Honey sits right on the border between moderate and high on the glycemic index, with most common varieties scoring between 58 and 75. That puts it in a similar range to white bread and just below pure table sugar. The exact number depends heavily on the type of honey, because the sugar composition varies from one floral source to another.
How the Glycemic Index Scale Works
Foods are scored on a scale of 0 to 100 based on how quickly they raise blood sugar after eating. Pure glucose sets the benchmark at 100. A food scoring below 55 is considered low GI, 55 to 69 is moderate, and anything above 70 is high. Most generic honey you’d find at a grocery store lands in the high range or just below it, typically between 69 and 75.
GI Values for Common Honey Varieties
Not all honey is created equal when it comes to blood sugar. Tested GI values range from the mid-40s to nearly 100, depending on floral source and origin. Here’s how some well-known varieties compare:
- Manuka honey: 54 to 59 (moderate)
- Fir honey: 59 (moderate)
- Chestnut honey: 55 to 66 (moderate)
- Clover honey: 69 (borderline high)
- Buckwheat honey: 73 (high)
- Cotton honey: 74 (high)
- Tupelo honey: 74 (high)
- Heather honey: above 70 (high)
- Thyme honey: 53 to above 70, depending on origin
The variation is striking. One study on Turkish honey varieties found citrus honey scoring as low as 44.9, while the same floral types from other regions tested well above 70. Geography, soil, climate, and processing all play a role. If you’re choosing honey specifically for its glycemic impact, manuka, fir, and chestnut varieties consistently test in the moderate range.
Why Some Honeys Spike Blood Sugar More
The single biggest factor determining honey’s GI is its ratio of fructose to glucose. Honey contains both sugars, but in varying proportions. Fructose content ranges from 21% to 43% across different honeys, and the fructose-to-glucose ratio can span from 0.4 to 1.6 or higher.
This matters because fructose and glucose behave very differently in your body. Glucose goes straight into the bloodstream and triggers a rapid blood sugar spike. Fructose takes a detour through the liver, where it gets processed and stored, producing a much slower and smaller rise in blood sugar. So honeys with more fructose relative to glucose (a higher fructose-to-glucose ratio) tend to score lower on the glycemic index. Manuka and acacia honeys are naturally fructose-dominant, which explains their moderate scores. Clover and buckwheat honeys contain relatively more glucose, pushing them into the high range.
There’s also an interesting interaction between the two sugars. The glucose present in honey actually helps fructose get absorbed and delivered to the liver more efficiently, which enhances fructose’s blood-sugar-buffering effect. This is one reason honey as a whole food behaves somewhat differently than you’d predict from its individual sugar components.
Honey vs. Table Sugar
Table sugar (sucrose) has a GI of about 65, placing it in the moderate category. That means many common honeys actually score higher than sugar on the glycemic index, not lower, despite honey’s reputation as the “healthier” sweetener.
Clinical testing confirms the picture is more nuanced than the raw GI numbers suggest. When researchers gave equal carbohydrate portions of glucose, sucrose, and honey to healthy volunteers and people with type 1 diabetes, honey produced a significantly smaller blood sugar spike than both pure glucose and sucrose. The difference was statistically meaningful in both groups. This suggests that honey’s complex mix of sugars, enzymes, and other compounds may slow absorption in ways the GI number alone doesn’t fully capture.
Still, the practical gap between honey and sugar is small. Honey actually contains slightly more carbohydrates and calories per teaspoon than granulated sugar. For anyone managing blood sugar, the Mayo Clinic’s position is straightforward: there’s no real advantage to substituting honey for sugar. Both raise blood sugar, and both need to be counted as carbohydrates in your daily intake.
What This Means for Blood Sugar Management
If you’re watching your blood sugar, honey is not a free pass. Most varieties you’ll encounter at the store, particularly clover (the most common type in the U.S.), test at or above the high-GI threshold of 70. Even moderate-GI honeys like manuka still score in the mid-to-upper 50s, which is comparable to white rice or a banana.
Portion size also matters enormously. The glycemic index measures the effect of 50 grams of available carbohydrate, which is roughly 3 to 4 tablespoons of honey. Most people use far less in a cup of tea or drizzled on yogurt. A teaspoon of honey contains about 6 grams of carbohydrate, so a small serving will have a proportionally smaller impact on blood sugar regardless of its GI score. The glycemic load, which accounts for portion size, is often a more useful number for real-world eating.
If you prefer honey and want to minimize its glycemic impact, opt for varieties with higher fructose content like manuka, acacia, or chestnut. Use small amounts. And pair it with protein, fat, or fiber, which slow digestion and blunt the blood sugar response from any carbohydrate source.