Best Vanilla Bean Powder for Baking

👤I did not read reviews or ingredients when buying this. I have purchased another popular brand ofVanilla Bean Paste many times. I decided to try this brand because of the price. As soon as I received it, I tasted it. It has a very strong flavor. I threw it in the trash because it is a non returnable item. It's not returnable or refundsable because sellers know they'll have to pay back money. I don't like alcohol, so if you do, buy it. This brand of paste has a thumbs down.

👤I've been ordering this product for a long time and have never had a problem. I use it in my coffee daily. It's always been great, but this time it's different. There are huge, black flakes that are not seeds that are in my coffee, unlike the vanilla beans that are floating in it. I don't know what it is, and it doesn't look like something I want to eat. The size I buy is not cheap. I'm not sure if I want to order more.

👤I was very disappointed in the product. It wasn't what I expected. I wouldn't have bought it if I knew what I know now.

👤I had never used a paste like that before. I am very happy with the purchase. I use the bean paste whenever I can. I have found that this is a better option than the other one. It was a pleasant surprise that the xanthan gum acts as a stabilizer for the whipped cream. This product is recommended by me.

👤The paste has the same characteristics as other pastes I have bought. I wonder what the reviews have been using before when they say that certain bean pastes are thin. I love this stuff.

👤They sent me a jar that was half open. I decided to look at the consistency and see if there were any seeds in it. The consistency is not a paste. The alcohol in the product is larger than it is. They claim to have tons of seeds, but there were not many. I could count the number of seeds by dipping a small utensil in the product. If you purchase this product, you won't be able to return it and you'll be stuck with a bad product that may or may not have been tampered with.

👤This product is not made from beans, but extract, water, Preservative, Colorants, and flavorings. I wouldn't have bought the product if I'd known this. It looks like there are seeds in it. I will make my own beans from this company.

👤This makes my ice cream better.

👤When I first bought this, the labels were different and the ingredients were different. The gold writing on the canister was amazing. The canister with the dark brown writing that reads Sweet Ground Powder tastes like sugar and a fake coffee creamer. The taste was different. The first time I saw the "Sweet Ground Powder" on Amazon, it was the correct one, it was wonderful. The different one was replaced with the same thing twice. I would like to know if it is counterfeit or if Ghirardelli has changed how they make it. I've attached some pictures. The label is 5 stars but the powder is only one. Does anyone know what the answer is? If you ever happen to read this, and it isn't counterfeit, please change back to the old recipe. I will not buy it again until I see the canister.

👤Absolutely disgusting. The other reviews should have been listened to. I thought I could recreate the white hot chocolate drink from a few years ago. It must be good. The other reviews said it tasted artificial and chemical. It's disgusting. I tried to use it in different ways, but it's the same. It leaves a bad taste. This was a waste of money. The can was still sealed so I didn't complain, even though it was very damaged with the plastic rubber lid off.

👤This is so disgusting that I will say that. It has a subtle taste of white chocolate and is so coarse that it resembles a sugar cane. This is a highway robbery for the amount of money. Please don't spend your money on something that will only cost you a small amount, and just give it a try.

👤I regret buying the Hot White Chocolate. It tastes like fake plastic artificial sugar, and the worst part is that it doesn't taste like white chocolate at all. I wish I had bought the regular one. I have tried many times to buy white chocolate chips. You have been warned! It tastes like Mcdonalds white hot chocolate only it is not watery.

👤Not the real thing. The white chocolate "flavor" powder I received tasted like straight chemicals, and you can see the original thing on the left.

👤I thought this brand would be good and worth a try, but I was wrong, I read the other reviews and thought it would be good. Not rich and creamy, but sweet. I've only made the hot white chocolate and it says to add the bean to it. I don't have any. I don't know if adding a bean would make it better. The price is good for the amount you get, but I would rather buy the land and not have to pay as much. Won't be buying again.

👤Absolutely no flavor. It says to add 3 tbsp of hot white chocolate with milk. I almost threw up after doing that. I had to add real white chocolate to taste how it is supposed to be. The second ingredient is creamer. I think this would be fine for people who want to use it as such but not for people who don't drink coffee.

