Where Do Vanilla Beans Come From?

Vanilla is an essential ingredient in baking, but do you know where the delicious vanilla beans come from? Kevin Espiritu explains the fascinating history and cultivation of vanilla beans and the plant they come from.

Written by Kevin Espiritu Horticulture review by Sarah Jay Last updated: August 9, 2024 | 3 min read

Bundles of vivid green vanilla beans still dangling from the plant with beautiful leaves and a lawn in the background

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When you drink a much-needed vanilla-flavored latte in the mornings or see those specks of vanilla mixed into your ice cream, do you ever wonder where vanilla actually comes from?

Are they natural products? Why are they so expensive? Can you grow them yourself and keep from paying all that money for dried vanilla bean pods?

The truth is, vanilla has a fascinating history and there’s a lot to learn about this delicious (and useful) plant. Let’s get started.

What Is Vanilla?

Pieces of dark brown colored Vanilla planifolia with stacked on top of each other for display while on a white surface — Natural *Vanilla planifolia* has significant culinary value, used in drinks and food.

Though vanilla extract can be artificial (we’ll get to that in a bit) vanilla beans are perfectly natural. They are the products of a plant, Vanilla planifolia.

The beans are native to the Americas and grow from Mexico to Brazil. The Aztecs used to flavor their chocolate drinks with vanilla beans. The Spanish conquistadors found vanilla just as alluring and brought it back to Europe.

There’s also a type of vanilla that is grown commercially in Hawaii and Tahiti, and it’s also been introduced into Madagascar and Réunion. Réunion was where growers learned to hand-pollinate the vanilla plant. This technique was invented by a slave named Edmond Albius, who was only 12 at the time.

The plant needs to be artificially pollinated if it is grown outside of its native habitat. This is because it has, over millennia, developed a symbiotic relationship with a certain species of bee called Melipona. This is a tiny, stingless bee with huge, iridescent green eyes that is being slowly replaced by European and Africanized honey bees, which start work earlier in the morning and are not as choosy about the flowers they visit.

Vanilla planifolia is a climbing vine with a crooked stem and rubbery leaves. Eventually, the plant produces a lovely orchid flower that only lasts one day. If the orchids are pollinated within that time, the plant also produces seedpods that can be a foot long.

Indeed, the name vanilla comes from the Spanish for “little pod.” A cultivated plant lives for about 10 years and starts to produce when it is about three years old.

Cultivating Vanilla

Bundles of green Vanilla planifolia pods hanging from the plant with trees in the background appearing dark brown along with scattered fern-like leaves — They start off green and turn black when they are ready to harvest.

Vanilla pods have an oily black pulp with many tiny seeds. Pods are picked when they’re not quite ripe and yellowish-green. At that point, they are filled with a compound called glucovanillin.

This is a vanillin molecule attached to a molecule of glucose. The pods are then picked and cured by a three or four-week-long process of drying and sweating until the odor and flavors develop. By then they have shrunk and turned black, and the glucose and vanillin have parted company, leaving vanillin.

The process of making vanilla extract is complicated and expensive. The beans are ground into even smaller pieces which contain about two percent vanillin. They are then percolated with water and alcohol and tiny amounts of other components.

Though a little vanilla extract goes a long way, it is mostly alcohol and water. In fact, United States law states that vanilla extract must contain at least 35 percent alcohol and 13.35 ounces of vanilla beans per gallon. Because making real vanilla extract is so expensive, scientists have found ways to make artificial vanilla extract.

Artificial Vanilla Extract

Almost golden colored extract of Vanilla planifolia placed in a spoon and inside a bottle standing on a wooden surface with black pods scattered all over — There are multiple ways to make the extract.

One process of making artificial vanilla extract was perfected by using the residue of paper production, specifically the lignan that’s leftover from wood pulp. A more modern process makes vanilla extract from, believe it or not, fossil fuels.

Some people make a simple vanilla extract by sticking the pods into a jar tall enough to hold them and then letting them steep in vodka for about a month.

Buying Vanilla Beans

A bundle of black bean pods tied with string lying on a wooden surface near a light source casting light on the table — It has a distinct scent and flavor, perfect for desserts.

When bought, vanilla pods should be supple, a rich dark chocolate color, and deliciously fragrant. They should be pointed at one end and have a slight frost, which is the vanillin essence.

One nice way to keep a vanilla pod is to nestle it into a jar of sugar, which will give the sugar a hint of vanilla flavor. Another way to add flavor to puddings or custards is to bruise the vanilla bean and add it to simmering milk or cream. The good news is that the pod can be taken out, washed off a bit, and used again.

How to Grow Vanilla

A Vanilla planifolia plant appearing vivid green blooming a light-colored flower with appearing white near the stamen, with buds yet to bloom — The orchid that grows these beans love warm and humid environments.

Vanilla is a plant of the tropics that prefers things hot and humid. But it can be grown in a greenhouse, even though growing it is quite labor-intensive.

The soil needs to be rich, loamy, acidic, and well-draining. The plant is a heavy feeder and needs to be mulched and fertilized with things like chicken manure, worm castings, and oil cakes. As a vine, the orchid will also need support.

When the orchid opens it must be hand-pollinated at once to produce a pod. This tricky maneuver requires a blade of grass or a toothpick.

If you absolutely must try and grow it yourself, we have a great guide on growing the vanilla orchid. It is a tricky process but a great gardening experiment if you have the right space.

Vanilla is one of the most popular flavorings on earth, but is it worth the trouble it takes to grow the vine, cultivate its pods, and make its extract? For many, those specks of vanilla beans in your ice cream are irreplaceable.