To be honest, I’m not a fan of hard candy. Uh……so, why make lollipops, you ask?
Because my husband and kids enjoy the occasional piece of candy – and not only are these lollipops homemade with very few simple ingredients, but they double as sore throat soothing candies (a perfect recipe to share at this time of year)!
The kids understand the differences between the ingredients in these homemade honey pops versus the long list of dodgy-ness in commercial lollipops. They also really enjoyed the science aspect – watching the honey change textures: from soft to liquid to hard just by changing the temperature!
And the satisfaction of “making our own lollipops” brings a special sparkle to their eyes. So proud.
- 1 cup local liquid honey
- ¼ cup water
- 1 tsp acidic liquid (like white vinegar, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, orange juice, etc.)
- ½ tsp vanilla
- ¼ tsp cinnamon (optional)
- ¼ tsp turmeric (optional)
- ⅛ tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
- In a small pot, over medium-high heat, boil honey, water and vinegar.
- Allow to bubble slowly for about 10-15 minutes (the bubbles will darken slightly), stirring occasionally.
- To test for readiness of the honey mixture, you can check temperature (should be about 300 degrees F) or drop a small amount into a cup of very cold water to see if it hardens.
- Once the liquid is ready, remove from heat and add vanilla, plus any other spices desired (I like to add turmeric, cinnamon and cayenne pepper).
- Meanwhile, lay out some parchment paper in a flat spot. If you want to make lollipops, set the sticks out a few inches apart (so they don't stick together) - or you can just make candies without sticks.
- Once the mixture has cooled slightly (just a few minutes... or you can do what we did and sit your pot out in the snow for about 30 seconds), you can start dripping the honey onto the parchment paper/sticks.
- If using sticks, cover at least ½ inch of the stick in honey mixture.
- Allow to harden and they're ready to go!
- These can be wrapped individually or stored in an air-tight container at room temperature or in the fridge.
For a harder, crunchier pop, simply store them in an air-tight container in the fridge.
Add-ins can include spices like cinnamon, cayenne, turmeric, or something zesty like lemon juice/zest or ginger root. All delicious, natural and healthy options.
Eat well. Cook with your kids. Embrace natural movement. Reduce waste. Be well. 
Hey Jackie! Thanks a ton! Just what I was looking for. Had a question though. What if I want to shape into hearts or Christmas trees etc… can I use cutters or will it stick as it hardens up..?
Thanks so much Shreemayee 🙂 I haven’t tried making any shapes yet, but that’s a great idea! I suspect the cutters may stick, but it could be worth a try! If you’re determined to make shapes, another possibility could be to mold them into hearts, etc, once they have (somewhat) hardened. Once the pops set and prior to storing in the fridge, they are quite mold-able. If you try it out, I’d love to hear how it goes!!
I know this was written a year ago but I ask cause I do not drink tea… could you use these as a tea like stick the pop in hot water? Would make a meat little fun gift to make for gramdma or something. Maybe add some lemon… could you do this? Use this in hot water as oposed to a tea bag
Yes, definitely – any hot liquid would work to just melt the honey pop. You could use water with lemon, or even some warm almond milk. Great idea 🙂
Is the vinegar a necessity? Would they still turn out ok without? Thank you.
I have substituted lemon juice before (any acidic liquid is good). This cuts the sweetness a bit and seems to help hold it together (rather than using large amounts of sugar). I will make note of this above – thanks for the question! Let me know how it goes!
Hey Jackie I was trying to make hard candy with just the honey it self but it won’t reach hard crack stage without/before burning. Is this why you add the acidic liquid? I seen people make them successfully when adding a bunch of sugar like a cup of sugar to 1/3 honey and that work.
Oh no! burnt candies! Adding sugar will definitely help to solidify your candies, but I prefer to avoid added sugar in my treats. Do you have a candy thermometer to check temperature? I would suggest you try stirring the mixture less and perhaps removing from heat before 300F. The acidic ingredient is added to help prevent crystallization – leaving your candies with a smoother texture. Would love to hear how it goes!
Could you use agave or maple syrup?
I have not tried making them with agave, but you can definitely make them with maple syrup – I would recommend you skip the water though and keep in mind that maple will reduce a lot more than honey (so the yield/number of candies will be reduced). Good luck!
Do these get hard enough that I could put them in silicone sucker molds? I have used a recipe with added sugar but am trying to get away from the sugar part. I also want to add ginger, either essential oil or ground, to aid in chemo patients upset stomachs.
Hi Missy, I have never tried them in silicone molds, but have used a silicone mat to set them. Without sugar, they don’t stay super hard, but if you store them in the fridge/someplace cool, they would be fine. As for ginger, I’ve added some fresh grated ginger root or dry powder and it’s worked well. Would love to hear how it goes!
Do you know if they will go hard using some monk fruit sweetner?
Hi Kelly, I’ve actually never used monk fruit sweetener so not sure. If you do try it, I’d love to hear how they turn out 🙂
Maybe a stupid question, but any chance these would begin to ferment at any stage if kept in the fridge long enough? I’m always worried about natural foods fermenting, especially raw honey. I’d hate to start feeding my toddler anything with alcohol as a bi product. How long will these keep in the fridge?
Hi Amy! I’ve never experienced fermentation, but if you are concerned, I would suggest storing some in the freezer if you’re not eating them within a couple of weeks. Enjoy!