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Real, raw honey crystallizes.

The crystallization process is natural and spontaneous. Pure, raw and unheated honey has a natural tendency to crystallize over time with no effect on the honey other than color and texture.

What’s more, the crystallization of honey actually preserves the flavor and quality characteristics of your honey. Many honey users prefer it in this state as it is easier to spread on bread or toast. Indeed, some raw honey recipes can be easier to make with partially or fully-crystallized honey —and, the taste is richer.

Some honeys crystallize uniformly; some will be partially crystallized and form two layers, with the crystallized layer on the bottom of the jar and a liquid on top.
Honeys also vary in the size of the crystals formed. Some form fine crystals and others large, gritty ones. The more rapid honey crystallizes, the finer the texture will be. And crystallized honey tends to set a lighter/paler color than when liquid. This is due to the fact that glucose sugar tends to separate out in dehydrating crystals form, and that glucose crystals are naturally pure white. Darker honeys retain a brownish appearance

Hungry for more chemistry?
Honey is a highly concentrated sugar solution. It contains more than 70% sugars and less than 20% water. This means that the water in honey contains more sugar than it should naturally hold. The overabundance of sugar makes honey unstable. Thus, it is natural for honey to crystallize since it is an over-saturated sugar solution.

The two principal sugars in honey are fructose (fruit sugar) and glucose (grape sugar). The content of fructose and glucose in honey varies from one type of honey to the other. Generally, the fructose ranges from 30- 44% and glucose from 25- 40%. The balance of these two major sugars causes the crystallization of honey, and the relative percentage of each determines whether it crystallizes rapidly or slowly. What crystallizes is the glucose, due to its lower solubility. Fructose is more soluble in water than glucose and will remain fluid.

When glucose crystallizes, it separates from water and takes the form of tiny crystals. As the crystallization progresses and more glucose crystallizes, those crystals spread throughout the honey. The solution changes to a stable saturated form, and ultimately the honey becomes thick or crystallized.

Bottom line? Crystallization of honey is a gift of nature.

Whу dоеѕ hоnеу сrуѕtаllіzе?

Ѕіmрlу рut, hоnеу іѕ а hіghlу соnсеntrаtеd ѕugаr (саrbоhуdrаtе) ѕоlutіоn. Турісаllу, іt соntаіnѕ mоrе thаn 70% саrbоhуdrаtеѕ аnd lеѕѕ thаn 20% wаtеr. Іt іѕ оbvіоuѕ thаt іn реrсеntаgе tеrmѕ, ѕugаrѕ аrе рrеdоmіnаnt. Тhіѕ mеаnѕ thаt wаtеr іn hоnеу соntаіnѕ muсh grеаtеr аmоunt оf ѕugаrѕ thаn іt саn nаturаllу dіѕѕоlvе. Тhе оvеrаbundаnсе оf ѕugаrѕ mаkеѕ thе ѕоlutіоn unѕtаblе. Ѕіnсе еvеrуthіng іn nаturе ѕееkѕ bаlаnсе, іnсludіng hоnеу, сrуѕtаllіzаtіоn іѕ аn аbѕоlutеlу nаturаl рhеnоmеnоn whісh оссurѕ whеn gluсоѕе ѕераrаtеѕ frоm wаtеr, аftеr whісh gluсоѕе rеmаіnѕ іn thе fоrm оf сrуѕtаlѕ аnd thе іnіtіаl соnсеntrаtеd ѕоlutіоn gеtѕ іntо а bаlаnсеd ѕtаtе. Lеt uѕ gо іntо thе ѕubјесt а bіt dеереr, wіthоut соmрlісаtіng thіngѕ.

