In the never ending quest to make a better tasting smoothie honey is going to come up. Can you add honey to a smoothie and if so, what kind of honey is best. Good questions and a bit of a tricky one as well.
There’s quite a lot of variety when it comes to honey, so that section alone could have it’s own blog post (but I’m going to give a quick overview).
So, let’s jump in and see what the deal is with honey and smoothies.
Is Honey Good in Smoothies?
The first question is really a broad question that should be answered in two parts.
Is honey good in smoothies for the taste? Is honey good in smoothies as far as nutrition and nutrients?
The first question is a matter of personal preference. Some people like the flavor of honey and for those people, obviously it’s going to work great. And honey is a perfect sweetener for smoothies.
The second question is a straightforward yes. Honey is going to improve the nutritional properties of the smoothie. Especially if you use raw honey.
That’s because honey (raw honey in particular) is filled with nutrients and minerals and enzymes. It’s not just a sweetener that people use in tea and cook with, it’s a super food.
Honey is loaded with vitamins (B-Vitamins for instance) and it’s a natural way to get these nutrients in food form (as opposed to taking vitamins). I always advocate for getting as many vitamins and nutrients in food as opposed to taking vitamins.
Ok, But is Honey Healthy in Smoothie?
Yes, it certainly is. With the single exception being the “processed honey” or “honey flavored syrup” that you will see sold in supermarkets all over the place. This isn’t real honey and as such I don’t suggest you ever use it.
When you’re using real honey, you are getting all of the health benefits associated with honey. Raw honey is even better because it has a higher amount of nutrients. But even natural honey is going to provide some nutrients. It’s the “honey flavored” syrups that you need to be on the lookout for. Those are tricky because they are often sold next to the honey and even sometimes have the word HONEY written on the container.
Avoid them and stick to raw honey. That is going to provide the best health benefits for your smoothie.
And yes, honey in a smoothie is healthy. It’s a great way of getting a sweetness and natural sugar into your smoothie (especially if you’re using unflavored protein powder and not a lot of berries).
Can You Put Raw Honey in a Smoothie?
Yes, you can raw honey in a smoothie. In fact, raw honey is the main type of honey that I suggest you use in a smoothie.
First, it’s important to understand how honey is normally processed. The traditional methods involve taking a honey comb and placing it into a honey separator (these are large spinners that use centrifugal force to “spin” the honey out of the comb). That honey is then filtered (to remove bits of wax, etc… and then bottled. This is raw honey and the best kind of honey to eat.
A common, second process involves heating and super filtering and other processes that damage the honey. This is what most store brought honey is. The kind that you see in Bears and for sale in large chain supermarkets (even in non-bear shapes) has normally be processed with heat. There is no reason to do this other than to turn healthy raw honey into basically honey sugar.
Raw honey is ideal for use in smoothies. Here’s a selection of raw honeys to use:
How Do You Dissolve Honey in a Smoothie?
So this is an important one to understand. Honey, once crystalized, won’t dissolve in a smoothie. It has become crystal in nature. In order to soften if, you’re going to want to take the honey and place it (inside of a safe container such as a glass bottle) and put in a warm water bath. That’s the best approach.
If the honey hasn’t been crystalized (which is rare unless you keep honey for a long time) then it’s not an issue. Most raw honey is sold in a liquid state, although I like some honey that is sold as “creamed”. This is a honey that is whipped into a creamy consistency. It’s more similar to a nut butter in texture than a liquid honey.
If you want the honey to have a creamy texture and add a thickness to the smoothie, then I would opt for a creamed honey.
If you normally like to use honey in tea and bake with it, and want the regular liquid type of honey.
But whatever type of honey you like (Creamed or Regular) make sure that you choose a raw honey.
What Type of Honey Is Best for Smoothies?
As discussed in the above sections, raw honey is best. The particular type of raw honey can either be creamed raw honey, or regular liquid honey. That’s a personal taste.
Other than that, the difference in honeys comes down to flavor. Some people prefer Alfalfa honey, while others want a more floral and sweet Wildflower honey. And then there are the folks who like buckwheat honey (which has a strong almost molasses like taste).
The type of honey you buy is a personal choice: Some people like Wildflower, some like creamed honey. The main thing to look for when buying honey is to always buy Raw and Organic.
Supporting Evidence Relating To Honey Health Benefits:
Here’s a selection of articles and studies that are all evidence and study based. They are going to give you some more details and color as to why exactly honey is so good for a multitude of issues.
Honey and it’s effect on metabolic syndrome
Hi Everyone!
Jenny O’Brien here. Nutritionist & personal trainer. Just your average vegetarian and smoothie fanatic!
If you have any questions, or you’d like me to cover a particular topic, drop me a line and let me know!
Thanks!