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Honey vs sugar is closer than most people expect: both are almost entirely sugar, and the FDA counts both as added sugars. Per tablespoon, honey actually has more calories (about 64 vs 49 in USDA data) because it is denser, while per gram it has fewer, because about 17% of honey is water. Honey brings a different sugar mix, mostly fructose and glucose instead of sucrose, plus trace amounts of minerals and plant compounds, but not enough to make it a nutrition source. Below are the USDA numbers, what the research on honey actually measured, how labels handle it, and one firm safety rule: no honey for babies under 1 year.
Peptide Labs does not sell honey or sugar. This article is general nutrition information, not medical advice.
Key Takeaways
- A tablespoon of honey has about 64 calories and 17 grams of sugar; a tablespoon of white sugar has about 49 calories and 12.6 grams.
- Gram for gram, honey has fewer calories than sugar (304 vs 387 per 100 grams) because it contains water.
- Honey sugar is mostly fructose and glucose; table sugar is sucrose, which the body splits into the same two sugars.
- FDA and the Dietary Guidelines count honey as an added sugar, just like table sugar, maple syrup and molasses.
- A 2023 meta-analysis found small changes in blood markers with honey, but most of the evidence was low certainty.
- Never give honey in any form to a baby younger than 1 year old because of the botulism risk.
Honey vs sugar: the USDA numbers side by side
The table uses USDA FoodData Central SR Legacy entries for honey (FDC 169640) and granulated white sugar (FDC 169655). Percent Daily Value for sugar uses the FDA Daily Value for added sugars, 50 grams, because both foods count as added sugars when you add them to food or drinks.
| Per serving (USDA) | Honey | White sugar |
|---|---|---|
| Teaspoon weight | 7 g | 4.2 g |
| Calories per teaspoon | 21 | 16 |
| Sugars per teaspoon | 5.7 g (11% DV) | 4.2 g (8% DV) |
| Tablespoon weight | 21 g | 12.6 g (3 teaspoons) |
| Calories per tablespoon | 64 | 49 |
| Sugars per tablespoon | 17.2 g (34% DV) | 12.6 g (25% DV) |
| Calories per 100 g | 304 | 387 |
| Water per 100 g | 17.1 g | 0.02 g |
| Main sugars per 100 g | Fructose 40.9 g, glucose 35.8 g | Sucrose 99.8 g |
| Potassium per tablespoon | 11 mg (0.2% DV) | 0.3 mg (0% DV) |
Two things stand out. First, honey calories depend on how you measure: a spoonful of honey weighs much more than a spoonful of granulated sugar, so the spoon comparison favors sugar and the gram comparison favors honey. Second, the vitamin and mineral column is close to zero for both. USDA lists honey’s potassium at 52 milligrams per 100 grams, which is about 1% of the Daily Value even if you ate a third of a cup. Some people use less honey than sugar because they find it sweeter, but that is a matter of taste and recipe, not a nutrition rule.
Honey nutrition: what is actually in the jar
Honey is made by bees from flower nectar. USDA data show it is about 82% sugar and 17% water by weight, with traces of protein, fiber and minerals. The sugar is mainly free fructose and glucose, with small amounts of maltose and sucrose. Table sugar is sucrose, a molecule made of one glucose and one fructose joined together, which digestion splits apart. So after digestion, both deliver a broadly similar mix of the same two simple sugars, just in slightly different proportions.
Honey also carries small amounts of plant compounds such as polyphenols, and its color and flavor depend on the flowers the bees visited. The amounts are small, and they vary from jar to jar. Honey nutrition, in other words, is mostly sugar nutrition.
Raw honey, filtered honey and Manuka
Raw honey usually means honey that was strained but not heated or finely filtered, so it can contain bits of pollen and wax. Regular supermarket honey is often warmed and filtered to keep it clear and pourable. Raw is a loose marketing term rather than a nutrition category. Its sugar and calorie content is essentially the same as processed honey, and raw honey is not safer for babies. Manuka honey is a single-flower honey from the Leptospermum scoparium plant of New Zealand and Australia, sold with industry grading systems. As a food it is still mostly sugar and still counts as added sugar.
Is honey healthier than sugar? What the research shows
The largest summary of controlled trials so far is a 2023 systematic review and meta-analysis in Nutrition Reviews by Ahmed and colleagues. It pooled 18 controlled trials with 1,105 participants and found small reductions in fasting blood sugar, total and LDL cholesterol and triglycerides, and a small rise in HDL cholesterol, with honey compared against various controls. Raw honey and certain single-flower honeys (Robinia, also sold as acacia, and clover) looked most favorable. The authors rated most of the evidence as low certainty and framed any benefit as applying within a healthy dietary pattern, not as a reason to add sweetener to your diet.
