What is the difference between regular and creamed honey? Does it contain dairy? How do you make it? Do I need to keep it in the fridge?
These are some of the questions that we get asked at the markets every week, so we thought we could address them here.
The first thing to clarify is that creamed honey doesn’t have anything added to it, which means all the dairy-free diet followers are in luck despite the deceptive name. So, if it doesn’t have any dairy how come it is creamy? And that brings me to the questions about how we make it and what the difference is between the creamed and the liquid version…
Liquid raw honey when left in a jar will eventually crystallise. There are two types of sugar that make up honey: glucose and fructose. Glucose is the bit that crystallises and different kinds of honey have different levels of glucose depending on the type of flower the nectar came from. Flowers such as alfalfa or clover will crystallise fairly quickly as they have a higher ratio of glucose.
Another factor is pollen. Raw, unfiltered honey has pollen particles present in it. If you were to analyse raw honey, you would be able to know which flowers the bees were visiting by the type of pollen you can find in the honey, which we think is pretty cool. However, those little particles also create a surface for the crystals to begin forming, so they also speed up the process.
Temperature also plays a role and if you keep your honey in the fridge the crystallisation process will happen much quicker. The reason why supermarket honey stays liquid and looking pretty for a very long time is that most honeys you will find on a supermarket shelf have been filtered (taking out the beneficial pollen) and heated up, which destroys the antibacterial components as well as the beneficial enzymes of honey and stops crystallisation but turns honey into a glorified sugar syrup…. but I digress…
So, how do we get creamed honey that is smooth out of liquid honey that will eventually turn into gritty crystals? To begin, you will need creamed honey to use as a ‘seed’. The recommended ratio is 10% of creamed honey. If you want to try this at home (totally safe, I promise), we recommend you buy raw creamed honey from a trusted beekeeper. If you need to find one in a hurry you can use the Honey Map.
We started with some great seed that we got from our friends from Bee-u-tiful Honey.
Mix the creamed honey into the liquid one and then you need to whip it. And, as my two deceased hand blenders have made evident, honey is quite dense. So maybe go gently on your blender and double check that it is still under warranty. It is also easier to do this on a warm, summer’s day than on a bitterly cold morning. The whipping process should take about 15-20 min (yes, we also think it’s a bit boring) and the longer you whip it, the whiter the result will be.
Whipping disrupts the sugar crystals’ formation, so your honey will stay smooth and creamy and the crystallisation process will not take place. The whole mix takes on the texture of your seed, so you do want to start with a really smooth seed.
What you should end up with is honey that is whiter but still runny. You can see the consistency in the video below:
Bottle it and put it in the fridge for two weeks and voilà, you have creamed honey. After the two weeks, you can safely store your beautiful, creamed honey at room temperature.
Enjoy!!!
Creamed honey looks almost solid but has a smooth & even look
This honey has began to crystalise and the sugar granules are easy to see
Cool! I never knew and always wondered! Thanks Ana and Sven!
Where does the original creamed honey come from? Is it just whipped up?
Hi Zac,
you can make creamed honey from raw honey but the whipping process takes much longer, that’s why we always start with seed. You can make a small batch to create your own seed. We recommend that you whip it until it looks really white (much whiter than in our pouring video). Let us know how you go if you give it a try.
Hello. Useful article!.
Wow, beautiful site. Thnx …
Good afternoon. Useful article!.
Is creamed honey pasteurized honey?
Hi Lana,
Thanks for your question. Creamed honey is not pasteurized at all. All our honey is raw and if you were to heat creamed honey it will go runny again.
I hope this helps 😉
Have you ever had any issues with fermentation of raw creamed honey? I understand methods such as dyce call for pasteurised honey do to crystalised honey being liable to ferment in it’s changed state.
Thank you.
Hi Charlie, I’m sorry but I don’t know what dyce is…but honey ferments only when the water content is too high. That can happen if you leave a jar open for long periods as honey absorbs moisture from the air, or if the beekeeper extracted honey that wasn’t quite ripe. Creamed honey is only whipped and put in the fridge to set into a thicker consistency, so it wouldn’t have a greater risk of fermentation than liquid honey.
I’m not sure if that answers your question, please let us know if you would like further clarification. Thanks!
Researching creamed honey I found alot of people ask “where does the original creamed honey come from?” I think I can answer that. A couple of years ago after removing my hive from a place it kept being robbed at I needed to inspect the hive all the way down. In a brood box I found a section of honey that had a very different appearance. It wasn’t transparent when held to the light. Worried I cut it out, extracted it and just left it in my fridge. A year later I found it, tried it and it was silky smooth. From about 50g I have grown it to a few litres. And now after a lot of patience finally able to mix a big batch. And I would have to say if you want to make more than a litre at a time you will need to invest in a planetary mixer.
Thanks for the great explanation. The beekeeper up the road gave me a sample to try so wanted to know what he was so excited about and how it was produced. Now I know.
I’m just wondering how long your ginger honey lasts for? I’m absolutely loving it, and I’d like to buy quite a few jars of it, but I need to know how long it will last for. Thank you.
Hi Sue,
thanks for your comment, we are very happy that you love the ginger honey, it is one of the most popular. To answer your question: the honey will last forever. The creamy consistency will stay the same unless it is left in a hot place in which case it might go a bit runny, but that still won’t mean it does go off. Honey is the only food that doesn’t spoil.
Let me know if you have any further questions. 🙂
Known as the The Rescue Bee People Amber Drop Honey is found on a beautiful farm in Johns River which is in the middle north coast of NSW. A husband and wife team Sven and Ana now look after 75 colonies which is continually growing. Their Bee s enjoy lush surrounds enjoying the pollination of hundreds of trees and plants that surround their land which in turn leads to this wonderful tasting honey which has got us hooked. A keen supporter of Save the Bees Australia Amber Drop Honey donate 5% of every sale to Save the Bee s Australia and we have decided to match that for every sale we make of this delicious range.