👤The caps on the tops are unable to be opened as they have been updated recently. I was able to get one of them off after about 30 minutes. I have been trying to get it off for almost 2 hours. The product is worthless if you can't use it. I wouldn't buy this from them until they fixed their packaging. Don't waste your money on things you can't use.

👤We couldn't open the bottle because we couldn't taste the product. I didn't think this would happen, but I have to throw out all of the baking products I am making until I can get a bottle of vanilla that the cap can be removed from. The lid was unable to be opened. He couldn't open the jar when I brought it to him.

👤I can't be picky in the age of COVID19. You have to shop based on what's available. I tried a lot of brands and foods that I had never had before. I've always liked the taste of the powder version of vanilla and these versions suspended in liquid extract just don't seem to work as well. It tastes like it evaporates out if you use twice as much as the recipe suggests. It's not as good value for money because I have to use more of it. If you are making banana bread, it's better than nothing.

👤I didn't have time to go to Marshalls and it was delivered to the door in 2 hours. The product is similar to similar products in other stores. The cap is difficult to open, and that annoyed me the most. I clean it with a paper towel after each use. It still gets stuck.

👤If this extract just didn't deliver the same flavor as the original, that would be one thing, but it also has a chemical smell. It's not a typical alcohol smell, it's a more synthetic one. The chemical smell is still there even though I tried to improve it by taking a whole vanilla bean. I bake muffins with various brands of extract. Simply Organic is the best brand of Whole Foods that I've bought. Simply Organic vanilla is less expensive than Penzey's, and it is at least as good. The brand is worthless.

👤Excellent quality product. A better way to pour it into measuring spoons without spilling or over pouring would be appreciated.

👤It's not like the flavor of vanilla.

👤Unless you buy in bulk, you won't find another vanilla extract at this price point. This vanills is an example of Whole Foods Market's quality.

👤This product was received with an expired tag. Returned item isn't available for returns. There is a drain and there is money going down it.

👤There is a huge sticker on top of this item that says it will be gone in February.

👤This just arrived and it says it expired 3 months ago.

👤I was able to use the product for my chocolate cake after it was open. I was going to try the powder for the first time, but now I have to order it from the KA website. The top portion of the espresso has been open for a while, so it is not new.

👤I use this in my homemade ice cream to make it coffee-flavored. It's awesome. I just use a small amount. I tried a few recipe versions which used a cup or less of coffee but they didn't work as well as the espresso powder does. I can make mine at home and also dairy-free, since I don't have to worry about the store versions.

👤The first time I ordered it, it was going to be gone in a few months. It became hard to use after a month or two after having it, and it got worse over time. I live in a humid climate, so it could be that it clumped because of that. It became much harder to break up as it became useless. The clumps were sticky and I had to wash the zester after, so I could not use it. I kept this in an airtight bag in my cupboard between uses, and it still came out the same. Attached is an image. The espresso powder did it's job for two months, until it became useless. Unless you plan to use the entire amount within a short period, I would strongly advise against buying this product.

👤It's perfect for cooking. I've used this in cakes, brownies, and even a coffee creamer recipe. I don't recommend using this as a substitute for espresso, as that isn't what it is designed to do. This is a great addition if you want the chocolate flavor to pop in your recipe. The wide mouth makes it easy to get measuring spoons out of the container. I would buy again.

👤I love this! This was bought for a cake recipe. I was worried that it would make the cake taste like coffee. No worries. It makes the chocolate taste better. I will be adding this to everything I bake that has chocolate in it.

👤I was expecting this to come in a glass jar, but it is plastic. I will not be using this product again. The flavour is amazing. I only bought this because the recipe I was using called for it. I was impressed with how much chocolate flavour it brought to my buttercream icing.

👤I think it was overpriced because it made a slightly richer taste when used with cocoa powder in cakes. It went hard in the jar before I used it all. I wouldn't buy it again, but I wanted to try it.

