Can honey be frozen? - The surprising truth

Honey is the almost miraculous edible product of nature’s busiest creature: the bee. For those of us with a sweet tooth, it gives us a chance to indulge ourselves knowing that at least we’re getting nutrition along with our sugar rush.

It’s called liquid gold for a reason, and if you’re lucky enough to find yourself with a large supply, you’re going to want to store your prized possession as protectively as possible. This may lead you to wonder whether or not you can freeze honey.

So can honey be frozen? The truth is that pure, raw honey does not freeze. If you store it at -4F, it will eventually solidify and appear frozen, but some component of the honey will still flow, very slowly. It won’t technically be frozen. Most home freezers only go as low as -4C, which is not cold enough to freeze honey. 

In this article, we’ll discuss the various magical properties of honey that make it resistant to both freezers and bacteria, as well as the best ways to store your honey so it stays fresh for the long term.

Why honey doesn’t freeze

You can put your honey in the freezer without affecting the flavor or quality, whether it’s frozen or not, as it’s a good way to keep it fresh if you don’t mind crystallization. Always make sure to store it in an airtight container to avoid any possible oxidation. 

You should always store honey in glass containers. This will protect your honey from picking up any nearby flavors and odors, and it also helps prevent moisture from seeping through the container and onto your honey.

Freezing of combs or frames

Many farmers choose to freeze their combs or frames and this can be done with absolutely no damage to the honey or frame.

The advantages of freezing the honey in the comb may be that all the honey can be extracted at the same time, after it has been harvested. Or possibly the honey is sold inside the comb. Because honey has such a low moisture content, it doesn’t expand much when frozen, not even enough to damage the fragile comb. 

One last reason why it may be a good idea to freeze honey in the comb is to kill any wax moths or their larvae that may have been living inside. Freezing does a great job in this regard.

The squares will need to be well wrapped in plastic before placing them in the freezer to protect the honey from exposure to air and moisture.

Does freezing honey destroy nutrients?

No, storing honey in the freezer will not destroy the nutrients. In fact, it will retain the natural antimicrobial properties of the liquid.

However, heating honey or constantly subjecting it to fluctuating temperatures can affect the nutritional value. It will also affect the quality of your honey, as the crystals that form when honey heats up and cools down again will add moisture to your honey, which is not good for the quality and safety of your liquid gold.

If you are going to freeze your honey, do so with a plan to thaw it all at once, letting it slowly come to room temperature.  It will be crystallized, so you can heat it once thawed to return it to its smooth, liquid state, but avoid extreme temperature swings all at once, and try not to apply extremely high heat to your honey.

If you want a sweetener that is better suited to the heat, you can try maple syrup.

Does honey go bad?

You’ve probably heard rumors that honey is the only natural food on earth that doesn’t go bad. These rumors are true, assuming it is pure, raw honey.

The reason for this unique, almost supernatural ability boils down to 4 main factors:

1. It is almost purely sugar, which prevents the growth of most bacteria and fungi.
2. It is very slightly humid, so it does not leave water that favors the life of other organisms or allows fermentation
3. Honey is acidic, which may seem surprising for something so sweet, but with an average pH below 4, it makes it even less hospitable to bacteria.
4. The bees leave a very special enzyme in the honey that preserves it and increases its antibacterial character.

If the honey is harvested too soon or becomes contaminated, spoilage is possible, but this is very rare and unlikely. Also, the more honey is processed, the less naturally protected against bacteria it will be.

Avoid crystallized honey

Honey crystallizes when the glucose begins to separate from the water in the honey. This is more likely to occur in honey that has more glucose than fructose and if the honey is chilled. There is absolutely nothing wrong with crystallized honey and some people, myself included, find it easier to eat when it is not so runny.

In fact, the crystallization process naturally protects and preserves the flavor of the honey, so it’s a good sign to see it thicken up a bit. It is also a sign that the honey is good and raw.

However, crystallization may be less than ideal. Sometimes it makes your honey feel gritty and sometimes the crystals sink to the bottom, leaving a thinner liquid on top, neither of which is a perfect honey texture.

Honey that has more fructose takes longer to crystallize, so if you don’t like this effect, you’ll be safer with acacia, sage, and/or tupelo honey. Filtered honey is also usually softer, because there will be no small particles of honeycomb debris to promote crystallization. 

To slow down the process in any type of honey you have, store your honey in mason jars at room temperature or warmer. If honey cools below 50F it will start to crystallize quickly. 

How to decrystallize honey

The best way to smooth crystallized honey is to boil water, pour it into a bowl or pot, and let the jar of honey sit in the hot water until it melts and returns to its original state of liquid gold.

This should only be done if your honey lives in a glass container. Don’t heat the plastic, ever. Even if it is BPA free. You never know what kind of chemicals are going to seep into your delicious pot of gold.

If your honey is stored in a plastic container, simply scoop out a portion and put it in a bowl or container that you can fit inside a larger bowl or pot of hot water.

You can also put a portion or a glass jar of honey in the microwave if you are very impatient. Start with 30 seconds and stir in the honey. Just add another 30 seconds if you need it.

If you plan to use the honey in a hot drink, such as tea, it will naturally decrystallize as you stir it into the drink.

