If your vanilla beans have dried in your cupboard, this post is for you! Don’t throw out those expensive beans, but instead learn how to Rehydrate Vanilla Bean! It’s simple and easy!
A vanilla bean is like cooking with pure vanilla extract, only more flavorful and even better. Which means the BEST foods in the world are really made with vanilla beans.
However, vanilla beans can dry quickly and are expensive. And if you buy them in bulk (guilty!) there is no need to throw out the ones you couldn’t use quickly enough.
Dried out vanilla beans are actually really easy to rehydrate! Like…easier than you’re probably even thinking.
And you can use them just like normal once they are rehydrated. So yay!
Plus you can use both the vanilla bean seeds and the vanilla bean pods, which helps extend your dollar.
Best of all though is that they rehydrate really fast. No need to even wait, they’ll be plump vanilla beans again before you know it!
How to Rehydrate Vanilla Beans
All you need to rehydrate your vanilla beans is a little water, your beans, a bowl, and saran wrap!
Place the vanilla beans in water and let them soak. That’s it! It literally couldn’t be easier.
Pro Tips:
- The water should be hot but not boiling. Boiling the beans will make them less potent.
- Be sure to completely cover the bean. You don’t want half of it dry and the other half plump.
- The longer they soak, the plumper they become. If you need it faster, switch out the water to keep it hot.
Are Dried Out Vanilla Beans Good?
Dried out vanilla beans are just as good as the original. Which is a blessing when you’ve spent so much and don’t want to waste them!
Some things that could make them not so good are not properly storing them. So always be sure to store them properly.
I haven’t found any problem with leaving them for a long time (looking at you overflowing cupboard where things get lost.)
Typically, vanilla bean pods don’t rot, but instead they just dry out.
This means that even pods that have been forgotten for a very long time will still be able to be used.
Can Dried Out Vanilla Beans be Used for Extract?
Yes, dried-out vanilla beans can be used to make your own vanilla extract.
Actually, while vanilla beans themselves can be expensive, you’ll find making homemade extract is often cheaper than buying it in the store.
The main thing you’ll notice is time. While vanilla beans can be rehydrated in minutes, to make extract, expect to wait a while.
Use 1 ounce of beans and 1 cup of alcohol. The number of beans will depend on their variety. The alcohol is most commonly vodka but it can also be any high-proof alcohol.
Rum or bourbon are other alcohol options if you choose.
For full directions, please see our post on how to make Single Fold Vanilla Extract.
Can You Revive Dried Out Vanilla Beans?
It’s so easy to revive those dried out vanilla beans, and you’ll be very grateful you did.
One thing I will say though is to only revive the amount of vanilla bean you’re actually going to be using.
I’m not sure that a vanilla bean would be able to be soaked, then dried out, soaked again, then dried out, etc.
So if you need just pieces of vanilla, you can do that, or rehydrate a bunch at a time if you want.
How to Fix Dried Out Vanilla Beans
The easiest way to fix the dried out vanilla beans is to soak them in hot water.
Your other option is to turn the vanilla beans into vanilla extract. Then it won’t matter that they were dried out at all.
You can also just use the dried vanilla beans in recipes or to flavor sugar.
What to Do With Dried Out Vanilla Beans
If you don’t want to rehydrate the dehydrated vanilla beans, you can still use them!
You can grind the whole vanilla beans using a coffee grinder or spice grinder into a fine powder and then use them in recipes that call for vanilla powder.
Vanilla bean powder can be used in vanilla ice cream, or other yummy baked goods.
You notice nice flecks of vanilla throughout your dish.
You can also bury the dried out vanilla beans in white sugar. This will flavor your sugar with a pleasant vanilla aroma.
Vanilla sugar can be used in any recipes that call for sugar though I find it most pleasant in baked goods.
Are Vanilla Beans Supposed to be Hard?
Great question! Vanilla beans aren’t actually supposed to be hard, that means they’ve dried out.
When vanilla beans are fresh, they are plump and bend easily.
As long as you don’t notice any mold however, you can still use the hard vanilla beans.
How to Use Vanilla Beans
A single vanilla bean can be used in any recipe that calls for vanilla extract or vanilla paste.
In general, ⅓ of a vanilla bean will equal 1 tsp of vanilla extract.
One whole vanilla bean will equal 1 tsp of vanilla bean paste.
How to Store Vanilla Beans
The key to remember with vanilla beans is that the air and moisture are bad!
