How to Make Herb Infused Honey
Infused Honey (Spiced Honey Recipe) – Looking for unique (and easy) holiday gift ideas? Today we’re showing How to Make Herb Infused Honey!
Spiced Honey Syrup
Have you ever opened different jars of honey and experienced a honey-tasting?
Honey can vary in taste and appearance, just as much as wines. The specific flavor and color are derived from the type of nectar the bees use.
Bees collect nectar from flowers grown in specific parts of the world, sometimes a wide array of flowers, and sometimes one specific variety. Therefore honey tastes slightly different in every region.
A few popular kinds of honey in the United States are clover, tupelo, orange blossom, alfalfa, and buckwheat… Although there are many more varieties available.
What the bees do with the nectar to produce honey is nothing short of a miracle. Bees pass the nectar from one to another, chewing it. The enzymes in their tummies break down the nectar into simple sugars. Then they spread it out and fan it with their wings to thicken it.
What an amazing production from such unassuming little creatures!
Infuse Honey with Herbs and Spices
It’s marvelous to have numerous nature-made types of honey at your fingertips. Certain honey works wonders in flavoring baked goods and dishes.
Yet if you don’t have access to different kinds of honey, you can flavor your own.
This is a kitchen trick I learned a long time ago and have recently started practicing again. Give your honey the essence of any herb, spice, or edible flower you like.
The natural flavors of the honey and the herbs will come together for a delicate waltz of sweet floral and earthy tones. You can then use your herbed-honey for baking, dressings, sauces, beverages, or simply drizzled over warm bread.
Herd Infused Honey makes a wonderful edible gift to give to friends around the holidays!
How to Make Herb-Infused Honey
What Ingredients You will need:
- 12-16 ounce jar of local honey
- ¼ cup fresh chopped herbs, any variety (2 tablespoons dried herbs)
How To Infuse Honey (Spiced Honey)
Place an open jar of honey in a small saucepan with 1-2 inches of water surrounding it. Heat the water until the honey is warm and very runny, but not boiling.
Carefully remove the jar and place the herbs in the jar with the honey.
Screw the lid back on the jar and shake the honey. Place the jar in a sunny window and allow it to sit for 1-5 days.
Reheat the jar, so the honey is very watery, then strain out the herbs.
Pro Tip: Although I show this process with fresh garden herbs, you can do the same thing with cinnamon sticks, cloves, and nutmeg, or with edible flowers like rose petals and lavender.
Honey FAQs
How Long Does This Recipe Last?
You can keep the infused honey in a cool, dark place for up to 6 months.
What Other Flavors Can I Use?
Try using sage, lavender, rosemary, thyme, basil, mint, hibiscus, and rose petals! If you want to go for spicy honey try using: Red pepper flakes, habanero peppers, and fresh chili peppers/chili flakes are all good options. Or use baking spices like: Nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon, or allspice.
Here is a great easy hot honey recipe by Gimme Some Oven.
How Do I Serve This Dish?
This has become my new favorite new condiment. My favorite ways to use this spiced honey recipe would be to drizzle it on top of cinnamon biscuits, fried chicken and waffles, bagels, pizza, or avocado toast with a pinch of salt. This pantry staple has become a great gift for Christmas or any other special occasion.
Can I Store This in the Fridge?
I do not usually suggest that you store honey in the fridge, because it quickens the crystallization of the honey. Leave in a cool dark pantry.
Check out the printable recipe card below for the nutrition information including calories, carbohydrates, protein, polyunsaturated fat, monounsaturated fat, sodium, potassium, fiber, vitamin c, and calcium percentages.
How to Make Herb Infused Honey
Ingredients
- 16 ounce honey
- 1/4 cup fresh herbs (any variety) or 2 tablespoons dried herbs
Instructions
- Place an open jar of honey in a small sauce pan with 1-2 inches of water surrounding it. Heat the water until the honey is warm and very runny, but not boiling.
- Screw the lid back on the jar and shake the honey. Place the jar in a sunny window and allow it to sit for 1-5 days.
- Reheat the jar, as directed in step 1, so the honey is very watery. Set a fine mesh strainer over a clean bowl. Pour the honey into the strainer removing the herbs. Then pour the strained honey back in the jar. Keep the infused honey in a cool, dark place.
How perfect this is…I have infused almost everything, but never honey. I am so excited and will have to try this. Looks so beautiful:)
Yummo! I love honey already, but adding an herb flavoring to it just takes it up a notch. Beautiful pictures as well!
Most excellent. I just made honey syrup for cocktails the other night. With my vodka and sugar syrup infusions going on now this is a nice idea to queue up right behind it.
Jason
Beautiful idea, Sommer – I will have to try this with cheese and wine and experiment with our extra garden herbs. ( :
It amazes me how honey is made. Very cool…
How simple and delicious! I love the cute little jar it's in as well :)
Honey is one of my true loves! What a fantastic idea to infuse your own flavors into it. I have tons of fresh herbs right in my backyard – I know what I'm going to be doing this afternoon!
I love this post!! I am mid-process of making Rosemary Honey and was planning on posting in the next couple of weeks (great minds…)!! I love the sage…and I adore it with lavender, too. Delicious post =) I'd love it if you'd link it up with Two for Tuesdays tomorrow…what a great fit!
wos, never thought of doing this, amazing…love it…
What a fabulous idea!! Brilliant. Great for gifts.
What a beautiful photo… I am already thinking of the hostess gifts and stockings that I can use this for. I have an abundance of golden sage in my herb garden, so I think this might have to be one of the many attempts to use it.
My "to do" list included looking for recipes using sage, because I have so much of it growing in a pot. This is a sweet idea, and it would be lovely to open a jar of sage honey in the middle of winter.
Chocolate freckles~
The herb flavor intensifies the longer you let it sit! For mildly flavored honey, just wait just a day or two. For heavily flavored honey wait about a week!
Cool, this would really make a great gift too!
I love honey!! Wonderful idea!
Lovely! Can you really taste the herbs or is it just a mild flavour?
Wow – I've been dreaming of lavender honey lately, can't find it anywhere and never would have thought to make it myself! I'm now going out to the garden, where the a small bunch of lavender has managed to survive my children, and try this out – thanks!
I love this idea of flavouring your own honey. I'm aware of the huge variety of honey out there I just never thought of making my own variety. Lovely idea that I'll definitely try out.