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
Do I need to worry about botulism?
Raw honey is acidic, and while it can contain botulism spores (the reason we don’t give it to babies), the acidity is usually enough to keep the botulism from reproducing. The fermentation also helps with this. You can add a tablespoon of Apple Cider Vinegar to your honey garlic if you are concerned it is not acidic enough.
Do I have to wait until the garlic and honey is fermented before eating it?
Nope! The garlic and honey will begin to ferment after a few days, but you can eat it as soon as you make it! Of course, the benefits from the honey and garlic will be more potent as it ferments, but feel free to pop the honey-soaked garlic cloves in your mouth at any time!
Can I eat honey and garlic every day?
You bet! Honey and garlic are both foods you can eat every day.
Why are there bubbles in my garlic-honey infusion?
The bubbles mean the fermentation process is starting and that’s a good thing! Garlic infused honey will bubble until fermentation ends.
Help! My garlic has turned blue! Is that normal?
Over time, the garlic might begin to turn blue during the fermentation process, but don’t worry. It’s still safe to eat and tastes just fine!

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

Will it make a difference if I juice the garlic and then mix it with honey?
I am wondering about crushing the garlic and leaving it to sit for 15 minutes to release the allicin. Should I be doing that when I cook with it too? Thanks.
I tried this recipe with what was marketed as raw honey from my farmers market, but it’s been a couple days and I’m not getting an air bubbles, leading me to believe it maybe wasn’t truly raw honey.
Is there any harm in making this with pasteurized honey instead (besides not getting the same health benefits of raw honey)?
There’s no harm at all Delaney!
Awesome, thanks Tiffany 🙂
My daughter has been suffering from sinusitis and this article is such a big help. Garlic being a super food being infused with honey is a match made in heaven.
I’m sick with a bad cold and took a spoonful this morning and already can feel the difference but need to know how often I can take it?
As often as you need to Sara!
For me, garlic is the best ingredient a food can have. And infusing garlic to honey to have an immune-boosting, it’s just perfect for me.
I got a raw, unfiltered, organic honey from Walmart. Do you think it’s OK to use? It doesn’t look “cloudy” like the honey you recommended!
Sure! All raw honey will look different. 🙂
This post and similar other posts are useful. Started preparing and using garlic and honey after soaking both together for a day. Is it to be used for only 7 days or can it be used continuously.
Hello..i have a quick question. I just made the mixture and left it in the refrigerator immediately and the next day i had a spoonful of the yummy recipe. It was hard when swallowing but I liked the feeling. Is it ok to have it immediately without storing in a dark place for 3 to 5 days?
I have a question about botulism. I followed the instructions but my garlic honey mixture has been sitting for a week. I didn’t learn about botulism until today. How long does it take to form an is my garlic honey mixture safe to put in the refrigerator and enjoy now
Can diabetic person take this garlic – honey preparation?
I’m not sure Himmat. I’m not diabetic nor a medical professional and cannot give medical advice.
Count the carbs in the honey. (17 carbs in 1 Tablespoon) I have an insulin pump and if I eat
honey I give myself more insulin to counteract the carbs in the honey) So 1 tsp of honey would
contain about 6 carbs. The garlic would not be enough to raise your blood sugar.
This was in reply to Himmat
Can I eat the garlic and honey every day I have been doing it for 4 days and I already feel better not as tired for sure
For how many days continuously garlic-honey cane be safely taken?
i did 4 days. another post here said 7.
Can I & my (9 yr old daughter) eat this daily?
i’ve been suffering from sinusitis for about 10 months now. been the whole route with specialist and Rx, steroid sprays, etc to no avail. someone told me to grind up fresh domestic garlic together with “RAW LOCAL” honey for 4 days straight. i am on day 3 and have stopped all meds, steroids, and allergy meds. so far so good…
the theory of RAW LOCAL Honey seems to be that the bees use the local foliage to make their honey (which is probably what is driving your allergies insane) and turning it into honey. you ingest the honey and much like an allergy shot, your body begins to build an immunity to it.
eating the raw garlic does make me super nauseated so i suggest not ingesting the mixture on an empty stomach AND starting out small first. my dosage has been a mixture of 1:1 RAW LOCAL Honey to Crushed Garlic in one of those Chinese Soup spoons.
at this point, i am at wits end and willing to try anything! the quality of my life needs to change!
Oh My!! I deal with sinusitis!! I am definitely going to try this!
Update:
I have completed the recommended the four day regiment of 1:1 crushed domestic garlic w/RAW LOCAL Honey. I am totally off the steroid sprays and allergy meds!
I do have little “Flair Ups” being i live in a heavy smoke environment with all the fires here in So.Cal, so i will rinse my sinus with a saline rinse when needed. i am also trying bee’s pollen to help build up my immune system.
honey/garlic ~ who would have ever known!
Can frozen garlic be used or does freezing affect the allicin content?
Question, I made the infusion, albeit with a touch more garlic than say the 7 cloves mentioned more like 15 cloves, and I used standard Honey from the local supermarket.
questions:
how long does it need to rest with the honey? I
had a taste of it 3 days in and the garlic is so potent that my mouth was burning! the honey so far has not mellowed the garlic.
its in a Jar in a cool dry place – should I leave it where it is or should I place it in the fridge?
I’m keen to try this remedy to see what benefits will I be able to draw out. I’m hoping that it will help the digestive issues I’ve been suffering from.
Put it in the fridge Alex. As for the taste, you did double the amount of garlic… 😉
I’ll place it in the fridge this evenin, will it mellow the more it rests? As it is with the strength of the garlic it’s not edible per day, way too strong.
Alex, increase the honey to match the normal garlic to honey ratio to calm the garlic down.
I made this about a year ago and it’s been in my fridge since I forgot about it it smells and looks find cloves are dark brown I was wondering if this is still safe to eat?
Use the smell test Gaynelle!
how many days a month can we take it without any problem?????? please
Just stepping in to add a suggestion for those who mentioned how taking this on an empty stomach can give you a bad digestive upset. The first day I took this that is what happened to me – I swallowed a spoonful and immediately was bent double with cramps. Garlic is extremely potent. I quickly ate, which saved me from a number of hours of hell, and tried again the next morning but drank a glass of water with it to dilute. This works perfectly for me and I don’t experience any upset. I do chew the mixture to break down the chunks of crushed garlic as this seems the most sensible to me for maximal nutritional benefit.