How to Use Manuka Honey: Everyday Ideas and Which Grade to Choose

The short answer

The easiest ways to use Manuka honey are straight from the spoon, stirred into warm (not boiling) tea or water with lemon, and drizzled over toast, porridge or yoghurt. It also works in dressings, marinades and glazes, and some people use it in a simple face mask or on their lips. For everyday use, an Everyday grade (under MGO 400) is plenty. Premium (MGO 400 to 799) and Superior (MGO 800+) grades give you more MGO in every spoonful.

Manuka honey is thick, rich and full of flavour, so a little goes a long way. Here are the ways people use it most, in the kitchen and in the bathroom, plus which grade to choose for each and how to look after your jar. At Manuka Hut, every jar we sell is New Zealand Manuka honey from Egmont Honey, Manuka Health and Comvita.

Manuka honey is made by bees from the nectar of the Manuka bush (Leptospermum scoparium), and it only comes from New Zealand. What sets it apart is methylglyoxal (MGO). MGO is the main driver of its antibacterial activity, and the higher the number, the stronger the honey.

Every graded jar is lab tested, and the label shows its grade as MGO or as UMF™. UMF honey is also tested for leptosperin, DHA and HMF. The two scales measure the same thing in different ways, and you can turn one into the other with our MGO and UMF converter. For the full background, see what is Manuka honey.

The name Manuka comes from the Māori name for the bush. Māori communities knew and used the Manuka plant for centuries before European settlers arrived.

Straight from the spoon

The simplest way to take Manuka honey is a spoonful on its own. Many people make it a daily habit and take a teaspoon of Manuka honey a day, often first thing in the morning, and some take it before meals. There's no single right time, so pick whatever fits your routine.

We like to serve ours with a wooden honey spoon. Wondering why? Our article on whether a metal spoon affects honey explains it.

At breakfast and as a spread

• Drizzle it over porridge, muesli or natural yoghurt.
• Spread it on toast, crumpets or pancakes.
• Blend a spoonful into a smoothie with berries, banana or kefir.
• Serve it with cheese, fruit and nuts on a grazing board.

Its flavour is more earthy and malty than most honey, so it adds depth as well as sweetness. You can also use it in place of refined sugar in many of the things you already make.

Good jars for a daily spoonful

For eating and everyday use, an Everyday grade is a good fit, such as Manuka Health MGO 263+ (UMF 10+), Egmont Honey MGO 265+ (UMF 10+), Comvita MGO 263+ (UMF 10+) or Egmont Honey MGO 85+ (UMF 5+).

A warm drink is one of the most popular ways to use Manuka honey, especially through the cooler months, when many people keep a jar next to the kettle.

• Honey and lemon: stir a spoonful into a mug of warm water with a squeeze of lemon. A slice of fresh ginger adds extra warmth.
• In tea: add it to herbal tea, green tea or black tea once it has cooled a little.
• Other warm drinks: try it in warm milk or a turmeric latte.

Use warm water, not boiling. Our teaspoon a day guide suggests avoiding boiling water, as too much heat may reduce some of the honey's properties. Let a just-boiled kettle stand for a few minutes, then stir the honey in.

Honey and lemon is also a classic when you have a cough, and the NHS suggests a hot lemon and honey drink too. Studies found honey eased cough symptoms more than no treatment or a placebo, though NICE says the evidence is limited. Those studies used a range of honeys, not Manuka specifically, so an Everyday grade is plenty. Our guide to Manuka honey for cough covers the ways people take it. Please remember that honey of any kind, including Manuka, should never be given to babies under 12 months.

You can cook with Manuka honey like any other honey. A few ideas to start with:

• Glazed salmon: mix Manuka honey with soy sauce, garlic and ginger, and brush it over salmon fillets.
• Roast vegetables: whisk Manuka honey with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, and toss it through vegetables for roasting.
• Salad dressings: shake it with olive oil, lemon juice or vinegar and a little mustard.
• Marinades: use it in marinades for chicken, pork or fish.
• Muffins and baking: swap regular honey or sugar for Manuka honey for a richer flavour.

