Honeydew honey is honey made when bees collect sweet material associated with living plants rather than relying mainly on flower nectar. Under the Codex definition of honey, honeydew honey can come mainly from excretions of plant-sucking insects on living plant parts or from secretions of living plant parts.
That makes it different from blossom or nectar honey, which comes mainly from flower nectar.
Honeydew honey vs blossom honey: quick difference
The simplest honeydew honey vs blossom honey distinction is the source of the sweet material collected by bees. Blossom honey comes mainly from flower nectar. Honeydew honey comes mainly from plant-associated secretions or material produced by plant-sucking insects on living plants. That is why where honeydew honey comes from has a different answer from ordinary nectar honey. “Forest honey” is sometimes used for honey associated with wooded environments, but the label should still be read on its own merits. Honeydew honey taste can also vary by origin and season.
Is honeydew honey made from honeydew melon?
No. The name has nothing to do with the fruit. In this context, “honeydew” describes the sweet plant-associated material that bees collect.
Honeydew honey vs blossom honey
The main difference is the bees' source material:
- Blossom honey: primarily from floral nectar.
- Honeydew honey: primarily from plant secretions or the excretions of plant-sucking insects found on living plants.
Both are transformed, dehydrated, stored and ripened by honey bees.
This is a useful reminder that not all honey names describe a flower. For more on floral source, see Why Honey Colour and Flavour Vary and our Australian honey varieties guide.
What does honeydew honey taste like?
Taste varies by region and source. Many honeydew honeys are described as comparatively dark, malty, woody or less overtly floral, but those are general sensory descriptions rather than a guarantee for every jar.
The correct approach is to taste the actual product rather than assuming that a category name fixes the flavour.
Does honeydew honey crystallise?
It can. Crystallisation is influenced by the honey's sugar balance, water content, temperature and suspended particles. Some honey types crystallise more readily than others, but no honey should be judged as spoiled simply because crystals form. See Why Does Honey Crystallise?.
Is honeydew honey raw?
“Honeydew” describes source, while “raw” describes handling or processing. A honeydew honey could be sold as raw, filtered, warmed or otherwise processed depending on the producer. The source name alone does not answer the processing question.
Is honeydew honey vegan?
Honeydew honey is still produced by bees, so the same ethical discussion that applies to other honey applies here. People who exclude all bee-produced honey from a vegan diet would generally exclude honeydew honey as well. See Is Honey Vegan? for the broader discussion.
How is this different from Manuka honey?
Manuka is a floral-source honey associated with Leptospermum plants. It is therefore a different category from honeydew honey. See What Is Australian Manuka Honey? for that origin story.
Frequently asked questions
Is honeydew honey from a fruit? No.
Is it still real honey? Yes, honeydew honey is recognised in international honey definitions.
Does AHC sell honeydew honey? Do not assume so from this educational article; check the current product catalogue.