What Goes With Honey? 28 Best Flavour Pairings

Honey goes best with warm spices like cinnamon and ginger, bright citrus like lemon, and toasted nuts such as almonds and walnuts. It is also brilliant with salty or tangy cheeses, and as a glaze it balances mustard, soy sauce and rich meats like duck.

Spices

• Cinnamon — Cinnamon's warm, sweet spice echoes honey's floral, caramel notes; the most classic pairing of all.
• Ginger — Honey's sweetness soothes ginger's fiery bite, in tea, cookies and stir-fry glazes.
• Harissa — A spoonful of harissa stirred into honey makes a smoky, spicy glaze.

Herbs

• Thyme — Thyme's woody, herbal oils keep honey from tasting one-note, especially on roasted vegetables and cheese.
• Rosemary — Piney rosemary and honey make a fragrant glaze for lamb, carrots and roasted nuts.

Acids & Citrus

• Lemon — Lemon's sharp acid cuts honey's sweetness, a balance that works in tea, dressings and cakes.
• Orange — Floral honey and fragrant orange zest are made for syrups, glazes and baked goods.
• Grapefruit — Honey softens grapefruit's bitterness and sharp acid, especially when broiled.

Dairy & Cheese

• Brie — Warm, creamy brie with honey brings out the cheese's gentle salt and mushroomy rind.
• Feta — Baked feta with honey is the ultimate sweet and salty contrast.
• Ricotta — Honey lifts ricotta's mild, milky sweetness on toast or in desserts.
• Yogurt — Honey rounds out yogurt's tang, a breakfast staple from Greece to everywhere.

Nuts & Seeds

• Almond — Honey's sweetness balances almond's slight bitterness, as in nougat and torrone.
• Walnut — Honey smooths out walnut's tannic, slightly astringent bite.
• Pistachio — Honey and pistachio are layered together in baklava for a reason.
• Hazelnut — Honey rounds out toasted hazelnut's slightly bitter skin.
• Tahini — Honey offsets tahini's nutty bitterness for a quick halva-like spread.

Fruit

• Pear — Honey's floral sweetness deepens pear's delicate, juicy flavour, especially when roasted.
• Peach — Grilled or roasted peaches with honey taste like peak summer.

Vegetables & Sides

• Carrot — Honey and carrot's own sugars caramelise together in a hot oven.
• Sweet potato — A drizzle of honey and a pinch of chilli make roasted sweet potato sticky and moreish.

Grains & Starches

• Oats — Honey sweetens and binds oats in granola, flapjacks and porridge.
• Bread — Honey on warm buttered toast is simple, perfect science: fat, starch and sugar.

Proteins

• Duck — Honey's sugars caramelise on duck skin and balance its rich fat.
• Chicken thigh — Honey-glazed thighs turn sticky and glossy under a hot grill.

Sauces & Condiments

• Mustard — Honey tames mustard's sharp heat in dressings, dips and glazes.
• Soy sauce — Honey's sweetness balances soy's salt in glossy glazes and marinades.
• Gochujang — Honey deepens gochujang's sweetness in Korean-style glazes; go light, since the paste is sweet already.

Classic combos

• Honey + garlic + soy sauce — sticky honey garlic chicken, wings or salmon.
• Honey + mustard + vinegar — the classic honey mustard dressing and dip.
• Honey + lemon + ginger — a soothing hot drink for cold days.
• Honey + pistachio + cinnamon — the sweet heart of baklava.
• Honey + feta + thyme — baked feta drizzled with honey and sprinkled with thyme.
• Honey + yogurt + walnut — a Greek breakfast in a bowl.

Pairings to avoid

• Nutritional yeast — its strongly savoury, cheesy taste fights honey's sweetness rather than balancing it.
• Za'atar in large amounts — za'atar's herbal tang and honey's sweetness can clash; if you combine them, keep the honey to a light drizzle.
• Very high heat — honey burns quickly, so glazes go bitter if they cook too long under a hot grill. Add honey near the end.
• Already very sweet desserts — honey on top of sugary bakes just tastes cloying. Pair it with something sour, salty or bitter instead.