12 Types of Honey You Need to Know

Honey is a sweetener, but it’s more than simply sweet. The flavor of raw, unpasteurized honey is a direct reflection of the land. Each drop is a story of where the honeybees forage and pollinate; each has notes that can range from floral and fruity to caramel- and toffee-like, as well as everything in between.

With so many bears, bottles, and jars lining the honey shelves at the grocery store, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. But don’t worry — we’ve got the scoop on all the types of honey and which ones you need to take home. 

How bees make honey

It’s a common misconception that all bees make honey. In fact, of the estimated 20,000 bee species worldwide, fewer than 4% produce honey — the most well-known being the honeybee. 

To produce honey, a female honeybee collects nectar from a flower, storing the nectar in her honey sac, a separate stomach from her digestive stomach. In the honey sac, enzymes break down the nectar into simple sugars, which the honeybee hauls back to the hive and passes off to a worker bee. From there, the nectar is placed into a honeycomb cell. “There, the bees dehydrate the nectar until it’s about 18% water content,” says beekeeper Justin Hill, founder of Eastaboga Bee Co. in Alabama. This dehydrated nectar is what we know as honey. 

How to decode a honey label 

Reading and understanding a honey label can be tricky, thanks to loose federal food regulations and obscure marketing jargon. The three most important things to look for are how the honey was processed, what variety it is, and where it comes from. Starting with processing, the four main labels you’ll come across are:

Pure honey

Pure honey is free of added sweeteners like corn syrup or glucose and contains no other ingredients that dilute it. It’s often labelled and sold as “100%” honey. 

Raw honey

Raw honey is a type of pure honey which is not allowed to be pasteurized through heat treatment or heavily filtered. Since it is unpasteurized, raw honey is mildly acidic and contains more enzymes, like protease, which can act as a tenderizer. 

Organic honey

Organic honey is produced from the nectar of flowers that haven’t been treated with synthetic pesticides or fertilizers. In the U.S., producing certified organic honey is challenging due to the wide foraging range of honeybees, so most organic honey is imported from countries like Brazil or India.

Unfiltered honey

Unfiltered honey has not been processed to remove small particles of pollen or wax. However, not all unfiltered honey is raw, as some may be heated above the pasteurization temperature of 145°F.

Creamed honey

Creamed honey or “whipped honey” is essentially honey that’s been crystallized on purpose into a smooth and creamy consistency. 

Honeycomb

While not considered a type of honey, pieces of honeycomb can be purchased at many grocery stores. Use it as you would liquid honey, or just eat it by itself as a sweet snack. 

Hot honey

Hot honey has surged in popularity recently, and you can find everywhere from fine dining restaurants to fast-food chains. Infused with chili peppers for a sweet-spicy kick, it is widely available at grocery stores, and it’s also easy to make a homemade version. Drizzle over halloumi for a sweet and savory kick to sliders, or kick up the heat on roasted veggies.

Single source vs. multifloral honey

Single-source, or single-origin, honey comes from one specific geographic location. “A beekeeper can ‘stage’ their beehives where there is primarily one botanical source,” writes C. Marina Marchese in The World Atlas of Honey, “so that the bees will produce honey that is single in origin, meaning it is more than 50% of a single nectar source.” If a single-source honey is produced from nectar from a single type of flower, it’s considered both single-source and monofloral. 

On the other hand, multifloral — also known as polyfloral — honey is made from nectar collected from a variety of flower species. A honey can be both single-source and multifloral if it comes from one geographic location with multiple types of flowers that the bees pollinate. 

Now that you know how to decipher how a honey is categorized and processed, let’s dive into the many types of honey you’ll find at your local store or farmers market, as well as some more obscure ones you may come across in the wild. 

Types of honey

Acacia honey 

Ranging from a delicate pale yellow to nearly transparent, acacia honey is prized for its clarity. With a higher fructose and glucose content, it crystallizes much more slowly than other varieties, which makes it one of the most shelf-stable honey types. Mix it into a strawberry-honey lemonade for a cooling drink, or infuse it into a sticky caramel sauce. 

Alfalfa honey 

Like orange blossom and acacia, alfalfa honey is a monofloral honey from the alfalfa plant. 

Buckwheat honey 

Another monofloral honey, this darker honey has a stronger, more intense flavor layered with earthy and malty notes. While this honey may not be the best for stirring into a cup of hot tea, it would work well in a smoky dish like honey-mustard glazed salmon steaks or this Honey Trap cocktail to complement mezcal. 

Clover honey

The most commonly produced honey in the United States, clover honey is harvested from the nectar of clover plants. It’s an all-purpose honey with a delicate floral aroma and hints of baking spices like cinnamon and nutmeg, making it ideal for everything from a simple honey syrup for cocktails to a sticky coating on these crunchy honey mustard chicken bites. 

Eucalyptus honey 

With its rich amber hue and remarkable clarity, this visually stunning honey offers bold, herbal notes that shine when drizzled over sharp cheeses on a charcuterie board or used in glazes for roasted meats.

Fireweed honey

Called the ‘Champagne of Honey’ for its light color and smooth consistency, fireweed honey is made from the nectar of the fireweed flower — a fast-growing plant that quickly thrives in scorched soil, especially after wildfires. 

Linden honey 

Popular in Eastern Europe, linden honey has a distinct fresh, almost minty flavor profile. This gives the honey an extra soothing edge. 

Manuka honey

Native to New Zealand and known for its potential health benefits, manuka honey is often considered a luxury honey due to its steep price point. It contains notes of raisin and molasses. Dark, thick, and rich, it’s perfect for drizzling over cakes or mixing with yogurt.

Orange blossom honey

Made by bees that pollinate orange groves, this honey has the shortest harvesting season. Pair it with warm scones, mix it into a citrus-forward vinaigrette for fresh vegetables, or drizzle it directly over pancakes.

Sage honey

On the rarer side, sage honey can be one of the more challenging types to get a hold of because fresh sage blooms are fairly unpredictable. If you do happen to grab it, it has one of the longest lasting shelf-lives of all types of honey and is a perfect match for a pasta with a nutty butter sauce. 

Tupelo honey

Best known as the subject of a 1971 Van Morrison song, tupelo honey comes from the blossoms of the tupelo tree. Beekeepers often harvest it by boat, as tupelo trees grow in dense, swampy regions. 

Wildflower honey

The result of bees pollinating various wildflowers, this honey widely ranges in flavor depending on region and season. No two wildflower honeys are alike — it can taste like citrus or red fruits all the way to herbs like sage and mint. Wildflower honey works beautifully in baked goods like this Ukranian Honey Cake, where it complements the mild, fruity sweetness of the dried prunes.