👤I have bought from Amazon before, but this time I picked the wrong ones. I read several reviews and thought that this was what I wanted. I thought it was 5 packs of beans when I read the description again. It is 5 Pods. Each one is about four dollars. This is not the product for me because it is four dollars each. I will not buy this again.

👤I was hoping for an intense flavor in my ice cream. The recipe called for a single bean, but I put two in because they were small. The ice cream has a very small flavor of vanilla. Disappointing.

👤I was excited when I smelled the delicious flavor of the package. When I opened them, there was no resemblance to the beans at all. They smelled like tobacco leaves and were very skinny. I soaked them in Bourbon in hopes of bringing out the flavor, but they ruined the nice Bourbon. I think my October coffee pumpkin stout will no longer have any vanilla in it. Next time, I will find a different vender.

👤I could smell the flavor of the beans coming off of the plastic and the Amazon box sitting at my door step. If you can afford it, or if you are considering using them for a special occasion. Yes. Do. I'm going to make a bunch of extract with these.

👤I am very satisfied with the quality of the beans. They were perfect. I expected three of the beans to be about 6 inches long. The beans were about 4 inches long.

👤The small vanillapods seemed to have been dried out. TV chefs use the ones we see. They had a decent flavor, but not much yield.

👤The bean was moist and fresh. They have been soaking my extract for about a month. The scent is very rich and the color is starting to look good. I am not sure if this will be the best flavor, but I am very hopeful that it will be. In the next 5 months, I will update.

👤They came as promised. The beans were fresh and soft, easy to slice and full of seeds. The scent and taste are fresh. They are a bit different in size, but nothing drastic. They are a result of nature. They were well sealed. I would buy again from this vendor.

👤This is weird. Does not look like something. It smells good, but tastes like imitation of vanilla. It's like a consistency of jello. I always use the attached picturez of the vanilla to compare it to this one. I don't think it's worth it.

👤This was a good substitute for Neilssen Massey paste. At 1/3 of the price. Just ordered again. This is the best deal you can get. I use a lot and it's usually around $150. Shake the bottle before use. I like the flavor as well. I make cakes for weddings.

👤This is a nice product. It's not as concentrated as other brands I've used, but it holds up well in baking and for the price, I don't think you'd find a better deal at this time. I find it a bit more gelatinous than pasty or syrupy because it uses xanthan gum as the main thickener. The consistency reminds me of a gel. The smell is pleasant and I liked the way it tasted. It's a good alternative for people who want to try out a new product or for people who want to find a substitute for a brand that is out of reach for many budgets. It works well for what I need it for, and I wouldn't mind ordering it again in the future.

👤I have had it for a while. It is different from the other reviewers. I found the consistency to be very hard to chew. Not paste-y persay, but not watery. I add more than a recipe calls for because it is less concentrated. I don't know what to make of the smell, so I debated on 3 or 4 stars. It almost smells like a chemical, but no one else has mentioned it, so I could be off base. It was cheaper and seems to be doing the job. I realized the smell was mold after reading the review. I shone a light inside the container to make it easier to see. I was able to get in touch with the distributor who offered a replacement.

👤This product is a steal. I have come to accept that I will probably always use pastes to add flavor to my products. It's cheaper to buy beans than add caviar. If beans are mishandled, they can get rancid. A paste like this will last a long time and will take the worry out of proper storage. Most pastes would get that reaction from me. I have come to the conclusion that pastes are just a mixture of sugar, thickeners and extract. I've begun using pastes, extracts, and emulsions to get the flavor I want in what I make. If I'm not baking or making stuff, I'll use extracts. I haven't tried the bean powder yet. It's one of the most potent ways to add flavor. This is still a great value, but don't expect it to have a strong flavor in your items. I tried it yesterday. I was like... Yes... Most of it is sugar. The caviar looks great in ice creams, custards, candies, and even marshmallows. It is not adding a lot of flavor.

👤I was surprised when I saw how much the price of the beans had increased. I ordered 3 packs of ten from 3 different companies and found out they were the smallest, least oily and least aromatic. The weight in order was 1.40 ounces for $31, which was the best quality overall, and these were the Grade A/B and pretty good for the price. I was able to make 3 bottles of vanilla with those 10 beans because they weighed in over twice as much as the ones I used. Not very happy with these for the money.

