Summary:

• Crystallization of honey is a natural process and the integrity of honey remains intact.
• The ratio of sugars within the honey determine how fast honey crystallizes.
• Honey crystallizes fastest in the temperature range of 50-60°F (10-15°C)
• Honey is full of enzymes, antioxidants, and protein (pollen). Heat will damage all of those elements.
• There are several methods to reliquify honey.

Eventually, what every honey connoisseur comes to find is small round granules accumulating in their honey. However, if you are new to collecting honey varietals, you’d probably encounter these crystals and wonder if your honey is rotten, fake, or has compromised packaging. In the previous article “The Dark Side of the Honey Industry”, we glossed over why ALL honey slowly transitions from liquid state into a solid state. We’ll go into a bit more detail here explaining some nuance. 

Crystallized honey

Crystallized honey is perfectly natural and safe! Crystallization effects nothing within the honey besides the color and texture. It can be gritty, it can be finely granule, and it can even be creamy.

Depending on the type of honey and the rate of crystallization, the texture will differ. Crystallized honey always has a slightly lighter tone because glucose crystals are naturally white, so as they separate out the honey will gain a much lighter hue.

Many people enjoy crystallized honey and actually seek out “creamed honey” (honey that has been purposefully crystallized.) It is much easier to spread over toast or place into hot tea.

To understand why honey crystallizes, we first have to understand what honey is made of.

Factors Determining Crystallization Speed

What ultimately determines how fast a honey will crystallize is the ratio of sugars within it. Generally, the fructose inside ranges from 30-44% and the glucose ranges from 25-40%. Glucose is less soluble in water when compared to fructose, so the more glucose there is within the honey, the faster it will crystallize.

Each type of honey will contain different ratios of glucose to fructose, which means each honey will crystallize at a rate unique to that particular honey. Some honey crystallizes very fast, and can solidify just in a few weeks, where as some honeys are very slow to crystallize and can take months to years!

Lastly, a critical factor in crystallization rate crystallization rate is ambient temperature. Honey crystallizes fastest at temperature ranges of 50-60°F (10-15°C). At temperature ranges above 60°F and below 50°F, crystallization is slowed. Generally, the further you stray from the median temperature 55°F, the slower your honey will crystallize.

And yes, you can freeze honey!

Since the water molecules will freeze the glucose will remain trapped within the solution, effectively never allowing the honey to crystallize! However, it’s not recommended to freeze honey unless you are storing it long-term.

Reliquefying Crystallized Honey

There are several ways to reliquefy honey that has begun to crystallize, and really it’s a matter of preference as to how “raw” you wish to keep your honey. In general, the lower the temperature you use for the shortest period of time is best for preserving the raw nature. Here are a few methods you can use:

Double-Boiler Method

            Fill up a double-boiler with enough water to adequately cover the honey jar. Heat the water to 100-110°F, then place the jar within the water. Leave it inside for 10-20 minutes at first, and then monitor if the jar needs to be warmed longer. Stirring the bottle from the inside, or even shaking the bottle (careful, the jar might be hot) will help distribute heat more evenly and reduce warming time.

Don’t worry about damaging the honey. The enzymes and natural properties of the honey will be preserved within the temperature range of 100-110°F. It’s not uncommon in the peak of summer for hives in California to reach this temperature internally. We at Valley Gold believe that imitating nature is usually a good rule of thumb.

The Cave-man Method 

            Assuming you don’t have a double-boiler or a way to monitor water temperature, there is a cruder, simplistic method to decrystallizing honey. Place your honey jar in a bowl where it can adequately be surrounded by water. Heat the necessary amount of water to point just before it boils, and let the water sit for 5-10 minutes or so to cool down. After the wait, pour the warm water into the bowl. Let it settle for a few minutes, and remember that stirring or shaking the honey jar will help distribute the heat more evenly to the honey. Repeat as necessary.

So, after reading this article we hope to have shed some light on the fact that crystallized honey is a completley natural byproduct of time and honey. Whenever you see Valley Gold honey (or any brand) on grocery shore shelves with whispy white spirals or little round granules accumulating at the bottom, that honey is not only still delicious but bears that mark of authenticity which only real honey can.