Homemade Vegan Honey (Apple Honey)
This vegan honey recipe is an easy way to make your own honey substitute. Sweet, syrupy, and delicious, this vegan honey alternative is made from only one ingredient – apple juice. It cooks down into an all-natural liquid sweetener that’s surprisingly similar to honey.
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Why you’ll love this recipe
You can use this apple honey in place of honey in any recipe! Use it in place of sugar or bee honey in dips, salad dressings, and baked goods, or simply add it to your tea. Any way you use it, you will love this vegan honey substitute.
If you have a great recipe that calls for honey, but you want to make it vegan, simply swap out the honey for this vegan honey and your problem is solved. Apple honey makes a thick syrup with a honey-like flavor that tastes like the real thing.
Unlike vegan dandelion honey or other honey alternatives, this easy recipe is made with simple ingredients and is easy to make. You can use it to make vegan honey mustard and vegan honey garlic sauce or mix it with vegan butter to make vegan honey butter.
Ingredients and substitutions
- Organic Apple Juice – Use the high-quality apple juice that comes in a 64 oz. glass container. I usually find it at Whole Foods or other high-end supermarkets. You can also use a high-quality apple cider without preservatives in it. The taste of the apple juice that you start with greatly affects the taste of your “honey.”
Note: I have tried it with the cheap, highly filtered apple juice that you can find at any store and it works, but I think that it has a funny aftertaste.
How to make apple honey
Step 1 – Pour a full 64 oz. jug of organic apple juice into a large pot. (This is 8 cups of apple juice.)
Step 2 – Bring to a low boil and then turn down the heat to low and let it simmer for about 3 hours.
Step 3 – Cook down the apple juice until there is 1 cup of liquid left in the pot. Be sure to check on it frequently as it starts to get low.
Step 4 – Pour the contents of the pot into a glass measuring container to measure the liquid. If there is more than 1 cup of liquid, pour it back into the pot and simmer longer.
Step 5 – If there is less than 1 cup of liquid, add a little water to it until it equals 1 cup. Use as you would regular honey.
Pro Tips
- Don’t walk away from your “honey” too long, when it gets low, it can burn quickly.
- Check your remaining volume of “honey” by using a glass measuring container (not plastic) to measure the liquid. If there is more than 1 cup of liquid, pour it back into the pot and simmer longer.
- If there is less than 1 cup of liquid, add a little water to it until it equals 1 cup. This will give you the correct consistency.
- Store in a clean glass jar in the fridge. Your honey will thicken and become the right consistency as it cools down.
How to store vegan honey
Refrigerator – Unlike real honey, this vegan honey will go bad if left out at room temperature for long durations of time. Store it in a glass jar or any airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 weeks.
Frequently asked questions?
Although many people who identify as plant-based eat honey, vegans do not. As you know, vegan is a product of bees and by definition, vegans do not purchase or consume animals or animal byproducts. Check out this article by the Vegan Society for more information about why honey isn’t vegan.
This easy vegan honey recipe made from apple juice is a great vegan alternative, but if you don’t want to take the time and effort to make apple honey, you can also use agave nectar instead. You can also swap out any liquid sweetener for honey in most recipes. Brown rice syrup, blackstrap molasses, and even maple syrup will work as a swap in most recipes.
Ways to use apple honey
Use your vegan honey to replace the liquid sweetener in any of these recipes.
- Vegan Honey Mustard
- Easy Vegan Peanut Butter Caramel Dip
- Healthy Almond Butter Fudge
- Vegan Ramen Noodle Salad
- Peanut Butter Caramel Dip
- Honey Glazed Carrots
Vegan honey recipe
Vegan Honey
Ingredients
- 8 cups organic apple juice, or cider (64 oz.)
Equipment
Instructions
- Pour a full 64 oz. jug of organic apple juice into a large pot.
- Bring to a slow boil and then turn down the heat to low and let it simmer for about 3 hours.
- Cook down the apple juice until there is 1 cup of liquid left in the pot. Be sure to check on it frequently as it starts to get low.
- Pour the contents of the pot into a glass measuring container to measure the liquid. If there is more than 1 cup of liquid, pour it back into the pot and simmer longer.
- If there is less than 1 cup of liquid, add a little water to it until it equals 1 cup. Use as you would honey.
Notes
- Don’t walk away from your “honey” too long, when it gets low, it can burn quickly.
- Check your remaining volume of “honey” by using a glass measuring container (not plastic) to measure the liquid. If there is more than 1 cup of liquid, pour it back into the pot and simmer longer.
- If there is less than 1 cup of liquid, add a little water to it until it equals 1 cup. This will give you the correct consistency.
- Your honey will thicken in the fridge when it cools down.
Did you make this recipe?Please leave a star rating and review below!📌 Be sure to follow me on Pinterest for new vegan recipes!
Hi there – is it possibly to use this apple-honey in my tea and coffee with milk or will it sour the milk?
Still its a wonderful recipe thanks.
I’ve used it in my coffee with soy milk and it didn’t sour the milk, so I think that you should be good. Enjoy! 🙂
Just wondering what it tastes like. Does it taste anything like honey or more like apples?
I’m getting a little worried, I e been cooking this for over 3 hrs and have 11/2cups left and it’s still pretty runny, is this normal?
The cook time will vary a little depending on how hot your burner is. Just keep cooking it down until you have 1 cup of liquid. 🙂
So excited to try this!!! ❤️❤️❤️
Awesome! 👍