You read that right: VEGAN HONEY. It’s actually a thing, and once you try this you will not even realize you miss the real thing. Completely ethical and absolutely delicious.

Vegans and Honey…Is honey not actually vegan?

Honey is one of the most controversial topics among vegans and non-vegans. Some vegans choose not to have any honey, as bees make this product for themselves and their young. Also, the ethics behind the mass production of bees is exploitive and production affects their normal way of life. By smoking out the bees from the hive, or replacing their food with a sugar syrup so we can take their food, we are hurting the little dudes and their way of life.

“Veganism is a philosophy and way of living which seeks to exclude—as far as is possible and practicable—all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose; and by extension, promotes the development and use of animal-free alternatives for the benefit of animals, humans and the environment… “

The Vegan Society

However, there are some vegans that believe sourcing honey from neighbors or local farms who take great care for their bees and don’t harm them in any way with taking the honey, such as a drip system which takes only the excess honey, is ethical and okay! Everyone is entitled to their opinion on whether they choose to source honey from local small farms or to completely avoid it. Knowing where its coming from and what you are supporting is a huge step in the right direction and by supporting the smaller local farmers we can make a huge change in the bee world and change the way bees are treated. That’s a huge point of veganism, right? If you’d like to read a little more about the mindset behind veganism and honey, these are two articles I would totally recommend reading. LiveKindly & The Vegan Society

So now that I’ve given some insight into clarifying the vegan point of honey, let’s jump in this AMAZING recipe!

The Recipe

I am so excited to finally share this incredible recipe with you. I’ve been messing around with this recipe for a few months now and have finally gotten it down EXACTLY how I want it! You know how I knew I achieved the right recipe? My dad, who is not vegan in any way, PLACED THIS HONEY ON TOAST WITHOUT ANYONE ASKING HIM TO. Yes, that’s right. My meat-eating dad actually went for the jar of “honey” for breakfast because it tasted so good. He never goes for our vegan stuff just “because”! He was willing to eat it without us saying to try it so I totally believe this recipe is everything you need to have the perfect substitute at home.

SO what is the main ingredient in this honey? APPLES. That’s right. Fresh apples is how we create this perfect recipe. I have tried making this recipe with apple juice instead of fresh apples, however it was too thin and the taste didn’t come out as “real” as I would have liked. I definitely recommend taking the extra 20 minutes to use fresh if you have them available! Totally worth it 🙂

Although apples are the main ingredient, there is one secret ingredient in this that has made all the difference…chamomile tea! This earthy tea adds the perfect amount of floral and natural notes to take down the apple flavor. Before adding the tea the honey tasted like an awesome apple honey. Nothing wrong with that, just wasn’t as convincing as the real deal! If you have any allergies or cannot use chamomile, you can definitely omit it.

Vegan Honey – The Best Recipe That Actually Tastes Like Honey

Recipe by The Heartfelt WayCourse: Dessert, BreakfastCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Medium

Prep time

30

minutes

Cooking time

25

minutes

Total time

1

hour 

10

minutes

The perfect vegan honey recipe, using apples and chamomile to make the realistic taste we crave. Use as a sweetener, just as you would normal honey!

Ingredients

• 10 medium sized gala apples

• 1 1/4 cups water

• 1 1/2 cups sugar

• 2 tbsp lemon juice

• 2 organic chamomile tea bags

Directions

• Leaving on the skin, core apples and cut into chunks (my pieces were about an inch big)
• In a food processor, blend apples and water until almost smooth. (I had to half my recipe with my food processor. You can also put half in first and once blended enough add in the rest and continue blending until smooth. Both methods work just fine, don’t think too much!)
• Strain the juice from the pulp. You can use a cheesecloth or thin strainer if you have one. The goal is to get as much of the pulp out, so its just the fresh juice. Only strain once. You should have about 3 cups of fresh juice. If you have completely strained the juice and you don’t have enough, feel free to make up the rest with either water or apple juice from a carton. (If you are missing more than 3/4 cup I would try to add more apples instead, so the taste isn’t watered down.)
• In a large pot add fresh apple juice, sugar, lemon juice over medium-high heat. Stir constantly. Once sugar is dissolved, bring to a rolling boil for about 30 seconds then turn heat down to medium.
• Add in the two tea bags by either 1. hanging the tea bags over the edge AWAY from the flame, or 2. take the thread and tag off and throw the two bags in to the pot.
• Let the tea bags and “honey” mixture simmer in the pot for about 25 minutes. I kept my tea bags in the pot for about 20, then took them out for the last 5 minutes. You are looking for the honey to thicken and reduce. This is just like making a simple syrup, so it should reduce to about half of the entire quantity you had in the beginning. ** See Note.
• Take it off heat and let cool for 5 minutes. Pour liquid into a heat-safe jar or container and let cool completely before storing in the fridge.

Notes

• To test thickness, I recommend grabbing your spoon or spatula and dipping into the mixture. As it cools, it will thicken. After you’ve let it cool for about a minute check the consistency. If it’s not runny and has thickened, it is done! I usually taste for consistency and check with my finger to see if its nice and sticky!