The Unique Baking Ingredient That's Way More Affordable At Costco Than At Trader Joe's

We all know Costco is the place to go when you need a larger-than-usual amount of a basic item, whether that's a 12-pack of Annie's mac and cheese, a massive box of Honey Nut Cheerios, or a pack of toilet paper that's bigger than your body. Conversely, Trader Joe's best serves those shopping for just one or two people, with single-serving microwave meals, individual drinks, and jars of pasta sauce about a quarter the size of one from the big box store. But in one instance, the two stores somewhat flip the script. Even though it's a small, niche item that you won't need much of, Costco's Madagascar vanilla beans are the way to go for any baker. While Trader Joe's vanilla beans come in at $1.50 each, Costco's are only around 54 to 65 cents each, and the difference adds up fast.

Costco's version is packaged in a small tube with 20 beans inside and sold for approximately $10.89 (exact price may vary by location or be higher if you order them online), which breaks down to the lower number on the aforementioned price-per-bean range. Meanwhile, Trader Joe's sells a smaller pack of two beans for $3. It might feel like the lower price tag is worth it in the moment if you only need a couple of the beans for your recipe, but if there's any chance that you'll be using vanilla beans regularly, Costco's will save you money and a few extra trips to the store. Oh yeah — and the Costco version is organic.

Vanilla beans, which are a piece of the plant of the vanilla orchid, are imported to the United States from places with tropical climates like Madagascar. Unlike vanilla extract that you might have used in the past, vanilla beans offer a more concentrated, pure flavor due to the curing process they go through before they make their way to you (hence why they look like they've shriveled up). There are a ton of different ways to use these beans in your kitchen, which is why they could be worth buying in bulk.

Some people simply open the pods and scrape the beans — sometimes referred to as vanilla caviar — out into batter or frosting, while others soak the whole beans in custard or milk to infuse the liquid with flavor before using it to bake their newest treat. If you're not much of a baker, you can also incorporate the beans into various syrups and add them to your at-home coffee bar for a sweet and slightly festive way to transform your morning brew. And of course, if you know how to use your KitchenAid mixer to its fullest potential, attachments and all, you pretty much have to try making a batch of homemade vanilla bean ice cream. For science. 

If all that sounds beyond your standard vanilla usage, we wanted to give you a heads up that it totally pays to buy your vanilla extract at Costco, too. So if a cheaper bottle of that flavor source for your cookies and pancakes is more up your alley, it's still worth a trip to the spot with the most famous grocery store food court.