The Best Substitutes for Vanilla Extract in Cookies

The mere smell of vanilla can send a person into a nostalgic and frenzied baking mode. This iconic pod is used in everything from ice cream to cheesecake and, of course, cookies.

If you feel like baking and can’t find a drop of vanilla extract anywhere in your house, all is not lost.

What is the best substitute for vanilla extract in cookies? Another form of vanilla, such as vanilla beans, vanilla bean paste, or vanilla powder. In the absence of a true vanilla substitute, you can also try artificial vanilla extract, maple syrup, honey, an alternative flavored extract, liqueur, or spice if you’re in a pinch.

Each of these substitutions will add something original to your recipe, and depending on the type of cookies you’re baking, some may work better than others. In this article, we’ll look at the best substitutes for a variety of cookies, so you can feel confident substituting vanilla extract in any recipe.

What is vanilla extract?

Vanilla extract, in its purest variety, is made simply from vanilla beans and alcohol. The pods are left to soak long enough to extract their flavor in the alcohol, which you can then use in your pastries.

It’s worth noting that if you’re not a very picky baker, chances are you’ve been buying artificial vanilla for years without realizing it. It is very common in baking and provides almost the same results, because at least half the power of vanilla is in the aroma.

However, if you have a fine-tuned palate, you’ll notice the difference when you make your own vanilla extract or purchase a high-quality, real vanilla option.

Pure Vanilla Substitution Options

Whole vanilla beans have very intense flavors and are one of the most expensive spices in the world, ranking second only to saffron.

However, because it has such a strong flavor, it is usually within the reach of most people in small amounts, although it is not as cheap as many other extracts or the artificial variety.

If you get a whole bean, open the pod lengthwise to get to the sticky interior. ½ pod will replace 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract.

You can also save the pod, placing it in a sugar jar to create vanilla scented sugar.

Vanilla bean paste is a thick paste made by mixing the sticky interior of vanilla beans with vanilla extract. It can be hard to find, but it’s rich and delicious like few others and can be substituted for vanilla extract in just the right amount of time.

The powdered vanilla bean is the purest form of vanilla next to the bean itself. It is made by simply drying the pod and grinding it into a powder. A little goes a long way, so use half the amount of extract called for in the recipe.

How to make vanilla extract

Before we talk about non-vanilla substitutes for vanilla extract, you might want to know that if you have vanilla beans, or even vanilla bean paste, and a bottle of vodka, you can make a batch of your own vanilla extract. home.

It’s not an instant fix, but it’s something you can keep on hand if you have a few vanilla beans left over that you don’t know what to do with.

Vanilla extract is made by simply soaking the pods in alcohol . Vodka is most commonly used for homebrewing because it allows the vanilla flavor to shine through with hardly any contamination. You can use rum or bourbon if that’s what you have, but it will create a mixed extract flavor.

This is how you do it:

• In a small Mason or Wyck jar, place 3 vanilla beans that you have opened.
• Pour in 1 cup of alcohol of your choice. You will need to let it sit in a cool, dry place, tightly covered, for about a month before the flavor is strong enough to use as an extract.
• All you have to do during this time is shake the jar every week or so.

If you’re in a hurry, uncomfortable making an extract with your own vodka, or just don’t have usable alcohol, we can teach you how to make non-alcoholic vanilla extract as well. It’s actually more of a vanilla syrup.

We explain how:

• Take a vanilla pod, crack it open, and scrape out the sticky material from the inside.
• Add it to a simple syrup of sugar and water and simmer for 15 minutes.

This can be immediately used in exact measurements of the vanilla extract in any recipe.

Is vanilla extract necessary?

Vanilla extract is not always necessary in a recipe, although it almost always adds a depth of flavor and aromatic sweetness that will be missed. In savory recipes, we use salt to bring out the flavors of the other ingredients. In confectionery, we use vanilla.

However, baking is a much more scientific process than cooking, so you may have a history of flat soufflés, flatbread cakes, or sliced bread simply from not measuring something exactly.

Unless used in something like vanilla ice cream, where it’s the star of the dish, vanilla extract has no structural role in confectionery, compared to something like baking soda, for example.

This makes it much easier to substitute for a similar effect, and offers many powerful options to experiment with.

The best substitute for vanilla extract for overall flavor

If it’s flavor you’re after, the absolute best solution to substituting vanilla extract is to use an alternate form of vanilla, such as the pod, pod paste, or vanilla powder.

If the reason you’re not using vanilla extract also prevents you from using a true vanilla substitute—probably the exorbitant price of the sweet spice— your best bet for flavor would be to substitute artificial vanillin, vanilla flavoring, or vanilla essence. .

This is the most obvious substitute, but if you’re looking online for a substitute for vanilla extract, you probably don’t have artificial vanilla either.

The Best Substitute for Vanilla Extract for Cookies

In general, the best solution for substituting vanilla extract depends on what you are baking.

