Costco Pure Vanilla Extract: A $10 Hidden Gem

The year was 1997. It’s peak Lofthouse Sugar Cookie and Funfetti Cake era, and I’m 10 years old. Up until now, I had been raised in an imitation vanilla household—and honestly didn’t realize there was an alternative. All of this changed when I was at a sleepover at a friend’s house, where we decided that nothing would satisfy quite like warm cookies and milk before bed. As my pal dug out ingredients from her pantry, I lined up each according to when we’d need it to follow the recipe. (Tollhouse or bust!) It was then that I noticed her bottle was billed in a different way than mine: “pure vanilla extract.” I remember thinking, “So that’s why ours says ‘imitation.’”

I wasn’t deterred at the time, as I found my Mom’s grocery pick to be downright delicious. But when I moved out on my own and learned more about the difference between imitation vanilla flavor (made with vanillin, a naturally occurring chemical compound in real vanilla beans, plus additives to enhance the texture and color) versus pure vanilla extract (featuring vanilla beans, water and alcohol, which helps “extract” the sweet and floral flavor from the vanilla beans), I began buying pure. 

As a grown up, I realized the flavor difference was vast—as was the price difference. Throughout my 30s, I’ve been investing about $35 on each 8-ounce bottle, which I polish off within a month come baking season. But when I joined Costco last year, I discovered a cost-saving swap that made me officially switch teams. Twice the vanilla extract for less than a third of the price? Sold. Now I never leave the store without a bottle.

What Is Costco’s Pure Vanilla Extract?

Since each vanilla flower must be hand pollinated and each bean needs 9 months to mature, pure vanilla extract is rarely a budget-friendly buy. Plus, the FDA strictly defines how much actual vanilla must be in “pure” formulations.  Due to all the time and labor required to grow enough beans to infuse each bottle, pure vanilla extract generally clocks in at around $4 to $5 per ounce. 

Ina Garten’s favorite, Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Extract, is right in that range. I swear by anything with the “store-bought is fine” stamp of approval, so Nielsen-Massey had been my pantry staple throughout my 30s—until I discovered this alternative at Costco. 

Made with vanilla extractives in water and the FDA-aligned amount of alcohol (35%), Costco’s vanilla formula is streamlined, aromatic and flavorful. I whipped up a batch of my mom’s signature snickerdoodle cookies with the final teaspoon of Nielsen-Massey one week, then recreated the same recipe with Costco’s vanilla a week later, and my pals and I couldn’t decipher any noticeable differences. Admittedly, there’s likely a quality difference in terms of both the beans and alcohol. In most scenarios, though—especially in baked goods—the results are remarkably similar if not identical.

There is a vast difference in the price tag, however. Costco rates vary slightly by region and time of year. At my Central Iowa store, each 16-ounce bottle of Costco Pure Vanilla Extract generally runs me $9.99. That’s 62 cents per ounce, compared to $4.35 per ounce to buy Ina’s go-to on Amazon. (No wonder the Costco vanilla is one of the 10 underrated budget-friendly items a fellow food writer buys!)

Some Costco members hypothesize that Costco’s Pure Vanilla Extract is a white-labeled version of McCormick Pure Vanilla Extract; sold for about half the price. Others swear the warehouse brand whips up its own signature Kirkland formula. I’ll let them debate the secret recipe while I make the most of it in my kitchen.

How to Use Costco’s Pure Vanilla Extract

Cookbook author and Broma Bakery founder Sarah Fennel told EatingWell that she likes to think of “vanilla extract as the salt of the baking world. It really enhances every other flavor in your baked goods.” I wholeheartedly agree and have found myself being much less shy about using vanilla extract now that it is affordable enough that I can add a big bottle to my cart every month during my Costco run. 

Here are a few of the classic and creative ways I’ve been putting my Costco Pure Vanilla Extract to delicious use.

And with the holidays right around the corner, I look forward to using Costco’s Pure Vanilla Extract in new-to-me recipes including Chocolate-Peppermint Cake. To delight my Lofthouse-loving inner child, I might have to add these Soft Sugar Cookies to the lineup as well.

The Bottom Line

Costco’s Pure Vanilla Extract is a fraction of the price of other boutique brands and costs about half as much as other generic store brands. Someday, when I have months of marination time to spare, I look forward to starting my own batch of homemade vanilla extract. But for now, store-bought is fine—and far more affordable—thanks to this Costco find that I think might come in handy in your kitchen, too.