Vanilla Bean Syrup
A simple homemade vanilla bean syrup recipe, the perfect addition to your morning coffee. So easy and delicious with only three ingredients!
My favorite thing to do in the morning after waking up is to turn on my espresso machine and make myself a latte. It’s the perfect start to the day, made even more luxurious by adding a homemade syrup to my drink. It feels like I’m in a cafe while I’m actually in my robe. One of my favorite syrup recipes is this vanilla bean syrup recipe. Please believe me when I say it is one of the simplest yet most divine things I think I’ve ever made.
The History of Vanilla:
Vanilla has always been one of my favorite flavors. I know everyone sees it as the “default” flavor or a base flavor. Think of vanilla ice cream, vanilla milkshakes, vanilla lattes. A definition of vanilla even means “nothing special; ordinary; standard.” Aka boring. I have no idea how this came to be, because in my opinion vanilla is one of the best flavors out there. And maybe it’s the default flavor for a reason. I mean, why do we put vanilla extract in everything we bake? Because it’s delicious, of course!
The vanilla plant is actually an orchid, and its fruit is the vanilla bean pod that we know and love. The vanilla orchid is a tropical plant native to Mesoamerica. The Mayans and later the Aztecs grew it to enjoy in cacao-based drinks. When the Spanish conquered the Aztecs, they brought the vanilla orchid to Europe. However, the Europeans did not have the bee needed to pollinate the orchid. Because of this, they could not grow the vanilla pods until they learned how to hand-pollinate the flower in the 1840s. Once they figured this out, they simply could not get enough of vanilla.
Fast forward to today, and vanilla is used in so many things as a flavor or a scent. Boring? I think not. There’s a reason for its popularity, and I think sometimes we lose sight of it. If you smell and taste real vanilla, the only description I have for it is that it’s almost intoxicating. That’s what I first experienced when I made this vanilla bean syrup recipe. My tastebuds almost leapt out of my mouth when I tried it. “Oh!” I thought. “That’s what vanilla is supposed to taste like!”
This Vanilla Syrup is:
- Perfectly sweet, floral, delicate, and complex.
- So easy to make and contains only sugar, water, and a vanilla bean pod.
- The perfect addition to morning coffee. A simple vanilla bean syrup recipe can really elevate your morning coffee experience.
Three ingredients come together in minutes:
- Water: Water and sugar combine to form a simple syrup base.
- Granulated sugar: Part of the simple syrup base and provides sweetness. base of the syrup that provides sweetness.
- Vanilla bean pod: Flavors the syrup.
Tips to Make Vanilla Syrup:
- Buy organic and fair trade vanilla beans. The vanilla beans are of better quality, ethically sourced, and support fair wages for farmers.
- Be careful not to overcook the syrup! If the syrup gets too hot or cooks for too long it can turn into candy.
- Wait until the vanilla syrup is cool before using a funnel to pour it into a glass jar.
- You can strain the syrup if you prefer to remove larger remnants of the vanilla beans, but the very small seeds will remain.
This Vanilla Syrup Would Pair Perfectly With:
Vanilla Bean Syrup Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup water
- 1 vanilla bean pod, seeds scraped
Instructions
- Slit the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape out the seeds.
- Combine the sugar, water, vanilla bean seeds, and whole vanilla bean pod in a small saucepan over medium heat.
- Using a whisk, stir constantly until sugar is dissolved and mixture just comes to a low boil.
- Remove from the heat and cool completely. May strain the syrup. Pour into a glass jar and seal tightly with a lid. You can also add the leftover whole vanilla bean pod to the jar for added flavor. Store in a refrigerator for up to one month.
Notes
- This recipe only makes 4-6 ounces of syrup. To make a larger amount of syrup, the water and syrup can be doubled to 1 cup (make sure to maintain a 1:1 ratio) but the vanilla flavor may not be as intense if 1 vanilla bean is still used. To maintain intensity, you can multiply the amount of vanilla beans used accordingly.
