Honey vs. Molasses - The Real Differences

Honey and molasses are two very popular sugar substitutes that are sometimes confused. Those who know how to distinguish them may not know what differentiates them, apart from flavor and color.

What is the real difference between honey and molasses?

Honey is a product of nature, made from nectar by bees and collected by humans. Molasses, on the other hand, is manufactured entirely by humans as a by-product of the sugar industry. Both are very sweet, although honey has a lighter, more floral flavor and molasses a warmer, smokier flavor.

Both honey and molasses are frequently used for baking and to sweeten beverages, as well as occasionally for medicinal purposes.

There are some other similarities and differences between honey and molasses, which we will cover in depth in the following article.

What is honey?

Honey is one of the oldest and most natural sweeteners that humans and animals have enjoyed since the beginning of time.

Honey is a thick, sweet syrup made by hard-working bees, housed in hives full of combs, and sought after by all creatures with a sweet tooth.

As long as it is pure, unadulterated, and not exposed to air or moisture, it can stay fresh indefinitely.

There are many different types of honey, which vary based on the type of flowers the bees frequent and how the honey is produced from a commercial perspective.

Honey has a wide variety of health benefits and can be used in many different ways, not all of which are related to diet.

How is honey made?

Most of us know that honey is the sweet, golden, luscious syrup that goes so well with tea, toast, and desserts, but we don’t always wonder where it comes from. What is honey made of? How is this made?

The bees collect the nectar from the flowers and store it in an extra stomach that they have to carry it to their hives. During this transport, it is mixed with very specific enzymes that make it essentially spoilage-proof.

Once the bees are back in their hive, they deposit the enzyme-enriched nectar, now a liquid, into a honeycomb. Over time, with the help of the bees’ swift fanning wings, enough water evaporates from the liquid to turn it into the thick syrup we know as honey.

types of honey

There are two main ways to differentiate honey. It is based on the type of flower it is made from or how it is processed.

The type of flower that bees collect their nectar from can change the flavor, color, consistency, and nutrition of honey. Some of the most popular types of flower honey varieties are

• Clover
• buckwheat
• Manuka
• Your hair
• Sage
• Acacia

These are just some of the most popular types of honey around the world.

Honey also differs by being raw or processed. The raw honey is strained after it is collected from the comb to remove any traces and bits of beeswax, but is otherwise completely natural.

Most commercially available honey undergoes further processing to remove potential contaminants and, theoretically, extend its shelf life.

Whether or not this is necessary is debated, as honey itself has been used as a natural preservative in some cases because it keeps so well on its own. But unlike most foods, honey cannot be frozen and stored to extend its shelf life.

Sometimes the honey is pasteurized and/or filtered. Pasteurization removes the natural yeast from honey by exposing it to very high heat. Filtration removes more debris and even air bubbles from the honey to ensure a smoother consistency.

Some honeys are even ultrafiltered to give them a lighter appearance and remove even traces of pollen, which can be an allergen.

These processes are done to make the honey more attractive to consumers, but they can also drastically reduce the nutritional content of the honey, removing beneficial antioxidants and enzymes along with the remains.

What does honey taste like?

The taste of honey varies slightly depending on the type of flower from which it is made. At its core, honey is sweet and has a depth of flavor that can range from caramel or dulce de leche to fruity or floral.

More processed varieties of honey lose some of their natural flavors and simply taste sweet, while raw honey will take on the fragrant qualities of the flower from which bees collect pollen.

What is honey used for?

Honey is used, above all, to delight your palate. It is a sweet syrup, used for its own flavor or as a more natural alternative to sugar.

Many people like to drizzle honey on their toast, breakfast cereals, or baked goods. Honey is often used to sweeten tea, and occasionally also coffee or other hot drinks.

As it mixes well even with cold liquids, it is also very tasty when used to sweeten cold drinks.

Some bakers also use it in their recipes. However, if you’re trying to substitute honey for sugar, know that it’s generally considered sweeter than sugar and has much more liquid in it, so it can throw off your moisture balance.

In addition to sweet foods, honey can also be used to make a variety of savory marinades and recipes, such as our Honey Garlic Chicken Marinade, or in sauces such as honey mustard to balance salty flavors.

Apart from eating and drinking honey, it is also used for various medicinal purposes. Raw honey is naturally antibacterial, antifungal, and antiseptic as it contains hydrogen peroxide.

It has been used as a natural method to treat wounds, as it prevents infection and promotes healing.

What is molasses?

Molasses is a very dark, very thick syrup that is essentially a byproduct of the sugar manufacturing process.

Like honey, there are several types of molasses.

Unlike honey, different types of molasses have very different flavors and are often used for different types of cooking, baking, or sweetening.

How is molasses made?

To make sugar, sugar cane or sugar beets are crushed to extract the juice. That juice is then boiled down to form sugar crystals.

The by-product, molasses, is the liquid that is removed from the juice to allow the sugar to dry into crystals.

Sugar usually goes through several boiling sessions. Each time, the leftover liquid gives rise to a different type of molasses.

types of molasses

The liquid that is collected from the first boil of the sugar juice is called light molasses. It is the sweetest version of the product, but also the lightest in flavor and color.

It is the most widely used type of molasses because it acts as a great sweetener without affecting the flavor of the recipe too much.

With each subsequent boiling process, the resulting molasses becomes darker, thicker and more bitter. The dark molasses usually comes from the second boil, and is well balanced between sweetness and bitterness.

At the extreme end of the spectrum is blackstrap molasses, which is made from the third cook or higher and tastes almost burnt. It is very thick, extremely dark, and has the most bitter undertones of all molasses.

It is often compared to the taste of coffee, although it is still somewhat sweet. Black molasses is the least used type of molasses for human consumption, because its flavor is very intense.

The other consideration that you should take into account when choosing a type of molasses is whether or not it is sulfurized. Each bottle must be labeled.

Sulfurized molasses uses sulfur dioxide as a preservative, which can extend the life of the sugar, but many people find that it leaves an unpleasant chemical taste in the mouth.

What does molasses taste like?

Each type of molasses tastes different, but in general, molasses has a sweet, smoky flavor. The sweetness is very close to that of sugar, which makes sense because it is made from the same original ingredient.

The smoke comes from the boiling and cooking process. The darker the molasses, the stronger the smoky flavor will be until it becomes very robust and even bitter.

Lighter molasses will taste more like a simple syrup.

What is molasses used for?

Molasses is often used in baking or to add sweetness and a smoky flavor to sauces, as well as drinks. Molasses pairs very well with other warm flavors, such as ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

It also adds an earthy depth to rich sauces and meat dishes, which is why it is often used in marinades and savory baked goods.

Many other drinks use molasses for its unique flavor and added sweetness, especially drinks inspired by Jamaican or Caribbean culture and ingredients.

There is some evidence to suggest that molasses may have other medicinal benefits as well. It is a good source of various minerals and antioxidants, so it can help maintain strong bones and a healthy immune system.

Traditionally, molasses has also been used as a digestive aid, which is why it is sometimes added to coffee or tea to soothe an upset stomach.

Can you substitute the molasses for honey?

If honey and molasses are used as alternatives to sugar, can they substitute for each other in a recipe? Yes and no.

Yes, you can substitute any sweetening agent for another in a recipe, but the flavor will change drastically, especially if you swap honey and molasses.

The honey is very sweet, although with light fruity and caramel notes. Molasses, on the other hand, is also very sweet, but its flavor is smokier and deeper.

The type of molasses you use will make a bigger difference to the overall flavor than the type of honey. The most equal substitution would be honey for the light molasses, but it would still be noticeably different.