Honey glycemic index and glycemic load
Honey has a medium glycemic index of 61 (the median of 16 lab tests, range 35 to 74) in the 2021 International Tables, where pure glucose is 100. A serving of 1 tbsp (21 g) has 17.3 g of carbs minus fiber, which gives a glycemic load of about 11.
Glycemic load by portion
| Portion | Carbs | Fiber | Carbs minus fiber | Glycemic load |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 tbsp (21 g) | 17.3 g | 0 g | 17.3 g | 11 |
| 1 packet (14 g) | 11.5 g | 0 g | 11.5 g | 7 |
Glycemic load = GI 61 × carbs minus fiber ÷ 100. Carbs from USDA FoodData Central, Honey.
Every standardized test
| Food as tested | GI | Category | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow box honey (46% fructose) | 35 | low | Australia |
| Stringy Bark honey (52% fructose) | 44 | low | Australia |
| Red Gum honey (35% fructose) | 46 | low | Australia |
| Iron Bark honey (34% fructose) | 48 | low | Australia |
| Capilano Premium Honey, blend of eucalypt & floral honeys (Capilano Honey Limited, QLD, Australia) | 51 | low | Australia |
| Yapunya honey (42 % fructose) | 52 | low | Australia |
| HDI Clover Honey with Bee Pollen (PT. Harmoni Dinamik) | 53 | low | New Zealand |
| Leabrook Farms Yellow box honey (Spring Gully Foods Pty Ltd, SA, Australia) | 60 | medium | Australia |
| Commercial Blend honey (38% fructose) (WA blend, Capilano Honey Ltd., Australia) | 62 | medium | Australia |
| Salvation Jane honey (32% fructose) | 64 | medium | Australia |
| Clover honey, ratio of fructose: glucose, 1.09 (Vazza Farms, Hermiston, OR, USA) | 69 | medium | USA |
| Commercial Blend honey (28% fructose) (NSW blend, Capilano Honey Ltd., Australia) | 72 | high | Australia |
All 16 tests
| Buckwheat honey, ratio of fructose:glucose, 1.12 Vazza Farms | 73 | high | USA |
| Cotton honey, ratio of fructose:glucose, 1.03 (Gene Brandi Apiaries, Los Banos, CA, USA) | 74 | high | USA |
| Honey, NS | 74 | high | China |
| Tupelo honey, ratio of fructose:glucose, 1.54 (Tropical Blossom Honey Co, Edgewater, FL, USA) | 74 | high | USA |
The tables' own average for this food: 60 (mean of 17 types of honey).
Glucose = 100. Low 55 or less, medium 56 to 69, high 70 or more (category cut-offs from the International Tables). Only tests that followed the ISO 26642:2010 method: at least 10 healthy adults, a portion with 25 or 50 g of available carbs (Supplemental Table 1).
Compared with similar foods
| Food | GI | Portion | Carbs minus fiber | Glycemic load |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agave nectar | 11 | 1 tsp (6.9 g) | 5.3 g | 1 |
| Maple syrup | 54 | 1 tbsp (20 g) | 13.4 g | 7 |
| Honey | 61 | 1 tbsp (21 g) | 17.3 g | 11 |
| Table sugar | 64 | 1 tsp (4.2 g) | 4.2 g | 3 |
Same group in the International Tables (Sugars and syrups), each at its usual US portion. A low GI with a big portion can give a higher glycemic load than a high GI with a small one.
Older and smaller studies
47 more tests of honey are listed in the tables' second list (32 to 101, median 59). They deviate from the ISO method: fewer than 10 people, people with diabetes, a different reference food or sampling time, or wide variation. They are not part of the number at the top.