👤The beans smell good but seem very dry, I have used 4 so far and all 4 beans when cut open and just clump and do not incorporate into the recipe leaving large dark clumps instead of the beautiful vanilla bean speckles they should. I've never had this issue with the quality of the beans I buy at the grocery store, and even the cheaper ones do a better job than the more expensive ones. They are not eligible for return, so I tried to return. It was very bas practice Amazon.

👤I was excited to receive my beans. Only one of the 10 was plump and that was stretching it. The rest were very thin and difficult to split. There was no scent of vanilla in all of them. I have them and will wait for the results. If the extract doesn't work out, I'll probably look at another source.

👤Puny beans. They don't have a heavenly scent. I have bought grade A beans from other vendors before and they are between 6-9 inches long. All of them were barely 5 inches tall. My grade B beans from another vendor had more than these. The picture was taken 2 days after the packaging was removed. I should have paid more attention to the reviews. Don't spend your money on these.

👤Another set of these is used to make another batches of quality extract. My first batches were made back in 2012 and are almost done. I was surprised to see how much the cost of beans has gone up. I don't need to make this all the time. I make it for my mother. She gives some to other family members if they like it. On December 7th, I added more beans and vodka to the mix. It will be bottled in six months. I will put some of the split into the bottles I already have on hand. The longer they sit, the better. It's a good thing.

👤I am very happy with my purchase. A top quality product. The 10 beans are all plump, soft and fragrant and average in length at about 6 feet. I'm making a extract. I put them in a quart mason jar and filled it with vodka. I can only say that it has been more than 3wks. The extract will be out in about 3 months. I made a vanilla extract that is absolutely out of this world and I recommend these beans. I am going to give some to my daughter-in-laws as holiday gifts.

👤I placed the order for the 1oz bag expecting to see the picture of 1 Tsp serving with 24 total serving. I received a 1tsp serving with 6 total serving. The picture always shows the 4oz version with 24 total serving, even if I choose the 1oz bag. This needs to be fixed.

👤I am very disappointed in this product. I tried to return it, but Amazon wouldn't let me. I put it in my coffee and cold brew coffee. I added up to a small amount per cup and it didn't have a flavor at all. I added it with my coffee grounds thinking it would take more time. What a waste of money. It added nothing to my coffee. It is like drinking sand. I wouldn't have minded if it was a flavor other than vanilla. Don't waste your money.

👤This is a small envelope of powder and it costs fifteen dollars. I should have looked more closely at it. The flavor won't be dissolved in liquid. I bake a lot so will eventually use but it's expensive. The flavor and pricing of the paste is better than ever.

👤I thought it might be more convenient than using dried beans. The powder to bean ratio is 1/6. That's a lot of powder. The flavor is not as strong as using actual beans. If you are making ice cream, the bean powder doesn't mix into it. The cream is grey because it floats on top. Going back to eating beans.

👤The pouches are small enough to keep things fresh. And it was! Why don't you sell more pouches when you make an order like a half dozen pouches per order or a dozen pouches per order? It was fresh, smooth tasting and free of clods. I almost forgot, but it was very good.

👤I used the powder to make a dessert for a mother's day brunch, and it was both delicious. It made both coffee and pancakes bitter. I don't think I would buy this again. It did what I needed it to do, it was great in the cheesecake.

👤This is the best it can be. I used this to make a dish for my parents, and they loved it. I prepared a crepe with a cylinder-scoop of a creamy, smooth, and delicious dessert, topped with chopped almonds, sliced strawberries, sliced bananas, a dash of Brazilian honey, and a sprinkle of a dark chocolate bean. I didn't have any, but I was told it was good. I use it on a tea I made for myself. It is definitely authentic and worth the money.

👤I can't give a review of the flavor of the bean. I don't need the packages at the moment, so I haven't opened them yet. It's for when I run out of stuff. I have to open one of the packages. I hope it will be good.

