This vanilla bean simple syrup is made from whole vanilla pods. Hands-on time is minimal and flavour is heads and shoulders above store-bought vanilla syrup.
You can use this vanilla bean syrup for coffee and wind up with a gorgeous vanilla bean latte with rich, deep & gorgeously creamy vanilla notes.
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Only 3 ingredients are required to make a batch of vanilla bean simple syrup and the recipe is not complicated at all. Made using whole vanilla pods, the flavour is as natural and pure as possible, with no hidden nasties.
Why you’ll love this recipe
Best taste: Vanilla pods ensure that the flavour is authentic and pronounced. Accept no substitutions.
Easy: Don’t be intimidated by the idea of using vanilla pods. You simply slit them, scrape out the seeds and drop the pods & seeds into the pan to infuse in the syrup. So simple.
Cost effective: Total ingredient costs for this recipe, yielding approximately 400ml of vanilla bean syrup are around £2.50. That’s 62.5p per 100ml. That’s a bargain compared to paying £1.16 per 100ml (at least) for a store-bought vanilla syrup (with no gorgeous beans included).
Love a homemade syrup for your coffee? Try my caramel syrup or my cardamon syrup. And take a look at all of my flavoured coffee recipes to satiate your sweet coffee cravings.
Ingredients notes
Vanilla pods: For the purest flavour, vanilla pods are the way to go. They have no added ingredients.
Incidentally, vanilla pods are not as expensive as rumour might lead you to believe. I used Kiddu vanilla pods (the loveliest I’ve ever found), which work out at 89p per pod or £1.98 for this recipe. Vanilla bean paste currently retails at around £7.50 per 100g, so for this recipe, using 30g, the cost would be £2.25. Using paste instead of pods doesn’t necessarily mean a cost saving.
Sugar: Use either white caster sugar or white granulated sugar.
Step by step instructions
Full instructions and measurements are given in the printable recipe card at the end of this post.
Step 1. Use a sharp knife to slit the vanilla pods lengthways, then scrap out the seeds. Put the pods and seeds into a saucepan with the sugar and water.
Step 2. Heat the ingredients gently to dissolve the sugar but do not let the liquid boil. Once the sugar has dissolved, remove the pan from the heat and leave it to cool down. Remove the pods, scraping out any more seeds if possible. Sieve and decant the syrup into a bottle.
Expert Tips
Top Tip: Don’t throw out the discarded pods. Rinse them, pat them dry and then re-use those spent vanilla pods. Try your hand at homemade vanilla extract for a start.
- Use a small whisk to break up any seeds that are clinging together in the syrup.
- Before decanting your vanilla bean syrup into the bottle, remove any small chunks of pod that remain in the syrup by sieving it (you will need to wipe the back of the sieve with a spoon to collect any lingering seeds and return them to the syrup.
- If your bottle has a slim neck, use a funnel to pour the syrup in – you don’t want to waste any of this precious liquid.
- The vanilla seeds will fall to the bottom of the bottle over time. Give the syrup a firm shake to redistribute those seeds before using your syrup.
- Use around 20ml of this vanilla bean simple syrup in a latte-style drink. You can increase/ decrease this amount for a sweeter/ less sweet drink but the intensity of vanilla flavour will be affected.
Serving suggestions
There are plenty of uses for homemade vanilla bean simple syrup:
- Vanilla bean latte – it’s perfect in coffee.
- Steamed vanilla milk – it makes a cosy warm drink children will fall for.
- Sweeten an iced espresso with it.
- Vanilla bean milkshake – with or without a scoop of your favourite ice cream.
- Use it in cocktails such as a limoncello martini or a rum espresso martini.
- Vanilla bean cream – drizzle a dash into cream then whip it to soft peaks and use it to top drinks such as white chocolate hot chocolate or white chocolate mocha.
- Alternatively, use the vanilla cream with desserts such as fruit & meringues or chocolate cream cake.
- Your vanilla bean syrup can also be used to sweeten porridge or buckwheat porridge.
- It can be tossed with strawberries or peaches for a quick & easy fruit marinade.
Frequently asked questions
Vanilla bean paste is an acceptable substitute for the vanilla pods. Please note, however, that vanilla bean paste is typically made from water, sugar, thickening and even vanilla extract. The flavour will be less pure than using unadulterated vanilla pods. If you are happy to accept this tradeoff in flavour for the ease that using the paste brings, then go for it.
Please do not swap the pods for vanilla extract as the depth of flavour required for this vanilla bean coffee syrup will be lacking.
Work on the basis of using 1 tablespoon of vanilla bean paste per vanilla pod. So if you make the full vanilla bean simple syrup recipe listed below you will need 2 tablespoons of vanilla bean paste.
Store your vanilla bean simple syrup in the fridge for up to 8 weeks. The beans will settle over time so shake the bottle fiercely to redistribute them before using it.
You can use slightly less sugar to reduce the sweetness of your vanilla bean simple syrup. Try 200g instead of 250g.
More homemade syrups
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Have you made this vanilla bean simple syrup recipe? Let me know what you thought of it by leaving a review below. Don’t forget to tell me what you made with it!
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Vanilla Bean Simple Syrup
Ingredients
- 250 g White sugar granulated or caster sugar
- 250 ml Water
- 2 Vanilla pods
Instructions
- Use a sharp knife to slit the vanilla pods lengthways, then scrap out the seeds. Put the pods and seeds into a saucepan with the sugar and water.
- Heat the ingredients gently to dissolve the sugar but do not let the liquid boil. Once the sugar has dissolved, remove the pan from the heat and leave it to cool down.
- Remove the pods, scraping out any more seeds if possible and adding them back into the pan. Remove any chunks of pod that remain and then use a small handheld whisk to break up any seeds that are clinging together.
- Finally, sieve the syrup, wiping any seeds clinging to the back of the sieve, back into the syrup. Decant the syrup into a bottle and store it in the fridge.
Notes
- Don’t throw out the discarded pods. Rinse them, pat them dry and then re-use those spent vanilla pods. Try your hand at homemade vanilla extract for a start.
- Use slightly less sugar to reduce the sweetness of this syrup (try 200g instead of 250g).
- Before decanting your vanilla bean syrup into the bottle, remove any small chunks of pod that remain in the syrup and sieve it to remove any debris from the vanilla pod.
- If your bottle has a slim neck, use a funnel to pour the syrup in – you don’t want to waste any of this precious liquid.
- The vanilla seeds will fall to the bottom of the bottle over time. Give the syrup a firm shake to redistribute those seeds before using your syrup.
- Use around 20ml syrup in a latte style drink. You can increase/decrease this amount for a sweeter/ less sweet drink but the intensity of vanilla flavour will be affected.
Jane Coupland
i hope you find so many uses for this simple syrup. I’m very partial to it in a latte. Let me know what you make with it.