Published: · Modified: by bri · This post may contain affiliate links.
Infused honey is surprisingly easy to make! We'll show you 2 methods for how to infuse honey. And, share our top 3 recipes: vanilla, lavender, and orange. Keep reading for expert tips on making flavored honey at home!
Infused honey is delicious in drinks, on baked goods, drizzled over cheese, or eaten straight off the spoon. It also makes an easy homemade gift. Or, make a jar (or two) for yourself. You'll be surprised by how quickly it disappears!
Jump to:
- How to infuse honey
- The case for dried ingredients (vs. fresh)
- Recipes
- Expert tips for DIY infused honey
- Ways to use flavored honey
How to infuse honey
There are two main methods for infusing honey: cold infusion and hot infusion. Find the how-to steps for each method below.
Cold method (no heat)
This is how to make infused honey using the unheated method:
- Combine honey and flavoring (herb, spice, etc.) in a jar or container.
- Let sit at room temperature until your desired flavor has been achieved.
- Drain honey and store.
The cold method takes more time to extract flavor (at least 5 days). But, if you're looking to retain the properties of raw honey, then this is the method for you.
Hot method (faster)
Here's how to make infused honey with the heated method:
- Combine honey and flavoring (herb, spice, etc.) in a pot.
- Warm over low heat until your desired flavor has been achieved.
- Drain honey and store.
The hot method is faster at extracting flavor. But, it isn't ideal if you want to avoid heating honey.
The case for dried ingredients (vs. fresh)
Summary
Dried ingredients are better for honey infusions—from a food safety perspective. While you can use fresh ingredients to infuse honey, it shortens the shelf-life. And, other honey recipes online often fail to mention this!
The details
We consulted with experts in Food Safety and Microbiology to learn more about infusing honey at home. Here's what you need to know:
Plain honey can last almost indefinitely if properly stored. Honey doesn't spoil easily because it has a low water content and high acidity. According to Dr.Linda Harris (Professor in Microbial Food Safety), honey is "high in sugar which prevents growth/toxin production."
However, once you start adding ingredients to honey...the composition changes. Infusing fresh ingredients, like fruit or fresh herbs, adds water to the honey. And that moisture can cause honey to spoil. The extent (if any) depends on how much the water activity of the honey changes—and that's hard for a home cook to measure.
Whereas dried ingredients have had water removed. So, it doesn't dilute the honey in the same way as fresh ingredients do. This helps the honey last longer. And, there are flavor benefits too. Chef and CEO Karen McAthy says: "Dried elements will generally give you a better flavor in these infusions, as the water content has been removed and the aromatic/flavor compounds are condensed."
So, while you could use fresh ingredients...you'll need to be extra cautious and consume the honey quickly. But, if you want to play it safe—or plan to gift the honey to others—your best bet is to go with dried ingredients instead. All the recipes below use dried flavorings for honey infusions, because that's what we recommend.
Recipes
1. Lavender honey
Infused Lavender Honey
This Infused Lavender Honey recipe makes a delicious, lightly floral honey. Use it for hot drinks, pastries, and cheese boards. It couldn't be easier to make!
Homemade infused honey is a great food gift for the holidays. Recipe includes two infusion methods (cold or hot).
[Gluten Free]
MAKE THIS RECIPE
2. Vanilla honey
Infused Vanilla Honey
Infused Vanilla Honey with vanilla beans is so easy to make! It's delicious in tea, lattes and baked goods.
Make vanilla bean honey for a homemade gift this holiday. Recipe includes two preparation options (cold and hot methods).
[Gluten Free]
MAKE THIS RECIPE
3. Orange honey
Infused Orange Honey
This delicious and easy Infused Orange Honey is so versatile! The mild citrus flavor works in sweet or savory dishes. Pair with cheese, tea, desserts, and more.
Recipe includes two options to make (hot or cold methods).
