Honey nutritional value per 100g: calories, carbs, protein, minerals

The figures come from the USDA FoodData Central record for honey, because the Indian Food Composition Tables carry no honey entry. Read down the table and the story is short: 304 kcal of energy, 82.4 g of carbohydrate, 0.3 g of protein, 0 g of fat and 0.2 g of dietary fibre per 100 g. Everything after that is a trace: iron 0.42 mg, calcium 6 mg, magnesium 2.0 mg, potassium 52 mg, sodium 4 mg, zinc 0.22 mg, folate 2 mcg and vitamin C 0.5 mg.

The table below is the full row, and the sections after it turn each figure into what a spoon actually delivers.

Per 100 g raw, edible portion. Composition: USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy), FDC ID 169640, NDB 19296. GI: University of Sydney GI database. — means not reported. These are average values for the food; the label on a pack gives the values for that product.

Shrink the 100 g row to spoon size and the honest picture sharpens. A 7 g teaspoon of honey carries about 21 kcal and 5.8 g of carbohydrate; its protein comes to 0.02 g, its potassium to 3.6 mg and its iron to 0.03 mg. A 21 g tablespoon, three of those spoons, holds 64 kcal and 17.3 g of carbohydrate, with 0.06 g of protein and 10.9 mg of potassium.

The table below fixes the two spoon sizes side by side; the honey calories page goes deeper into the energy side of the same arithmetic.

Honey’s protein is 0.3 g per 100 g, and the honest label for that is a trace. The 2008 review lists proteins, enzymes and amino acids among honey’s small components, which is true and easy to over-read: a teaspoon delivers 0.02 g of protein. Honey is not a protein food, and no meal plan should count it as one.

The fat answer is even shorter: 0 g per 100 g. Honey has no fat to speak of, which is why its energy is nearly all carbohydrate, and why the spoon figures on this page add up the way they do.

Per 100 g, honey’s mineral row reads potassium 52 mg, sodium 4 mg, calcium 6 mg, magnesium 2.0 mg, iron 0.42 mg and zinc 0.22 mg, with folate at 2 mcg and vitamin C at 0.5 mg. Every one of those is a small amount, and a 2008 review places minerals, trace elements and vitamins among honey’s minor components rather than its features. At the spoon, they nearly vanish: 3.6 mg of potassium and 0.03 mg of iron a teaspoon are real but not the reason anyone reaches for the jar.

The table below lists the mineral row per 100 g, with the two spoon sizes beside it.

Dietary fibre in honey is 0.2 g per 100 g, effectively none, and that matters in two ways. Fibre is the component that delays and retards the absorption of carbohydrates, as the Indian dietary guidelines describe it, so honey has almost none of that built in; and the guidelines’ own test for food energy is that calories are healthy only when accompanied by vitamins, minerals and fibre, a test honey’s energy meets in name only, with effectively no fibre and only traces of vitamins and minerals.

Blood sugar follows the same logic. Honey’s GI of 63 is a medium reading, with 55 and below counting as low and 70 and above as high; the honey glycemic index page covers the range and the bands, and the honey hub links every page in this guide.

Cook with it: see all honey recipes; try Honey laddu, Honey water, Honey chilli potato.

What is the nutritional value of honey?

Per 100 g, honey gives 304 kcal, 82.4 g of carbohydrate, 0.3 g of protein, 0 g of fat and 0.2 g of fibre, with minerals in traces: potassium 52 mg, calcium 6 mg, iron 0.42 mg, zinc 0.22 mg and the rest smaller still. It is an energy food with small extras, not a nutrient source.

Does honey contain sugar?

Yes: 82.4 g of carbohydrate per 100 g, and the sugars in it are mainly glucose and fructose, counted by the WHO as free sugars. A 7 g teaspoon carries 5.8 g of carbohydrate. The trace fibre and protein do not change the answer; the detail is on the sugar in honey page.

Is honey a good source of protein?

No. Honey holds 0.3 g of protein per 100 g, and a 7 g teaspoon delivers 0.02 g, a trace. The proteins, enzymes and amino acids a 2008 review lists in honey are real but vanishingly small; protein should come from dal, dairy, eggs or similar, not from the honey jar.

Does honey have vitamins?

Only traces. The USDA record for honey lists 0.5 mg of vitamin C and 2 mcg of folate per 100 g, and a 2008 review places vitamins among honey’s minor components. At spoon size these amounts are negligible, so honey does not work as a vitamin source.

What is the glycemic index of honey?

Honey’s glycemic index is 63, the average of seven recorded plain-honey tests that run from 49 to 87, which the database’s bands place in the medium range, with 55 and below counting as low and 70 and above as high. The number measures blood-sugar response, not nutrition content, which stays 82.4 g of carbohydrate per 100 g.

Is honey good for health?

Honey supplies energy and sweetness, and only traces of nutrients. Whether it suits you depends on the rest of your day’s sugar, which your doctor or dietitian can help you weigh. The honey benefits and side effects page separates what trials found from what they did not.