Garnishes

Tonka Bean

A tonka bean is the dried seed of Dipteryx odorata, a tree of northern South America, and smells of vanilla, almond and hay because it is rich in coumarin. In the UK, under the retained Regulation (EC) 1334/2008, coumarin itself may not be added to food but the bean is not a barred source material; in the United States, 21 CFR 189.130 treats food containing tonka as adulterated. A few strokes on a microplane flavour a whole batch.

Quick Facts

Legal categoryFoodUK (retained Regulation (EC) No 1334/2008): coumarin may not be added to food as such, and tonka is not a prohibited source material; coumarin limits apply to some bakery, cereals and desserts, none to drinks. US: food containing tonka is adulterated (21 CFR 189.130).

OriginNorthern South America

Flavour Strengthvery bold

Our keeping timeWhole beans: years, sealed. Grated: use at once.

Storage

Whole beans in a sealed jar. They are hard and oily and, in our experience, keep for a long time, releasing aroma only when grated.

Allergens

None of the 14 listed allergens.

The ingredient

About Tonka Bean

Flavour Profile

Primary Flavours

VanillaAlmondHay

Tasting Notes

Sweet and aromatic: vanilla and almond over a note of fresh-cut hay, with hints of caramel, cinnamon and clove. Intense, so used by the grating.

Coumarin gives the scent

Dipteryx odorata is a tree of the pea family, up to 40 m tall, native to South America along the tributaries of the Orinoco in Brazil, Colombia, the Guianas and Venezuela, says PROSEA, the Plant Resources of South-East Asia. Its seeds, usually wrinkled, hold 2 to 3% coumarin once cured in rum. Coumarin was first extracted from the tonka bean in 1820 by Vogel, and takes its name from coumarou, the French word for the bean, according to a 2020 review in Biomolecules; the Oxford Companion to Food puts its aroma between hay and vanilla.

In the UK the bean is allowed and pure coumarin is not

The UK's flavourings law, retained Regulation (EC) No 1334/2008, lists coumarin among substances that may not be added to food as such, so nobody may stir the pure chemical in. Tonka is not among the source materials the law bars from flavouring use, so the bean itself may go into food and drink. The same law caps coumarin at 50mg per kilogram in traditional cinnamon bakery, 20mg in breakfast cereals, 15mg in other fine bakery and 5mg in desserts. It sets no figure for drinks.

Tonka and coumarin in law (UK and EU rows from Regulation (EC) 1334/2008, Annexes III and IV; the US row from 21 CFR 189.130)

UK (retained Regulation 1334/2008)

Pure coumarin added to food: Not allowed
Tonka bean as an ingredient: Allowed
Limits: Coumarin caps for bakery, cereals and desserts; none for drinks

EU (Regulation 1334/2008)

Pure coumarin added to food: Not allowed
Tonka bean as an ingredient: Allowed
Limits: The same coumarin caps

United States (21 CFR 189.130)

Pure coumarin added to food: Not allowed
Tonka bean as an ingredient: Not allowed: the food is adulterated
Limits: Order of 5 March 1954

Where	Pure coumarin added to food	Tonka bean as an ingredient	Limits
UK (retained Regulation 1334/2008)	Not allowed	Allowed	Coumarin caps for bakery, cereals and desserts; none for drinks
EU (Regulation 1334/2008)	Not allowed	Allowed	The same coumarin caps
United States (21 CFR 189.130)	Not allowed	Not allowed: the food is adulterated	Order of 5 March 1954

The safe amount is small

Germany’s BfR says a tolerable daily intake for coumarin became possible after EFSA’s 2004 opinion, because the substance can harm the liver, and gives it as 0.1mg a day per kilo of body weight, or 7mg for a 70kg adult. A whole cured bean at 2 to 3% coumarin can hold more than that, which is why it goes into a batch by the grater pass and is never eaten whole.

Grate it, taste it, strain it

The bean is hard and oily and gives up its scent only when grated. One or two passes into a warm syrup, cream or infusion are enough to taste; strain or let the gratings settle before serving. Treat it as an accent with an almond edge, not a vanilla stand-in. In our experience a whole bean lasts for years if sealed.

Using it

Using Tonka Bean

Usage

Grated, never chopped: a few strokes on a fine grater into a warm syrup, cream or infusion, then strained or left to settle. Taste after every pass. In our bar a single bean lasts a long time at that rate, and it should never be eaten whole.

Pro Tip

Grate tonka into the warm syrup or cream rather than over the finished drink. Heat spreads the scent evenly through a batch, and a few passes measured into a known volume is easier to repeat than a dusting by eye.

