VANILLA EXTRACTS - CLOSEST TO HOMEMADE®

Information updated February 2024

Ah, Vanilla. It’s one of my favorites! When I was a kid, not so much . . . but now I adore the nuance + refreshment of truly excellent real vanilla.

Vanilla Extracts is a category that’s surprising it would need a Closest To Homemade post >> how Far From Homemade can vanilla extract be? Well . . .  

HAVE YOU HEARD OF ARTIFICIAL VANILLIN?

Whole Foods Market has a list of ingredients which they ban because they consider them “Unacceptable in food” >> due to this list, I am aware of an ingredient called Vanillin, with an ‘in’ at the end, which is an artificial form of vanilla. All artificial flavors are banned at Whole Foods Market so, hence, is Vanillin.
Unfortunately, Vanillin is present in almost all artificial vanillas and, in some products, it is combined with real vanilla.

Let’s take a look at what’s in this completely artificial product from McCormick. (Source for ingredients: McCormick Web site 2/24)

McCORMICK’S BAKER’S IMITATION VANILLA FLAVOR IS BANNED AT WHOLE FOODS MARKET. There are three ingredients in McCormick Baker’s Imitation Vanilla Flavor which are banned at Whole Foods Market. (Source for banned ingredients: Amazon Whole Foods Market Web site 2/24) The three McCormick banned ingredients are Vanillin, Ethyl Vanillin and Sodium Benzoate.

In addition to the Vanillin, Ethyl Vanillin and Sodium Benzoate, McCormick’s Baker’s Imitation Vanilla Flavor contains other Far From Homemade™ commercial ingredients like Propylene Glycol and Phosphoric Acid. 

Q: Are these chemical ingredients you want in your baked goods?

REAL VANILLA BEANS. Real vanilla comes from a vanilla bean. Vanilla is sold this way as a whole bean >> we can split it open and scrape out the inside for use in baking and cooking. Yum!

VANILLA EXTRACTS RESIDE IN ALCOHOL. Once split and open, the Vanilla must be stored in such a way as to prevent spoilage and that is generally by combining it with alcohol to allow it to reside in a bottle for an extended period of time. The liquid medium allows the Vanilla to be properly dispersed and the alcohol acts as a preservative + sanitizing agent, keeping the extract viable for us to safely consume. This is why most real Vanilla Extracts contain a percentage of alcohol and have super long shelf lives.

SOME VANILLA EXTRACTS HAVE ADDED SUGAR. Although the purpose of Vanilla is to flavor something, it seems some manufacturers have added sugar to their Vanilla Extracts to also sweeten them >> like Penzey’s Spices (who also adds sugar to the majority of their spice blends) has added sugar to both their Pure Vanilla Extract and the Double-Strength, too. J.R. Watkins has added sugar in their Baking Vanilla and Nielsen-Massey has added cane sugar in some of their Vanilla Extracts. (Sources: Brand Web sites 2/24)

Once upon a time, McCormick & Co. made Pure Vanilla Extract made with real Mexican Vanilla Beans:

Today . . . McCormick makes two Vanilla Flavorings which are banned at Whole Foods. Seen below, only McCormick’s Pure Vanilla Extract — far right — is Closest To Homemade with Vanilla Bean Extractives in Water plus Alcohol.

VANILLA EXTRACTS WHICH ARE Closest To Homemade HAVE NO ADDED COLORING OR FLAVORS, NO ADDED SWEETENERS AND NO CHEMICAL PRESERVATIVES. Below are both Organic and Non-organic options. (Sources: Brand Web sites 2/24)

To note, although there are no added sweeteners in these Vanilla Extracts (i.e., Sugar or other sweeteners are not listed as an ingredient), the alcohol contained within may be made using Sugar.

Following are some Closest To Homemade Vanilla Powders which are simply ground Vanilla Beans:

REAL MADAGASCAR VANILLA EXTRACT WITH NO ALCOHOL AND NO SUGAR: If you want real Madagascar vanilla in a vegetable-based glycerin + water solution with no alcohol and no added sugar, check out Simply Organic Vanilla Flavoring >> it legally has to be called ‘Flavoring’ because it doesn’t have the alcohol content required to call it Vanilla Extract, but it’s made with Organic Madagascar Vanilla Bean Extractives.

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Here’s a Vanilla Extract Flashback for you . . .