Is honey just sugar? The answer might surprise you 🐝🍯

Most people think honey is sugar. My bees would strongly disagree.

I’ve been keeping bees in my backyard for several years now, and every fall I find myself swimming in honey. It’s one of the best parts of beekeeping—lifting the frames and seeing all that golden sweetness stored up. But it also makes me wonder: is honey really just sugar in disguise?

From a science perspective, the answer is: not quite.

The sugar most of us know is table sugar, or sucrose. It’s a simple carbohydrate made of one glucose molecule and one fructose molecule linked together. When you eat it, your body breaks it down into those two components before absorbing it.

Honey, on the other hand, starts out as flower nectar. Bees collect the nectar, add enzymes from their saliva, and fan their wings to dry it out into honey. That enzyme action actually breaks sucrose down into free glucose and fructose, so honey is already “pre-digested” in a way. On average, honey is about:

• 38% fructose

• 31% glucose

• smaller amounts of sucrose, maltose, and other natural sugars

• plus trace enzymes, amino acids, minerals, antioxidants, and pollen

That’s why honey doesn’t act exactly like sugar in your body. The higher fructose content gives honey a lower glycemic index (around 55 compared to 65 for table sugar), meaning it doesn’t spike blood sugar as quickly. The antioxidants and bioactive compounds are also unique to honey—they’re not something you’ll find in refined white sugar.

Of course, honey is still a sweetener and should be enjoyed in moderation. But it’s also the product of a fascinating natural process: flowers, bees, and time working together to transform simple nectar into something far more complex than a spoonful of sugar.

Why I Love Using Honey in Gummies
One of my favorite ways to use honey is in our gummies. It brings out a natural sweetness that feels rounder and more satisfying, without needing to add as much sugar. In that sense, it works almost like a natural “high-intensity” sweetener—just a touch makes a big difference. For me, it’s a little full-circle moment: the honey I’ve always loved harvesting in my own yard is the same ingredient that now makes our gummies taste just a bit better.