12 Unique Ways To Cook And Bake With Honey

Packed with sweetness and nutrition, honey is pretty amazing. So how can you make the most of it when cooking and baking? For some tips, we talked to Jodie Goldsworthy, a 4th generation beekeeper and co-owner of Beechworth Honey, an Australian family-run business that's been producing honey since the 1880s; chef, TV host, and cookbook author Samah Dada; Christina Ferrari, beekeeper, chef, and owner of the Shoreline Lake Boathouse & American Bistro; and a representative from the National Honey Board.

Our experts love honey's versatility. "There are over 3,000 varietals, each with a unique flavor profile, color, and aroma influenced by flora and geography," Dada said. Whatever the flavor, Ferrari recommends raw and locally made honey if you want the best-tasting product. Goldsworthy agrees. "Being able to trace the honey back to the location of the beehives and the floral source is really important," she said. 

Our experts also shared their love for the producers of honey. A National Honey Board representative told us, "Honeybees are responsible for about 1/3 of the foods we eat! More than 90 different crops ... are reliant on the hard work of beekeepers and honeybees." Ferrari also pointed out how precious of a commodity honey really is, saying, "One bee will only produce 1/12 of a teaspoon of honey in their lifetime." With that in mind, here are some unique ways to make the most of that hard-earned honey in your recipes.

Most of us have heard of putting honey in our hot tea, especially if we're feeling under the weather. But honey can be a delicious addition to other drinks, too, such as lemonade. Instead of mixing water, lemon juice, and sugar, replace the sugar with honey instead. 

While most honey lemonade recipes advise going with a lighter-colored variety, for a stronger honey flavor in your drink, try a darker variety. "Lighter honey is more neutral tasting than darker honey," beekeeper and chef Christina Ferrari explains. "So depending on what you are making, that should be taken into consideration ... if you do or don't want a prominent [honey] flavor."

As with regular lemonade, you can add other ingredients for additional flavors, too. The National Honey Board's website features a delicious-sounding lemonade honey punch recipe that includes ginger and apple juice. Regardless of which honey you use, it will give a healthy boost to your lemonade, since, unlike processed sugar, honey contains beneficial vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.

Combining meat or vegetables with a deliciously sticky glaze is a sweet and savory way to enjoy the taste of honey. Although there are some variations, the basic way to glaze ham and other meats is to make a mixture of honey and other seasonings — mustard is a popular option — and then rub it onto your meat before cooking. Depending on the meat and your preferences, you may also re-apply the glaze at some point. 

Making a honey glaze for vegetables is a bit different, but just as easy. Typically, you'll soften the vegetables by boiling them — they should still be slightly firm. Then you'll heat butter, honey, and any seasonings you'd like in a pan along with the vegetables, coating them with the mixture. No matter which you try, you're in for a flavorful experience as the honey will elevate your typical main course or side dish.

Combining honey with cheese makes for an interesting and delicious flavor combination. The taste is so fascinating, in fact, that it might feel like a relatively new concept. But this dynamic flavor duo was already a favorite of the Ancient Greeks, who paired the two ingredients to make cheesecake. The simpler version, adding a nice honey drizzle over cheese, likely originated in Ancient Rome. Ancient Roman cookbook author Marcus Apicius recommended adding a little honey to a rough equivalent of modern-day cottage cheese.

You can combine honey with any cheese you fancy. A representative from the National Honey Board tells us that buckwheat honey, "with its molasses-like flavor, complements other strong flavors like goat cheese." Beekeeper Jodie Goldsworthy also loves to pair honey with goat cheese, and calls honey and blue cheese another one of her "all-time favorites." Beekeeper and chef Christina Ferrari loves how honey and cheese look together as well as how they taste. She recommends adding a slice of honeycomb to your next charcuterie board to elevate its visual appeal.

Although it also contains glucose and fructose, honey is a healthier alternative to sugar. As chef Samah Dada points out, honey is unprocessed (or should be, if you're using quality honey), and unlike those sweet white crystals, it's packed with vitamins and nutrients. Swapping sugar for honey may be healthier, but there are things to keep in mind as it is not a 1:1 substitution, according to Dada. 

Beekeeper Jodie Goldsworthy advises using less honey than you would sugar, because it has a naturally stronger, sweeter taste. The National Honey Board also recommends another recipe adjustment: reducing your oven temperature by 25 degrees Fahrenheit to prevent over-browning. Additionally, all of our experts point out that because honey is a liquid, you'll have to reduce the overall amount of liquids in your recipes to maintain the proper balance. 

When it comes to baking, specifically, Dada advises adding 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda for each cup of honey used. "Honey has natural acidic properties," she said. "The baking soda helps to balance that out so your baked good can rise nicely." As a general rule, it's important to do some research and compare recipes before you swap sugar for honey.

Hummus is an iconic Middle Eastern dish made of pureed chickpeas. It isn't known exactly where it originated, but the flavorful paste has become popular in countries around the world. Today, you'll find lots of variations of hummus, whether they're influenced by a particular region or culture, or simply by someone getting creative.

One easy way to upgrade your hummus is to add a bit of honey to it. The contrast of the spread's flavors with the sweetness of the honey makes for an incredible taste experience. Some adventurous cooks take things even further by adding garlic to the honey or using hot honey. Let your own taste preferences guide you and experiment with different hummus and honey combinations.

