How Long Does Honey Last? (It Doesn’t Expire, but It Does Change)
Honey does not expire. Sealed and kept dry, it lasts indefinitely; archaeologists have opened jars in Egyptian tombs and found the honey still edible after three thousand years. What honey does do is crystallise, darken slowly and, if water gets into it, ferment. Here is why it keeps, what the best-by date on the jar actually means, how to store it and what to do when it turns solid.
Why honey lasts so long
Honey is about 80 percent sugar and under 18 percent water, and that is the whole secret. So little water is available that bacteria and yeasts cannot grow in it; they dehydrate on contact. It is also acidic, with a pH around 3.9, and bees add an enzyme, glucose oxidase, that slowly produces small amounts of hydrogen peroxide. Sugar, acid and peroxide together make honey one of the few foods that preserves itself.
What the best-by date on honey means
Nothing about safety. Honey producers in the United States are not required to date their jars; most print a best-by date two or three years out because retailers expect one and because flavor and color change over time. An old honey is darker and less aromatic than a fresh one, particularly a delicate honey such as acacia, but it is not spoiled. For how these dates work across the pantry, see our guide to best-by dates on food.
How long honey lasts, by type
| Honey | Keeps | What changes |
|---|---|---|
| Liquid honey, sealed | Indefinitely | Darkens and loses aroma over years; may crystallise |
| Liquid honey, opened | Indefinitely, kept dry and lidded | Same; crystallises sooner if the lid is left off or a wet spoon goes in |
| Raw or unfiltered honey | Indefinitely if the moisture is low | Crystallises faster because of pollen and wax; a high-moisture raw honey can ferment |
| Creamed or whipped honey | Indefinitely | May soften or separate in a warm kitchen; stir it |
| Honeycomb | Indefinitely, sealed | The honey inside crystallises over time; the wax is unaffected |
| Honey with added ingredients | Follow the label | Flavored honeys with fruit, herbs or nuts inherit the shelf life of what was added |
Crystallised honey is not spoiled honey
Crystallisation is honey’s natural state, not a fault. Honey is a supersaturated solution of glucose and fructose; the glucose wants to come out of solution, and it does so sooner or later depending on the ratio. Honeys high in glucose — lavender, rapeseed, clover — set within weeks and often arrive creamy. Honeys high in fructose — acacia above all, and many tree honeys — stay liquid for months or years. Cold speeds the process, which is one reason not to refrigerate honey, and so do stray crystals: a jar that crystallised once will do so again faster.
To return it to liquid, stand the jar in warm water, not hot, for twenty minutes and stir. Repeat if needed. Avoid the microwave, which heats unevenly and can scorch the sugars, and avoid boiling water, which drives off the aroma that made the honey worth buying.
How to store honey
- Room temperature, in a cupboard. A cool pantry is ideal; the refrigerator only makes it crystallise.
- Lid on. Honey is hygroscopic and pulls water from the air, and water is the one thing that can spoil it.
- Dry spoon. Crumbs and water in the jar are how fermentation starts.
- Glass rather than metal for long storage; honey’s acidity can react with some metals over years.
- Out of the sun, which darkens it.
When honey actually goes bad
Rarely, and only one way: fermentation. If honey takes on enough water — from humidity, a wet spoon or being harvested too early — wild yeasts can start working on the sugars. Fermenting honey foams, smells sour or of alcohol, tastes fizzy or off and may push the lid up. It will not hurt you, but it is finished as honey, though it makes a fair marinade or a start on mead. Throw it out if you would rather not.
Honey that has simply crystallised, darkened or thickened is fine. Honey that has thinned is fine. A dusty film of wax or pollen on top of a raw honey is fine.
One real warning
Honey should never be given to children under twelve months. It can carry spores of Clostridium botulinum that an infant’s gut cannot yet handle; older children and adults are unaffected. This applies to all honey, raw or pasteurised, and to foods made with it.
How we choose ours
The honeys we carry are single-flower harvests from families who can say where the bees were. Famille Perronneau’s acacia is the one to keep for tea: pale, mild and slow to set. Their lavender honey crystallises finely on its own, which is how the French like it on bread. THETA’s rose honey is a rarer thing again. All of them keep as described above. See our honeys, confitures and flower confits, and everything from Famille Perronneau.
Questions
Does honey expire? No. Kept dry and lidded, it is safe indefinitely. The best-by date is about flavor.
Can you eat crystallised honey? Yes, as it is or warmed back to liquid in a bath of warm water.
Does honey need to be refrigerated? No, and it is better not to; the cold makes it set.
How do I know if honey has gone bad? Foam, a sour or alcoholic smell, a fizzy taste or a bulging lid mean it has fermented. Anything else is normal ageing.
Does raw honey last as long as regular honey? Yes, provided its moisture is low, which a reputable producer checks. It crystallises faster because of the pollen and wax it contains.
Does olive oil keep the same way? No: oil goes stale where honey does not. See Does olive oil expire?