That nuance matters. The trials were short and varied in design, and many compared honey with other sugars rather than with no added sugar at all. A fair reading is that the differences between honey and sugar are small and uncertain, while eating extra honey simply adds sugar and calories. So, is honey healthier than sugar? Marginally different, not a health food. If you are watching blood sugar, both raise it, and a clinician or registered dietitian can help you plan around that. Our https://peptidelabs.live/low-glycemic-foods/ guide explains how different foods compare.
How labels handle honey and sugar
Under the FDA Nutrition Facts rules, honey, table sugar, maple syrup and molasses all count as added sugars when they are added to a food, and the Daily Value for added sugars is 50 grams. Because a jar of pure honey is a single ingredient, FDA guidance finalized in June 2019 says such packages do not need to list a gram amount of added sugars, but they still show the percent Daily Value. FDA encourages makers to add a dagger symbol (†) after that percentage, leading to a footnote that explains how the honey contributes added sugars to the diet.
A separate FDA guidance from February 2018 covers the name itself. A product labeled simply as honey must contain only honey, though it may name its main flower source, such as orange blossom honey. If corn syrup or another sweetener is mixed in, the label has to say so, for example a blend of corn syrup and honey. Reading the ingredient list is the quickest way to spot a blend.
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025-2030, list honey, molasses and turbinado sugar among the names added sugars hide under, and state that no amount of added sugars is recommended as part of a healthy diet. Sugars that occur naturally in whole fruit and plain milk are not counted as added sugars. If you want fruit options with less sugar, see https://peptidelabs.live/low-sugar-fruits/.
Never give honey to babies under 1 year
The CDC says not to feed honey to a child younger than 1 year old, and the American Academy of Pediatrics gives the same advice. Honey can contain spores of Clostridium botulinum, the bacterium behind infant botulism, a rare but serious illness. The 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines put it plainly: infants should not be given any foods containing raw or cooked honey. That includes honey in baked goods, honey drizzled on food and honey-dipped pacifiers. If a baby who has had honey seems constipated, weak, floppy or feeds poorly, contact a clinician right away.
Cooking swaps and other sweeteners
Honey and sugar behave differently in recipes. Honey adds liquid to a recipe, so swapping it for sugar changes texture; follow a tested recipe rather than guessing. For a closer look at the two most common dry sugars, read https://peptidelabs.live/brown-sugar-vs-white-sugar/. If you want sweetness with little or no sugar, our guides to https://peptidelabs.live/allulose/, https://peptidelabs.live/stevia/, https://peptidelabs.live/monk-fruit/ and https://peptidelabs.live/sugar-alcohols/ explain how those work, and https://peptidelabs.live/how-to-stop-sugar-cravings/ covers habits rather than swaps.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is healthier, honey vs sugar?
Neither is a health food. Honey has traces of minerals and plant compounds and a 2023 meta-analysis found small changes in blood markers, but most of that evidence was low certainty. Both count as added sugars.
How many honey calories are in a tablespoon?
USDA data list about 64 calories and 17 grams of sugar in a 21-gram tablespoon of honey, compared with about 49 calories in a tablespoon of white sugar.
Does honey raise blood sugar?
Yes. Honey is about 82% sugar by weight and raises blood glucose like other sugars. People who manage blood sugar should plan honey into their carbohydrate total with their clinician.
Is raw honey better than regular honey?
Raw honey is less processed and may keep more pollen, but its sugar and calories are about the same, and it is not safe for babies under 1 year.
Why does a jar of honey show added sugars without grams?
FDA guidance from 2019 lets single-ingredient honey and syrups show only the percent Daily Value for added sugars, often with a dagger symbol and a footnote.
At what age can a child have honey?
The CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics advise no honey before age 1 because of the risk of infant botulism.
Questions about a label? Contact us or read our Buyer’s Guide. Food comes first; follow the label and ask a healthcare provider before starting a supplement, especially if you take medicines, are pregnant or have a food allergy. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
Last reviewed October 2026.
Related guides: Brown Sugar vs White Sugar: USDA Nutrition, Calories and Baking, How to Stop Sugar Cravings: Why They Happen and What Research Supports, Allulose: What It Is, Is It Safe, Side Effects and Allulose vs Stevia, Maple Syrup: Nutrition, Grades and Is Maple Syrup Healthy?, Types of Sugar: What the FDA Label and USDA Data Show, Types of Honey: Floral Sources, USDA Colors and Labels.