[Gluten Free]
MAKE THIS RECIPE
4. Other honey flavors to try:
- Chili (if you like sweet and spicy, try this Sriracha Honey Sauce)
- Lemon
- Grapefruit (inspired by this refreshing Grapefruit Honey Mint Tea)
- Thyme
- Rosemary
Expert tips for DIY infused honey
- Use clean and dry tools: Moisture causes honey to spoil. So, make sure to use clean and dry containers, utensils, etc.
- Cold vs. hot infusion: Use the cold infusion method to preserve any benefits in raw honey. But if you're in a rush, use the hot infusion method so that your honey is ready in minutes rather than days.
- Use mild honey: There are over 300 types of honey in the USA alone. You can use many different types of honey for infusions. But, we recommend sticking to a mild-tasting honey so that your flavor infusion shines through.
- Use dried ingredients: For better shelf-life and to reduce spoilage, use dried flavoring ingredients instead of fresh. For example, dried herbs and spices, dried citrus rind, etc.
- Re-purpose flavorings: For a no-waste approach, re-use the honey-soaked flavorings (such as dried citrus or dried herbs) after straining to make tea.
- How to know if honey gone bad: If the honey has fermented, then it's best not to eat it. Cues that honey has fermented are: it smells sour, tastes "off", or has bubbles/foam on the surface. Also, toss the honey if you see any visible mold. That probably means contaminated utensils and/or food has gotten into the honey and caused it to go bad.
Ways to use flavored honey
You can use infused honey anywhere you'd normally use honey. Just make sure the flavor pairing sounds good to you! For example, a vanilla infused honey would be a great in your morning tea...but chili honey probably wouldn't.
Here are 10 ways to use flavored honey:
- Sweetener in tea or hot lattes
- As a spread on biscuits or toast
- Spooned over pancakes or waffles (instead of maple syrup)
- Tossed with berries (like the macerated berries and whipped yogurt cream recipe in our cookbook)
- Drizzled over whipped ricotta dip (orange infused honey is so good on this!)
- Served with a charcuterie board
- In a salad dressing
- Mixed into a marinade (for proteins, veggies, or even tofu)
- As a glaze for roasted veggies
- As a homemade gift (packaged in cute little jars)
Other honey recipes:
- Easy Honey Sriracha Sauce
- Best Honey Mustard (with vegan option)
- Whipped Ricotta Dip with Honey
- Rose and Honey Almond Milk
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Reader Interactions
Comments
May says
Do you think it’ll work with hazelnuts as well?
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bri says
Hi May - We haven't tested it with hazelnuts, so unfortunately can't give advice on that. But if you give it a try, please let us know how it goes!
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Linda Annunziato says
Can’t wait to try these. I had some wonderful almond flavored honey that I bought in Sicily. Can I add almond extract to make this? Thank you.
See AlsoPeppermint Stripe Cookies RecipeReply
Becca Smith says
Hi Bri! Since I don't have any lavender, I'm going to try with some cinnamon sticks that weren't used when I made extract. Thanks for the inspiration!
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Daphne says
I was thinking of adding dried chilli peppers to make a chicken BBQ glaze. Would that work?
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william sinski says
is it really necessary to remove the vanilla bean from the honey?
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Bri says
Hi William - You can leave it in if you'd like! We usually remove the pod after steeping because at that point most of the flavor is infused from the pod (the beans stay in). We find it easier to scoop/pour the honey without the pod inside. But if you prefer to keep it in, definitely go ahead! Enjoy!
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Wanda says
I'm wanting to try the orange infused honey. I already have a package of dried zest. How much do you think a whole orange would equal? 1/2 cup? 2/3 cup? Not sure how much to add to 1 cup honey.
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Erica says
Hello! I am trying to stave off cabin fever (due to the social distancing) by making a to-do list for each day. My to-do lists have mostly creative endeavors. Tomorrow, I will make the orange-infused honey. I am looking forward to it! Thank you so much for sharing.
