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    Home » Recipes » Desserts

    Salted Chocolate Honeycomb Recipe

    Published: Dec 7, 2017 · Modified: Oct 26, 2020 by Kate Hackworthy · This post may contain affiliate links ·

    Jump to Recipe
    This salted chocolate honeycomb recipe is surprisingly easy to make and you only need four ingredients. It's also vegan and gluten free. It makes a fantastic homemade foodie Christmas gift. #christmas #glutenfreevegan #honeycomb #foodiegift #ediblegift

    This salted chocolate honeycomb recipe is surprisingly easy to make and you only need four ingredients. It makes a fantastic homemade edible Christmas gift. Make it in just 15 minutes with 5 ingredients! Naturally vegan and gluten-free.

    Salted Chocolate Honeycomb on baking paper.

    Commissioned by Thermapen.

    Chocolate honeycomb

    Do you make foodie Christmas gifts for people? I'll be honest that I often intend to, but then life gets in the way.

    I'd love to make some of those Christmas biscuits iced like lacy doilies, but I always seem to run out of time.

    And frankly, I probably don't have the patience to decorate them very artistically!

    But there are some homemade food gifts that don't take long to make, and are always welcome from the lucky recipient!

    Enter: salted chocolate honeycomb. You only need 15 minutes and 5 ingredients to make these fantastic treats.

    Reader testimonials

    ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐"OMG I LOVE this chocolate covered honeycomb and have made this over Xmas to give as gifts! Thanks for the recipe" - Jane
    ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐"WOW!!! I just made this, so EASY, and so DELICIOUS!!! I’m not sure one batch will be enough…my kids are devouring it…and I may be helping them!" - Terri
    ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐"These were so dreamy! I didn't know chocolate honeycomb was so easy to make!" - Taylor
    ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐"Made this recipe many times for honeycombed ice cream" - Anj

    Salted chocolate dipped honeycomb next to ribbon.

    Homemade honeycomb

    If you've ever had a Crunchie bar, you've had chocolate covered honeycomb.

    Regardless of the name, it doesn't actually have any honey in it!

    It's a mix of sugar, syrup and baking soda - meaning it's actually vegan.

    And, let me tell ya, people - IT IS AMAZING! Seriously.

    Even if you make it as a gift, you will want to keep it all to yourself and give them a box of chocolates. Really. 

    Chocolate covered honeycomb

    You can enjoy honeycomb on its own, but I love it dipped in melted dark chocolate and sprinkled with a few flakes of sea salt.

    The creamy chocolate is lovely against the brittle and sweet shards of honeycomb, which are then offset with the sea salt.

    This is definitely my best honeycomb recipe and I hope you all love it too!

    Salted chocolate dipped honeycomb pieces.

    Making honeycomb

    Although hot sugar can seem scary, it's actually quite easy to make honeycomb.

    It's much easier with a food thermometer so you know when you get to the 'hard crack' stage of 140C.

    I use a  digital candy thermometer so it's super-easy to know when the sugar has reached the right temperature.

    Then just stir in the bicarb of soda, pour it into a pan and let it cool.

    This is a basic honeycomb recipe (it's naturally vegan), that I've made extra special with salted chocolate. 

    Ingredients

    Caster sugar (superfine sugar)
    Golden syrup (or corn syrup)
    Bicarb of soda (baking soda)
    Dark chocolate
    Sea salt

    Tools

    Heavy bottomed pot
    Wooden spoon
    8"/20cm square baking pan
    Baking paper
    Food thermometer (optional, but useful!)

    Vegan honeycomb

    It may be surprising, considering there is honey in the name (honey isn't vegan), but honeycomb is naturally vegan! 

    This recipe doesn't have any swaps to make it vegan, it just naturally is because none of the traditional honeycomb recipe ingredients contain animal products. 

    How to make honeycomb

    Scroll down for step-by-step honeycomb recipe instructions and the full recipe!

    Sugar and syrup in a pan

    1 - mix the sugar and syrup in a heavy-bottomed pot. Prepare the bicarb of soda (baking soda), and keep a thermometer and wooden spoon to hand. You'll need these quickly and won't have time to search for them!

    sugar in a pan with thermometer

    2 - heat the sugar and syrup in a heavy saucepan to hard crack stage (150C / 300F) or see below for how to tell without a thermometer. Remove the pan from the heat.

    honeycomb in a pan ready to set and harden.

    3 - quickly but carefully (it will be hot!) stir in baking soda with a wooden spoon, then pour into prepared pan to set at room temperature.

    Making honeycomb without a thermometer

    Although a candy thermometer makes it easier to make homemade honeycomb, you can still make it without one.

    You'll just need to test the hot sugar syrup in cold water to reach the correct stage: hard crack stage.

