Whipped honey is honey that is whipped to make the texture light, fluffy, creamy and spreadable. The whipping process breaks up the crystals and transforms the crunchy crystallized honey into a texture that's easier to use. So many of us have a jar of crystallized honey in our pantry, whipping the honey is a great what to transform the honey. Whipped honey makes a wonderful homemade gift!
I have found you can whip as little as a cup of crystallized honey. The most I have whipped at one time is two cups. I generally whip for 20 minutes at a time. Honey is a pretty thick ingredient to whip and I like to monitor my stand mixer to make sure it's not getting overheated during the process. In my experience, I haven't had issues and mine just gets warm. If making multiple batches, I would allow the mixer time to rest between.
If your crystallized honey is super-crystallized and/or has very large crystals, it can be helpful to gently warm it to melt it back to a liquid state. You can gently warm honey in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water (the bowl should not touch the water) until it becomes liquid again.
If you don't have enough crystallized honey to whip, you can add an equal or smaller amount of non-crystallized or creamed/spun honey.
Add honey to stand mixer bowl. Use wire whip beater accessory. Start whipping on low speed, gradually increasing to speed 7 or 8. Whip for about 20 minutes or until the honey is lightly colored and has increased in volume. You can also check to see if any honey crystals have been broken down by rubbing a little bit between your fingers to feel for grittiness. Toward the end of whipping add any flavorings. I generally add 1/2 to 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon and vanilla.
Notes
How to Store Whipped Honey?
I have experimented with various ways to store whipped honey. I like the texture at room temperature best, but it can, over-time, start settling, separating and losing its whip. How quickly this happens can vary due to they type of honey, temperature of storage and amount of crystallization. (You can just stir it back together or you can re-whip it.) You can also store in the refrigerator and it will stay whipped, but will get firmer. You can remove from fridge and allow to warm up a bit and it will soften. If stored in the refrigerator for a while, it can re-crystallize, but it is fine to whip again.
What is Crystallized Honey?
Honey crystallizes when it sits in your pantry for a while. Sometimes warmer temperatures or refrigeration cause honey to crystallize more quickly. There's nothing wrong with crystallized honey, it's just a different texture. You can gently warm honey in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water until it becomes liquid again.
What kind of honey is best for Whipping?
crystallized, raw (non-heated) type honeys
creamed (spun) or micro-crystallized honey
lighter colored honeys
If you don't have enough crystallized honey, you can "seed" regular liquid honey with crystallized honey. I find 1/2 and 1/2 proportions seem to work well.