Honey is a super-saturated solution of primarily two sugars: glucose and fructose. Just like with your powdered lemonade, it is a natural process for some of the sugars in a super-saturated solution to eventually come out of solution. All raw honey will crystallize due to glucose.
If crystallized honey isn't your jam, however, and you want to return it to its liquid form, Dennard says to gently heat it up. "The best way to do that is in a double boiler with warm water around 100 to 110 degrees Fahrenheit," he explains. Though running it under warm water will do the trick in a pinch.
If your honey has turned to sugar, what now? You can eat it just the way it is. Just spread the honey on warm toast or a hot biscuit and enjoy. Some people really enjoy the crunchy texture of crystallized honey.
When the temperature of the honey dips below 50°F, the crystallization process will accelerate. Don't store honey in a chilly basement or unheated mudroom. To slow crystallization naturally, store your honey at room temperature or warmer (the warmer the better). Store honey in glass jars instead of plastic.
As more and more glucose crystallizes, honey changes from an unstable saturated solution to a stable saturated form, causing the honey to become thick and grainy.
To fix the problem temporarily, you can place the jar in a saucepan with about an inch of water, gently heat it until it liquifies, and transfer the now-smooth honey to a clean jar.
It Can Crystallize and Degrade Over Time
It doesn't mean it has gone bad but the process does cause some changes (1). Crystallized honey becomes whiter and lighter in color. It also becomes much more opaque instead of clear, and may appear grainy (1). It is safe to eat.
Why Does Honey Crystalize? Two sugars, fructose and glucose, are included in honey's carbohydrate composition. Crystallisation is mostly caused by the concentration of glucose in honey. When glucose separates from water, it produces small crystals due to its lower solubility.
Why Does Raw Honey Crystallize ? Honey is a super-saturated solution of primarily two sugars: glucose and fructose. Just like with your powdered lemonade, it is a natural process for some of the sugars in a super-saturated solution to eventually come out of solution. All raw honey will crystallize due to glucose.
Hot water method
Place your jar (lid removed) in a pot of hot water on the stove, allowing the honey to heat up and liquefy. Without boiling the water, slowly heat the honey, stirring it occasionally. Remove jar when crystals have dissolved.
Do not refrigerate honey. Keeping your honey in the refrigerator preserves it but the cool temperatures will cause your honey to form a semi-solid mass, so this method of storage is not recommended.
When honey is getting bad, it develops a cloudy yellow color instead of a clear golden one — the texture then becomes thicker until it's grainy. Once it's finally considered “bad,” the color becomes white, and the texture gets hard. This whole process is because of the crystallization of honey for a long time.
If your honey is stored in a plastic bottle, as most honey is today, twist the cap off of the honey and squeeze or spoon it into the glass jar (a mason jar will work well here). If the honey is too hard, try running the bottle under hot water from the faucet to soften the honey before squeezing the bottle again.
All honey will at some point turn to sugar crystals. Some other terms for it are sugared, granulation, solidifying and crystallizing. This is a natural process.
How to Decrystallize Honey in a Bowl. Set the honey container, uncapped, in a small heatproof bowl. Fill it with warm (not boiling) water to reach halfway up the container. Let sit for about 45 minutes, replacing with fresh warm water as needed.
Decrystalize Honey By Soaking in Water
My favorite way to decrystallize honey is to boil water in my tea kettle, then place the jar or container of honey in a large bowl or pot and pour the hot water around it. Let it soak for several minutes until the honey has softened and liquified itself again.
What Honey Does Not Crystallize? One exception to this is Tupelo honey. Tupelo honey has a very high fructose content and low glucose content, so Tupelo honey will almost never crystallize.
Honey should not be heated rapidly, over direct heat. Basically, the hotter you heat it, the more potential for reducing nutritional value. Excessive heat can have detrimental effects on the nutritional value of honey. Heating up to 37°C (98.6 F) causes loss of nearly 200 components, part of which are antibacterial.
In general, honey doesn't spoil. However, it can go bad if it's contaminated or incorrectly stored. If your honey has visible mold, or if it smells fermented or "off," then it's time to toss it.
For best quality, store honey for up to 12 months. After that time, it remains safe but the quality may not be as good. Honey can become cloudy, crystallized or solidified but this is not a safety concern.
Honey does not go bad. In fact, it's recognized as the only food that doesn't spoil. It will, however, crystallize (becoming thick and cloudy) over time. If this happens, just remove the lid from the jar, place it in a pan of water, and warm it over low heat until the honey returns to its original consistency.
Heating honey will alter its chemical composition, but it does not make it toxic such that it can harm the consumer. However, the composition of honey changes when heated, and the ingredients are weakened and rendered ineffective.
As far as honey is concerned, you're in the clear, regardless of how long that cute little teddy bear bottle has been languishing in your kitchen: Expired honey will not make you sick (but if it has crystallized it might be a real pain to squeeze out into a cup of tea).
When honey is heated or cooked, the sugar and fructose in the honey change their chemical composition as a result of a browning effect called the Maillard Reaction. Heating or storing honey for long periods of time will increase the production of a toxic substance called 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF).