How To Make Vanilla Emulsion

Emulsions and extracts are similar in their purposes but differ in some important ways. Both are used as a flavoring for various foods, and one of the most popular of these is vanilla emulsion.

You can purchase various emulsions online and in many stores, but if you want to make vanilla emulsion, all you need is butter, confectioners’ sugar, and vanilla extract. This can also save you a lot of money because vanilla emulsion is often very expensive. This is partly because of the process used in making the emulsion.

Emulsions vs. Extracts

Flavor emulsions and flavor extracts are alike and different. If you look at where the flavor compounds are suspended, you’ll understand how they are different. A flavor extract, for instance, usually involves an alcohol solution of roughly 35% to suspend the flavor compounds. Emulsions, on the other hand, use a mixture of water and vegetable gum instead. While most people think of vanilla as the main type of extract, there are actually many more extracts available.

Vanilla flavor compounds are suspended in alcohol in extract because alcohol is both a preservative and an excellent flavor solvent. The downside is that alcohol is volatile and therefore evaporates quickly. And as the alcohol evaporates, some of the smells and flavor of the extract are removed. Of course, it is because of this alcohol that vanilla extract lasts such a long time in your kitchen cabinet, so you can see that there are both pros and cons to using extract.

When emulsions are made, a mix of vegetable gum and water is used instead of alcohol. This gooey mixture doesn’t evaporate nearly as quickly as alcohol does, which means when you bake with emulsions, they retain essential oils much better. In many ways, the flavor of emulsions is much more robust and, in fact, some people consider it a bit overwhelming for their taste. Nevertheless, many bakers claim that once they make their masterpieces with emulsions, they never go back to extracts.

Can You Make Your Own Vanilla Emulsion?

If you buy vanilla emulsion, you could end up paying nearly $90 for a 16-ounce bottle, and even though you’ll only use small portions of it for each recipe and therefore the bottle should last a very long time, that is still a hefty price to pay. While recipes for vanilla emulsion are a bit of a challenge to find, there is a basic recipe you can use in place of the store-bought emulsions. It’s easy to make and contains only three ingredients, and all three are likely already in your home.

For this vanilla emulsion, cream together 12 tablespoons of butter and 3/4 cup of confectioners’ sugar. Once these two ingredients are creamed together well, add 2 tablespoons of vanilla extract, then cover the bowl and place it in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Once you remove the emulsion from the fridge, it is ready to be used. And while it’s thicker than the store-bought emulsion in most cases, you can still use it in the same way.

Conclusion

Emulsions and extracts are both excellent ways to add a boost of flavor to your baked goods, and once you learn how to use them, you’ll wonder why you didn’t learn how to do this much sooner. The more experience you get with using an emulsion for baking adventures, the more recipes you’ll likely find that help you use emulsions even more. There are also companies that can mix the emulsions for you, although they often work only with commercial customers. Flavor emulsions are always worth the time and effort because their perfect flavor is truly second to none.

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