How to Keep Honey from Crystallizing
Uh oh! Did you buy liquid honey and it's turned hard as a rock? This means that it has crystallized. This does not mean your honey has gone bad but an entirely natural process. However, it can make it exceedingly difficult to get your honey out of the jar. So how can you decrystallized your honey? Let's break it down.
Why does honey crystallize?
Honey crystallization is a completely natural process! Honey is a supersaturated sugar solution, meaning it contains more sugar—primarily glucose and fructose—than water can normally dissolve.
Over time, the glucose naturally begins to separate from the liquid and forms tiny crystals, which gradually spread throughout the jar and cause the honey to thicken or become solid. Factors such as temperature, the natural ratio of glucose to fructose, and tiny particles like pollen can speed up crystallization.
Different floral sources crystallize at different rates, so some honeys may stay liquid for months while others firm up quickly. Crystallized honey is still perfectly safe to eat and retains the same flavor and nutritional qualities.
Why does some honey crystallize differently?
You may have noticed that when some honey crystallizes, it just turns opaque and creamy, like peanut butter, while when other honey crystallizes, it turns into a brick. This depends on whether the honey has been processed or not.
100%, real raw honey will turn opaque and creamy when it crystallizes. You will still be able to scoop it out of the jar and may notice is has a grainy quality. Raw honey has never been filtered or heated, so this crystallization is caused by tiny bits of pollen, propolis, and wax in the honey.
However, liquid honey forms a hard rock when it crystallizes because it has been processed. Liquid honey has been finely filtered and heated so that it has a thinner texture and is clear. However, this heating also removes all those natural microscopic particles of pollen and propolis. Therefore, when it eventually does crystallize, the remaining sugars create a denser, solid structure. Heated honey also has less water in it, preventing the glucose molecules from staying dissolved for as long as unheated honey. It all comes down to the honey chemistry!
How to decrystallize my honey?
Regardless of whether you may have raw or liquid honey, you may prefer it in a thinner, spreadable texture. The best way to decrystallize your honey is to lightly reheat it! This can be done by:
Sticking a glass container of honey into the microwave for a few seconds.
OR
Placing the honey container into a warm water bath.
You can also delay crystallization by storing your honey in a warm place; honey crystallizes faster in cold temperatures. We also recommend using our 100% raw honey rather than the liquid. Like mentioned above, our raw honey does crystallize but it remains creamy and spreadable. This way you can enjoy the health benefits of raw honey while easily scooping it from your jar!