Top Tips

Grate it; a chopped piece gives little and looks like a mistake in the glass.
Start with one pass per batch and taste before the next.
Keep it out of anything served to someone on blood-thinning medication without telling them it is there.
Store the beans whole in a sealed jar and grate only what the batch needs.

Possible Substitutions

Vanilla Extract: for the sweet, aromatic base, without the almond and hay notes

Production Method

The seeds of Dipteryx odorata, taken from the fruit and dried until black and wrinkled. Coumarin, 2 to 3% of the cured seed according to PROSEA, gives the scent.

Go further

More to explore

Common Questions

What is a tonka bean?

The seed of Dipteryx odorata, a tree of the pea family from northern South America. Dried, it is wrinkled and dull mahogany. Its scent of vanilla, almond and hay comes from coumarin, which makes up 2 to 3% of the rum-cured seed, according to PROSEA, the Plant Resources of South-East Asia.

Are tonka beans legal in the UK?

Yes, as a flavouring ingredient. The retained Regulation (EC) 1334/2008 bans adding pure coumarin to food as such but does not list the bean among barred source materials, and its coumarin limits cover cinnamon bakery, other fine bakery, breakfast cereals and desserts, not drinks. In the United States, 21 CFR 189.130 deems food containing tonka adulterated.

Why are tonka beans banned in the US?

Because of coumarin. 21 CFR 189.130, resting on a Food and Drug Administration order of 5 March 1954, deems any food containing added coumarin, including as a constituent of tonka beans or tonka extract, adulterated. Germany’s BfR says coumarin can harm the liver, which is the basis of the European safe-intake figure too.

How much tonka bean is safe to use?

Coumarin's tolerable daily intake, set by EFSA, works out at 7mg for a 70kg adult, or 0.1mg per kilo. A cured bean is 2 to 3% coumarin, so it is grated by the pass into a whole batch, never eaten or infused whole into one drink. Grate lightly and share it out.

How is tonka used in cocktails?

In traces, grated into something warm: a syrup, a cream or a spirit infusion that is then strained. One or two strokes of a fine grater are enough for a batch, and the scent comes through as vanilla with almond and a dry, hay-like edge. It is never a drink's main flavour.

Can I use tonka instead of vanilla?

Not as a straight swap. It is more aromatic than vanilla, with an almond and hay character vanilla does not have, so a drink built for vanilla arrives louder and differently scented. Where a recipe asks for vanilla extract, use vanilla; tonka is for a drink designed around it.

How long do tonka beans keep?

Years, kept whole and sealed in a cool cupboard, in our experience. The bean is hard and oily and releases its scent only when grated, so in our bar a single bean used a pass at a time lasts a long while. Grated tonka should go straight into the batch, because the aroma fades quickly once exposed.

What does tonka bean taste like?

Vanilla first, then bitter almond and a dry note like fresh-cut hay, with caramel, cinnamon and clove behind; coumarin, whose aroma the Oxford Companion to Food places between hay and vanilla, carries most of it. In our drinks it suits cream, stone fruit, aged rum and bourbon; one or two grater passes flavour a whole batch.

Sources.

Checked between 18 October and 19 October 2026.

legislation.gov.uk, “Regulation (EC) No 1334/2008, Annex III (retained)” (Part A: coumarin not to be added as such; Part B: 50, 20, 15 and 5 mg/kg).
legislation.gov.uk, “Regulation (EC) No 1334/2008, Annex IV (retained)” (source materials not to be used: only tetraploid Acorus calamus).
Cornell Law School LII, “21 CFR § 189.130 Coumarin”.
Bundesinstitut für Risikobewertung (BfR), “BfR proposes maximum levels for coumarin in food” (TDI 0.1 mg/kg body weight; EFSA 2004).
Plant Resources of South-East Asia, via PlantUse, “Dipteryx odorata (PROSEA)” (scholarly handbook entry: Leguminosae; a tree up to 40 m; wrinkled seed; cured beans about 2-3% coumarin; odour of new-mown hay).
Biomolecules, 2020 (Lončarić, Gašo-Sokač, Jokić, Molnar), “Recent Advances in the Synthesis of Coumarin Derivatives from Different Starting Materials” (peer-reviewed review: coumarin first extracted from tonka bean in 1820 by Vogel; named from the French coumarou).
Oxford Companion to Food (Alan Davidson), via ckbk, “tonka bean” (secondary source: the fruit of a leguminous tree native to Colombia, Venezuela, Guiana and Brazil; coumarin’s aroma between hay and vanilla; cured in rum; natural coumarin banned in food in the USA in 1954).

Make something

Made with Tonka Bean

Often Used With

Guide by Jerry Can Spirits · Updated 19 October 2026

Back to Ingredients Guide