10 Long-Lasting Foods You Can Make From Honey

Every late summer, I receive an abundant supply of honey – a perk of living on a homestead. Generally, I pour this honey into jars and gift it to my neighbors, but even then, I am left with a generous amount to use. If you also have a bunch of honey jars in your pantry and wonder what to make with them, then keep on reading.

Today, I am going to share with you 10 of the most delicious foods you can make with honey. The best part is that these edibles can be stored for many years to come!

1. Honey Mustard Sauce

You can whip up your own favorite honey mustard sauce in just a few minutes with four or perhaps five ingredients. Here’s where to start:

Ingredients:

1/2 cup mustard powder
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
A pinch of salt (to taste)

Steps:

In a bowl, combine the mustard powder and honey. Whisk until well incorporated.
Add the apple cider vinegar and a pinch of salt. Whisk again until smooth.
Once smooth, your honey mustard sauce is ready. Store it in an airtight container or squeezer bottle.
Keep it in the refrigerator or at room temperature, depending on your preference.

2. Honey Beef Jerky

Everybody loves a good beef jerky, and when it is glazed in raw honey, the deliciousness gets doubled! Here is a quick recipe to prepare some on your farm:

Ingredients:

Lean beef (cut into thin slices)
1/4 cup raw honey
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder

Steps:

In a bowl, combine the raw honey, soy sauce, pepper, salt, and garlic powder.
Place the thinly sliced beef in the marinade and mix well. Let it marinate overnight in the refrigerator to allow the flavors to soak in.
Preheat your oven to a low temperature (around 170°F/77°C). Lay the marinated beef slices in a single layer on a baking tray.
Bake the beef for several hours, checking periodically, until the meat is fully dry and has the desired jerky texture.
Once done, store your honey beef jerky in an airtight container or zip-lock bag. For longer shelf life (up to a year), consider vacuum sealing it.

The Amish have long used honey not just for flavor, but as a practical preservative. Before refrigeration was common, they often coated cured or smoked meats in honey to create a natural barrier against moisture and bacteria. Honey’s antimicrobial properties help slow down spoilage, especially when combined with drying or smoking. In some communities, a thick honey glaze would be brushed over hams or sausages before storing them in a cool, dry cellar – an old-world method that still works wonders today. You can read all about it here.

3. Honey Dipped Fruits

Being on a homestead also means you get to have an abundant supply of organic fresh fruits right from your own garden. Sometimes these fruits are available in one season and not in the others. However, when you have honey, you can have these preserved for up to a good 12 months.

Ingredients:

Fresh organic fruits (such as apples, pears, peaches, or berries)
Pure honey (raw is best)

Steps:

The process is simple: you just have to cut fruits into thin slices and dry them in natural sunlight. Once the moisture is gone, line these fruit slices in a jar while leaving the container half empty. Now pour pure honey over these fruits and store them for at least a week so that the fruits fully acquire the taste. Sweet treats are ready!

4. Honey Dried Apple Chips

If you’re craving something crunchy but want to stick to a healthier diet, honey-dried apple chips are the perfect snack.

Ingredients:

Fresh apples (any variety you like)
Raw honey

To make them:

Thinly slice fresh apples.
Using a brush, apply honey to both sides of the apple slices.
Arrange these apple slices on a baking tray and bake them at a low temperature for several hours.
Flip the slices halfway through baking to ensure even crisping on both sides.
Once the slices are crunchy, just like potato chips, store them in an airtight container.

5. Ginger Honey Immunity Boosting Snack

The weather on a homestead can be unpredictable, making everyone prone to viruses. Ginger honey in such an instance can prove to be a valuable immunity-boosting snack.

Ingredients:

1 cup fresh ginger (peeled and thinly sliced or chopped)
1/2 cup raw honey
2 tablespoons water

Steps:

All you have to do is simmer one cup of ginger in a half cup of honey and two tablespoons of water. Cook this mixture until the ginger turns brown or is caramelized.

After an hour or two, you can store this sweet ginger in a jar or an airtight container for up to three or more months.

