume.
How to store it
Like any ground spice, powdered vanilla loses its aroma faster than a whole pod, especially if left exposed to air or light. It keeps better in a tightly sealed jar, away from light, in a cupboard rather than near a heat source. Once the jar is opened, it is best to close it again quickly after each use, to limit the air that comes into contact with the powder.
Which recipes to use it in
Several of our recipes use vanilla powder for this reason, particularly when the preparation is already dry or when you want to avoid adding liquid: vanilla financiers and vanilla and cinnamon granola.
Our vanilla powder
- Madagascar Bourbon vanilla powder
- Baking pack: vanilla, sugar and powder
- Baking discovery pack
- Premium baking pack
Frequently asked questions
Is vanilla powder the same thing as vanilla caviar?
No. Caviar is only the pulp and seeds scraped from the pod; powder is the whole pod, skin included, dried then ground.
Can a vanilla pod be replaced with powder?
Yes, in most dry preparations or those that don't need infusing: powder mixes directly into dry ingredients, in small amounts.
Does vanilla powder contain sugar?
No. It is only dried, ground vanilla pod, unlike vanilla sugar, which is sugar flavoured with ground vanilla.
How should vanilla powder be stored?
In a tightly sealed jar, away from light and heat: a ground spice loses its aroma faster than a whole pod.
The Vanille Désiré team
