Congratulations, your honey is crystallising!

A few weeks ago you bought a lovely jar of honey. But today, when you go to take out a spoonful, the honey is suddenly hard and grainy. What happened? And more importantly: what can you do about it?

A natural process

Honey crystallises naturally. That is because glucose, one of the natural sugars in honey, forms crystals over time. Some honeys do this faster than others. It mainly depends on the ratio of glucose to fructose. Honey with relatively more glucose crystallises faster, honey with relatively more fructose stays runny for longer.

Processing plays a part too. Heating dissolves existing crystals. And fine filtering removes small particles on which new crystals can form. So honey that has been heated a lot or heavily filtered often stays runny for longer. Raw, unprocessed honey actually crystallises faster.

That is why we say: congratulations, your honey is crystallising! It is not a sign that it has gone off, and often it is a sign of honey that has not been ruined by heat.

Make honey runny again in three steps

Now you know there is nothing wrong. But maybe you simply find runny honey easier to use. Here is how to make it runny again:

1. Place the closed jar in a pan of warm water. Do not use boiling water: around 38 °C is enough. That way your honey stays raw. Let the water come up to about the level of the honey, but ideally just below the label.

2. Let the honey warm up slowly. This usually takes 20 to 30 minutes. If the honey is completely hard, it takes a little longer.

3. Stir now and then. This spreads the warmth and helps the crystals dissolve faster.

Et voilà, your honey is runny again!

What you had better not do: put honey in the microwave. It heats unevenly and far too hot, and then you lose exactly what you buy raw honey for.

Nice tips, but it is still annoying!

We understand that too. Four more tips for the impatient honey eater:

1. Store your honey at room temperature, not in the fridge. Honey crystallises fastest at around 10 to 15 degrees. In an ordinary kitchen cupboard, out of direct sunlight, it stays pleasant to use for longest.

2. Choose a honey that naturally stays runny for a long time. Our Acacia honey contains relatively more fructose, so it crystallises much more slowly than most other kinds.

3. Or go for spreadable instead. Our Creamed wildflower honey is made creamy on purpose. Note: do not warm this honey, or you will lose its soft texture.

4. Or simply do nothing at all. Crystallised honey is still good honey. Spread it on a cracker or a slice of bread. It has just become a bit firmer.

Not sure which honey suits you? Read here how to choose.