If ginger and honey can do that much for your immune system, just imagine what else honey can pull off. Joel Lambert goes into its lesser-known uses and recipes – not just for food, but for remedies you probably wouldn’t expect. Did you know what happens when you mix raw honey with activated charcoal? I won’t spoil the surprise, but let’s just say it’s not something you’ll find in your average cookbook.

6. Honey Glazed Nuts

Another yummy and easiest way to use honey on your homestead is to use it to preserve nuts.

Ingredients:

2 cups raw nuts (such as almonds, pecans, walnuts, or cashews)
2 tablespoons raw honey
1 tablespoon butter

Steps:

Roast raw nuts with a mixture of honey and butter at 300 degrees Fahrenheit for about 20 minutes. Once cooled, have them stored in an airtight container or a cute mason jar.

7. Sweet Candies

Here’s how to make simple Honey Sweet Candies, a delightful treat made with just two ingredients:

Ingredients:

2 cups raw honey
1 cup water

Steps:

To make sweet candies out of pure honey, heat 2 cups of raw honey with 1 cup of water. Have this mixture boiled to the extent that it becomes extremely thick. You need to achieve a consistency that, when cooled, forms a hard-crack texture. Once this form is achieved, pour the batter into a mold and let it cool. Finally, wrap these candies using baking or wax sheets.

8. Honey-Based Granola Bars

DIY granola bars can provide a great source of protein on the days when you have a lot of mowing due on your farmstead. They are super easy to make too!

Ingredients:

2 cups rolled oats
1 cup mixed nuts (chopped)
1/2 cup seeds (like sunflower, pumpkin, or chia)
1/2 cup dried fruits (like raisins, cranberries, or chopped apricots)
1/2 cup raw honey
1/4 cup coconut oil

Steps:

Start with mixing oats, nuts, seeds and dried fruits with a half cup of honey and coconut oil. Have this mixture spread onto a baking pan and bake it for a good 20 minutes.

Once ready, have these bars cut into shapes and have them wrapped in baking sheets. Or you can layer them using parchment paper in an airtight container.

If you’re thinking about other shelf-stable snacks that can hold up through busy seasons, hardtack biscuits are another old-time favorite worth keeping on hand. They might not be as sweet as granola bars, but they’ve earned their place in every homesteader’s pantry for one big reason: they last practically forever. I keep a batch tucked away for emergencies ever since I came across this recipe.

9. Fruit Rolls

If you have little ones on your homestead, then they will surely love this honey-filled treat.

Ingredients:

2 cups thick fruit puree (e.g., apples, berries, peaches, or mango)
2–4 tablespoons raw honey (adjust to taste)

Steps:

Blend these two until a smooth mix is obtained, and then spread this combo on dehydrator sheets.

Dehydrate this fruit and honey mixture to the point where the texture is a bit tacky but not sticky. Once cooled, you can cut it into thin strips or roll it using parchment paper.

10. Honey Chocolate Truffles

Here’s how to make Honey Chocolate Truffles, a rich and indulgent treat with a natural sweet twist:

Ingredients:

1 cup dark chocolate (chopped or chips)
1/2 cup raw honey
2 tablespoons heavy cream
Optional coatings: finely chopped nuts, shredded coconut, cocoa powder, or crushed freeze-dried berries

Steps:

To make honey chocolate truffles, you need good-quality dark chocolate, honey, and cream. Mix two tablespoons of cream with one cup of dark chocolate and a half cup of honey. Refrigerate this mixture and then, using a scoop, roll it into balls. Now coat these balls with nuts or coconut, or any of your favorite toppings and store them in a sealed container.

Final Thoughts

So, there are hundreds of other foods that don’t expire that you can make with honey. However, if I started to list out all of them in this guide, we’d be stuck here all day! Regardless of the dish you choose, don’t forget to add that special ingredient: a little love.

The next time your cupboard is full of honey, you’ll be completely in the know about what to do with it— just cook with it!

Happy homesteading, and best of luck!

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