In the health food blog archives below, you’ll find natural sugar substitutes, including brief mentions of finding the appropriate vanilla sugar substitute. Here, we’ll get into finding a substitute for vanilla a little more in-depth. We’ll cover both vanilla sugar and vanilla extract substitutes.
Overview
- What is vanilla sugar?
- How to Make Vanilla Sugar
- Baking Tips: How to Substitute for Vanilla Extract When Baking
What is vanilla sugar?
Simply put, vanilla sugar is sugar that has been infused with raw vanilla beans. Although this isn’t a popular ingredient in the U.S., it pops up more in European recipes.
You can either buy vanilla sugar at a specialty foods store or make it yourself.
How to Make Vanilla Sugar
It’s actually quite easy to make vanilla sugar! You can use it in baked goods, like muesli breakfast cookies or muesli bread.
In order to make vanilla sugar, you’ll need:
- 2 vanilla beans and 4 cups of granulated sugar, as well as an airtight container.
Then, it just takes four simple steps (and a few weeks) to complete:
- First, slice open each vanilla bean, and carefully remove the seeds.
- Thoroughly stir together the vanilla bean seeds and sugar.
- After combining the ingredients, store them in an airtight container.
- Allow the foods to mingle together for 2-6 weeks.
How to Substitute Vanilla Sugar for Vanilla Extract
Below is an excellent and easy guide to swapping out vanilla sugar for vanilla extract from Leaf.com:
In most recipes, you can freely substitute vanilla extract and vanilla sugar.
Using Vanilla Sugar Instead of Vanilla Extract: In recipes that call for vanilla extract, use 1 1/2 teaspoons of homemade vanilla sugar per teaspoon of vanilla extract. Add an extra teaspoon of a liquid ingredient per 1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla sugar to replace the liquid from the vanilla extract. If you have commercially produced vanilla sugar, use only 1 teaspoon of vanilla sugar per teaspoon of vanilla extract.
Using Vanilla Extract Instead of Vanilla Sugar: One teaspoon of vanilla extract is the equivalent of 1 1/2 teaspoons of homemade vanilla sugar, or 1 teaspoon of commercially made vanilla sugar. Keep in mind that vanilla extract is not sweetened, so add an extra 1 1/2 teaspoons of sugar per teaspoon of vanilla extract called for in the recipe.
How to Decide on a Substitute for Vanilla Extract When Baking
There are plenty of ways to decide on a substitute for vanilla extract when baking. In most cases, just use the same amount of the substitute as the recipe calls for vanilla extract. Here are six favorites:
- Maple Syrup (also scrumptious in overnight oats or drizzled atop fluffy pancakes!)
- Almond Extract
- Vanilla Flavored Coconut Milk
- Honey
- Vanilla Stevia
(You’ll find a lot more information on maple syrup, stevia, and honey in “10 Little Known Natural Sugar Substitutes” and “Different Types of Sugars 101: Answers to All of Your Sugar FAQs!”)
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10 Little-Known Natural Sugar Substitutes
Aug 28, 2019
There’s no question about it: refined sugar is practically poison, unless it is consumed in very small amounts. But that’s just not where our culture is at; we don’t seem to “do” moderation very well. Here are some natural sugar substitutes to help you drastically reduce your sugar consumption!