Show the 47 tests
| Food as tested | GI | Country | Who was tested |
|---|---|---|---|
| Christ thorn honey | 32 | Jordan | healthy, 14 people |
| Locust honey | 32 | Romania | type 2 diabetes, 8 people |
| Sugar honey, non-floral, bees feed sugar solution 2:1 sugar in water | 36 | Jordan | healthy, 14 people |
| Mixed flora honey | 37 | Jordan | healthy, 14 people |
| Monofloral honey, citrus (Citrus spp.), from Mersin | 45 | Turkey | healthy, 20 people |
| Citrus honey | 46 | Jordan | healthy, 14 people |
| Locust pod honey | 48 | Jordan | healthy, 14 people |
| Honey, Linden (heated) (provided by German beekeeper association) | 49 | Germany | healthy, 10 people |
| Multifloral honey (provided by German beekeeper association) | 51 | Germany | healthy, 10 people |
| Acacia honey (provided by German beekeeper association) | 53 | Germany | healthy, 10 people |
| Heather honey (provided by German beekeeper association) | 53 | Germany | healthy, 10 people |
| Monofloral honey, thyme (Thyme spp.), from Aydin | 53 | Turkey | healthy, 20 people |
| Honey, sweet chestnut (provided by German beekeeper association) | 53 | Germany | healthy, 10 people |
| Manuka honey, M75-11 (East Cape, NZ) | 54 | New Zealand | healthy, 10 people |
| Manuka honey, MED WM38-10 (Wairarapa, NZ) | 55 | New Zealand | healthy, 10 people |
| Monofloral honey, lime (Tilia spp.), from Zonguldak | 55 | Turkey | healthy, 20 people |
| Monofloral honey, chestnut (Castanea spp.), from Bursa | 56 | Turkey | healthy, 20 people |
| Manuka honey, PORD3-11 (Central North Island, NZ) | 57 | New Zealand | healthy, 9 people |
| Manuka honey, WINPDW 60-11 (Northland, NZ) | 57 | New Zealand | healthy, 8 people |
| Honey, pure (Capilano Honey Limited, QLD, Australia) | 58 | Australia | healthy, 8 people |
| Australian honey (Wescobee Limited, Australia) | 59 | Malaysia | healthy, 8 people |
| Clover honey, raw | 59 | Egypt | type 1 diabetes, 30 people |
| Fir honey (Apivita S.A., Greece) | 59 | Greece | healthy, 11 people |
| Manuka honey, BR15-11-154 (Levin, NZ) | 59 | New Zealand | healthy, 10 people |
| Monofloral honey, pine, honeydew (Pinus spp.) | 59 | Turkey | healthy, 20 people |
| Honey, Linden (not heated) (provided by German beekeeper association) | 60 | Germany | healthy, 10 people |
| Clover honey, raw | 61 | Egypt | healthy, 50 people |
| Spanish thistle honey | 61 | Jordan | healthy, 14 people |
| Honey, NS | 61 | Egypt | type 1 diabetes, 20 people |
| Citrus honey | 62 | Jordan | type 2 diabetes, 9 people |
| Oilseed-rape honey (provided by German beekeeper association) | 64 | Germany | healthy, 10 people |
| Madu Tualang, wild honey (AgroMas, FAMA, Malaysia) | 65 | Malaysia | healthy, 8 people |
| Chestnut honey (Apivita S.A., Greece) | 66 | Greece | healthy, 11 people |
| Locust pod honey | 67 | Jordan | type 2 diabetes, 9 people |
| Monofloral honey, milk-vetch (Astragalus spp.), from Kayseri | 69 | Turkey | healthy, 20 people |
| Honey, NS, test portion adjusted based on body weight | 69 | Egypt | healthy, 10 people |
| Heather honey (Apivita S.A.) | 75 | Greece | healthy, 11 people |
| Spanish thistle honey | 76 | Jordan | type 2 diabetes, 6 people |
| Lime-blossom honey | 77 | Czech Republic | healthy, 20 people |
| Christ thorn honey | 78 | Jordan | type 2 diabetes, 9 people |
| Citrus honey (Apivita S.A., Greece) | 81 | Greece | healthy, 11 people |
| Sugar honey, non-floral, bees feed sugar solution 2:1 sugar in water | 81 | Jordan | type 2 diabetes, 9 people |
| Mixed flora honey | 84 | Jordan | type 2 diabetes, 9 people |
| Thyme honey (Apivita S.A., Greece) | 85 | Greece | healthy, 11 people |
| Honey, NS | 87 | Canada | healthy, 6 people |
| Forest honey (provided by German beekeeper association) | 89 | Germany | healthy, 10 people |
| Pine honey (Apivita S.A., Greece) | 101 | Greece | healthy, 11 people |
Supplemental Table 2 of the International Tables. NS means the study did not specify.
How much the glycemic index tells you
Researchers and health bodies do not agree on how much weight to give the glycemic index of single foods.
- Level E The World Health Organization examined the glycemic index, found it inconsistent, and refused to build guidance on it. Carbohydrate intake for adults and children: WHO guideline, 2023
- Level C A year after the World Health Organization set the glycemic index aside, a meta-analysis of cohorts each over a hundred thousand people linked high glycemic index diets to more diabetes, heart disease and death. Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, 2024
- Level C Glycemic index and glycemic load, the other two ways of judging carbohydrate, held up far worse than fiber in the same analysis. Reynolds et al., The Lancet, 2019
What studies found about honey and blood sugar
- Level B Two weeks of honey did the same to blood sugar, blood fats and inflammation as the same amount of table sugar or corn syrup. J Nutr, 2015
- Level A Pooling sixty-nine trials, ten grams of honey a day nudged long-term blood sugar down and five other markers the wrong way. Nutr Diabetes, 2025
Levels: A is a meta-analysis of trials, B a randomized trial, C an observational study, D lab or animal work, E an expert position. How we grade evidence.
Keep exploring
Sources
- Atkinson FS, Brand-Miller JC, Foster-Powell K, Buyken AE, Goletzke J. International tables of glycemic index and glycemic load values 2021: a systematic review. Am J Clin Nutr 2021;114(5):1625-1632, Supplemental Table 1 and Supplemental Table 2, PMID 34258626, doi:10.1093/ajcn/nqab233 (accessed 2026-10-12)
- USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy (2018): Honey, FDC ID 169640
- USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy (2018): Sweetener, syrup, agave, FDC ID 170277
- USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy (2018): Syrups, maple, FDC ID 169661
- USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy (2018): Sugars, granulated, FDC ID 169655
- Evidence cards: each study above links to its source. Card review dates are listed in our methodology.
Sources checked 2026-10-12. Bioma Learn provides information, not medical advice.