How To Make Homemade Honey Lollipops Without Sugar

Find out just how easy it is to make your own healthy homemade honey lollipops. These sweet treats are also great for gifting or stirring into your favorite cup of tea. Make them either with or without refined sugar following this two way recipe.

Lately I’ve been experimenting with making hard candies and I’m kind of hooked! I wanted to figure out how to make homemade lollipops that were made with straight honey. The lollipops were a big hit but they did have a darker honey flavor and color.

Next, we tried making homemade honey lollipops that did have some granulated sugar as well as honey and they were definitely our favorite of the two honey recipes. Not as healthy but more like the lollipops we were used to.

Have you tried making homemade ginger hard candy?

Because the lollipops that are made with just honey are healthier, I decided to include both recipes in this post! Both recipes have pretty different tastes and colors, but both are yummy and healthier than store-bought lollipops.

Anyway, all that to say, these lollipops are a great way to dip your toe into healthy candy making. They only call for one or two ingredients and are ready to enjoy in less than an hour. They’re easy to customize with different flavors of essential oils and can be made in ay shape you like.

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How To Make Homemade Honey Lollipops With or Without Sugar:

Ingredients

• honey – raw honey has antibacterial and anti inflammatory properties that help heal a sore throat while also reducing inflammation, making it easier to breathe.
• granulated sugar – I used white sugar in one of the lollipop recipes to make a lighter more traditional flavored treat.
• lemon essential oil (optional)– lemon is beneficial for soothing a sore throat because it helps break up mucous and provides pain relief. Lemon also helps boost your immune system and fights off infection since it is loaded with vitamin C. Make sure you use “food grade” essential oils. This is the brand I use.

Supplies

• lollipop molds – any type of lollipop mold will work for this recipe. I like to use these molds because they are a great size and come with the sticks so there is no need to buy them separately.
• lollipop sticks – this is a nice set of sticks that will work with most lollipop molds.
• parchment paper or wrappers – lollipops get sticky as they sit. Wrapping them in parchment paper will keep them from sticking to each other.
• candy thermometer – a candy thermometer is necessary when making hard candies because only a couple of extra degrees can scorch your sugar leaving you with a big mess.

Can You Heat Honey For Candy Making?

Heating honey to a high enough heat for candy making does lose a lot of its health benefits. Manuka honey is one of the only types of honey that can withstand being heated to a very high temperature awhile still retaining its antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties.

Heating honey to the “hard crack stage” for candy making will make the flavor more deep and strong. It will be much darker in color too.

But using honey is still definitely a healthier alterative to using sugars in homemade candy.

How Do I Make My Homemade Honey Lollipops Not Sicky?

Storing homemade lollipops in the fridge in a mason jar is the best place to keep them so that they don’t stick together. If you want to store them at room temperature, wrap them in little squares of parchment paper twisted around the lollipop stick.

Are Essential Oils Safe To Eat?

When you are using essential oils in foods and drinks, its important to make sure the oils say “food safe” on the label. This brand of essential oils is what I like to use in candy making.

How To Make Homemade Honey Lollipops Without Sugar:

WARNING – Making hard candy, you will be working with extremely hot ingredients. Be very careful not to burn yourself!

Prep – Set out the lollipop molds, making sure the sticks are in place. For easy clean up, lay parchment paper under the molds.

Heat – In a small saucepan, heat the honey over medium heat. Using a candy thermometer, watch the honey, stirring frequently until the thermometer reads 300 degrees. As soon as it reaches 300 degrees, immediately remove from heat. Let the honey sit a few minutes until the bubbles go down.

Stir – Add in the lemon essential oils (if using). Stir to mix.

Pour – Working quickly and VERY carefully, spoon in the hot honey into the lollipop molds. Fill all of the molds and rotate the sticks to make sure they are coated in the honey.

Let Set – Let the lollipops sit for 30-60 minutes until they are completely hardened. Pop out of the molds and enjoy!

How To Make Homemade Honey Lollipops With Sugar:

Prep – Set out the lollipop molds, making sure the sticks are in place. For easy clean up, lay parchment paper under the molds.

Heat – In a small saucepan, heat the honey, sugar and water over medium heat. Using a candy thermometer, watch the honey mixture, stirring frequently until the thermometer reads 300 degrees. As soon as it reaches 300 degrees, immediately remove from heat. Let the honey sit a minute until the bubbles go down.

Stir – Add in the lemon essential oils (if using). Stir to mix.

Pour – Working quickly and VERY carefully, spoon in the hot honey into the lollipop molds. Fill all of the molds and rotate the sticks to make sure they are coated in the honey.

Let Set – Let the lollipops sit for 30-60 minutes until they are completely hardened. Pop out of the molds and enjoy!

Tips:

For Best Results – let the honey cool just a tad before adding the lemon essential oil (if you are using oils) so that they are plenty potent.

Store – To keep homemade honey lollipops from getting sticky, it is best to store them in a mason jar in the fridge. Or wrap each lollipop in a little piece of parchment paper.

Substitutions – for a different flavor, use food grade orange essential oil instead of lemon.

More Healthy Treats You Might Like To Try

If you liked this recipe, I think you’ll really enjoy these other healthy treats on the blog:

• Apple Cider Vinegar Gummies
• Healthy Berry Jello
• Homemade Strawberry Marshmallows
• Rice Crispy Treats Sweetened With Dates
• Chewy Chocolate Chip Granola Balls

I hope you love this recipe for homemade honey lollipops! If you make them, I’d love for you to come back and leave a comment and rating so that I know how you like them!

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