The vanilla journal
Vanilla Guides
Everything you need to choose, store and cook with real Madagascar vanilla.
From splitting your first vanilla bean to making extract, understanding grades and choosing the right amount for a recipe: practical guides to choosing, using and getting the most from Madagascar vanilla, from the whole bean to vanilla caviar.
Start here
New to whole vanilla? These guides cover the essentials.
How to use vanilla
How to use a vanilla bean
Learn how to split, scrape and infuse a whole vanilla bean, and what to do with the pod afterwards.
Vanilla measurements
How many vanilla beans per recipe?
From custard and cakes to ice cream and extract, learn how much vanilla to use.
Buying vanilla
Grade A or extraction grade?
Understand what vanilla grades actually mean and which bean works best for your recipe.
Cooking with vanilla
Master the bean
Simple techniques that make a noticeable difference in flavor.
How to use a vanilla bean
Split, scrape, steep, then reuse the empty pod.
How many vanilla beans per recipe?
The right amounts for a custard, an ice cream, a cake or an extract.
Vanilla caviar: what it is and how to use it
Just the seeds, ready to measure.
Making your own vanilla extract
The recipe, the proportions and the steeping time.
From Madagascar
From Mananara Nord to your kitchen
Our vanilla comes from Mananara Nord – Maroantsetra, on Madagascar’s humid northeast coast. The journey from green pod to aromatic Bourbon vanilla takes months of careful preparation, curing and sorting.
Understanding where vanilla comes from makes it easier to understand its aroma, texture, quality and value.
Know your vanilla
Choosing & storing vanilla
Learn what really matters when buying vanilla, and how to keep your beans at their best.
Grades
Grade A or extraction grade: which vanilla bean to choose?
What grades really tell you.
Storage
How to store vanilla beans
Temperature, packaging, shelf life.
Origin
Bourbon vanilla: what the name really means
Where the name comes from, Madagascar, and how it differs from Tahitian vanilla.
Quality
Real vanilla or vanilla flavoring: how to recognize quality vanilla
Labels, fraud and smart habits.
Prices
Vanilla bean prices: what does a kilo really cost?
What drives the price, per bean or per kilo, the real price for producers.
One bean. Many possibilities.
Every part of a good vanilla bean can be used. Scrape the seeds for recipes, infuse the pod in liquids, sugar or extract, and make the most of the whole ingredient.
- 01Whole beanSupple, fragrant, ready to open.
- 02Split & scrapeOpen it lengthwise and scrape out the seeds with the back of a knife.
- 03Vanilla caviarThe seeds go straight into creams, doughs and batters.
- 04Infuse & reuse the podSteep the empty pod in milk or cream, then add it to sugar or extract.
From the kitchen
Recipes with real vanilla
Recipes designed around whole vanilla, with clear quantities so you know exactly how much to use.
Featured recipe
Vanilla crème brûlée
One vanilla bean for 500 ml of cream.
All recipes
All our vanilla recipes
Discover recipes built around the aroma of real Madagascar vanilla, each with the right amount of vanilla.
Cook with Levanillier
Ready to cook with real Madagascar vanilla?
Discover our Bourbon vanilla beans from Mananara Nord – Maroantsetra, selected for home cooks, bakers and vanilla lovers.