👤I love this product. It was delicious! I have bought it twice now, which is bad. * Only one of the three packs arrives. That is not a good price for a single bottle. ! It is listed wrong. AMAZON! I need my money back. It is difficult to get customer service with Amazon since Covid has hit. Amazon is a lifesaver for me through this time. I need to return something. The service has gone down a lot. This product is not listed correctly. You will only be receiving one bottle. It is too expensive for one.

👤This is a good product, but disappointing when it comes to the lemon part. I was looking for a lemon pepper with no salt and Watkins was the only company that could do it. I wanted to get a lemon flavor for my grilled chicken and fish. There was no lemon and lots of pepper. Amazon doesn't allow food returns, so you have to pay $25 for ground pepper.

👤I used Watkins potato salad seasoning in my potato salad. I missed it when Watkins stopped making it. We like it.

👤For several years I have told everyone that Watkins' Black Pepper is in a league of it's own. When I saw the organic version, I was so excited that they had found a way to make the best pepper even better. The 3 pack was a good deal. I thought differently. The original Watkins ground black pepper is far inferior to this pepper. The black pepper cans are better than this product. The taste is ok, but the texture is fluffy and bland. You know what I mean. When you buy a cheap salt and pepper combo because you need a new salt and pepper, you end up randomly using the pepper half and realize how cheap it is. How it could blow away if you opened the microwave door too quickly. It is fluffy. The pepper is gross. If I am buying pepper, I either want a coarse chunk from a peppercorn grinder or I want it to flow like sand from a shaker and cling to anything moist that it touches. I just emptied the container from the pencil sharpener over my food. That is what this pepper does. I have three jars of it.

👤A fair life core makes a great latte.

👤This is a good option from the liquid extract. It is more convenient and the flavor is great. I drink coffee or chocolate on my pastries.

👤The flavor is almost non-existant, but I like a good price. It took half a bottle to make a bunch of noodles, but curry was used by the color, not the smell or taste. There is a wonderful, warm Aroma missing in the small bottle version of Gourmet, but there is immediate flavor with 2 ounces. Watkins went on the cheap with the "organic" label. Can we get the GOURMET back at the original price of $7?

👤Watkin's has not on the cinnamon. It is possible to taste the flavor in the baked goods. I only buy Watkins black pepper. They will only have cinnamon. The house has a lot of smells.

👤On most, good plumpness. I decided to measure the rest after running into short ones. Between 1/3 to 1/2 were shorter than advertised. I uploaded a picture of the length I was dealing with. It's less than 6 with many less than 5 inches. I didn't stop and return the rest of the items I was processing as a gift. I feel cheated for the price. I chose the item based on the length description, which grossly over estimates product actual length and is therefore a lie.

👤I wanted to make a high quality extract. I was very excited to start my process after the package arrived. The price of extract has gone up while the quality has gone down. The vanilla was vacuum sealed. The beans were moist and plum colored. Very promising. The color has intensified since about 8 weeks ago. I haven't used it yet. I am making it for myself and my family. I removed the valve from the bottle. It was poured out about 1/2c. To make room for the beans. I sliced each one down the center to make it easier for the seeds to travel free. I will leave beans uncut the next time. I can remove a bloated bean, cut off one end, and squeeze out the seeds for a recipe after I make vanilla. The emptypods can be air dried and put into sugar to make a flavor filled sugar for coffee, tea, cookies or other items. For a minimum of 6 weeks, shake your bottle once per week to make it more flavor and deep in color. It couldn't be simpler or better in quality. You can try it.

👤I was very pleased with the beans. 6 were 5 in long, 2 were 6 in long and 18 were 7 in long. The description of the beans was correct. In my pictures, they are moist and plump. I used them to color a amber color in 8 hours. If it's wonderful, smell it. I am sure that the vanilla will be great once it has time to cure. I relied on reviews so I thought I would give one as well. I could only buy a couple beans per bottle at twice the price per bean, because the price is very reasonable. Buying these online was a challenge for me. I am glad I did.

