What Is Purple Honey and Where Can You Buy It?

If you aren’t yet familiar with this colorful ingredient, allow us to introduce you. Purple honey is a rare type of honey that has a natural purple hue (without any added dyes or coloring) usually found in the southeast part of the U.S., making it often hard to find.

But what is it really and how does it differ from the store-bought honey we know? Here's what you need to know if you're interested in trying purple honey for yourself.

What Is Purple Honey?

“Purple honey is a type of rare honey that can be found in parts of North Carolina (as of now, this is the only place it’s been found),” says Jamie Koll, creator of @girlswhoeat. “It’s trending due to the color of the honey, but also the fact that no one, including beekeepers, knows exactly why the honey is a purple color.”

Where Can You Buy Purple Honey?

Purple honey is not only distinct in its color and flavor, but also in how you go about buying it. Unlike the regular honey we are used to, trying to find this in our local grocery stores may not be so easy. Instead, you’ll likely have to go straight to the source.

“You can purchase it from local beekeepers in North Carolina like Dees Bees in the summer months,” says Koll. “However, it is not guaranteed that beekeepers will have purple honey every year and how much they will get, which is why it often sells out very quickly.”

Best Ways to Use Purple Honey

If you’ve seen or tasted purple honey, you know it’s not like the golden amber substance we are accustomed to. Everything from its color to the way it tastes is different from the original, which means the way we go about using it in our foods may also require a new way of thinking.

“Since it has a unique taste, some say like grapes or fruity, and can be hard to buy, I would recommend using it in a way that allows you to taste and experience the honey rather than in a recipe,” says Koll. “Some of my favorite ways to use honey are on yogurt bowls, on a nut butter berry toast, or drizzled on a homemade pizza.”