Kailua Honey: A Taste of Hawaii in Every Spoonful

If you love discovering small-batch food companies and products that bring something a little different to the table, Kailua Honey is a company worth getting to know. Based in Kailua on the island of Oʻahu, this family business began with backyard beekeeping and has grown into a collection of Hawaiian honey, infused honeys, creamed honeys, macadamia nut honey butters, teas, and other island-inspired products.

Kailua Honey says its journey began in 2019, when beekeeping started as a hobby after the family noticed that their plants were not being properly pollinated. What began with a few backyard hives eventually developed into a passion for Hawaiian honey, bees, local agriculture, sustainability, and small-batch products. Today, the company works with honey from beekeepers across Hawaiʻi and creates many of its infused products in small batches in Kailua.

A Little About Kailua Honey

One of the things I really like about Kailua Honey is that the company isn't simply selling one type of honey. Their collection showcases how dramatically honey can change depending on the flowers and ingredients involved.

The company describes its raw Hawaiian honey as hive-to-jar honey that isn't diluted, pasteurized, sweetened with added sugar, or adulterated. The flavor can vary naturally depending on what is blooming and where the bees are foraging. Kailua Honey explains that bees can forage within a radius of up to about four miles from their hive, meaning the plants and flowers around them can have a noticeable influence on the finished honey.

Their collection includes raw Hawaiian honey varieties such as kiawe, lehua, macadamia, and wildflower, along with flavored and infused varieties including lilikoi, ginger-lemon, hibiscus, guava, pineapple, coconut, black garlic, turmeric ginger, cinnamon, cacao, and more. They also offer creamed honey varieties and their barrel-aged honey.

That variety makes Kailua Honey especially fun for anyone who enjoys experimenting in the kitchen.

What Does Hawaiian Honey Taste Like?

One of the best things about honey is that it doesn't have just one flavor.

A good raw Hawaiian honey can have floral, fruity, buttery, earthy, or even slightly spicy characteristics depending on the nectar sources. Kailua Honey notes that spring and summer honey tends to be more floral, while honey produced when bees visit Wilelaiki trees can develop a slightly spicy character.

The texture of raw honey is typically thick and silky, while some varieties may naturally crystallize over time. Creamed honey has an entirely different texture—smooth, spreadable, and almost frosting-like—which makes it especially enjoyable on toast, biscuits, pancakes, fruit, and desserts.

And then there are the infused varieties, where the natural sweetness of honey becomes the perfect base for other flavors.

Coconut Creamed Honey: Sweet, Smooth & Tropical

One of the products that immediately caught my attention is Coconut Creamed Honey.

Creamed honey is a wonderful alternative to traditional pourable honey because of its thick, velvety texture. Instead of running off your toast or pancakes, it sits beautifully on top and is easy to spread.

The coconut flavor brings a tropical character to the natural sweetness of honey. Rather than being just another sweetener, it becomes something you can enjoy almost like a spread.

The Texture

The texture is one of the most appealing parts of creamed honey.

Instead of the thin, syrupy consistency associated with regular honey, creamed honey is thick and smooth. It has a soft, creamy mouthfeel that makes it perfect for spreading.

Think of the texture somewhere between soft honey butter and a smooth dessert spread.

The Taste

The combination of honey and coconut creates a naturally tropical flavor. You get the familiar floral sweetness of honey followed by the mellow, creamy character of coconut.

It's especially delicious with foods that already pair well with coconut—bananas, pineapple, strawberries, chocolate, vanilla, oatmeal, pancakes, and baked goods.

And because it has such a spreadable consistency, you don't need much to add plenty of flavor.

SPECIAL FEATURE: Why I Love Coconut Creamed Honey

Coconut-creamed honey is the type of product that can turn an ordinary breakfast into something special.

Spread it over warm toast and let it soften slightly. Spoon it over pancakes or waffles. Add a little to oatmeal. Pair it with fresh berries. Or use it as an ingredient in baking.

But my favorite idea is using it in a dessert.

The combination of coconut and honey works beautifully with chocolate and bananas, so I created a simple dessert that allows the honey to be one of the stars.

Coconut Creamed Honey Chocolate Banana Parfaits

Serves: 4

Prep time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

4 ripe bananas
1 cup vanilla pudding
½ cup whipped topping or whipped cream
½ cup crushed graham crackers
¼ cup chocolate chips or chocolate shavings
4 tablespoons Kailua Honey Coconut Creamed Honey
¼ cup toasted coconut flakes
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Slice the bananas into thin rounds.
Place the vanilla pudding in a bowl and gently fold in the vanilla extract.
Spoon a layer of crushed graham crackers into the bottom of four dessert glasses.
Add a layer of sliced bananas.
Spoon vanilla pudding over the bananas.
Add a small spoonful of coconut creamed honey.
Repeat the layers until the glasses are nearly full.
Top each parfait with whipped cream.
Sprinkle with toasted coconut and chocolate shavings.
Drizzle another small spoonful of coconut creamed honey over the top.
Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving.

My Serving Suggestion

For an extra tropical touch, add a few pieces of diced pineapple between the layers.

The creamy pudding, banana, coconut, and honey create a dessert that tastes like a little tropical vacation in a glass.

Barrel-Aged Bourbon Honey: A Completely Different Honey Experience

If Coconut Creamed Honey is the tropical, creamy side of Kailua Honey, Barrel-Aged Bourbon Honey is its rich and sophisticated side.

This is one of the most interesting products in the collection because it isn't simply honey with bourbon flavoring added to it.

Kailua Honey created this product in collaboration with Koʻolau Distillery. Raw Hawaiian honey is aged in bourbon barrels, allowing the honey to pick up characteristics from the wood, including smoky, oak, and vanilla notes. Importantly, Kailua Honey describes the finished honey as non-alcoholic.

The Flavor of Barrel-Aged Bourbon Honey

This isn't the bright, floral honey you might drizzle over your morning toast.

Barrel-aged bourbon honey has a deeper personality.

The natural sweetness of Hawaiian honey is complemented by oak, vanilla, and smoky bourbon-barrel notes. The result is a richer flavor that makes it particularly interesting for cooking.

Kailua Honey recommends using it in hot tea and coffee, over pancakes, biscuits, and cornbread, as well as on bread pudding and vanilla ice cream. The company also specifically recommends it as a barbecue glaze.