Published: Nov 28, 2017 · Modified: Mar 21, 2023 by Jen Wooster

Fermented Garlic Honey

Fermented garlic honey might sound unusual, but it’s a really simple way to amp up your next vinaigrette or marinade while reaping the health benefits of both the honey and the garlic. Five minutes of prep and a couple of weeks of patience is all it takes to make recipe.

Please read the entire post for tips and tricks to ensure a perfect recipe every time. And don't forget to tag @peelwithzeal on Instagram so we can admire your creation!

This post may include affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

As we cook at home more often, I am always looking for ways to make the food
As we cook at home more often, I am always looking for ways to make the food interesting.

I mean, how much plain steamed broccoli can one woman eat? No, seriously... how much? Am I there yet? Plus, when winter is approaching and anything to boost my immune system is a bonus.

Jump to:

📖Why This Recipe Works
🧾Ingredient Notes
What are the benefits of consuming fermented garlic honey?
⏲️How to Make Fermented Garlic Honey
🍯How to Use Fermented Garlic Honey
More Garlic Recipes
💬Frequently Asked Questions
📖 Recipe
⭐Reviews

📖Why This Recipe Works

Fermented garlic softens to texture and flavor somewhere between raw garlic and roasted, yet still firm enough to chop. The garlic's harsh flavor gives way to sweet, pungent aromas.

You can use it in a variety of recipes from salad dressings to drizzling over fried chicken. It is one of the most versatile recipes on my entire site.

🧾Ingredient Notes

This simple recipe only requires two ingredients.

Raw Honey- You need unpasteurized honey for this recipe. Pasteurized honey is not suitable for fermentation because the pasteurization process heats the honey to high temperatures, which destroys the natural yeasts and enzymes present in the honey. Yeasts are essential for the fermentation process.

Raw Garlic- This recipe uses fresh garlic, it must be whole heads of garlic and unpeeled. I recommend local organic garlic if possible for this recipe.

What are the benefits of consuming fermented garlic honey?

Honey fermented garlic is a quintessential example of food as medicine

Garlic is an excellent immunity booster, and honey is a soothing sweetener for sore throats and can be as effective as cough medicine.

Now, some people may suggest that you eat a clove a day to boost that immunity. By all means, please give it a try if that’s your thing. I love fermented garlic, but a spoonful of pure garlic, fermented or not, does not help the medicine go down.

⏲️How to Make Fermented Garlic Honey

So, let's get started... put everything in the jar... wait a month. Yep, that is about all it takes to make fermented garlic honey. I know – you were expecting something way more dramatic. Let me break it down into a little more detail.

Step 1- Peel

First, peel your garlic. The amount of garlic varies. Typically you want to fill the jar half full. I typically use 2 to 3 whole heads of garlic. No need to crush or chop the garlic cloves.

Step 2- Add the Honey

Add your garlic to a clean glass jar, like a wide-mouth mason jar. The jar should be sterilized. I once threw the garlic into a vat of honey. Bad idea, garlic floats. It just sits on the surface of the honey. So you are best off adding the garlic first.

Then top with your honey. Seal the jar.

You can use a regular jar and lid, but you must remember to burp the jar every few days to release the gases created by the fermentation process.

I highly recommend a Pickle Pipe from Masontops. Weights are purchased separately, we like these glass weights. This will help keep the garlic submerged.

You can purchase the pipe and weights as a package deal here.

Step 3- Ferment

Place the jar in a cool dark place. After a few days, check to ensure the weight is holding down all the garlic and the honey is starting to bubble, this indicates that fermentation is starting. If you are not using a weight you will need to either flip the jar every other day or use a spoon to push the garlic back to the bottom of the jar.

The fermenting process takes about a month but I typically start using the garlic and the honey after about 2 weeks.

After the month is up the garlic should no longer float the honey will darken in color. At that point, you can remove the pipe and weight and use a regular lid.

The fermented garlic honey can be stored at room temperature for up to a year.

You can use a regular jar and lid, but you must remember to burp the jar every few days to release the gases created by the fermentation process.

I highly recommend a Pickle Pipe from Masontops. Weights are purchased separately, we like these glass weights. This will help keep the garlic submerged.

You can purchase the pipe and weights as a package deal here.

After a few days, check to ensure the weight is holding down all the garlic and the honey is starting to bubble, this indicates that fermentation is starting. If you are not using a weight you will need to either flip the jar every other day or use a spoon to push the garlic back to the bottom of the jar.

It should take about a month to fully ferment but I typically start using the garlic and the honey after about 2 weeks.

After the month is up the garlic should no longer float the honey will darken in color. At that point, you can remove the pipe and weight and use a regular lid.

The fermented garlic honey can be stored at room temperature for up to a year.

Use raw local honey for the best wild yeast.
Leave plenty of headspace in the jar.
Use a ph strip to test acidity if you are worried about Botulism.
Children under 1 year of age should not consume honey. This includes honey-fermented garlic.

🍯How to Use Fermented Garlic Honey

There is an endless amount of ways to honey fermented garlic.

Chop the garlic cloves up and add to a vinaigrette. Try out this sweet potato and kale salad with a walnut salad dressing.
Drizzled over spicy pepperoni pizza is a great way to use up honey.
Added to marinades in place of regular honey.
Drizzle it over grilled meats, especially anything with lemongrass or ginger in the marinade like this Vietnamese-inspired grilled pork.
Add a spoonful of honey to your hot tea as a natural cold remedy or cough suppressant
Spooned onto cornbread or biscuits. Try my gluten-free buttermilk biscuits.
As a dip for chicken tenders. Try my gluten-free chicken nuggets.
In place of regular honey in honey mustard.

More Garlic Recipes

💬Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use different types of honey for fermentation, or does it have to be a specific type?

You can any unpasteurized raw honey for fermentation. Play around with Spring vs Fall honey or Orange Blossom vs Clover honey. Honey you get from your local beekeeper at the farmers market will taste vastly different than unpasteurized honey you can pick up at the grocery store.

Can I make a spicy fermented honey garlic?

If you want it spicy I suggest adding a pinch of cayenne or dried chili flakes to a small amount right before serving.

Can I get botulism from fermented garlic honey?

While both honey and garlic can contain botulism spores but the fermentation process isn't particularly hospitable. You can add a splash of apple cider vinegar to increase the pH level. Note that botulism can't survive above a pH level of 4.6.

The honey is very thin. Is that normal?

Yes, the honey will thin out and look more like simple syrup than thick honey.

If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave us a rating or a comment. It helps other wonderful people connect with our food.

📖 Recipe