We get a lot of questions about the positives and negatives of heating up honey. There is a lot of info on the internet that can lead you astray here. For instance, does heating honey make it poisonous? Is heated honey devoid of all health benefits? Does heating honey destroy the honey?
These are just some of the questions we’ve received over the years about heating up honey, both in production and in home use.
Is Heated Honey Toxic?
First, let’s assuage the most serious concern – no, heating honey will not turn it toxic and kill you. Heating up raw honey will change the makeup of the honey, and potentially weaken or destroy enzymes, vitamins, minerals, etc (more on this in a second) but it will not give you a horrible disease or poison you. Yes, this is something that we’re asked.
Keeping it close to raw is great for your body, but heating it isn’t going to kill you.
Heating & Nutrition
As for the nutritional benefits of honey – yes, heating the honey can damage them. It does depend on how much the honey is heated and for how long, however.
For instance – can you heat honey to 95 degrees? We certainly hope so, since it can reach that temperature inside the beehive itself. Heating honey to around this temperature is just fine, and will leave the health benefits of the raw honey in tact.
Heating up crystallized honey is a great way to make the honey more liquid and easier to handle, and will leave the healthy stuff in the honey in tact. Just don’t go too far above that 95 degree mark and you’ll be fine. If you find that your honey is turning into crystals and you aren’t a big fan of that, give it a very gentle warming until you’re satisfied again.
Cooking with Honey
Cooking with honey is a bit trickier. The prolonged exposure to very high temperatures in the oven or on the grill will most certainly degrade the beneficial enzymes and even the taste of your honey. Raw honey has many delicate and nuanced flavors that will be lost when exposed to that type of heat. That doesn’t mean it won’t taste good or that you shouldn’t do it! It’s just a different application for the honey.
If you’re looking for the maximum honey taste of the honey varietal you purchased and the maximum health benefits, you want to keep it pretty much raw and eat it that way – if you’re looking to add some sweetness and honey flavor to your dinner, you can cook it all you want!
Our Heating Process
We heat some of our honey – the liquid honey in the bears, for instance – is gently warmed to flow into the container. Our raw honey, on the other hand, is not. You can learn more about that here.
If you’re looking for the rawest honey, you want to stay in our raw honey category.
FAQs
Heating up crystallized honey is a great way to make the honey more liquid and easier to handle, and will leave the healthy stuff in the honey in tact. Just don't go too far above that 95 degree mark and you'll be fine.
Why do companies heat honey? ›
The heat has the dual effect of removing crystallization in natural honey, and to reduce the viscosity. Both of these things are required to provide a product that can be cleaned and further processed for creamed honey or just filled into jars as liquid honey.
Is Unheated honey good for you? ›
Possible health benefits of raw honey include relieving coughs, wound healing, treating diarrhea, and more. Honey provides a range of health benefits. Raw honey, which comes straight from the beehive, contains healthful bee pollen, bee propolis, and plenty of antioxidants.
Is there a problem with heating honey? ›
Heating up to 40°C (104 F) destroys invertase, an important enzyme. Heating up to 50°C (122 F) for more than 48 hrs. turns the honey into caramel (the most valuable honey sugars become analogous to sugar). Heating honey higher than 140 degrees F for more than 2 hours will cause rapid degradation.
Is the honey in the bear raw honey? ›
While there might be some traces of real honey in those bear-shaped-bottles as a base, it is likely diluted with high-fructose corn syrup along with other sugars and fillers. What may surprise you most about this though, is that this product can still legally be labeled and sold as pure honey.
How many times can you heat honey? ›
Heating (or reheating) honey is NOT recommended. If it is RAW HONEY, it will loose all of it´s nutritional health properties and destroy the active components such as the antioxidants, enzymes and antibacterial properties.
What is the difference between raw honey and heated honey? ›
Raw honey refers to honey that has not been heated for pasteurization. It also means that it has not been cut with corn syrup, sugar or another ingredient to dilute it or change the flavor, and that it has not been closely filtered to remove pollen and air bubbles.
What temperature destroys raw honey? ›
Pollen, propolis, antioxidants, and enzymes found in raw honey are destroyed at temperatures above 110°F. Heating honey higher than 140°F degrades the quality of the honey and temperatures above 160°F caramelize the sugars.
What happens if you eat honey every day? ›
Researchers have found that honey may increase adiponectin levels, a hormone that reduces inflammation and improves blood sugar regulation. There's also evidence that daily honey intake may improve fasting blood sugar levels in people with type 2 diabetes.
Does 100% natural honey go bad? ›
Natural, properly preserved honey will not expire. In fact, archeologists found honey thousands of years old in ancient Egyptian tombs, and it was still good! While most of us don't need to worry about honey that old, their discovery proves that if properly contained, real honey can last for a very, very long time.
The more the honey is heated, the more straight-up sweet it tastes because the heat cooks off some of honey's flavor compounds. “Good quality honey has flavor,” says honey sommelier and beekeeper C. Marina Marchese.
What not to mix with honey? ›
- Honey should not be mixed with hot foods or water. - Honey should not be consumed when you are working in a hot environment. - Honey should never be combined with ghee or mixed with hot, spicy foods; fermented beverages (e.g., whiskey, rum, brandy); or mustard.
Does heating honey make it runny? ›
This gentle transfer of heat to the honey helps bring it back to liquid form without overheating the honey. With time, the honey will crystalize again, but reheating it with the same hot water bath technique will once more return it to liquid form.
Why is honey sold in bears? ›
According to Citizendium, the practice started in 1957 when Ralph Gamber, future president of the Dutch Gold Honey company, was looking for a unique honey container and reasoned that a bear likes honey, why not a bear of honey.
How can you tell the difference between pure honey and fake honey? ›
Drop a teaspoon of honey into a glass of water. Fake honey will immediately start to dissolve, whilst raw honey will drop to the bottom of the glass intact. Place a drop of room temperature or cooler honey on your finger, If the 'honey' spreads then it is fake honey.
How will I know if the honey is pure? ›
Take a tablespoon of honey and mix it in a glass of water. If the honey is pure, it will lump together and settle at the bottom without readily dissolving. On the other hand, if it dissolves easily and blends uniformly with the water, it may indicate adulteration, possibly containing added moisture or syrups. 2.
What does heat treating honey do? ›
Raw, unpasteurised honey will naturally crystallise on the shelf, but heating breaks the crystals down and helps keep it smooth and spreadable. Crystallised honey is actually fine to eat, and can be melted slightly by placing the jar in the hot water cupboard or in a bowl of warm water.
Why is hot honey a thing? ›
Hot honey can be traced back to traditional Italian cuisine with the creation of a similar product known as “pepperoncini honey” that has been around for centuries. This is where you infuse honey with pepperoncini peppers, creating a perfectly sweet and spicy condiment.
Why use a honey warmer? ›
Heating the honey serves multiple purposes: Dissolving Sugar Crystals: Heating helps dissolve any existing sugar crystals, preventing them from multiplying. Thinning the Honey: Warm honey is thinner and easier to strain, allowing for the removal of particles like pollen and bee parts.
Should I heat honey before bottling? ›
However, even 75°F honey will eventually go through fine filters. Some authors recommend heating quickly with agitation to 140°F, holding it there for 30 minutes and then cooling very quickly to kill yeasts but not affect color or flavor.
