Does Honey Still Work in Hot Water? Unveiling the Sweet Truth

December 9, 2025 •

4 min read

For centuries, honey has been a go-to natural remedy for soothing sore throats and calming coughs. But when adding it to your favorite hot drink, a common question arises: does honey still work in hot water, or does the heat destroy its beneficial properties?

Quick Summary

Heating honey to high temperatures degrades its beneficial enzymes and reduces antioxidant content. While it remains a safe sweetener, maximum health benefits are preserved by adding it to warm, not boiling, liquids.

Key Points

Enzymes Destroyed: High heat, particularly boiling water, destroys the beneficial enzymes found in raw honey, including those responsible for its antibacterial properties.
Antioxidants Decline: Exposure to high temperatures significantly reduces the level of antioxidants like flavonoids and phenolic acids, which protect against oxidative stress.
Not Toxic to Humans: While heating can create HMF (a compound toxic to bees), the levels formed in typical human consumption, like adding it to tea, are not considered harmful.
Warm is Best: For therapeutic benefits, add honey to warm, not boiling, liquids. A temperature below 50-70°C helps preserve the natural goodness.
Sweetness Survives: Regardless of the temperature, honey will retain its sweetening power and caloric value, as its core sugar structure is not affected in the same way as its enzymes.
Still Soothes: The warmth of a honey-based remedy remains effective for a sore throat, even if some nutrients are lost, as the coating effect and heat provide symptomatic relief.

The Impact of Heat on Honey's Chemical Composition

Heating honey significantly alters its chemical and nutritional makeup. While the sweet taste comes from its natural sugars (fructose and glucose), its unique health-promoting properties are derived from delicate enzymes, antioxidants, and vitamins. These components are highly sensitive to temperature.

Beneficial Enzymes Degrade with Heat

Several enzymes found in raw honey are responsible for its therapeutic properties, including its antibacterial and digestive benefits. For instance, glucose oxidase is the enzyme that creates hydrogen peroxide, a mild antiseptic.

Invertase: An enzyme critical for breaking down sugars, invertase is destroyed at temperatures as low as 40°C (104°F) with prolonged exposure.
Diastase: The activity of this enzyme decreases noticeably when honey is heated above 48°C (118°F) for extended periods.
Glucose Oxidase: This enzyme starts to degrade at temperatures around 55°C (130°F), compromising honey's natural antibacterial power.

In short, pouring honey directly into boiling water (100°C or 212°F) can rapidly neutralize these sensitive components, effectively rendering your honey's special nutritional value inert.

Antioxidant Loss and Chemical Changes

Honey, especially darker varieties, contains powerful antioxidants such as flavonoids and phenolic acids. These compounds protect the body from oxidative stress. However, heat processing can significantly impact their levels.

Studies show that heating honey to just 71°C (160°F) for 15 minutes can reduce its total phenolic content by 14-30%. This loss means a reduction in its antioxidant potential. Furthermore, prolonged heating can lead to the formation of hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), a compound that indicates the honey has been overprocessed or stored improperly, and is toxic to bees. For humans, the levels found in pasteurized or mildly heated honey are generally considered safe.

Warm Water vs. Hot Water: The Practical Difference

For maximum health benefits, the temperature of your liquid matters immensely. The distinction between 'hot' and 'warm' is the key to preserving honey's valuable compounds.

Hot (Boiling) Water: Adding honey to boiling or near-boiling water (over 70°C or 158°F) will destroy most of its beneficial enzymes and antioxidants. The honey will still sweeten your drink and provide calories, but its medicinal properties are largely gone.
Warm Water: Combining honey with warm water (ideally between 30-50°C or 86-122°F) preserves its delicate components and creates a soothing, beneficial beverage. The warmth still helps with ailments like sore throats, and the honey's natural properties remain intact.

For a honey-based remedy like a lemon-ginger-honey tea, brew your tea first, let it cool for several minutes, then stir in the honey and lemon juice. This simple practice ensures you get the full range of benefits from your honey, from its antibacterial effects to its soothing properties.

Comparison: Effects of Temperature on Honey


Aspect	Raw Honey	Honey in Warm Water	Honey in Boiling Water
Enzymes	Intact and active.	Largely preserved if temperature is below 50°C.	Degraded or destroyed.
Antioxidants	Highest levels.	High levels retained.	Significantly reduced.
Antibacterial Property	Strongest due to active glucose oxidase.	Partially retained.	Largely neutralized.
Sweetening Power	Fully effective.	Fully effective.	Fully effective.
HMF Content	Very low.	Low to moderate.	Increases with heat and time.

Proper Handling and Usage of Honey

To maximize your honey's potential, follow these simple guidelines:

Always read the label. Many supermarket honeys are already pasteurized (heated) and filtered during processing, meaning some benefits may have been lost before you even buy them. For the most potent effects, opt for local, raw, and unprocessed honey.
Consider moderation. While honey has a slightly lower glycemic index than refined sugar, it is still a carbohydrate. Use it in moderation to avoid excessive sugar intake.
Store it correctly. Honey is best stored at room temperature in a tightly sealed container, away from direct sunlight. Refrigeration can speed up crystallization, a natural process that doesn't indicate spoilage.
Decrystallize gently. If your honey has crystallized, place the jar in a bowl of warm water (under 40°C) until it returns to a liquid state. Never microwave or boil it, as this will destroy its beneficial components.

For additional context on alternative sweeteners and their impact on blood sugar, you can read more from trusted sources like Verywell Health.

Conclusion

In summary, whether honey "still works" in hot water depends on what you want it to do. For simple sweetness and calories, it works perfectly fine regardless of temperature. However, if you are looking to benefit from its enzymes, antioxidants, and antibacterial properties, adding it to boiling or very hot water will likely diminish or destroy these delicate compounds. For traditional remedies and maximizing health benefits, a warm liquid (below 50-70°C) is the ideal choice. The best approach is to let boiling water cool for a few minutes before mixing in your honey, ensuring a soothing and beneficial drink.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, it is safe to put honey in hot water or tea. Contrary to some myths, it does not become toxic. However, high heat does compromise some of its beneficial nutrients.

Honey begins to lose its health benefits, particularly its enzymes and antioxidant content, at temperatures above 40-50°C (104-122°F). To preserve these properties, it is best to add it to warm rather than boiling liquids.

No, pasteurized honey often lacks the same level of beneficial enzymes and antioxidants as raw honey. Pasteurization involves heating to kill yeast and improve shelf life, but this process also destroys many of the delicate, heat-sensitive compounds.

Honey with warm water is recommended for a sore throat because the warmth is soothing, and the honey coats the throat, providing relief. The combination is a comforting and hydrating remedy that has been used for centuries.

Yes, you can use honey in baking and cooking, which often involves high temperatures. In these cases, your goal is sweetness and moisture retention, not the preservation of delicate enzymes. Just be mindful that honey browns faster than sugar, so oven temperature may need to be adjusted.

The notion that heated honey is toxic comes from traditional beliefs. While heating does create HMF (hydroxymethylfurfural), the levels generated from adding honey to a hot drink are very low and well within safe limits for human consumption.

For optimal health benefits, allow boiling water or tea to cool for several minutes (to a temperature where you can comfortably sip it) before stirring in honey. This preserves the maximum amount of enzymes and antioxidants.