What to Eat with Honey: 11 Delicious Pairings

If you have got a honey jar that you are trying to use up, but you are not sure what to pair it with, we have got you covered with this list of 11 things to eat with honey. When choosing food to pair with honey, keep in mind that each honey has a different flavor profile depending on what flowers the bees feed from. Light floral fruity honey like our California Orange Blossom honey is great with tea, hard cheeses, fruit and yogurt, while nutty and complex honey like our Kauai Wildflower is excellent on toast, soft cheeses, in coffee or over ice cream.

Without further ado, here are 11 foods to eat with honey:

Tea

No list of what to pair with honey would be complete without tea. When choosing a honey to mix into your tea, be sure to tailor your selection to the tea itself. Lighter white and green teas pair better with lighter honey, while more robust black teas can handle a stronger honey without overwhelming the flavor.

Coffee

Tea is an obvious beverage to pair with honey, but have you thought about stirring honey into your coffee? Honey is a healthier alternative than sugar if you like to take a sweetener in your coffee, and it goes especially well in lattes or other flavored coffee beverages that are stirred or frothed. We are especially big fans of cinnamon honey lattes, but there are plenty of other combinations to experiment with.

Cheeses

Both soft and hard cheeses are enhanced by a dab of honey, which is why we love to add honey to our cheese boards. The milder the cheese, the lighter the raw honey that should be paired with it. For example, we love to serve soft cheeses such as fresh mozzarella with our California Orange Blossom honey, and hard cheeses such as parmesan with our Kauai Wildflower honey, which has a stronger flavor.

Nuts

Speaking of cheese boards, nuts are another common addition that pair well with honey. The crunchy texture is the perfect contrast to honey, and nuts combined with honey make for a delicious snack. You can even make your own honey-toasted nuts at home using a simple glaze if you are not a fan of plain nuts.

Yogurt

Unsweetened yogurt offers a lot of versatility and lacks added sugars, but it can be a little sour for some people’s tastes. Drizzling honey is a healthy way to sweeten up your yogurt, and adding it yourself (vs. buying the flavored kind) gives you way more control of your sugar intake. Add some nuts for a protein-packed breakfast or snack that is as healthy as it is delicious.

Fruit

If you love fruit desserts during the hot days of summer, we recommend drizzling them with honey to really enhance their sweetness. You can also combine the fruit and honey with other items on this list — including yogurt, oatmeal and ice cream — to make everything from breakfast to snacks to a sweet treat.

Root Vegetables

Another less obvious food pairing with honey is root vegetables, such as potatoes and carrots. These vegetables already caramelize when slow roasted, giving them a sweet edge that is only heightened by the addition of a honey glaze or dipping sauce.

Toast and Other Pastries

We love putting honey on toast because the crunchy texture perfectly balances out the sweet stickiness of the honey. However, honey can also be a delicious addition to almost any kind of pastry, whether you are mixing it into the batter, slathering it on top or using it as a filling. You can make your own homemade honey butter (which is actually really simple!) to combine the two condiments together.

Oatmeal

Honey mixes perfectly into hot oatmeal given their similar textures. Stir it in as soon as the oatmeal is done cooking to promote even mixing. If you prefer to make overnight oats in the fridge, mix the raw honey in before you leave it to sit in order to get the strongest flavor.

Smoothies

If you are a big fan of the morning smoothie, honey makes for an excellent natural sweetener. It goes especially well in fruit and dairy smoothies, but can be combined with other flavors as well. Make sure to blend the smoothie really well so the honey is evenly distributed throughout.

Ice cream

If your ice cream needs a little extra something and you are tired of all the traditional toppings, then you cannot go wrong with a drizzle of honey. We especially enjoy combining vanilla ice cream with some honey and some fruit for a refreshing treat during the summer months.

Running low on honey? Add our two-honey set to the cart — and do not forget to check out our recipes to get more inspiration for cooking with honey.