How to store honey: temperature, jar, shelf life and the most common mistakes

Honey is one of the few foods that can last for years without any processing. The condition is that you store it properly, and the rules are simple. This is a short guide answering the questions our customers ask us most often.

Three rules that cover almost everything

1. Room temperature. Between 18 and 25 degrees. Not the fridge, not next to the cooker, not on the windowsill.
2. A closed jar. Lid always screwed on tight. Honey absorbs moisture and smells from the air.
3. A dark place. Sunlight and warmth slowly change the aroma and colour. A kitchen cupboard or larder is ideal.

If you keep to those three rules, everything else is detail.

Why honey (almost) never goes off

Honey is about 80 per cent sugar and less than 20 per cent water. Bacteria and moulds cannot grow in that environment. On top of that it is mildly acidic and contains enzymes the bees added while processing the nectar. That is why properly stored honey can last for years with no change other than crystallisation.

The best-before date on the label, usually two to three years, is a legal requirement and refers to keeping the aroma and properties, not to safety.

When honey can still go off

The only real threat to honey is moisture. If honey absorbs enough water, the yeasts naturally present in it can start to ferment. This happens:

• when the jar is left open for a long time in a damp kitchen,
• when a wet spoon keeps going into the honey,
• when the honey was extracted before it was ready (not properly “ripe”, with too much water) — that is the beekeeper’s mistake, not the customer’s.

Signs of fermentation: foam on the surface, a sour smell reminiscent of alcohol, a bulging lid. Honey like that is not dangerous, but it is no longer pleasant to eat.

The fridge: the most common mistake

Many people keep honey in the fridge “so it lasts longer”. It doesn’t help, and it does harm: at 4 degrees honey crystallises faster and turns rock hard. The fridge makes no sense even for an opened jar. Put the honey back in the cupboard.

Glass, plastic, metal

• Glass is best: it doesn’t absorb smells, doesn’t react with honey and is easy to wash. That is why our honey comes only in glass.
• Food-grade plastic is acceptable for a shorter period, but it can let smells through.
• Metal without a protective coating should be avoided; honey is mildly acidic and can react with metal.

What to do with crystallised honey

Crystallisation is not spoilage but a natural process, and with raw honey it is to be expected. If you want liquid honey, stand the jar in warm water of about 40 degrees. Full details in our article on honey crystallisation.

Practical tips

• Buy a size you will use up within a reasonable time; our wildflower honey comes in a 900-gram jar for families, and the other varieties in smaller ones.
• Use a dry spoon.
• If you have several varieties, mark the date you opened each one; it isn’t essential, but it helps you keep track.
• Honey you have received as a gift and don’t plan to open straight away should be kept closed in the cupboard; it will last for years.

Conclusion

Room temperature, a closed jar, a dark place. Not the fridge, not a wet spoon. With that, honey lasts practically indefinitely, and the crystallisation you will see in raw honey is simply a sign that the honey is genuine. We explain what “raw” honey actually means in the next article.