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Bri says
Hi Erica! Glad to hear about social distancing - and that's a great idea about the to-do list each day! Hope you enjoy the honey! We'd love to hear how it goes. xx Bri
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Nancy says
Can you do this with a lemon?
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Bri says
Hi Nancy! You most definitely could do this with lemon. Great thinking! I'd follow the instructions laid out for the orange. Drying the rind prior to adding it is recommended to remove excess water and avoid introducing moisture into the honey (which impacts its shelf life).
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Amber says
Could you re-use any of the vanilla beans with a new batch of honey after straining? Would love to get more use out of my beans!
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Bri says
Hi Amber! For the vanilla infused honey, you're going to want to cut open the pod and scrape the beans into the honey as well. Then let it steep. Once steeped and prior to using, you'll want to pull out the scraped vanilla pod. The teeny tiny beans themselves will remain in the honey! If your question is whether you can re-use the pod again, you could try using it for other things, but the flavor will be much more muted as the beans have gone into the honey. Hope that makes sense! If any other questions, let me know xx Bri
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Valerie says
my honey doesn"t seem to be taking on the flavor of the vanilla beans, it has been 7 days. Am I doing something wrong or am I impatient?
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Bri says
Hi Valerie! Just wanted to confirm you followed the part in the instructions that said to scape the seeds directly into the honey (before putting the pods in)? Because the contents of the vanilla pods (i.e. the vanilla seeds) go directly into the honey, the vanilla flavor should definitely be there. Much like some people add vanilla seeds directly to batters in baking, whipped cream, etc, which doesn't even require steeping time. The only other thing I can think of is that maybe your honey is quite strong in flavor, so the vanilla isn't as pronounced as you were expecting? Let me know if any other questions!
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Jason says
The moisture is from the zest. I have the zest in a cheese clothe, so I will pull out in another week. My plan is to bottle in half pints for the farmers market.
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Bri says
Gotcha - For retail purposes, it's usually safer to go with dried herbs for infusions, given it introduces little/no moisture and preserves the shelf-stable nature of plain honey. For home use, fresh like you did is likely quite fine as long as it is consumed relatively quickly. If the honey starts to bubble or smell fermented, it should be tossed. But hopefully it gets eaten up before then!
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Jason says
I have done a half gallon jar of orange zest honey right now. It is very watery, I just reread and saw I should of baked/dried. I will let you know how it turns out. You think the infusing time needs to be the same or possibly less with the method I did?
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Bri says
Hi Jason! Is the watery-ness from the fresh zest itself or did the oranges have a lot of water on them (after being washed?). Timing wise plan for a similar length of time, but taste as you go and strain when it's flavored to your liking. You'll want to make sure you use up the honey faster than you would do with plain honey (i.e. don't leave it kicking around for half a year;p), since it sounds like there's some moisture that got into it - but otherwise it's all good! Enjoy!
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Yadu says
Thank you for sharing this. Do we need to dry the lavender and the orange zest before infusing?
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Bri says
Hi Yadu! Generally speaking, it's best to use dried herbs when infusing. It prevents introducing moisture into the honey (which has low water content to start with), which means it'll last longer. While both lavender and orange zest probably have relatively little moisture content to start with, going with dried is extra prudent. Hope this helps! Enjoy!
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e says
Made all 3 of these and they are quite delicious! Friends love them. Used Organic oranges and Organic Vanilla Bean Pods. Sprung a bit extra to order some French lavender on Etsy.com. (you can smell and see the color difference in the lavender buds)
Also paired them with Wholesome Sweetner Honey that is Non-Gmo, Organic, and Fair trade.Reply
Bri says
So glad to hear you made all three of these and loved them! Your friends are so lucky to have you:) All your choices sound fabulous - especially that french lavender! We're lucky to have some lavender farms on Vancouver Island, so whenever I hear someone is heading over there, I usually place my order. Good quality lavender makes all the difference! Have a lovely rest of your week xx
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