Whаt dеtеrmіnеѕ whеn аnd hоw hоnеу wіll сrуѕtаllіzе?
Тhеrе аrе twо mаіn tуреѕ оf ѕugаrѕ іn thе саrbоhуdrаtе соmроѕіtіоn оf hоnеу. Тhеѕе аrе fruсtоѕе аnd gluсоѕе (thе іnvеrt ѕugаr іn hоnеу). Тhе соntеnt оf fruсtоѕе аnd gluсоѕе іѕ dіffеrеnt dереndіng оn thе tуре оf hоnеу. Gеnеrаllу, fruсtоѕе rаngеѕ frоm 30 tо 44%, аnd gluсоѕе frоm 25% tо 40%. Тhаt gіvеѕ uѕ а mајоr сluе. Тhе bаlаnсе bеtwееn thоѕе twо bаѕіс mоnоѕассhаrіdеѕ іn thе соmроѕіtіоn оf hоnеу іѕ thе mаіn rеаѕоn fоr hоnеу сrуѕtаllіzаtіоn аnd dеtеrmіnеѕ whеthеr а сеrtаіn tуре оf hоnеу wоuld сrуѕtаllіzе fаѕtеr оr ѕlоwеr. Аѕ а mаttеr оf fасt, gluсоѕе іѕ thе undеrlуіng саuѕе оf сrуѕtаllіzаtіоn bесаuѕе оf іtѕ lоwеr ѕоlubіlіtу соmраrеd wіth thаt оf fruсtоѕе whісh rеmаіnѕ іn а lіquіd ѕtаtе duе tо іtѕ bеttеr ѕоlubіlіtу. Whеn gluсоѕе сrуѕtаllіzеѕ, іt ѕераrаtеѕ frоm wаtеr аnd turnѕ іntо ѕmаll сrуѕtаlѕ, аѕ mеntіоnеd аbоvе.

Dіffеrеnt tуреѕ оf hоnеу сrуѕtаllіzе аt dіffеrеnt rаtеѕ (frоm 1-2 mоnthѕ tо mоrе thаn 2 уеаrѕ). Ѕоmе tуреѕ оf hоnеу сrуѕtаllіzе соmрlеtеlу, whіlе оthеrѕ dо nоt undеrgо ѕuсh а ѕtеаdу рrосеѕѕ. Fоr ехаmрlе, іt саn bе оbѕеrvеd hоw іn а јаr оf hоnеу thеrе іѕ а сrуѕtаllіzеd lауеr оn thе bоttоm, аnd аnоthеr lауеr оf lіquіd hоnеу оn thе tор. Dіffеrеnt tуреѕ оf hоnеу dіffеr іn thе ѕіzе оf thе сrуѕtаlѕ fоrmеd. Ваѕісаllу, thе fаѕtеr thе hоnеу сrуѕtаllіzеѕ, thе fіnеr thе сrуѕtаlѕ аrе.

Сrуѕtаllіzеd hоnеу tеndѕ tо ѕеt а раlеr соlоr thаn whеn lіquіd.

Веѕіdеѕ, thеrе аrе а numbеr оf оthеr fасtоrѕ, ѕоmе mоrе ѕubѕtаntіаl thаn оthеrѕ, thаt соuld іnіtіаtе, ассеlеrаtе оr ѕlоw dоwn thе рrосеѕѕ оf сrуѕtаllіzаtіоn. Іt іѕ еvеn роѕѕіblе, undеr сеrtаіn соndіtіоnѕ, thаt hоnеу wоuld сrуѕtаllіzе ѕеvеrаl dауѕ аftеr thе ехtrасtіоn. Ноnеу соmроnеntѕ, whісh іnсludе оthеr саrbоhуdrаtеѕ bеѕіdеѕ gluсоѕе аnd fruсtоѕе, аѕ wеll аѕ 300 оthеr ѕubѕtаnсеѕ, lіkе аmіnо асіdѕ, рrоtеіnѕ, mіnеrаlѕ, асіdѕ, еtс., mау аlѕо аffесt thе сrуѕtаllіzаtіоn рrосеѕѕ. Furthеrmоrе, thе whоlе рrосеѕѕ соuld bе ассеlеrаtеd, іf ѕоmе duѕt, flоrаl роllеn, bіtѕ оf wах оr fоrеіgn сrуѕtаlѕ gеt іntо thе hоnеу. Ваѕісаllу, іf уоu lіkе hоnеу іn ѕuсh а ѕtаtе аnd аrе еаgеr tо hаvе іt сrуѕtаllіzеd, уоu соuld соnѕіdеrаblу ассеlеrаtе thе рrосеѕѕ bу аddіng а ѕрооn оf сrуѕtаllіzеd hоnеу tо thе lіquіd hоnеу.

Теmреrаturе, rеlаtіvе humіdіtу аnd thе tуре оf расkаgіng соuld аlѕо mаkе а dіffеrеnсе. Іn саѕеѕ whеrе соnѕіdеrаblе dеlау іn сrуѕtаllіzаtіоn іѕ dеѕіrеd, аѕ fаr аѕ thаt іѕ роѕѕіblе, іt іѕ thе tеmреrаturе thаt ѕhоuld bе mаіnlу соnѕіdеrеd. Аt rооm tеmреrаturе, thе сrуѕtаllіzаtіоn рrосеѕѕ, dереndіng оn thе tуре оf hоnеу, wоuld ѕtаrt іn ѕеvеrаl wееkѕ, mоnthѕ, аnd vеrу rаrеlу іn ѕеvеrаl dауѕ.

https://honeypedia.info/why-does-honey-crystallize
Pollen, propolis, antioxidants, and enzymes found in raw honey are destroyed at temperatures above 110°F. Heating honey higher than 140°F degrades the quality of the honey and temperatures above 160°F caramelize the sugars.Jan 19, 2018

HOW TO DECRYSTALLIZE RAW HONEY WHILE RETAINING QUALITY AND FLAVOR
Did your jar of honey crystallize? This is totally normal, and natural. Crystallized honey is just as edible and delicious as liquid honey, but if you don’t like the texture of crystallized honey, it is quite simple to soften honey by adding heat.

Heating honey will liquefy crystallized honey. But bee careful. If you overheat the honey during the decrystallization process you risk changing the quality and losing raw honey nutrients and benefits.

To preserve the best qualities of that raw honey, you must melt it slowly in a glass jar using low, indirect, and constant heat for as long as the honey takes to decrystallize.

decrystallize honey in 4 steps

Step One: Place glass jar of honey into a larger glass or ceramic bowl (if your honey comes in a plastic bottle spoon out crystallized honey into a sealable glass jar).

Step Two: Heat a pot of water up to a temperature between 95°F and 110°F. You can create this warm water bath using a kettle, instant pot, or, if you want precision, a sous vide cooker.

Step Three: Pour the warm water bath into the bowl and jar of honey is sitting in. Make sure the water line is above the level of the honey but below the lid. You do NOT want water to accidentally get into your honey jar or container.

Step Four: Leave the jar of honey sitting in the bath, stirring occasionally, until the honey reliquifies. Monitor the water temperature with a thermometer and adjust by adding hot or cool water to keep it at or below 110°F.
The length of time that your honey will take to decrystallize depends upon the amount you are liquefying, but a typical honey jar takes a little over an hour to decrystallize.

WHY DOES HONEY CRYSTALLIZE?
Pure, raw honey crystallizes naturally over time as the sugar “precipitates out” of the solution into crystal form. Honey is made up of glucose and fructose. Different honey varietals have different ratios of these sugars, which means different honeys crystallize at different rates.
The higher the glucose, the faster a honey will crystallize. These include:
• Clover honey
• Lavender honey
• Dandelion honey
Honeys that are higher in fructose than glucose crystallize more slowly. These include:
• Tupelo honey
• Acacia honey
• Sage honey
Remember, crystallized honey has not spoiled! Honey does not go bad, and crystallized honey still has the same quality and flavor, just maybe a different color and texture. Learn more about the science of honey crystallization.

How to Decrystalize Honey

There are many proper methods of decrystalizing small quantities of honey and one way NOT TO decrystalize honey.

NEVER use a microwave to decrystalize honey. The microwave generates heat by essentially boiling and exploding whatever water molecules are in the item being heated/cooked. This is why preparation directions for some food items require you to add water when “cooking” with a microwave. The microwave will essentially destroy all of the beneficial enzymes and properties of the honey. Sure it will return it to a liquid state, but then you can just consider it not much more than a honey colored sweetener.

The following are a few of the proper methods which you can use in your home to decrystalize honey.

Boiling Water
There are methods of decrystalizing honey with boiling water which work quite well, but never boil the water with the honey in it. Bring the water to a boil, remove the pan from the heat source and then place your jars of honey into the hot water. Let the water cool until it reaches room temperature and check your honey. If there is any crystallization left, you will need to continue to repeat the process until the honey is crystal free. The downside to the hot or boiling water method is you will not be able to use it for the honey which is in the squeezable plastic bottles. Most if not all plastic bottles being manufactured today have a hot fill temperature limit of 140 degrees Fahrenheit. When the plastic gets above 140 degrees it will begin to deform and lose it shape (not a good thing).

Hot Water from Faucet
Fill a sink or container with hot water from your faucet and place the honey containers (glass or plastic bottles will work as most residential water heaters do not keep water at above 140 degrees). After water cools, repeat the process until there are no more crystals left in the honey.

Crock Pot / Slow Cooker
Place your honey containers in the crock pot and fill crock pot with water about ¾ the depth of the smallest honey container (as you do not want to risk water getting into the honey). Turn the crock pot/slow cooker to the lowest setting and you can use both glass and plastic containers of honey as long as the temperature does not exceed 140 degrees Fahrenheit (If the temperature reaches 140, the plastic may deform). The ideal crock pot on the lowest setting should not get the water warmer than 120 degrees. The crock pot we use on the low setting never gets the water above 115 to 116 degrees. You will need to use a good thermometer the first time you use this method until you know the maximum temperature the water will reach at the lowest crock pot setting. If the temperature gets close to or exceeds 120, then turn the crock pot off until the water temperature cools and then switch it back on to the lowest temperature setting. If the water in your crock pot on the lowest setting never exceeds the 120 degree mark, then just let the honey “warm” until all of the crystals are gone. The decrystalization may take up to 8 hours or longer depending on the severity of the crystallization and how may jar or bottles you do at one time.

The crock pot method is our preferred method as we can essentially “set it” and “forget it” while we do other things and then just periodically come back to check the progress.

IMPORTANT: DO NOT PUT THE LID ON THE CROCK POT OR COVER THE CROCK POT

With any of the methods, if the crystallization is really severe, you may need to stir the contents occasionally with a spoon or a knife during the decrystalization process. Also, with any of the methods, patience is the key. Repeat the process until every bit of crystallization is gone; otherwise you may find yourself having to decrystalize the honey again. For large quantities of honey (meaning 5 gallon buckets and larger), that is a subject for a different post and you should talk to a local bee keeper.

The key is to not let the temperature get above 40°C (104 °F). At 50 °C (122 °F) honey will caramelize.

Pasteurized honey available in grocery stores has been heated at 161 °F (71.7 °C) or higher. Cooking at this heat destroys yeast cells, reduces enzymes, darkens the colour and changes the taste and smell of the honey.

Temperature is only part of the story because honey is affected not just by the temperature but also by the time the honey is held at that temperature. The chart below shows the limits of time and temperature if damage is to be avoided or minimised. As an example honey can be held at 54°C (130°F) for seven or eight hours but more than two hours at 65°C (150°F) would result in damage. A compromise can be achieved by holding the temperature at 54°C for a few hours and then raising it quickly to 65°C and then cooling it quickly. You may do this where you want to filter it fast.