If you ask us, there are few better combinations than honey, almonds, and cream. If that just sounds like common sense to you, then you have to try bienenstich, the German "bee sting" cake. The name of the cake is a reference to the (possibly true) story of two 14th- or 15th-century baker boys who threw beehives at enemy village guards. The cake that they requested to celebrate their bee-stung enemies' retreat was named bienenstich, or "bee sting," and it has become a popular traditional pastry in Germany today. Like any traditional food, there are many variations of the cake's basic recipe, but essentially, it's a yeast cake filled with rich cream. 

The beehive homage comes in on the top portion of the cake, which has honey (along with almonds) baked into it. Some bienenstich recipes will include a thick cream filling, while others are more sparing with the cream. However the recipe goes, German bienenstich is a delicious honey-flavored treat that will make your taste buds buzz with joy.

Fried bananas are a beloved dish in Southeast Asian cuisine, and similarly, fried plantains are an equally cherished dish in Caribbean, Central and South American, and African cuisines.  You can put a sweet spin on bananas (or plantains, if you prefer) by frying them with honey.

Although recipes vary, most involve frying sliced or diced bananas or plantains until they're brown, then pouring a mixture of honey, water, and other seasonings (cinnamon is a popular choice) over the still-hot fruit, essentially glazing them. 

Other recipes suggest adding the honey in different ways, such as removing the fried fruit from your pan, adding a mixture of honey and almonds to heat up, and then pouring that over the bananas. Or you could keep things extra simple and just drizzle some honey over still-hot fried bananas or plantains. Whatever you choose to do, the result is pretty much guaranteed to be delicious.

If you wish your honey had a bit of heat to it, you're not alone. "'Swicy' (sweet + spicy) flavors have been trending, especially hot honey," a source at the National Honey Board tells us. They recommend trying hot honey on savory baked goods or with grilled meats and roasted veggies. Other delicious ways to use hot honey include dribbling it over chips or using it to save your mediocre frozen pizza. For a healthier option, chef and hot honey fan Samah Dada tells us that one of her favorite things to make is hot honey pasta salad. 

If the idea of hot honey has your mouth watering, you'll be happy to know you can either buy it at most stores or make it at home by adding chili peppers, typically in flake form. You can also incorporate other ingredients for additional flavor or even to add more heat.

Sticky pork, or sticky pork belly, is a Chinese-inspired dish you can easily make at home — and having some honey on hand will be a big help. Sticky pork consists of tender pieces or strips of pork covered in a flavorful glaze. Recipes and seasonings vary, but in several of them, honey is the essential ingredient that gives the pork that sticky texture, in addition to adding a sweet note that contrasts nicely with savory seasonings like soy sauce or garlic. 

You can get creative with your seasonings when it comes to sticky pork, but one thing you can't mess around with is the texture of your meat, which should be tender and easy to cut and bite into. This usually means it will need to marinate before you take the next step and add your sticky glaze.

"Honey pie" isn't just a term of endearment (or sass), it's also a delicious honey-flavored pastry. A traditional honey pie consists of pie crust filled with a mixture of honey and custard. Seasonings can be added, as well, if you like. Many honey pie recipes suggest finishing your pie off with a sprinkle of kosher salt on top, which gives an interesting contrast to all that sweetness.  But you can forego this step and keep things entirely sweet, if you prefer.

As a general rule, you can adjust the amount of many of the ingredients in a honey pie', but once you've found the perfect amount of honey to please your taste buds, chef Samah Dada has an excellent hack for making sure to use the right amount every time: "Add a tiny dab of oil into your measuring cup before pouring your honey in," she said. "It allows it to slide right out!"

You can replace honey with sugar in many recipes, and that includes good ol' bread. Many bread recipes call for at least a little bit of sugar, which most bakers explain as being a way to help the yeast work faster. But adding sugar isn't absolutely necessary, and using honey is a flavor-motivated choice. Imagine sweet, warm bread with a taste of honey. If this idea takes you to your happy place, we are right there, too.

Honey bread is delicious on its own and it's also a way to give a sweet note to your favorite sandwiches. You'll find lots of honey bread variations and recipes online. One of our favorites is honey white bread, whose soft texture and sweet honey flavor are hard to resist. Of course, honey is a great addition to whole wheat bread, too. You can also take honey bread up a notch by making honey brioche or its dairy-free, kosher cousin: honey challah bread.

Granola bars are one of those foods that might just be as fun to eat as they are to make. While some granola bar recipes involve baking, there are lots of simple recipes out there, including chef Samah Dada's no-bake granola bar recipe, which she tells us she's been "making on repeat lately." 

Granola bars are made with granola (nuts, rolled oats, and seeds), as well as any other goodies you might want to include. Honey is a perfect way to add sweetness and flavor to granola bars while also binding everything together. 

Whether you rely solely on honey for this or also include another flavorful binding element like peanut butter, granola bars are a sticky, messy adventure to make. But the yummy end result is worth it. Store your granola bars in the fridge or in a dry, cool area in your kitchen and you can grab one to snack on for up to a week.