Last Updated on June 1, 2025 by Nico
This two-ingredient simple garlic fermented honey is a food medicine that can help protect your body against colds and flus. It’s a more natural option to support your immune system.
Garlic fermented honey packs a powerful medicinal punch when it comes to supporting your immune system. Fermented foods in general, like fermented tomatoes and fermented kefir smoothies support your body’s gut health. This is important because research has shown that gut health is directly tied to how robust our immune systems are.
Why Ferment Garlic In Honey?
Let’s take a closer look at some of the reasons you would want to consider fermenting garlic in honey.
Gut Health
Fermented foods are great for healing and protecting your gut microbiome because they are packed with probiotics. A healthy gut has been shown to improve your mood, boost your immune system, and maintain the overall health of our bodies.
Support Overall Immune System Health
Honey – honey is full of antioxidants and nutrients. It also has antibacterial properties, which is why it is a perfect food medicine to support the health of your immune system. Raw honey would be best because it has higher levels of antioxidants than filtered and pasteurised honey. Local honey can give your body even more of a boost because it contains pollen local to you which can help desensitise your immune system and alleviate seasonal allergies.
Garlic – garlic has antibacterial and antiviral properties. This means that it can strengthen your immune system and help fight against certain infections.
Regularly consuming food medicine like garlic fermented honey is a holistic way to support your longterm health and wellbeing. More conventional cold and flu medicines on the the other hand simply alleviate symptoms temporarily.
Fermented Honey Garlic Recipe
You only need two ingredients and a clean glass jar to make this food medicine!
Supplies
Sterilised glass pint jar
Ingredients
Honey – raw and locally sourced honey would be best if you can find it
Garlic – organic would be best but use what you have
Instructions
Sterilise a glass pint jar.
Remove the skins from your garlic and place the cloves into your pint jar. There’s no need to mince or chop them, although you can if you would like. I choose not to because using whole cloves makes straining off the honey off easier.
Submerge the garlic cloves in the honey.
Put a loose lid on the jar and place it in a cool and dark spot.
Every few days tighten the lid and flip the jar upside down to make sure all the cloves are coated in honey. Then loosen the lid and flip it upright again.
In a week or two you will see small bubbles forming, which means that the fermentation process is happening.
Leave the honey for 1-2 months to allow it to ferment. Make sure to keep flipping it every few days to recoat the cloves in honey.
Over the fermentation process, the honey will become runnier and the garlic will have a less biting flavour. After a month or so it’ll be ready for you to use. You can strain off the honey and use the garlic separately or consume everything together.
How To Use Fermented Garlic Honey
As a food medicine – you can consume a tablespoon (cloves and honey together) once a day to help prevent colds and flus, and to boost your gut health
As a salad dressing or marinade – you can dilute the honey with vinegar (another gut healthy food medicine) to make a delicious honey marinade. Just remember that if raw honey is heated, the benefits in the honey as well as the fermentation benefits won’t be as strong because heat kills off the good bacteria.
Remember that honey should never be given to babies under one year old.
FAQ
Is Botulism a Concern in Fermented Garlic Honey?
In theory, there is a potential risk of botulism in honey-fermented garlic if the honey used lacks sufficient acidity. Botulism can develop in environments with a pH above 4.6, however, the majority of honey varieties possess a pH level of around 3.9, ensuring the acidity required for safety.
But if you’re concerned, you can also consider adding 1 tablespoon of store bought apple cider vinegar to your glass jar before fermenting. You could also test the honey’s pH level using a strip test.
How To Store Fermented Honey Garlic
Store the fermented honey garlic in a cool dark place. The honey has a long shelf life and I like to use mine within 12 months because I prefer the flavour within that time period.
What to read next
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Simple Strawberry Kefir Smoothie Recipe For Gut Health
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Two-Ingredient Simple Garlic Fermented Honey
Ingredients
Method
- Sterilise a glass pint jar.
- Remove the skins from your garlic and place the cloves into your pint jar. There’s no need to mince or chop them, although you can if you would like. I choose not to because using whole cloves makes straining off the honey off easier.
- Submerge the garlic cloves in the honey.
- Put a loose lid on the jar and place it in a cool and dark spot.
- Every few days tighten the lid and flip the jar upside down to make sure all the cloves are coated in honey. Then loosen the lid and flip it upright again.
- In a week or two you will see small bubbles forming, which means that the fermentation process is happening.
- Leave the honey for 1-2 months to allow it to ferment. Make sure to keep flipping it every few days to recoat the cloves in honey.
- Over the fermentation process, the honey will become runnier and the garlic will have a less biting flavour. After a month or so it’ll be ready for you to use. You can strain off the honey and use the garlic separately or consume everything together.
Nutrition
Notes
Is Botulism a Concern in Fermented Garlic Honey?
In theory, there is a potential risk of botulism in honey-fermented garlic if the honey used lacks sufficient acidity. Botulism can develop in environments with a pH above 4.6, however, the majority of honey varieties possess a pH level of around 3.9, ensuring the acidity required for safety. But if you’re concerned, you can also consider adding 1 tablespoon of store bought apple cider vinegar to your glass jar before fermenting. You could also test the honey’s pH level using a strip test.How To Store Fermented Honey Garlic
Store the fermented honey garlic in a cool dark place. The honey has a long shelf life and I like to use mine within 12 months because I prefer the flavour within that time period.Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!I’m not a medical professional and do not intend to offer medical advice in any content I create. As always, do your own research and speak to your doctor or paediatricians.
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