Honey is not considered vegan, but don’t worry! You can make your own great-tasting honey at home without needing bees! This vegan honey recipe is quick and easy and only requires a few simple ingredients. Use it in your tea, desserts, pancakes, or anywhere else you need a hint of sweetness!
Honey is one of nature’s sweet treats. But bees don’t make honey for human consumption. Honeybees make honey as a food source to sustain their colony during the cold winter when nectar and flowers are not in season.
Bees are in trouble, so our food supply is also in danger. Not only is honey not vegan because it is made by bees, which are considered an animal in vegan terms, but also because the commercial farming practices of making honey are oftentimes unethical and one of the causes for the declining bee population.
One way to help improve the bee population is to stop consuming and purchasing honey. There are other ways to help bees, including planting a pollinator garden, refraining from the use of pesticides, building a bee hotel, and supporting local farms.
The more I learned about beekeeping practices and their harm to the bee population, the more I wanted to do to help our little friends.
The first step was creating a simple homemade bee-free honey recipe. While there are many substitutes you can purchase, nothing is quite the same as a homemade vegan honey recipe!
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Why You’ll Love Vegan Honey
- No bees are harmed
- Thick and sweet
- Made from natural ingredients
- Quick and easy to make
- No straining needed
Ingredients and Notes
Natural Apple Juice: Keep it all-natural and organic by opting for organic apple juice. The apple juice serves as a sweetener and reduces to a thick syrup.
Organic Cane Sugar: While you can use any granulated sugar you choose, I recommend using organic cane sugar because it is always vegan-friendly, whereas other white granulated sugar is not. You could use coconut sugar, or agave nectar as a substitute for cane sugar.
Orange Juice: Adds floral sweetness, bringing out authentic honey’s natural flavor. Use fresh orange juice for the best flavor.
Chamomile Tea: One chamomile tea bag gives the syrup a natural honey smell and flavor.
Lemon Extract (optional): Helps to bring out a sweet citrus flavor. While it’s not necessary, it does enhance the flavor.
How to Make Vegan Honey
Step 1: Add the apple juice to a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, remove from the heat, add the chamomile tea bag, and steep for 10 minutes, then remove the tea bag.
Step 2: Return the apple juice to medium heat. Add the sugar, orange juice, and lemon extract. Stir consistently until the sugar dissolves completely.
Step 3: Allow the mixture to come to a rolling boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and allow to heat for 20-30 minutes. As it warms, it will darken and thicken.
Step 4: After 20-30 minutes, remove the pot from the heat. Pour the liquid into a mason jar. Set it on the countertop (with the lid off) and allow the vegan honey to come to room temperature.
Step 5: Place the lid on the mason jar and the honey in the refrigerator overnight.
Frequently Asked Questions
There are many different recipes for vegan honey, and their ingredient varies. However, most recipes start with apples or apple juice, sugar, and other fragrant flavor additions such as lemon juice.
No, honey is not vegan. Although some who follow a plant-based diet choose to include honey as part of their lifestyle, those who follow a strict vegan diet do not consider honey vegan because bees make it to nourish the hive during the winter months. In addition, vegans find the beekeeping practice to be inhumane.
Yes, vegan honey has a very similar flavor profile to regular honey. Depending on what is added to the recipe, the flavor can have a slightly different taste, just like other honey varieties have a somewhat different taste. Orange extract, lemon juice, and chamomile tea make this recipe floral.
If you choose not to make your own homemade vegan honey, there are other substitutes you can opt for that will not quite have the same flavor but are sweet syrups. This includes agave syrup, barley malt syrup, coconut nectar, brown rice syrup, maple syrup, molasses, raw sugar, date syrup, and sorghum syrup.
Expert Tips
- This vegan honey alternative could take longer to simmer and cook before pouring into the jar. It could take as little as 20 minutes or as long as 30 minutes.
- For the perfect consistency, dip a spoon into the mixture. If the drippings form a string-like consistency as it falls off the spoon, it’s ready.
- Don’t overcook the vegan honey. If overdone, the honey will become too thick to enjoy and will caramelize.
- The honey will be thin consistency that will become thicker as it cools.
- Keep an eye on the mixture to ensure the liquid doesn’t boil over, stirring consistently as it cooks.
- If you feel the consistency is too thick after cooling, add a touch of boiling water to thin it out.
Serving Suggestions
Enjoy this beeless honey the same way you would regular honey.
- Use it as a substitute for regular honey in your favorite recipes.
- Add it to your warm tea for sweetness.
- Drizzle it on top of fresh berries and granola.
- Use it as a substitute for maple syrup on pancakes, French Toast, or waffles.
- Use it as a sweetener in a vinaigrette, such as this vegan honey mustard dressing for your favorite salads.
How to Store and Keep
Once the vegan honey substitute has cooled and come to room temperature, it should be stored in the fridge. It can last long when stored in a clean and sanitized jar in the refrigerator. It can be kept for up to 6 months.
It is also possible to freeze. If you freeze this recipe, add it to a freezer-safe container. Only fill the container ¾ of the way full to allow for expansion when freezing.
More Vegan Recipes!
Recipe
Vegan Honey Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups apple juice
- 1 bag chamomile tea
- 1 cup organic cane sugar
- 1 tablespoon orange juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon extract optional
Instructions
- Add the apple juice to a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, remove from the heat, add the chamomile tea bag and steep for 3-5 minutes, then remove the tea bag.
- Return the apple juice to medium heat. Add the sugar, orange juice, and lemon extract. Stir consistently until the sugar dissolves completely.
- Allow the mixture to come to a rolling boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and allow the mixture to heat for 20-30 minutes, stirring every minute or so, and keeping an eye on it so it does not boil over. As it heats, it will darken and thicken.
- After 20-30 minutes, remove the pot from the heat. Pour the liquid into a mason jar. Set it on the countertop (with the lid off) and allow the vegan honey to come to room temperature.
- Place the lid on the mason jar and the honey in the refrigerator overnight. As it cools in the fridge it will continue to thicken to a honey-like consistency.
Video
Notes
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- This vegan honey alternative could take longer to simmer and cook before pouring into the jar. It could take as little as 20 minutes or as long as 30 minutes.
-
- For the perfect consistency, dip a spoon into the mixture. If the drippings form a string-like consistency as it falls off the spoon, it’s ready.
-
- Don’t overcook the vegan honey. If overdone, the honey will become too thick to enjoy and will caramelize.
-
- The honey will be thin consistency that will become thicker as it cools.
-
- Keep an eye on the mixture to make sure that the liquid doesn’t boil over, stirring consistently as it cooks.
-
- If you feel the consistency is too thick after cooling, add a touch of boiling water to thin it out.
- Store in a covered jar in the refrigerator for up to 6 months.
- Freeze in a freezer-safe container for up to 12 months, filling the jar ¾ of the way full to allow for expansion when frozen.
Ned
I know what I will be doing this weekend! This looks amazing! Thank you for a great vegan option!
Kathleen
I had no idea it was this easy to make my own honey. Will be keeping a jar of this around all the time.
Ganeshchandra Mallya
This vegan honey sounds amazing. Thanks for the detailed steps and instructions.
Jess
I’ve avoided doing this because I had no idea how easy it was to make. Thanks for changing my world!
TAYLER ROSS
So happy to have found this recipe! The honey turned out perfectly and tasted delicious!
Kushigalu
Never tried vegan honey before. Thanks alot for sharing.
Stephanie
I never would have imagined that you could make a vegan honey! This is amazing!
Wanda
Sounds super interesting and I’m so curious to try this recipe!