The same is true if you use honey in baking or cooking. It doesn’t need to be completely smooth when it goes in, as long as you can get it out of the container, it will reliquefy well into your recipe as it heats up.

The best types of honey

Honey is made from the nectar of flowers, and different flowers give off slightly different flavors and nutritional components. Some types of honey are considered unifloral, meaning they are made from the nectar of only one type of flower, and others are multifloral.

In general, unifloral types of honey are popular for a specific medicinal purpose or because the buyer is a particular fan of that honey’s flavor.

Multifloral types of honey have a less distinctive flavor and also benefit from the combined nutrients found in several different types of flowers.  From a general nutritional perspective, the more flowers there are, the more varied the nutrients found in the honey.

With that being said, honey is amazing and any variety you choose will bring joy to your life.

Flowers from which honey is made

Some of the most popular varieties of honey come from the flowers of

• Clover - It’s a hearty flower, often considered a weed, so it makes sense that it’s also a hearty variety of honey, which you’ll often find in cream
• Alfalfa – Also sometimes called alfalfa honey, it is a very common form of honey that is often praised as being prebiotic, which is not a common thread among all types of honey
• Sage, lavender, rosemary - These are all individual types of honey, but they’re all herbs you’re probably familiar with, and the honey made from the nectar of each has a hint of the flavors we’re used to cooking with, but within a delicate and sweet profile
• Eucalyptus - Primarily sourced from Australia, this particular variety of honey is well known for being a great supporter of a healthy immune system
• Manuka - Imported from New Zealand, this honey has risen to fame for its exceptional antibacterial, antiviral and anti-inflammatory benefits
• Acacia - One of the world’s lightest and lightest colored honey options, it is also one of the sweetest tasting
• Buckwheat - If you find a Canadian variety of this honey, be sure to grab a few containers, as recent research has shown that its healthy superpowers include defeating certain drug-resistant strains of bacteria.
• Jamun - This type of honey is commonly used as a topical treatment to help heal wounds quickly, including successfully treating gangrene.

This is not an exhaustive list, but these are the types of honey that you are most likely to be able to get your hands on. Remember that honey made from individual flowers is often used as a medicine, which should give you something to think about the next time you accidentally cut yourself.

Raw vs. pasteurized honey

Pasteurization is a process that involves heating honey to high temperatures, typically 145F or higher, to kill any microorganisms or bacteria that may be trying to live in the honey. Much of the honey you find in stores is pasteurized, which is thought by some to be safer.

Many critics simply suggest that pasteurization gives manufacturers a better opportunity to dilute raw honey with corn syrup, sugar, or other additives, making it less expensive to produce, but also affecting the natural nutritional value of honey.

Raw honey, as you can imagine, is the most natural and raw form of the liquid that is extracted from a honeycomb. It is not refined and may even contain particles from the hive, such as pieces of wax or the honeycomb itself.

Undoubtedly, raw honey has more value from a health point of view, as it contains antioxidants, antibacterial properties, numerous phytochemicals , and much more.

Be aware that marketing will try to mislead you by using terms like “pure” or “authentic” but they are not synonymous with raw and have no real health connection attached to the label.

Texture

You can find honey in a very soft liquid state, in cream, in granules, in solid pieces or even still in the comb. Liquid and creamy are the most popular in grocery stores, but there is some evidence that granular or thicker, more solid types of honey are more nutritious.

They are certainly more difficult to find and use. Honey straight from the comb also has many benefits, as it is the freshest and purest source of honey you can find.

Related questions

Is honey good for you?

This is a difficult question to answer. As part of a balanced diet, honey can be a great source of nutrients and antioxidants.

As a topical application, honey can help heal wounds and irritating skin conditions, acting as an antibacterial agent and supporting the injured area by helping it to heal quickly.

In these aspects, honey is good for you.

Unfortunately, nowadays few people seem to eat a balanced diet, and honey is sugar. Too much sugar in the diet has been shown to be incredibly detrimental to health, and this is just as true if you eat too much honey as it is if you eat too much table sugar.

One way that I personally love to use honey is to mix it with some pure, natural peanut butter. It is delicious! And yes, you can freeze that mixture, since peanut butter can be frozen .

Are honey bees endangered?

There are currently 8 types of bees on the endangered species list, but honey bees are not one of them. However, that does not make the situation for bees any less dire, because the health of the planet and the survival of human beings depend heavily on all types of bees.

There is plenty of research to suggest that pesticide use is the number one cause of danger to bees, so if you want to do your part to protect them, instead of boycotting honey, opt for organic foods to effectively cast your vote in favor. less use of pesticides and chemicals in our food. 

Is honey safe for diabetics?

Honey has much more nutritional value than refined sugar, but that doesn’t make it any less of an impact on your blood glucose levels. Diabetics have to keep a close eye on their sugar and carbohydrate intake, and honey is about 80% carbohydrate. In other words, it’s sugar.

It is normally considered sweeter than sugar, so you can use a little less to get the same flavor you want, but it should still be consumed with the utmost care if you have diabetes.

There is a very limited amount of research to suggest that your insulin response will be less if you use honey than if you use refined white table sugar, but, and I can’t stress this enough, it’s still sugar.