Vanilla Extract Paste
Vanilla extract paste, also traded as vanilla bean paste, is a thickened vanilla preparation in which a concentrated bean extract is combined with ground vanilla seed and a viscosity building base, so that the product delivers both the flavour of an extract and the visible black seed specks associated with a scraped pod.
The flavour fraction is a concentrated hydroalcoholic or aqueous vanilla extract, generally at several fold strength, carrying vanillin together with the p hydroxybenzaldehyde, vanillic acid, guaiacol and minor esters that give bean derived material its rounded character. The seed fraction is exhausted or partly exhausted bean seed and pod fragments, which contribute little flavour but supply the appearance. The body comes from invert sugar syrup, glucose syrup or glycerol, usually with a small addition of a hydrocolloid such as xanthan or tragacanth gum to hold the seeds in even suspension.
It is a viscous dark brown paste with visible black specks, spoonable rather than pourable, and it disperses into aqueous and dairy systems with agitation. The sugar content lowers water activity enough to make it shelf stable unopened, though the alcohol level is usually below that of a straight extract. Prolonged heating drives off vanillin and darkens the paste further.
We source bulk Vanilla Extract Paste from top China manufacturers for our partners. The manufacturer is in Hainan. A smaller requirement can ship in a combined container with other ingredients.
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- Function
- Flavours and Aromas
Specifications
| Item | Specification |
|---|---|
| Appearance | Viscous dark brown paste with evenly distributed black seed specks |
| Odour and taste | Characteristic of cured vanilla bean, sweet and balsamic |
| Identification | Conforms to the reference chromatographic profile for vanillin and p hydroxybenzaldehyde |
| Vanillin content | Declared per grade, not less than 1.0 g/kg |
| Total soluble solids | 60.0 to 75.0 degrees Brix |
| Ground vanilla bean content | Not less than 1.0% |
| Viscosity at 20 degrees Celsius | 4,000 to 12,000 mPa s |
| Water activity | Not more than 0.85 |
| pH | 3.5 to 5.5 |
| Lead | Not more than 1.0 mg/kg |
| Arsenic | Not more than 0.5 mg/kg |
| Total plate count | Not more than 1,000 cfu/g |
| Yeast and mould | Not more than 50 cfu/g |
| Salmonella | Absent in 25 g |
Common Markets Grades
The trade separates by flavour strength and by seed loading, and the two are quoted independently. Strength is declared either as the fold of the extract used or directly as vanillin content in grams per kilogram, since a paste built for industrial dosing may be several times stronger than a retail jar. Seed loading is specified by the visible speck count or simply by the percentage of ground bean, because in many applications the appearance is the reason the paste is bought at all.
Composition gives the further splits. A pure type contains only vanilla extract, ground bean, sugar or glycerol and a hydrocolloid, while a compounded type carries added vanillin or ethyl vanillin to raise strength at lower cost and cannot be sold under a pure vanilla description in markets with a standard of identity. Alcohol free versions built on glycerol and propylene glycol are made for applications that cannot carry ethanol, and sugar free versions on polyol or glycerol bases are traded for reduced sugar formulations. Organic and fair trade certified versions follow the certification of the bean.
Applications
- Ice cream and gelato, the principal industrial application, where the seed specks signal bean derived flavour in the finished product
- Creme brulee, panna cotta, custards and pastry creams that are traditionally made with a scraped pod
- Cake batters, sponges and biscuit doughs where visible specks are part of the product identity
- Buttercreams, frostings and whipped fillings, added at the aeration stage
- Yoghurt, fromage frais and dairy desserts, dispersed into the base before filling
- Cheesecake, mousse and chilled dessert manufacture
- Confectionery fillings, fondants and marshmallow
- Syrups, coffee sauces and beverage bases in foodservice, where the paste disperses without the sharp alcohol note of an extract
- Retail baking jars and tubes sold as a substitute for splitting and scraping a pod
Brands Using Vanilla Extract Paste
Widely-distributed consumer products that list Vanilla Extract Paste on the ingredient label.
- The Spice HouseMadagascar Vanilla Bean Paste ↗A Madagascar vanilla bean paste sold for ice cream, custards, creme brulee and frosting.Label verified 2026-08-31
- Curio Spice Co.Vanilla Paste ↗A vanilla paste made from directly sourced vanilla beans aged three months in bourbon barrels, used in place of vanilla extract.Label verified 2026-08-31
- NutricostOrganic Madagascar Vanilla Bean Paste ↗An 8 oz vanilla bean paste made with organic Madagascar vanilla beans for baking and cooking.Label verified 2026-08-31
Brand names, product names and logos are the property of their owners. They appear here as published evidence that the ingredient is used, taken from the brand's own label or website. Their appearance is not an endorsement, and it does not mean the brand buys from us or from any manufacturer listed on this site.
China Manufacturers of Vanilla Extract Paste
Top Vanilla Extract Paste manufacturers in China.
Company names and logos are the property of the manufacturers themselves. They are listed here because our own directory records them as producing this ingredient. A listing is not an endorsement by them, and we do not represent them or speak on their behalf.
Regulatory Status
In the United States the standards of identity in 21 CFR Part 169 govern vanilla preparations and define vanilla extract, concentrated vanilla extract, vanilla flavouring and related articles by the extractive matter obtained from a specified weight of beans. A paste that meets one of those definitions may use the corresponding name, while one that carries added sugar, thickener or supplementary vanillin is labelled by its actual composition, most often as a vanilla bean paste with a full ingredient declaration under 21 CFR Part 101. Hydrocolloids used to build viscosity have their own status, with xanthan gum permitted as a food additive under 21 CFR Part 172.
In the European Union the vanilla fraction is a flavouring preparation under Regulation (EC) No 1334/2008 and needs no individual authorisation, and a natural vanilla flavouring description may be used only where the flavouring component comes exclusively from vanilla. The thickener keeps its own additive identity under Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008, with xanthan gum as E 415 and tragacanth as E 413, and must be declared. Ethanol used for the extraction falls under the extraction solvents directive. Codex covers the bean through a commodity standard and the finished preparation through its general standards for food additives and for the labelling of prepackaged foods.
Manufacturing Process
Two streams are prepared and then combined. The flavour stream is a vanilla extract made by percolating chopped cured beans with ethanol and water in a counter current battery, filtering the liquor and concentrating it under low temperature vacuum to the target fold. The seed stream comes from spent or partly spent bean left over from extraction, which is dried, milled and sieved so that the seed and fine pod fragments are recovered at a controlled particle size, coarse enough to be seen but fine enough not to feel gritty.
Blending takes place in a jacketed vacuum mixer. The sugar syrup or glycerol base is warmed and the hydrocolloid is hydrated into it under high shear, which sets the final viscosity and suspension behaviour. The concentrated extract, the milled seed and any added vanillin are then folded in under vacuum so that air is not entrained, since entrapped air both floats the seeds and accelerates oxidation. The paste is standardised for vanillin and total solids, given a short pasteurising hold where the water activity alone is not sufficient, and filled warm into pails, jars or drums.
