We Tried More Than 3 Dozen Types of Honey — These Are the 10 Worth Buying
From creamed to clover, your pantry needs to have these delicious honey varieties and brands.
Whether you drizzle it on your oatmeal, blend it with butter to smear over biscuits, or use a dollop in your tea, honey is a must-have for any kitchen. But if you want to expand beyond the basic honey that comes in a bear-shaped bottle, there's a world of honey varieties that offer different tastes and textures.
After trying over 40 types of honey from dozens of brands, we've narrowed the best honeys into 10 distinct categories, each with a winner and runner up.
Related: How to Brew the Perfect Cup of Tea
Best Raw Honey
Winner: Honest Raw Honey, $14; amazon.com
Irresistibly creamy and thick enough to be spread with a spoon, Honest Raw Honey will upgrade any toast or tea that it comes in contact with. And since it's totally raw and unaltered, you'll be sure to reap all the health benefits that honey has to offer.
Runner Up: Desert Creek Raw Texas Honey, $12; amazon.com
Best Wildflower Honey
Winner: The Honey Jar Wildflower Honey, $7; thehoneyjarhome.com
With an amber color and robust taste, this Wildflower Honey from The Honey Jar is the perfect choice for a classic honey flavor. Their honey is a polyfloral variety, which means a multitude of nectars are collected by the bees to create it. Therefore, the flavor and color varies slightly from season to season.
Runner Up: Stonewall Kitchen Wild Flower Honey, $13; stonewallkitchen.com
Best Clover Honey
Winner: Cox's Pure Clover Honey, $25; coxshoney.com
"Liquid gold" would be the easiest way to describe Cox's Pure Clover Honey. The flavor is mild, and the consistency is easy to pour, making it great for both sweet and savory uses in the kitchen.
Runner Up: AR's Southern Clover Honey, $7; hotsouthernhoney.com
Best Organic Honey
Winner: Thrive Market Organic Super Raw Honey, $12; thrivemarket.com
The real thing that made Thrive Market's Organic Super Raw Honey stand out from the competition was the texture. It's thick and spreadable, just asking to be eaten straight out of the jar as an indulgent treat.
Runner Up: Thrive Market Organic Honey Bear, $5; thrivemarket.com
Best Creamed Honey
Winner: Kidd Bros. Creamed Honey, $26; amazon.com
With a silky smooth texture and rich taste, the creamed honey from Kidd Bros. was the stand-out winner. The packaging was also a bonus, with a top opening tub for easy access.
Runner Up: Desert Creek Honey's Cinnamon Creamed Honey, $11; walmart.com
Best Flavored Honey
Winner: Firebee Elderberry Honey, $16; firebeehoney.com
It's hard to resist Firebee's Elderberry Honey, which is dark and packed with bold fruity flavor. Use it in your favorite recipes, or as a sore throat solution thanks to honey's soothing nature and elderberry's immune-boosting qualities.
Runner Up: Firebee Chocolate Honey, $16; firebeehoney.com
Best Spicy Honey
Winner: AR's Hot-Hot Southern Honey, $10; hotsouthernhoney.com
The heat and sweet in AR's Hot-Hot Southern Honey are perfectly balanced, starting cloyingly on the tongue before kicking up a growing spiciness at the back of your throat thanks to bold habaneros. It would be excellent drizzled over chicken and waffles, biscuits, or even pizza.
Runner Up: Fuego Spice Co. Hot Hive Spicy Honey, $15; amazon.com
Best Aged Honey
Winner: Red Clay Barrel Aged Hot-Hot Honey, $10; redclayhotsauce.com
Red Clay manages to combine sweet wildflower honey with fiery habanero pepper mash and age them together to spicy perfection in bourbon barrels. The lightly woodsy flavor, along with burst of heat, makes this honey an excellent addition to savory dishes or mixed into a cocktail.
Runner Up: AR's Bourbon Barrel Aged Hot-Hot Southern Honey, $20; hotsouthernhoney.com
Best Honey Sticks
Winner: The Honey Jar Flavored Honey Sticks, $10; amazon.com
An excellent pick-me-up or sweet treat, the Honey Jar's Honey Sticks have 10 delicious flavors, from green apple to vanilla, so you'll never grow bored with variety. These are also fun for putting into goodie bags or acting as stocking stuffers over the holidays.
Runner Up: Homestead Honey Native Wildflower Honey Sticks, $11; amazon.com
Best Honey Gift Set
Winner: Desert Creek Honey Large Wooden Gift Box, $49; desertcreekhoney.com
The perfect way to show someone you appreciate them, the Desert Creek Honey Gift Box is the ultimate "sweet" gift. The decorative wooden box comes ribbon wrapped with a jar each inside of Raw Texas Honey, Creamed Cinnamon Honey, and Pecan Creamed Honey.
Runner Up: AR's The Hot Southern Honey Sampler 3-Pack, $40; hotsouthernhoney.com
Related Content: