Celebrate National Honey Bee Day with 5 Sweet Honey Recipes

Photo Credit: Lora liu/Shuterstock

August 15 is National Honey Bee Day, but as a beekeeper, I celebrate all year long. Honey is an amazing ingredient that can shine in sweet or savory recipes. I use it in salad dressings, marinades, and as a general replacement for sugar in recipes. I have plenty of honey stored up that I’ve harvested from our beehives over the past few years. Honey never goes bad (thanks to the amazing way the bees cure and preserve the honey in the hive) so these recipes are the perfect way to use up that extra honey in your cupboard.

1. Beekeeper’s Own Raw Honey-Mustard Sauce

I created this delicious and simple sauce for my site TheHerbeevore.com to let raw honey shine as the main ingredient. Sweet and tangy, this Raw Honey Mustard Sauce is the perfect dip for fries or soft pretzels, makes a delicious sandwich spread, and can even be used as a salad dressing for mixed greens.

2. Honey Drop Biscuits

This Food Network recipe for Honey Drop Biscuits is a delicious way to use honey in a more savory recipe. These sweet honey biscuits would be great with soup, served alongside breakfast, or eaten plain with some simple honey butter.

3. Honey-Roasted Carrots

With five simple ingredients, Dinner at the Zoo’s recipe for Honey Roasted Carrots will elevate any dinner into a gourmet experience. Plus, it's great way to get a few servings of veggies in while you savor every bite.

4. Three-Bean Salad with Honey Vinaigrette

I am a huge fan of bean salads, and this Bean Salad with Honey Vinaigrette is a bright and fresh summer side dish for any BBQ or cookout. Free of refined sugar, this recipe uses honey as a natural sweetener in the dressing instead of granulated sugar.

5. Lemon Honey Cake

King Arthur Flour’s recipe for Lemon Honey Cake is the perfect dessert for National Honey Bee Day. Sweet and citrusy, these adorable little desserts would be great for an after-dinner treat or snack with a nice cup of Earl Grey tea.