A note on heat. High heat changes honey. Our guide on whether Manuka honey is raw explains that MGO is best preserved when the honey is kept below roughly 40°C. So for dressings, drizzles and glazes, we like to add Manuka honey at the end or once the pan is off the heat. For baking or cooking at high heat, regular honey is the more economical choice, and you can save your Manuka honey for drizzling over the finished dish.

Some people also use Manuka honey as part of their skincare routine. Honey is a natural humectant, which means it draws in moisture, and it's a common ingredient in moisturising skincare. Here's how they do it.

As a simple face mask

1. Start with a clean face and clean, dry hands.
2. Spread a thin layer of Manuka honey over your skin, avoiding your eyes.
3. Leave it on for 20 to 30 minutes.
4. Rinse off with warm water and pat dry.

For something a little more involved, mix the honey with natural yoghurt, finely ground oats or a pinch of turmeric before you apply it.

On a single spot

Some people dab a small amount of Manuka honey onto one spot, leave it for 20 to 30 minutes and then rinse it off. There isn't good evidence that honey clears acne, though: in a trial, a medical-grade honey from kānuka, a different New Zealand tree that looks similar to Manuka, worked no better than antibacterial soap.

On your lips

Smooth a little over your lips on its own, or make a simple homemade lip balm by melting it gently with coconut oil and a little beeswax.

On your gums

Some people rub a little Manuka honey onto their gums with a clean finger. Like any honey, it's naturally sugary, so it's best not to have it after brushing your teeth at night.

On cuts and burns

Honey from the jar is for eating, not for broken skin, because it isn't sterile. For a minor cut or graze, the NHS advice is to clean it and cover it with a plaster or dressing, and for a burn, to hold it under cool running water for 20 minutes. Honey has earned its place in wound care, though: sterile medical-grade honey dressings, many made with Manuka, are registered wound-care products, and a Cochrane review found honey dressings heal partial-thickness burns faster than conventional dressings.

In your hair

Mix a teaspoon through your usual conditioner and leave it on for 15 to 20 minutes before rinsing. Or combine Manuka honey with a little olive oil, work it through the ends of your hair, cover with a shower cap for around half an hour, then wash it out well.

Whatever you try, patch test a small area first, especially if your skin tends to react. For more, see how people use Manuka honey for skin.

The right grade depends on how you'll use it, and on how much MGO you'd like in each spoonful. We group our jars into three tiers by MGO:

• Everyday (under MGO 400): for a daily spoonful, tea, toast, yoghurt, dressings and cooking.
• Premium (MGO 400 to 799): for those who want more MGO per spoon.
• Superior (MGO 800 and up): our strongest grades, for those who want the most MGO per spoon. See our guide to the highest MGO Manuka honey.

A higher number does mean a stronger honey, but higher isn't automatically better for everyone. Higher grades are rarer, cost more and taste more intense, so it makes sense to save them for when you want them. Our Manuka honey price guide explains why.

Premium and Superior picks

If you'd like more MGO per spoon, try Manuka Health MGO 573+ (UMF 16+), Egmont Honey MGO 575+ (UMF 16+) or Comvita MGO 700+ (UMF 18+). For our Superior grades, look at Egmont Honey MGO 830+ (UMF 20+) and Manuka Health MGO 850+ (UMF 20+) Limited Edition.

Still not sure? Our quiz suggests a jar in a few questions, or see our 10 best Manuka honey jars.

• Keep it in the cupboard. Store the jar in a cool, dry place out of direct sunlight, away from the stove or oven, with the lid tightly closed.
• Skip the fridge. Manuka honey doesn't need it, and the cold makes it very thick and hard to spoon.
• Crystals are normal. Manuka honey can crystallise over time. It hasn't gone bad. To soften it, stand the jar in a bowl of warm (not boiling) water.
• Use a clean, dry spoon. A wooden, ceramic or food-safe plastic spoon is a good choice. Quickly scooping with a metal spoon is unlikely to make a noticeable difference, but it's best not to leave one sitting in the jar.

Stored well, a jar keeps for a long time, so a bigger jar won't go to waste.