How to Make Honey Garlic

Honey and garlic might seem like an odd combo, but once you try this sweet and mellow honey garlic, you’ll want to keep making it to enjoy on its own or in a variety of recipes!

What are your favorite duos in the kitchen?

I love a good peanut butter and chocolate combination, like my Peanut Butter Chocolate Granola Bars.

And you can’t go wrong with the classics: Mac and Cheese, and peanut butter and jelly.

But personally, one of my favorite duos is garlic and honey.

That might seem like an odd combination, but once you hear how you can turn potent garlic into somewhat of a tasty treat – I know my favorite duo will soon be yours too.

FERMENTED GARLIC HONEY

For this fermented garlic honey recipe, you want to use raw honey because it still has bacteria and wild yeast that assist in fermentation.

Why raw honey? Typical commercial honey found at the grocery store is refined and far from its original state. It is first heated, then watered down, and finally filtered to remove any remaining traces of pollen. This process also kills the enzymes and makes the resulting honey void of any vitamins or minerals. With conventional store-bought honey, your honey garlic will still taste good, but if you don’t have the nutrients, you aren’t getting any benefit from eating the honey besides the sweetness.

Let’s discuss the issue of raw honey vs. pasteurized honey and your grocery budget for just a moment.

I prefer raw honey because it still has all of the good stuff in it giving me maximum nutrition. You won’t get that from pasteurized honey and there’s no way around that. Raw unpasteurized honey also tends to cost more than pasteurized honey, and there’s no way around that either.

However, I believe pasteurized honey is still a fine (and sometimes better) alternative to granulated white sugar for most baking and cooking needs. Of course, raw and unpasteurized is my preference, but I know that sometimes there just aren’t the funds for that.

One way to strike a balance in the grocery budget is to have two honeys. Use pasteurized honey for baking and raw honey ONLY for recipes that don’t involve heat. Raw honey ranges anywhere from $6-10 for one pound in my area. Since you’d only be using a tablespoon or two at a time, that one jar will last you a VERY long time.

No matter what honey you use, remember that honey garlic should not be given to babies under one year old.

HOW TO MAKE FERMENTED HONEY GARLIC

Supplies and Ingredients

• a small jar (these 4 oz glass jars are perfect)
• one head of garlic
• raw honey (if you’re unable to find it locally, I recommend this brand)
• large knife

Instructions

Step 1: Prep the garlic. Take your garlic and peel all the papery wrappings off each clove. Take the flat side of a large knife and crush the whole garlic cloves. Let sit for at least fifteen minutes. Crushing the garlic first allows it to release some of its juices, which helps with the fermentation process.

Step 2: Place the garlic into a small glass jar and add honey until the garlic is covered. Screw the lid on the jar loosely and let it rest at room temperature on your counter for 3-5 days. The garlic will start to absorb some of the sweetness of the honey.

Step 3: Burp the garlic honey. You may start to see bubbles form in your jar. Open the lid to let the carbon dioxide escape. Put the lid back on and shake the garlic honey around to ensure all the garlic cloves are still coated with honey.

Step 4: Once it has finished fermenting (when you no longer see as many bubbles), tighten the lid on the jar or move to an airtight container. Keep the honey garlic in your refrigerator for the best storage. You can store the fermented garlic and honey for up to 1 year!

WAYS TO USE YOUR GARLIC AND HONEY

Soaking garlic cloves in honey will make the garlic much more palatable, meaning you can eat them as is! Just pop a clove or two in your mouth or have a spoonful of the honey.

You can also use your honey garlic in a variety of recipes! Use them together or use just one or the other where it makes sense.

• Make a honey garlic sauce or marinade.
• Use as a glaze on meats and protein – honey garlic salmon or pork chops would be delicious! Sticky Chicken Breasts or skinless chicken thighs are yummy too – try my Instant Pot Honey Garlic Chicken Recipe.
• Coat roasted veggies like broccoli in garlic honey for a yummy side dish.
• Whisk the garlic honey into salad dressings.
• Mince the garlic and add to stir-fries. Find my easy recipe here. Add rice (or Cauliflower Rice) and you’ve got a super quick dinner!
• Drizzle the honey on toast, cornbread, or even on top of pizza!
• Use the garlic in Hummus for a slightly sweet dip.
• Push the honey garlic cloves into Focaccia Bread for a flavor boost.
• Add the garlic honey to a cheese board. Include some Easy Homemade Crackers too.
• Chop the garlic and mix it into your favorite Spaghetti Sauce.

HONEY GARLIC FAQS

MORE EASY FERMENTED RECIPES

• Homemade Apple Cider Vinegar
• How to Make Yogurt
• How to Make a Sourdough Starter
• How to Make Kombucha
• How to Make Kefir

WATCH HOW TO MAKE HONEY INFUSED GARLIC