Powders

What is pure vanilla powder?

Vanilla Fair's gourmet powders are pure ground vanilla: nothing but crushed Madagascar Vanilla planifolia pods, finely sifted into a uniform brown powder with visible specks. That is not what every market calls "vanilla powder". Under US rules, vanilla powder is a mixture of ground beans or vanilla oleoresin with blending ingredients such as sugar, dextrose, lactose or food starch, and with sugar it may be sold as "vanilla sugar"¹. When you compare offers, read the ingredient list first.

Two gourmet grades

Premium Powder

Premium Powder is made from 100% crushed vanilla pods: particle size 300 µm, residual moisture below 10%, vanillin 1.8 to 2.6%, with an intense, rich aroma and subtle sweet notes. The product sheet lists conventional, organic and fair trade versions.

Signature Powder

Signature Powder is ground from TK and split TK beans: particle size 300 µm, residual moisture below 10%, vanillin 1.8 to 2.2%, with an intense aroma and natural sweetness.

Applications

A dry powder disperses evenly where liquids are unwelcome: macaron shells, shortbread, choux pastry, cake premixes, ganaches and pralines, ice cream and gelato, hot chocolate and coffee drinks. The specks stay visible in light-coloured preparations. To turn a recipe dose into batch quantities, use the formulation simulator.

How it is made

Curing by the Bourbon method follows four stages: killing, sweating, drying and conditioning². In published Madagascar practice, pods sweat in blankets after the hot-water dip, then dry in the sun for 2 to 3 weeks and slowly in the shade for 2 weeks to a month³. In our own curing, the dip is at 63 °C for about 3 minutes. It takes about 6 kg of green pods to make 1 kg of cured black pods⁴: every gram of powder concentrates that work. The cured pods are then ground and sifted.

Quality and specifications to request

• Moisture. ISO 5565-1:1999 sets a maximum of 20% moisture for vanilla powder⁵; our gourmet powders are specified below 10%.
• Vanillin. Ask for the test method and moisture basis. ISO gives the usual range for pods on a wet basis⁵, and a powder is much drier than a whole pod, so compare figures on the same basis.
• Particle size and colour: 300 µm and a uniform brown on both grades.
• Storage. Vanillin is unstable in the presence of oxygen, light and humidity⁶: keep the powder closed at +12 °C to +19 °C, away from air, light and other spices. Shelf life is 12 to 24 months.
• Certificates. For an organic or fair trade version, ask for the certificate that covers your lot.

How to order

Orders start at 50 kg, all formats combined: bulk bags, jars from 100 g to 1 kg or custom packs, quoted on request, with samples. For food manufacturing grades, see our vanilla powders for industry, including Natural Powder.