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Vegan honey in a glass jar with a honey dipper.
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5 from 6 votes

Vegan Honey

This homemade vegan honey recipe is amazing! It's made with 5 simple ingredients and looks and tastes like real honey!
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time35 minutes
Total Time40 minutes
Course: Desserts
Cuisine: American
Diet: Vegan
Servings: 16
Calories: 121kcal

Ingredients

  • 2 cups Pure Apple Juice (480ml)
  • 2 cups White Granulated Sugar (400g)
  • ¼ cup Agave Syrup (60ml)
  • 1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
  • ½ teaspoon Orange Extract

Instructions

  • Add apple juice, white granulated sugar, agave syrup, lemon juice and orange extract to a medium sized heavy bottomed saucepan and heat on medium heat.
  • Stir well with a whisk constantly until the sugar dissolves, and then stir it occasionally after that.
  • Let the mixture come to a full rolling boil, with bubbles all over the top, then set a timer for 25 minutes. Let it boil for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. You will notice it darken in color and thicken slightly.
  • Remove the honey from the heat and pour it out into a heat safe jar and allow it to sit with the lid off at room temperature for about 30 minutes. Then add the lid and refrigerate overnight until cool and thick.
  • It makes about 2 cups of honey. Use just the same as you would use regular honey.

Notes

  1. Apple juice - store-bought apple juice in a carton is perfect here. Just make sure that it is pure apple juice.
  2. White granulated sugar - is the best for flavor here, you could probably experiment with different sugars such as coconut sugar, but the flavor profile would be different.
  3. Agave syrup - also called agave nectar, is wonderful for flavor and brings out the honey flavor beautifully. You could leave it out, or substitute it with something like maple syrup, but it will have a subtle impact on the flavor.
  4. Lemon juice - can be freshly squeezed or bottled.
  5. Orange extract - adds a wonderful depth of flavor. You could leave it out, but if you have it on hand, it's a great addition.
  6. Don't overcook it. Boiling the mix for 25 minutes is pretty much foolproof (we tried it with different pots and on different stoves) but of course we can't account for all pots and all stoves. If you're in doubt about whether it's ready, then dip a spoon into the mix so that the spoon is coated with honey. Let the honey cool on the spoon and then test the consistency with your finger. Is it thick and sticky like honey? If yes, then it's done.
  7. It thickens as it cools. When this honey is hot it will be a thin runny consistency. It's only as it cools that it thickens into a honey texture.
  8. Storing: You can keep it stored in the fridge for at least 2 weeks. If it gets too thick in the fridge, then let it come to room temperature on the counter. It will also store perfectly well at room temperature. If it has gone sour, it will have a sour smell, so as long as it smells sweet and lovely, it is good to go.

Nutrition

Serving: 2Tablespoons | Calories: 121kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 0.04g | Fat: 0.1g | Saturated Fat: 0.01g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.01g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.002g | Sodium: 2mg | Potassium: 33mg | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 30g | Vitamin A: 0.4IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 3mg | Iron: 0.1mg