Crystallized Honey, A Beekeepers Point Of View

Honey is, in essence, a supersaturated sugar solution made of fructose and glucose. 

The process of crystallization in honey is a natural and very normal process that happens to honey. Some natural honey will crystalize faster than others, and some are extremely unlikely to ever crystalize.

Both high-quality raw honey and low-quality Grade A honey will eventually crystallize. It’s an inevitable process that is bound to happen. So, the texture of your honey is not always a sign of quality but rather a natural part of its process.

Read more about “The Surprising Crystals Hiding in Honey.”

Honey’s propensity to crystallize stems from its natural sugar composition. The ratio of glucose to fructose plays a crucial role. 

Glucose, less soluble in water than fructose, tends to crystallize faster. Therefore, honey with higher glucose content, like clover or dandelion, crystallizes more readily compared to those with higher fructose content, like acacia.

Cotton honey, Canola/Rape Seed Honey is another common honey that will crystalize quickly. And Tupelo honey is one that is supposed to never crystalize. 

It all has to do with the sugar combination naturally found in the nectar. Not all flower nectar is the same.

When we and nearly all beekeepers process their honey from the hive, they run it through a filter or strainer to remove the chunks of comb, bees, or other things in the hive you may not want in your honey.

This process removes the large pieces but does not remove the small particles like pollen grains or enzymes. A backyard beekeeper is not able to remove these using normal beekeeping equipment. So these bits are included in honey and are a part of what makes local honey special.

Crystallization is Not Spoilage

It’s important to note that crystallization does not indicate spoilage. It’s a reversible process that does not affect the honey’s taste or quality, merely its texture and color. 

In fact, many beekeepers and honey enthusiasts consider crystallized honey a sign of high quality and minimal processing. But that isn’t always true.

Depending on where you live in the world, crystalized honey is normal, and liquid honey is uncommon. So it’s all about perspective.

Raw honey is honey as it exists in the beehive or as obtained by standard extraction, settling, or straining without adding heat. This minimal processing means raw honey contains natural elements like propolis, pollen, and beeswax particles. 

These natural elements not only contribute to the health benefits of raw honey but also play a crucial role in its crystallization. The presence of these natural impurities in raw honey accelerates the crystallization process, serving as the foundation for its unique texture. This crystallization is a testament to the purity and natural state of raw honey.

As beekeepers, we like having all these things in our honey. Unfortunately, this causes crystallization to happen much quicker. We will trade that “risk” to produce a higher-quality product. But not all beekeepers or honey packers feel the same way.

Grade A = Grade F. Ultra-processed honey, often found in supermarkets, undergoes extensive processing, including heating and ultra-filtration. 

The easiest way to identify this type of honey is it has the term “Grade A” on the packaging. Another tell is that it has an expiration date. Another thing I learned is that it says “True Source Certified.” Another tell is that it is from another country besides the United States. 

Usually, the larger the honey producer, the more incentivized they are to prevent crystalization. These companies want to send their honey to a store and never want to see it again. 

If sending it to the US from another country, they want to ensure it doesn’t crystalize under transit, so ultra pasteurizing and filtering the honey is the best way. 

With raw honey, because it was not heated or ultra-filtered, the enzymes and flavors that are lost with heating remain in the honey. 

If these don’t matter, you can heat the honey up like you would the Grade A honey. But if you want to preserve these elements, you need to take care when heating it.

There isn’t a legal rule regarding raw honey, but the general consensus is to keep it close to the temperature it reaches inside the hive. 

This can be around 100°F in the summer. It is also known that enzymes start to break down around 105°F. So when heating the honey, you want to keep the temperature below this. 

The trouble is that honey doesn’t start to decrystallize until it reaches the high 90°s and low 100°s Fahrenheit.

So, the technique for getting your jar of hard honey back to the desired consistency of runny honey takes some more precision and patience. When the honey reaches these temperatures, it has to stay at these temperatures for a couple of hours to adequately dissolve. It doesn’t happen instantly.

• Place the honey jar in a pot of warm water at 105°F and stir honey occasionally
• Scrape honey into a bowl over a double boiler and gently heat until dissolved, stirring occasionally
• Place jars in a container with water, and using a thermal circulator or sous vide machine, heat the water until the honey is liquid.

There are other techniques, but because you can’t control the temperature, they are not recommended if you want to preserve the integrity of the honey. Heating in a car, dishwasher, oven, or sunny spot will likely overheat the honey.

The commonly suggested method of heating honey in a warm water bath has its limitations. While it does work to some extent, the water tends to cool quickly, and it’s not very effective at dissolving the crystals. For a more efficient transformation, sustained heat is the key.

For beekeepers, dealing with crystallized honey can be a bit different, especially when it’s still in larger containers like buckets. The key is to apply gentle heat in a controlled manner to preserve the honey’s quality. 

But when it is in a bucket, it can be more difficult because of the increased volume and size. Here are some effective methods:

Heated Bottling Tank

Using a Bottling Tank: For larger quantities or beekeepers with one, a heated bottling tank is an ideal solution. These tanks are specifically designed for honey, allowing for temperature control and easy handling of larger volumes of honey. 

The gentle heat applied from the tank walls liquifies the crystallized honey while maintaining its quality. You can use these easily without having to overheat the honey.

The water filled walls of the tank make for a quality heat that is even and safe for your honey. It can take several days to get the job done at temperatures around 105°F, but it works well.

In the world of honey, misconceptions abound, especially regarding its crystallized form. Let’s clear the air by addressing some of these myths, using our beekeeping expertise to separate fact from fiction.

Myth 1: Crystallized Honey is Spoiled

One of the most prevalent myths is that crystallized honey is spoiled or no longer good. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Crystallization is a totally natural process that does not affect the intrinsic qualities of honey, such as its flavor or nutritional value. In fact, crystallized honey retains all its natural goodness in a different texture.

Myth 2: Crystallized Honey is of Inferior Quality

Another misconception is that crystallized honey indicates inferior quality. Contrarily, crystallization can signal that the honey is pure and minimally processed. Highly processed honeys, which are often ultra-filtered and heated, are less likely to crystallize due to the removal of natural particles that initiate crystallization. But not always true.