Vanilla Recipes for Breakfast
Vanilla isn’t only for dessert. Breakfast may actually be one of the easiest places to use it. A small amount can add a surprising amount of flavor without making breakfast overly sweet.
Have you ever added vanilla to something you normally make without it? French toast and pancakes are great places to start.
Perfect French Toast
French toast is one of those simple breakfasts that can be really good when the little things are done right. This recipe from Add a Pinch combines eggs, milk, vanilla, cinnamon, and other basic ingredients to turn ordinary bread into a classic breakfast.
Get the Perfect French Toast recipe at Add a Pinch →
Buttermilk Pancakes
A stack of homemade pancakes is hard to beat. King Arthur Baking’s buttermilk pancake recipe uses vanilla along with buttermilk to make a classic pancake that can be topped with butter, syrup, fruit, or whatever your family likes.
Get the Buttermilk Pancakes recipe at King Arthur Baking →
Vanilla Overnight Oats
If you’d rather have breakfast waiting on you in the morning, overnight oats are about as convenient as it gets. Eating Bird Food’s vanilla overnight oats offer a completely different way to use vanilla and can be prepared ahead of time.
Get the Vanilla Overnight Oats recipe at Eating Bird Food →
Vanilla Recipes for Baking
This is probably where most of us reach for vanilla without even thinking about it. Cookies, cakes, and cupcakes often wouldn’t taste quite right without it.
These vanilla recipes range from an easy batch of cookies to a pound cake where vanilla gets a chance to be one of the main flavors.
Gluten-Free Vanilla Pound Cake
Pound cake is an old-fashioned favorite, and this version from King Arthur Baking also happens to be gluten-free. It is a good option when you want a simple cake where vanilla doesn’t have to compete with a dozen other flavors.
Get the Gluten-Free Vanilla Pound Cake recipe →
Vanilla Cookies
Sometimes simple is exactly what you want. These vanilla cookies from Southern Living let the vanilla flavor stand on its own instead of hiding it behind chocolate chips, nuts, or heavy frosting.
Get the Vanilla Cookies recipe at Southern Living →
Soft Sugar Cookies
Soft sugar cookies are one of those recipes that can bring back memories before you even take the first bite. The Pioneer Woman’s version gives you another easy way to use vanilla in a familiar homemade treat.
Get the Soft Sugar Cookies recipe at The Pioneer Woman →
Very Vanilla Cupcakes
If you’re going to call something a vanilla cupcake, it ought to actually taste like vanilla. Sally’s Baking Addiction takes that idea seriously with these Very Vanilla Cupcakes.
These would be especially good for birthdays, showers, family gatherings, or simply because you decided it was a good day for cupcakes.
Get the Very Vanilla Cupcakes recipe at Sally’s Baking Addiction →
Old-Fashioned Sweet Treats
This may be my favorite part of the list.
Not everybody considers themselves a baker, but most of us remember a few simple desserts from growing up. Sometimes the best recipe isn’t the fanciest one. It’s the one that reminds you of your grandmother’s kitchen, something your mother made after supper, or a pan of treats you couldn’t leave alone as a kid.
Homemade Vanilla Pudding
Vanilla pudding doesn’t need a box to be simple. The Southern Lady Cooks has a homemade version that fits perfectly with the old-fashioned theme of this collection.
This is also one of the recipes where the quality and flavor of the vanilla can really stand out.
Get the Homemade Vanilla Pudding recipe at The Southern Lady Cooks →
Old-Fashioned Vanilla Ice Cream
Few desserts showcase vanilla better than homemade vanilla ice cream. There isn’t much there to hide behind, which is exactly the point.
Add a Pinch’s old-fashioned version is a great choice for summertime, family get-togethers, or the next time the ice cream freezer comes out.
Get the Old-Fashioned Vanilla Ice Cream recipe →
Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats
Here’s one that doesn’t require much baking experience at all. Rice Krispie treats are already a childhood favorite, and Taste of Home takes them in a peanut butter direction.
Vanilla isn’t the main attraction here. Instead, it helps round out the other flavors. That’s something vanilla does very well.
Get the Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats recipe at Taste of Home →
No-Bake Cookies
If you grew up eating chocolate and peanut butter no-bake cookies, you probably don’t need much convincing on this one.
They’re quick, familiar, and don’t require turning on the oven. That’s hard to argue with.
Get the No-Bake Cookies recipe at Allrecipes →
Vanilla Drinks & Extras
Vanilla doesn’t have to end with the dessert plate. It works in drinks, frosting, coffee, and plenty of other places.
If your bottle normally sits in the cabinet waiting for the next batch of cookies, these ideas may give you a reason to pull it out a little more often.
Easy Vanilla Milkshakes
A homemade vanilla milkshake is about as straightforward as dessert gets. Cooking For My Soul has an easy version that makes a good starting point by itself or as a base for adding other flavors.
Get the Easy Vanilla Milkshakes recipe at Cooking For My Soul →
Homemade Cream Sodas
This one is just plain fun. Homemade cream soda is something many people have never thought about making themselves, and vanilla is an important part of that familiar cream soda flavor.
Get the Homemade Cream Sodas recipe at The Pioneer Woman →
Gingerbread Latte
When cooler weather gets here, vanilla works especially well alongside cinnamon, ginger, coffee, and other warm flavors. The Pioneer Woman’s gingerbread latte gives you a seasonal way to use it that doesn’t involve baking anything.
Get the Gingerbread Latte recipe at The Pioneer Woman →
Vanilla Buttercream
A reliable vanilla buttercream recipe is worth keeping around. Use it on cupcakes, cakes, cookies, cinnamon rolls, or whatever else happens to need a layer of frosting.
Sally’s Baking Addiction has a classic version worth bookmarking.
Get the Vanilla Buttercream recipe at Sally’s Baking Addiction →
What’s Your Favorite Way to Use Vanilla?
One of the things I like about vanilla is how useful it is. It can be the main flavor in homemade ice cream or pudding, or it can quietly make chocolate, cinnamon, peanut butter, and coffee taste a little better.
Hopefully these vanilla recipes give you a few new ideas, whether you’re ready to spend an afternoon baking or just want something easy to make after supper.
Have a vanilla recipe your family has been making for years? I’d love to hear about it. Leave a comment below and let me know what you make with vanilla that should be added to this list.
And if you know somebody whose bottle of vanilla spends a little too much time hiding in the cabinet, share this page with them. They may find a new favorite here too.
Recipes on this page are provided by and hosted on the websites linked above. Patriot Reliance is simply sharing recipes we think are worth trying. Please visit the original recipe source for ingredients, instructions, dietary information, and any updates from the recipe creator.
