10 Ways to Use Raw Honey Beyond Your Morning Tea

A spoonful of honey in a warm cup of tea is a classic for good reason. But if that's the only time your honey jar comes out of the cupboard, you're missing out on a lot.

Raw honey has more personality than the squeeze-bear kind. Its flavor shifts with the seasons and the flowers, so it can be light and floral one batch and deeper and richer the next. That makes it fun to cook with.

Here are ten of our favorite ways to use it around the kitchen.

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1. Whipped Honey Butter

Beat about half a cup of softened butter with two or three tablespoons of honey and a pinch of flaky salt until it's light and fluffy. Spread it on warm biscuits, cornbread or pancakes and try not to eat it straight from the bowl.

Plant-based butter works beautifully here too. A hand mixer makes it fluffy in about a minute.

2. A Simple Honey Vinaigrette

Shake together three parts olive oil, one part vinegar or lemon juice, a teaspoon of Dijon mustard and a good spoonful of honey, plus salt and pepper. The honey softens the acidity and helps everything blend together. It's especially good on bitter greens like arugula or radicchio. Want something creamier? Try our homemade honey mustard.

A glass dressing shaker lets you mix, pour and store it in one jar.

3. Yogurt Bowls

Swirl honey into plain yogurt (dairy or coconut) and top it with fresh fruit, nuts or granola. Plain yogurt plus your own honey lets you control the sweetness, and it tastes far better than most pre-sweetened cups.

4. Oatmeal That Actually Tastes Like Something

Stir a drizzle into your oatmeal after it's cooked, then add cinnamon, sliced banana or a spoonful of nut butter. Adding the honey at the end, instead of cooking it in, keeps its flavor front and center.

5. The Star of Your Cheese Board

Honey and cheese are a match made in heaven. Try it with sharp cheddar, salty aged cheeses, creamy goat cheese or bold blues. Set out a small dish with a spoon or honey dipper, and watch it disappear. For something extra special, add a piece of honeycomb.

Tip: crystallized honey is perfect for this. It stays put on a cracker instead of dripping off.

6. Sticky, Savory Marinades and Glazes

Honey, soy sauce, garlic and fresh ginger make a quick glaze for roasted vegetables, tofu, salmon or chicken. The honey helps everything caramelize in the oven or on the grill. Keep an eye on it, since the sugars can go from golden to scorched pretty quickly. Want some heat? Finish with a drizzle of homemade hot honey.

7. Toast, Upgraded

Warm sourdough plus nut butter and honey. Ricotta or cream cheese with honey and cracked black pepper. Avocado with a drizzle of honey and chili flakes (or a spoonful of chili-infused honey). Toast is where honey gets to show off.

If your jar has crystallized, don't warm it up for this one. Creamy, spreadable honey on toast is one of life's small pleasures. (More on that in Why Has My Honey Turned Solid?)

8. Baking

You can swap honey for some or all of the sugar in many recipes. A common rule of thumb:

• Use about 3/4 cup honey for every 1 cup of sugar
• Reduce the other liquids by about 1/4 cup
• Add a pinch of baking soda (about 1/4 teaspoon per cup of honey) to balance its acidity
• Lower the oven temperature by about 25°F, since honey browns faster

Honey also keeps baked goods moist longer. That said, baking cooks away some of honey's more delicate flavors, so we like to save our favorite batches for no-heat uses. For the full method, see Baking With Honey: How to Swap It for Sugar, or start with our Classic Spiced Honey Cake.

9. Fresh or Grilled Fruit

Drizzle honey over berries, sliced peaches, figs or melon. Or grill halved peaches or pineapple, then finish with honey and a squeeze of lime. It turns simple fruit into dessert. In cooler months, try honey-glazed baked pears instead.

10. Coffee, Hot or Iced

Honey is lovely in coffee, especially with a splash of milk and a dash of cinnamon. For iced drinks, mix equal parts honey and warm water to make a quick honey syrup, which blends right in instead of sinking to the bottom. Keep it in the fridge for iced coffee, lemonade or iced tea all week.

A Few Quick Tips

• Lightly oil your measuring spoon or cup, and the honey will slide right out. (Or use an adjustable plunger measuring cup made for sticky ingredients.)
• Always use a clean, dry spoon in the jar to keep moisture out.
• Honey should never be given to babies under one year old.

Try It With Different Batches

Because our honey changes with the seasons, the same recipe can taste a little different depending on which jar you grab. A light summer honey might be perfect in a vinaigrette, while a darker batch can hold its own against a strong cheese.

If you're looking for a new jar to experiment with, pick up our current raw, small-batch honey. Free local pickup is available, and we offer free local delivery to the 94536 zip code on orders of $35 or more.

What's your favorite way to use honey? We're always looking for new ideas. 🐝