Some of the more common substitutions are listed in the chart below, and we’ll then move on to suggesting which option to choose for the different cookies you’re baking.

Use of vanilla extract in cookies

In some baked goods, vanilla can make or break the subtlety of the dessert. On cookies, it’s much less noticeable and therefore you have much more leeway with viable substitutions.

Even professional pastry chefs often agree that whatever the star of the cookie, be it chocolate, ginger, peanut butter, or humble sugar, will overpower even high-quality vanilla, so substituting or even simply removing it in certain cases will not noticeably affect the batch. 

Depending on that star flavor, finding a substitute that complements and enhances it is more important than simply adding vanilla extract out of habit.

Replacing Vanilla Extract in Chocolate Cookies

In chocolate chip cookies, chocolate is obviously the main flavor.

Although the scent of vanilla may draw you in, chocolate tastes great on or in anything, so your options here are limitless, though our favorites are an orange extract or dark bourbon.

If you’d rather not compete with chocolate in your cookies, try a milder caramel or almond extract, using half the amount called for in the recipe.

Vanilla Extract Substitute in Sugar Cookies

Although many people don’t realize it, the characteristic “sugar” flavor in sugar cookies is often achieved by the vanilla extract.

In this case you have two options:

1. Try honey or maple syrup and hope your cookie monsters won’t notice the subtle difference between such familiar flavors, or
2. Make a statement using citrus extract or specific spices, like ginger or cinnamon.

Substitute vanilla extract in peanut butter cookies

Peanut butter cookies can be as simple as peanut butter + sugar + egg = cookie, much to the surprise and delight of our test kitchen.

However, such simple peanut butter cookies can lose their charm over time.

Maple syrup or honey are the perfect substitute for vanilla extract in this case, and according to many, even a better solution.

However, if you don’t like your cookies too sweet, you may want to use less sugar than the recipe calls for to offset the added sweetness of the syrup or honey.

Vanilla Extract Substitute for Shortbread Cookies

The most important ingredient in shortbread cookies is butter, but the vanilla is there to add flavor support as well.

The best solution, in this case, is to draw attention to the substitute, using a lemon or almond extract to add a bold flavor.

If you’re a stickler for tradition, swapping out the extract for the liqueur will give you a more similar result.

Substitute Vanilla Extract in Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Like peanut butter cookies, not all recipes in this variety call for vanilla extract, but it does step the recipe up to the level of a professional baker.

Both oatmeal and raisins go perfectly with nuts of any kind, so using an almond extract is perfect for this occasion.

With a bit more thought, you can’t go wrong with any of the above suggestions: maple syrup, honey, spices, and liqueurs would all taste amazing in an oatmeal cookie.

Use an oatmeal cookie recipe to test the flavors if you’re still nervous about substitutions.

Related questions

What is a good substitute for vanilla extract in frosting?

When you create a frosting, texture and consistency are important. If your recipe calls for vanilla extract and you don’t have it, the best substitute will be another extract or liqueur.

This will keep the liquid balance from changing and your frosting will work like it’s supposed to. However, it can subtly change the flavor.

You can make a statement with a bold extract like berry or coconut extract, or you can opt for a liqueur, added in the same measurements as your vanilla extract, and have a milder flavor.

What can I use to substitute vanilla extract in banana bread?

The most important thing in banana bread is the banana flavor, so you can simply remove the vanilla extract and notice little if any difference in your recipe.

If you’re really concerned, it’s best to use an extract of another flavor, if you have it, instead of maple syrup or honey, which can slightly alter the consistency of your bread.

A liqueur would also work well and add a lovely aroma and don’t worry the alcohol will wash off and your bread will still be kid friendly.

Is there a substitute for vanilla extract in cheesecake?

In cheesecake, the role of vanilla is primarily to intensify the sweetness factor. This can be achieved by using any of the substitutes mentioned above to give your cheesecake a slightly different flavor twist.

Maple syrup or honey will be the sweetest, while another choice of extract or liqueur will only add depth to the flavor.

Depending on the topping you choose, a butter extract will create a very silky and buttery cheesecake. 

What can I use to substitute vanilla extract in ice cream?

Ice cream can be almost any flavor your imagination can come up with, but when it comes to pure vanilla ice cream, the only substitute for vanilla extract is some other form of vanilla.

It’s the flavor that’s important, and anything else will make the ice cream anything but vanilla. You can use vanilla flavor or essence, vanilla bean, or vanilla paste, but it has to be vanilla.

Can I make french toast without vanilla extract?

French toast was originally invented as a way to use up stale bread and was made with whatever sweet and spicy ingredients were on hand at the time.

Over time it has become more of a treat than a breakfast necessity, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be traditional and just use what you have instead of following a recipe exactly.

It is very forgiving, and if you don’t have vanilla extract, you can try substituting any combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice, and sugar for flavor.

You can also live on the edge by adding some liquor like rum or brandy, or you can opt for a sweet substitute like maple syrup or honey.