A Simple Recipe for Fermented Garlic Honey For Drizzling On Everything (2024)

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When you combine fresh garlic and raw honey, you get this magical fermented garlic honey that’s perfect for drizzling on pizza, fried chicken, grilled pork, and by the spoonful just as is.

Nick Evans

Nick has been creating recipes for home cooks for almost 15 years. He is the author of Love Your Leftovers and has contributed to Simply Recipes since 2017.

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Published October 03, 2022

How to Safely Ferment Garlic Honey

Let’s get the important stuff out of the way first. Anytime you store garlic, there is a chance of botulism. This recipe adds fresh cloves of garlic into raw honey, which is naturally acidic and stops bacterial growth.

That said, if you have concerns, test the honey before eating it. If the pH level is above 4.6, you can add some apple cider vinegar to raise the acidity. It will speed up the fermenting process and will water down the honey, but it’ll be just as delicious.

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Use Raw Honey

This recipe is about as easy as it gets. First you need a lot of garlic. How much? Well, 15 to 20 cloves. That’s about two heads of garlic. You could do less and get plenty of garlic flavor, but it tastes better with more.

Add the garlic cloves to a clean jar along with some crushed red pepper flakes. Then, cover with raw honey. It is important to use raw honey for this recipe or it will not ferment. You can find raw honey at most major grocery stores these days. The label should say raw honey on it.

Seal the jar and store it in a cool place. Now the hardest part: WAIT.

Shake and Burp the Garlic Honey

Keep an eye on the jar for the first few days. Give it a shake once a day to make sure the garlic is covered in the honey. Also, open the jar once a day to “burp” it and let off any built-up gas. Exploding honey jars aren’t fun.

After five days, your honey will be ready and you can slather it on whatever your heart desires!

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Can You Eat the Garlic?

While the honey is the star of the show, I’m not one to waste garlic. It’s definitely good—milder than raw garlic, but not as mild as roasted garlic. I tried a clove straight out of the jar—for science—and found it to be pretty tasty, although it was a little bitter.

That said, I'd cook with the garlic—add them to these delicious mini pretzels! You can rinse off the cloves, if the honey won’t mesh with the recipe, or use them as is. Another way I love using the garlic? Mince a clove and mash it with softened butter. Put that on toast with a drizzle of the fermented garlic honey and it’s a next-level garlic toast.

More Ideas for Using This Garlic Honey

This garlic honey might be the most versatile condiment out there. I’m having a hard time thinking of things you couldn’t put this on.

This honey is made for pizza—a must-try!
Smeared on toast or dip for bread
Drizzled on grilled meats like lamb, pork chops, or even burgers
Drizzled on grain salads
In an egg or breakfast sandwich
Drizzled on ice cream

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For the Love of Garlic

Roasted Garlic
Garlic Confit
Garlic Bread
Roasted Garlic Chicken
Roasted Garlic White Pizza Sauce

Fermented Garlic Honey

Prep Time10 mins

Fermenting Time120 hrs

Total Time120 hrs 10 mins

Servings32 servings

Yield1 pint

To speed up the fermenting, lightly crush the cloves, but don’t chop them.

You need to use raw honey (not pasteurized honey) for this recipe to ferment. If you’re unsure if the honey is raw or not, just look at the label of the jar.

Honey is acidic enough to stop bacterial growth—botulism is a concern with storing garlic. If you are concerned, you can test the pH level of the honey with a pH litmus strip. If it is above a 4.6, stir in a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar to increase the acidity.

Ingredients

15 to 20 cloves of garlic (about 2 heads), peeled (see recipe note)
1 1/2 cups raw honey (see recipe note)
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes(optional)

Special Equipment

1pint glass jar

Method

Start the ferment:
Add the garlic into a clean pint jar along with red pepper flakes, if using. Add the honey and stir. Seal the jar and store in a cool dry place.
Burp and shake the jar:
At least once a day for 5 days, shake the jar to make sure the garlic is covered with honey. Once bubbles start to form in the honey, open the jar once a day to release any built-up gas.
Store:
Allow the garlic honey to ferment for 5 days before enjoying. You can then keep the honey in your pantry for 6 months. After 3 to 4 weeks, I remove the garlic from the honey and transfer the garlic to the fridge for cooking. You might see some discoloration in the garlic—that is fine.
Use the honey drizzled on pizza, breads, toast, meats, or pretty much anything.
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Nutrition Facts (per serving)
51	Calories
0g	Fat
14g	Carbs
0g	Protein

Show Full Nutrition Label

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 32
Amount per serving
Calories	51
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0g	0%
Saturated Fat 0g	0%
Cholesterol 0mg	0%
Sodium 1mg	0%
Total Carbohydrate 14g	5%
Dietary Fiber 0g	0%
Total Sugars 13g
Protein 0g
Vitamin C 1mg	3%
Calcium 4mg	0%
Iron 0mg	1%
Potassium 16mg	0%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.