While vanilla beans can dry out and be used for anything you need, moldy vanilla beans cannot.
Air, moisture, or extremely high or low temperatures can cause the vanilla beans to rot instead of dry.
The best way to store vanilla beans is in an airtight container. In fact, vacuum sealed packages are an excellent choice.
Also, plastic packaging can absorb the flavor of the vanilla beans so if you’re storing in Tupperware, opt for a glass container over plastic.
How to Dry Vanilla Beans
If you just know you won’t be able to use the vanilla beans in time the best option is to dry them out intentionally.
This way you can prevent them from molding and still be able to use them later.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 150 degrees F.
Then bake for 60-90 minutes. The key is dry but not burned.
Then seal the vanilla beans with as little air as possible and keep them for as long as desired!
I’ve heard you cannot store them beyond 3 years and that over a year they begin to lose their flavor.
I haven’t ever tried keeping them this long but you should be aware of this if you do.
How to Keep Vanilla Beans Fresh
First, never put your vanilla beans in the fridge or freezer. While that may be what you do for almost all foods to preserve them, it’ll actually ruin your fresh beans.
Next, store them in airtight containers or packaging so you don’t see mold growth.
Finally, keep them in a cool and dark place away from direct sunlight.
I find a cupboard or pantry the best, though if it’s too hot in there, choose the basement.
Excessive heat will decrease the shelf life and can destroy the real vanilla beans.
If you want to use the vanilla beans fresh, use them within a few weeks.
You can use the fresh beans for up to 6 months, though typically they’ll begin to dry before then.
Remember to avoid plastic containers for best results.
From now on, whenever you splurge on those vanilla beans, never toss them out! Instead, easily rehydrate vanilla bean using this recipe and enjoy them for a very long time!
How to Rehydrate Dried Out Vanilla Beans
Ingredients
- Dried out vanilla beans
- Water, hot but not boiling
Instructions
Take dried out beans - broke, whole - ANY and place in a shallow dish. A pie plate or casserole dish works great!
Pour warm water over the top of beans covering them 1 1/2 - 2 inches.
Cover dish with saran wrap and wait 10 minutes.
Beans will plump up and rehydrate and should be bendable. If they are not as plump as you want, dump water and start over. I've let my beans go as long as overnight and they were UBER plump the next day and perfect! However if you need them right away, the 10 minute method works great!
Open beans up and scoop out seeds.
Toss used pods into your sugar canister and give it a good shake. Leave pods in sugar and let them flavor your sugar! Yum!
Topher the am
Thursday 7th of July 2022
Will those rehydrated seeds grow if put in soil & tended properly?
KMac
Tuesday 2nd of August 2022
@Janelle, Vanilla pods come from an Orchid varietal. So most likely no on starting from seed... Buuttt, Goggle it ! I'm sure you'll find exactly the information you're looking for ! Peace. KmacLeod P.S. I thought about the possibilities of doing this myself also !!!^
Janelle
Wednesday 13th of July 2022
Hi Topher. I've never tried to grow by own beans so I honestly can't say. You could always try if you're willing to sacrifice one. If you do, come back and let us know how it turned out.
Nan
Thursday 7th of October 2021
Woo hoo! It worked. Now, how do I store the wet beans?
Janelle
Monday 11th of October 2021
My favorite way is in alcohol to make vanilla! You can also seal them up in a vacuum sealed bag. Leaving wet beans lying around can lead to mold growth, so you'll want to use them!
Nan
Thursday 7th of October 2021
Glad I found this! I didn’t want to throw out my expensive bean. I’m going to go rescue them now!!
Hose-A
Thursday 28th of May 2020
Another thing that can be done with dried up vanilla beans is to break up two or three or four and add them to a half pint of vodka. Allow to steep for a couple weeks or four. Patience is the thing. Home brewed vanilla extract! Better than anything you could buy. The strength of the extract become stronger over time.
Janelle
Friday 21st of August 2020
YES! I turned all these in the homemade vanilla myself! Great idea!
taz
Saturday 26th of October 2019
Thank you, I was wondering about this. But if using to make vanilla, couldn't you still just put them into the vodka and let them soak?
Janelle
Sunday 27th of October 2019
Hi Taz, yes you can! However if you're making vanilla you really want the seeds that are INSIDE the pods. It's easiest to cut them open once they are soft, then toss the split pods into the vanilla and let them do their magic! If you try to cut open a rock hard, dried out pod, it tends to crumble a bit I've found. Great question!