Vegan Honey Recipe

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!

Jump to:

• Why You’ll Love Vegan Honey
• Ingredients and Notes
• How to Make Vegan Honey
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Expert Tips
• Serving Suggestions
• How to Store and Keep
• More Vegan Recipes!
• Vegan Honey Recipe

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

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!