Kitchen Tips
Why Does Honey Turn Hard? (And How to Fix It)
Plus whether honey belongs in the fridge.
You go to grab the honey and it's cloudy, grainy, maybe so thick a spoon can stand up in it. It's easy to think it went bad. It didn't.
Why does honey turn hard?
Honey is mostly natural sugar with a little water. There's more sugar than that water can hold, so over time some of it comes back out as tiny crystals. That's what makes honey cloudy, then grainy, then hard.
This is called crystallizing, and almost all real honey does it sooner or later. Cool temperatures speed it up, and some types crystallize faster than others, depending on which flowers the bees visited. It doesn't mean the honey is old, fake or spoiled.
How to make hard honey runny again
Gentle heat brings it right back:
- Fill a bowl with hot water: very hot tap water, or water you heated and took off the stove. Not boiling.
- Set the honey in it with the lid on, so no water gets in.
- Leave it for 20 to 30 minutes, then stir. Repeat if it still has crystals.
If your honey is in a plastic bottle, use warm water instead of very hot so the plastic doesn't soften.
Skip the microwave. It heats unevenly, and too much heat can change honey's flavor and break down its natural enzymes.
Or don't fix it at all. Crystallized honey spreads nicely on toast and melts right into hot oatmeal or tea.
Does honey need to be refrigerated?
No. The fridge actually makes honey harden faster. Keep it at room temperature in a cupboard or on the counter, with the lid on tight.
Does honey ever go bad?
Honey keeps for a very long time. Its color and flavor can slowly change, but stored with the lid on, it stays good to eat.
Throw it out if it smells sour or strange, or if water, crumbs or other food got into the jar, like from a spoon that was just in your yogurt. That's when honey can spoil.
An important note about babies
Don't give honey to babies under 12 months old, not even a little on a pacifier. Honey can carry bacteria spores that are harmless to older kids and adults but can cause infant botulism, a serious illness, in babies.
Put it to use
Drizzle it over our Greek Yogurt Honey Parfait, or use it in the glaze for our Honey Garlic Salmon.