How to Scrape a Vanilla Bean (5 Steps)

Fresh vanilla seeds can add a rich complexity to many dishes and provide visual interest at the same time. If you have ever noticed small, dark flecks in vanilla ice cream, you have seen these small seeds. You can mix them with sugar to make vanilla-flavored sugar without the one- to two-week wait for typical vanilla sugar (where you bury a cleaned vanilla pod in sugar and allow the sugar to absorb its flavor). Removing the seeds from the bean might seem tricky because of the tiny size of the seeds, but you can scrape the bean to remove almost all the seeds in just a few minutes.

Things You'll Need

Cutting board
Sharp, small knife

Small container

Instructions

Place the vanilla bean on your cutting board, then cut the bean in half lengthwise with a small, sharp knife.
Pick up one end of one half of the bean in your nondominant hand. Examine the cut side; you should see hundreds of tiny black specks. These are the seeds you are going to scrape out of the bean.
Place the sharp edge of the knife against the cut side of the bean. Scrape the knife against the bean, moving your fingers below the bean to provide support. You should see a collection of seeds building up on the knife. Deposit these seeds into a small container when you reach the end of the bean.
Scrape the knife lengthwise across the cut side of the bean again, focusing on any areas that still have visible pockets of seeds.
Repeat this process on the other half of the vanilla bean.

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