Sometimes the law of unintended consequences is tricky. That’s apparent when it comes to vanilla. There’s a vanilla shortage, and while it has much to do with America’s recent {awesome!} obsession with all things natural, it has been brewing for years. The cause is 4-fold:
1. Natural vanilla is crazy labor intensive. Vanilla beans are the seeds of orchids and because the majority are grown in a country where they are not self-pollinated, each plant has to be pollinated by hand using a little stick. Then they have to be dried, but only for a certain amount of time each day. And this must be done for every single orchid. Exhausting and not worth it when the price farmers receive for their vanilla beans is so low. Last year I noticed the price increase in vanilla extract and vanilla beans at Costco. I was shocked when I saw the prices. Vanilla beans on Amazon seem to be at an all time high too. Those prices? They are still crazy high!
2. Then vanillin stormed the market and those farmer’s profits plummeted even more. Vanillin is an artificial flavoring that is made to taste just like vanilla but at a fraction of the price. The increase of this in cookies, ice cream and other items that used to use real vanilla caused many of the vanilla bean farmers to abandon their farms.
3. With the “all-natural” movement, people are dropping those artificial flavorings in lieu of the real deal. But since supply is so very limited without as many farmers growing it, the cost has skyrocketed!
4. Then a cyclone hit Madagascar where most of the world’s vanilla beans are grown and wiped out 1/3 of their crops. Hello supply shortage!!
Last month when I was picking up my prescription glasses at Costco, I noticed the price of vanilla extract and vanilla beans at Costco was still high. Luckily my mother had gifted me a package of vanilla beans {and someone else gifted us a bottle of Vodka for Christmas} so I was able to make several bottles of our own vanilla extract. I use the stuff in all my holiday baking and in my homemade ice cream, but I might have to switch up the recipes this year as my vanilla extract supply is starting to get low.
What do you think? Will you change-up your baking plans for the holidays or will you cough up some extra cash for some real vanilla?
~Mavis
Sarah S says
I have been making vanilla for years and will continue to do so. There is no comparison. You can add more vodka to the existing beans and than add 1-2 more beans. A bit more cost effective.
Lacy says
I bought a few packages of vanilla beans last year and they’d been hanging out in the freezer. I bought them to make ice cream but realized they were smaller and fully dried so they didn’t work out as well. I was also gifted a half gallon of vodka at around the same time last year so last month I cut up all those vanilla beans and vanilla extract is in the process of being made. Guess I’ll have to watch the prices and see when it drops to scoop up some more!
Daria says
I belong to BJ’s, as we don’t have a Costco in my area, and the price for the 16 oz bottle of vanilla I usually buy has tripled. They now sell a blended vanilla/vanillin that still costs more than the regular vanilla used to cost. I bought some Mexican vanilla extract from Amazon that has served us pretty well, but it is hard to tell whether those extracts are pure or not. It says they are, but it’s imported, and more cloying than the McCormick I’m used to.
I have some old beans, I need to pick up some vodka or white rum and make extract.
Lauralli says
I left the vanilla beans in my vodka bottle. So, I plan on just adding more vodka and seeing if I can extract more flavor from those beans! (see what I did there?) 🙂
Amy S says
That’s what I have been doing too. Unfortunately I don’t know how many more times I can do this before my beans give up the ghost completely. I initially started them in 2015 when 4 oz of plump beans cost $19.95.
Carrie says
I noticed the price when I bought a bottle last year at Costco. I have been using it sparingly ever since. I have instead switched to almond extract when ever possibly because that has been much more affordable. I also find I am really liking the almond taste, so it has worked out
Sara says
I’ve been making my own vanilla for years and started to notice the price of vanilla beans getting higher a couple years ago. I went online and bought a couple pounds of them after researching how to store them for an extended amount of time. The initial cost was a bit tough to swallow, but now I’m so glad I did it because what I paid two years ago is nothing compared to what they sell for now. And after following the instructions for keeping them “fresh” I still have some that are in perfect condition.
Mama Cook says
Real Vanilla Always!! Most years one of our family members does a mission trip to Mexico, I have them pick up a bottle or two while they’re there! If I had to buy it stateside, I wiuld still do the real deal, or use Carrie’s idea of Almond Extract!
Jamie says
We use real vanilla in everything. I usually have a stock of 5-6 Costco bottles, but stopped buying it when the price went crazy. I’m down to my last 2 bottles and have been checking the price constantly hoping it will go down again. I read some of the same info you did, but not about the cyclone. A while ago, there was an article talking about a tattoo like stamp farmers are putting on each bean because of theft when the beans are about to be harvested. So sad.
We did start putting lemon in our fresh whipped cream instead of vanilla, and let me tell you, Mavis would say, holy cow, it’s the bomb diggity!
Jennifer G says
I’ll just pay the higher price, right now I still have some vanilla that was pretty reasonable, but there’s nothing like the taste of real vanilla. I pay for real butter in everything so vanilla is just another, rather slight expense.
Diana says
I bought the orchids a couple of years ago and am trying my hand at growing my own, lol. I’ll let you know if it works out – oh, say, in maybe 5 years or so? LOL!
