Is honey better than sugar for diabetics?

The truth about honey's glycemic index, antioxidants, and whether it's actually a safer sweetener than refined sugar.

Written by

Carb Lens Editorial

Nutrition writers & product team

Medically reviewed by

Dr. Alicia Nguyen, RD, CDCES

Registered Dietitian · Certified Diabetes Care & Education Specialist · 12+ years clinical experience

Published June 5, 2026 3 min readEditorial policy

Honey gets a "natural" health halo, but for blood sugar it's not the win most people assume.

Glycemic comparison

Table sugar: GI of 65
Honey: GI of 58
Maple syrup: GI of 54

Honey edges out sugar slightly, but all three land in the moderate-to-high glycemic range.

The carb load is similar

1 tablespoon sugar: 12g carbs
1 tablespoon honey: 17g carbs (denser)
1 tablespoon maple syrup: 13g carbs

Per spoonful, honey actually has *more* carbs than table sugar.

The honest verdict

Raw honey has trace antioxidants and antibacterial compounds that processed sugar lacks. For a healthy person, that makes it a marginally better choice. For someone managing blood sugar, the carb load matters more than the source — and the difference between honey and sugar is too small to matter.

Better alternatives

**Allulose**: zero glycemic impact, tastes like sugar
**Monk fruit**: zero calories, zero glycemic impact
**Stevia**: zero calories, mild aftertaste
**Erythritol**: minimal glycemic impact, can cause GI upset in large doses

If you want sweetness without the spike, these beat both sugar and honey by a wide margin.

About the author

Carb Lens Editorial — Nutrition writers & product team. The Carb Lens editorial team writes practical, source-checked guides on carbs, blood sugar, and everyday nutrition. Every article is drafted by our writers and cross-referenced against USDA FoodData Central and peer-reviewed clinical guidelines.

How we source and review this article

Nutrition figures come from the USDA FoodData Central database. Blood-sugar and glycemic-load framing follows guidance from the American Diabetes Association and World Health Organization healthy-diet recommendations. Every article is medically reviewed by Dr. Alicia Nguyen, RD, CDCES before publishing and re-checked on a rolling basis. See our full editorial & medical review policy.

This article is for general information and is not a substitute for medical advice. If you're managing diabetes or another condition, always defer to your care team.