Using Vanilla Paste

Our answer

Vanilla paste is a thicker form of vanilla extract which also contains some of the seeds from the vanilla pod (bean). The paste is usually thickened with a natural thickener called gum tragacanth, so it is not necessarily more concentrated than a liquid extract. The advantage of using a paste is that you will get flecks of vanilla seeds in the dish you are making, usually most effective in desserts where you will see the seeds.

The conversion of extract to paste will to some extent depend on the brand of paste you are using but one of the largest good quality manufacturers is Nielsen-Massey and they recommend a direct substitution of paste for extract for their paste (ie use 1 teaspoon of paste for 1 teaspoon of extract). We suspect this is a good rule of thumb for other products but do check the guidelines on the packaging. Nielsen-Massey also suggest that 1 tablespoon of paste is the equivalent of of 1 vanilla pod.