Seriously, the orchids are a vining type and are easy to grow, but they don’t flower until they get to be around 20′ long. After 2 years, mine are maybe a foot or so long, but I’ve noticed a growth spurt lately. YAY! Then when it does flower, they only bloom for 1 day and you have to pollinate on that day. You may not get another flower for a year. If the pollination ‘takes’, then it takes 9 months for the pod to grow. THEN once it’s ready to pick, you start the drying and curing process. Sheesh… it’s no wonder they’re expensive…
Heidi P says
Wow I had no idea vanilla was so difficult to grow. Good Luck. I hope you’re blessed with lots of pods in your future. Makes me glad I’ve had a fifth of vodka vanilla brewing for the last year:)
Mel says
If you like saffron, that’s super easy to grow. It’s a fall-blooming purple crocus, so it’s a perennial and produces every year. The threads are so small that they dry very easily for storage. We got ours from Baker Creek.
Kathy says
I’ve recently started going to estate sales and was pleasantly surprised to find they sell things like spices and vanilla extract. I was able to get a few (unopened and sealed) bottles for a really good price.
Leanna says
Smart and Final is where I buy my vanilla. Pricey but best price I’ve found. $36.99 for 16oz.
Helen in Meridian says
Costco is a dollar or two less…$34, I think.
cat says
Really lucky, my MIL brings it back form Mexico for me, so it’s not crazy expensive yet!! but I just about cried looking at the prices at Costco. $40!!!!
Katherine says
Yeah, my MIL does the same for me along with some vanilla beans.
Katie says
Wow! I didn’t know it had gotten so expensive in the U.S. I live in Papua New Guinea and 945ml (about 32 oz) is only $20 for PNG-made vanilla. I’m going to have to bring some back to the states for family when we visit this fall!
Susan says
I have about 1/4 bottle left from Costco that I bought a couple years ago. After it is gone, fake-a-roo here I come!
I won’t spend $40 for what Costco has, and that IS the cheapest out there.
I looked into vanilla beans and making my own, but it is the same price.
I might take Carrie’s suggestion and try almond extract .
Mel says
I noticed the price of the beans went up last year when I went to buy some. That’s when I learned about the shortage, so I bought a bunch before the price peaked. I kept some for baking and cooking where the bean works better than the extract (vanilla bean scones, oreo filling, and vanilla ice cream) and made a gallon of extract with some others for everything else. I read earlier this year that the shortage and weather problems were abating somewhat, but I don’t expect them to ever be cheap again.
Norma says
I was told to buy some when I went on a cruise to the Caribbean. I was told it was the best tasting but I thought my friend was crazy and didn’t do it. Now I wish I would have!
KATIE Cole says
Watch out! a number of online sources warn that caribbean vanilla is fake, chemical and synthetic. You don’t know if you are getting the real deal. If it sounds and its price is too good to be true, it probably is fake.
Laura says
I have been making my own vanilla for the past year and a half. As an experiment, I have tried reusing the beans in the bottle and that has resulted in good flavored vanilla. I have cut back a bit on my baking and am not as generous with vanilla as I used to be in the ones I did make.
I gifted my dad with some homemade vanilla 2 Christmases ago and he proclaimed it the best vanilla he ever tasted! Pretty happy with the results and, given that prices still haven’t come down much, I guess I will keep doing it until those beans are spent. Then I will break out a new bean!
Diana says
I am a make my own vanilla extract convert! I gave homemade vanilla extract as Christmas gifts a couple of years ago. I just made another batch (12-4 oz bottles) this week to donate to a fundraiser in September. I like the fact I can top off the bottle with more vodka and I have more vanilla.
Lisa MTB says
I have enough at home to last a few years (purchased before the price increase), but will plan to start up a bottle of homemade long before I run short so that it has time to steep in a dark pantry. I have alternated between making it and buying it in years past, so I know I’ll be fine using the homemade variety.
Michèle from OR says
So true, the price will turn your hair gray! I made two bottles of homemade vanilla about three months ago and haven’t used it yet…could someone please tell me how you get rid of the strong vodka smell/taste? Does it mean I haven’t used enough of the vanilla beans?
Mel says
I’m not sure if this would be it, but did you split the beans first? Do you shake it regularly? I guess it could also be the ratio.
Michèle from OR says
PS. I just found real Madagascar Vanilla Beans on Penzey’s Spices website!! I’ve bought these before and they were quality. Cost is $19.95 for three in a glass tube. After reading here how much work goes into producing them…well I couldn’t resist!
Mrs. Mac says
I just fork over the money for the real deal. May do the homemade version as I have the vanilla beans.
Athena says
I read something somewhere that for baked goods the fake stuff tastes about the same. It’s what we also used when I was growing up so, although I prefer the real stuff, I bought a HUGE bottle of the fake stuff at Sam’s Club and plan to use it for baking/cooking and save the real stuff for things like drinks, icecream etc… where you really do get a benefit from the real thing.
I hope that works out! I thought about making it in the past and I kind of wish I would have. That bottle I would have made probably would still be going strong! I guess you live and learn, right? I can’t justify the expense of the real stuff if you really can’t tell the difference in cookies, cakes etc…
Vy says
There are certain herbs and spices that are so integral to our eating, I would pay more. Though of course finding ways to be frugal, to stretch, etc. But to get an expensive but quality stash? Probably always yes.
Essentials (to me!):
Basil
Garlic
Curry
Lemon
Pepper
Salt
Vanilla
Cinnamon
Nutmeg
Cloves
Diane says
My grandmother always used a teaspoon of bourbon instead of vanilla in her cakes. Has anyone else tried that?
Leslie says
There are a few brands of Vanilla readily available that are working to eliminate child labor in this industry. https://www.dol.gov/agencies/ilab/projects/madagascar-vanilla
I was surprised when I stumbled across reports of child labor in the industry. There’s some pretty damning information out there.