👤Not happy at all. The beans were moist and plump, but they didn't smell like vanilla. The smell reminds me of smoked fish. It's dead serious! The company only sells quality beans. I bottled them with alcohol because I would be out of extract soon. I thought maybe it was me. They still don't smell anything like vanilla two months later. I contacted the company again and they have not responded for days. They would know what I was talking about if I sent them back. Has anyone else had this problem? Very disappointed. I have a cookie business and have used a lot of Bourbon. I know what it will smell like.

👤I thought I would save a few bucks by trying a imitation of pure vanilla extract. It would be a safe choice because this one was so highly rated. Huge mistake. Don't use this project if you're used to pure vanilla. It has a strong taste that is noticeable in cookies where I only used 1/2tsp.

👤After opening the bottle, a powerful chemical/ anti-freeze aroma lifted into the air and into my nose. I put a few drops on my finger to make sure I wasn't imagining anything. I was not imagining the horror. My husband has a limited sense of smell and taste. He was able to smell and taste the foul liquid. I apologized to any aquatic wildlife that may encounter it when I dumped it down the drain. I feel like a genius, having ordered this without checking to make sure it was natural, instead of man-made garbage. It's impossible to believe that these 4/5 star reviewers are drinking this hell juice. Order at your own risk.

👤I think Amazon never tasted actual Vanilla Extract. It doesn't taste good. The description is misleading because I have a specific need for it. This is not an extract or a sugar based flavor.

👤We have been buying this product from Walmart for years. It was out of stock at the supermarket and so I went to check it out on Amazon. I was happy that I checked here. I was always buying a bigger bottle for the same price as a small bottle. The product is free of corn syrup and has a pure fragrance that works great for baking and even in smoothies.

👤I knew that some customers hated the smell when I read the reviews. I decided to take a chance because others loved it. If you're in the same situation, learn from my mistake. This stuff is not nice. It made my cookie frosting taste better. The rest of the bottle was poured down the drain. Even though it costs an arm and a leg, I'll go back to natural vanilla extract. The savings are not worth much.

👤The fact that this bottle of Watkins vanilla is clear bothered someone who asked about it being a color. It was power of suggestion for me as well, when I read their concern. I bought it because a verified purchaser assured me that the clear was just as good as the Watkins brown vanilla. I was happy I did. I get a large bottle of Watkins, which is the best, because I use a lot of vanilla. This was a big deal. It's better than cheaper brands. Don't worry about the colorless. It's not possible to get this much flavor for such a low price. You'll like it if you try it.

👤I opened the package and there was no lid on the product. It wasn't hard to miss that it wasn't included since it was just that and some hot chocolate and an air bag. I'm not sure how someone can pack a bottle with no lid and not be able to close it when they use it. I saw a wet spot on the box when I turned the flavoring upside down, and since I won't use something that I don't know what was done to it, I have to throw it out. I'm not sure if it's an issue with the seal or if it's a hole. Since there was no lid, you have to wonder if someone did something to it. They still shipped it to me. I had to call to get another one. Customer service sent out another one and they decided to hold up another order of mine and ship them both. I sat here waiting for nothing to happen. When I called on Sunday, I was told that it was held up in transit and that I had no answer for why they were shipped together. I wanted to know why I had to have an item replaced every time. I didn't get a response. So called on Monday. I got a rude rep who kept asking if I was calling about the vanilla even after I told her why I was calling. Since they shoved them together, I'm calling about 2 items. She called logistics after getting annoyed with me. I want to speak to a manager because I don't know when it's going to happen. She didn't want to have to tell me or get a manager because she didn't want to ask them about the lost package. I had to go through it all over again after calling back. I got a new bottle with an actual lid after a manager apologized and sent me one. She gave me a $10 credit and gave me a refund because the tips were not in stock until the 20th, and she said she found a set for 11.93. I got off the phone and followed her link and didn't get any of the tips I wanted. I spent $12 on 2 tips, but they were advertised at $3 for 3, even though I couldn't find them anywhere. We will see if I get my other 2 tips by friday since the whole order was a mess.