How to Store Vanilla Beans: How Long Do Vanilla Beans Last?

A vanilla “bean” is the pod-shaped fruit that grows on a climbing orchid of the Vanilla plant. Hummingbirds and tiny bees pollinate vanilla orchids in vanilla’s native habitat of Central and South America, which produces these pods.

Vanilla pods are six to twelve inches long and contain thousands of tiny seeds that stick to the pod walls, which you can use to infuse food with vanilla flavor. Vanilla flavor comes from both the sticky resin surrounding the beans and the pod wall.

Home cooks can break open vanilla pods and scrape out the seeds to add a delicate vanilla flavor to a number of foods including buttercream frosting, crème brûlée, and cake batter. You can also use vanilla beans to create your own homemade vanilla extract.

Vanilla beans have a shelf life of up to two years if you store them properly, but you should plan to use them within eight months for the best flavor and freshness. Prioritize keeping your vanilla beans in an airtight container in a cool, dry place at room temperature. The beans will become unusable if you store them in the fridge, which will dry out the beans and potentially lead to mold growth.

Store vanilla beans in a glass jar or the vacuum-sealed package that they came in at room temperature in a cool, dark place out of the direct sunlight. Vanilla beans from the grocery store generally come sealed in plastic or in a glass container, and once you’ve opened the container they tend to dry out quickly.

Once you open the original package, wrap your whole vanilla bean pods in wax paper or a paper towel and keep them in a glass jar. Open the container you’re storing your beans in every few weeks to air the beans out, which will extend their shelf life by getting rid of extra moisture and relieving any humid conditions.

Alternatively, you can slice dried vanilla beans in half crosswise and store them in a small jar filled with high-proof alcohol like vodka or rum in the fridge. After two weeks, the vanilla pods will be soft, allowing you to squeeze the seeds out without using a knife.

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