Sugars & sweeteners · Glycemic index

Does honey spike blood sugar?

Only a little. Honey has a medium GI of 60, and a 21 g serving (1 tablespoon) has a low glycemic load of 10. Honey has a medium GI, a little below table sugar, and a tablespoon carries a low glycemic load. It is still an added sugar, and the spoonfuls add up.

Key numbers

Glycemic index: 60; Medium GI
Glycemic load: 10; Low GL
Available carbs: 17 g; 0 g fiber
Serving: 1 tablespoon; 21 g · plain

GI vs GL for honey

The glycemic index (GI) compares how fast the carbohydrate in a food raises blood sugar against pure glucose (100), using a fixed amount of carbohydrate. The glycemic load (GL) adds the other half of the story — how much carbohydrate a normal serving actually contains: GI × available carbs ÷ 100. For honey: 60 × 17 g ÷ 100 ≈ 10.

That figure is an average reported in the 2021 international GI tables (“Honey, mean of 17 types of honey”). Honeys vary widely: in the 2008 tables they ranged from 35 (an Australian Yellow Box honey with 46% fructose) to 87, and the US honeys tested — clover, buckwheat, cotton and tupelo — scored 69 to 74.

Eating a different amount? Work out the glycemic load of your portion.

How to eat honey with less of a spike

Measure a teaspoon instead of pouring freely from the jar.
Pair it with fat and protein, for example a drizzle over plain Greek yogurt with nuts.
Don't switch to honey expecting a smaller spike; the four US honeys in the 2008 tables tested 69–74.

Lower-GI swaps

Compare with

See all 67 foods in the glycemic index table

Frequently asked questions

What is the glycemic index of honey?

Honey has a glycemic index of 60, which is medium. That figure is an average reported in the 2021 international GI tables (“Honey, mean of 17 types of honey”). A 21 g serving (1 tablespoon) contains about 17 g of available carbohydrate, giving a glycemic load of 10 (low).

Is honey good for prediabetes?

Honey is not meaningfully better than sugar for prediabetes. Use it sparingly — a teaspoon rather than a generous drizzle — and count it as added sugar.

Is honey better than sugar for blood sugar?

Only marginally. Seventeen honeys averaged a GI of 60 in the 2021 tables compared with 66 for table sugar, and several US honeys tested higher than that. A tablespoon of honey also contains more carbohydrate than a teaspoon of sugar.

Sources

GI values come from the international GI tables; carbohydrate and fiber per serving are calculated from USDA FoodData Central.

Data last checked September 30, 2026.