    Hard crack stage

    With a food thermometer, you can easily determine if your hot sugar syrup has reached hard crack stage: test with the thermometer until it reaches 300F/150C.

    To tell if your sugar syrup is at hard crack stage without a thermometer, you'll need a bowl of very cold water.

    Once the hot sugar mixture begins to darken, take a small teaspoonful and drop it into the bowl of cold water. Leave it for a few moments the reach into the water and pick up the syrup. If it's soft and pliable, then it's at soft ball stage and is not ready.
    Try again until the sugar syrup instantly hardens in the water and 'cracks'.

    Please see this great short video about the stages of sugar syrup.

    Tips & tricks

    • Be sure to gather all the ingredients and tools before you start. Once the toffee mixture is hot it's a very quick process!
    • When the sugar syrup begins to darken and reaches the hard crack stage, it's not long until it could burn. Work quickly (but carefully!) and take the pan off the heat.
    • Once the baking soda (bicarb of soda) is added to the oozy hot toffee mixture, it will fluff up and grow more than double in size. So choose a large or high sided pot.
    • It's important that your sugar is the right temperature or stage.
    • You can still make honeycomb without a thermometer - just scroll up for the method to determine hard crack stage without a thermometer.
    • For tidy edges, cut while the honeycomb is still slightly warm with an oiled knife. You can also cut it while cold - it will just shatter slightly.

    Thermapen

    I've been using my trusty Thermapen digital food thermometer for a few years now. It takes the guesswork out of so many recipes, from candy to bread.

    • The SuperFast Thermapen® 4 Cooks Thermometer is the number one selling food thermometer in the UK. Here are a few highlights:
    • Temperature range of -49.9 to 299.9 °C.
    • Fast and accurate
    • Reads the true temperature in just three seconds.
    • Stainless steel probe that conveniently folds into the unit when not in use.
    Honeycomb with chocolate in squares.

    Edible gifts

    Looking for more edible gifts besides honeycomb for Christmas or other holidays? Try these!

    • Pecan Brittle
    • Christmas Chocolate Tiffin
    • Rosemary Maple Roasted Nuts
    • Avocado Reindeer Brownies
    • Beet Chocolate Truffles

    Get the recipe

    Did you make this honeycomb recipe? Please let me know how it turned out for you!
    Leave a comment and star rating below and share a picture with the hashtag #veggiedesserts. I love seeing your recreations of my vegetarian and vegan recipes and cakes.

    Disclosure: This chocolate vegan honeycomb recipe was commissioned by Thermapen. All opinions are my own. Thanks for supporting the brands that make it possible for me to be a  food blogger and write Veggie Desserts.

    Table with honeycomb on baking paper.

    Salted Chocolate Honeycomb Recipe

    Kate Hackworthy | Veggie Desserts
    Salted chocolate honeycomb recipe is surprisingly easy to make and you only need four ingredients! It's vegan and gluten free and makes a great edible gift. 
    5 from 29 votes
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    Prep Time 5 mins
    Cook Time 10 mins
    Total Time 15 mins
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine American, British, Vegan, Vegetarian
    Servings 16
    Calories 109 kcal

    Ingredients
     

    • ¾ cup (150g) superfine / caster sugar
    • 4 tablespoon corn syrup (golden syrup)
    • 2 teaspoon baking soda (bicarb of soda)
    • 5.5 oz (150g) dark chocolate
    • Sea salt flakes

    Instructions
     

    • Line a 20cm/8” square baking pan with baking paper. You’ll need to work quickly when the sugar is hot, so measure the baking soda and be sure to have a candy thermometer and wooden spoon handy.
    • In a large, heavy bottomed pan, stir the sugar and syrup together. Melt them over a low/medium heat, checking with a candy thermometer until it reaches 150C/300F (hard-crack stage).
    • Remove the hot sugar mixture from the heat, add the baking soda and quickly beat it in with a wooden spoon - be careful as the mixture will foam up and be very very hot!
    • Immediately pour the mixture into the prepared baking pan, then leave it to set at room temperature.
    • When it has cooled and set, cut or break it into shards.
    • Melt the chocolate in a microwave or in a bowl over a pan of gently simmering water, but don’t let the water touch the bottom of the bowl.
    • Dip the shards of honeycomb into the melted chocolate and sprinkle with a few flakes of sea salt. Allow the chocolate to set.

    Video

    Notes

     
    • Be sure to gather all the ingredients and tools before you start. Once the toffee mixture is hot it's a very quick process!
    • When the sugar syrup begins to darken and reaches the hard crack stage, it's not long until it could burn. Work quickly (but carefully!) and take the pan off the heat.
    • Once the baking soda (bicarb of soda) is added to the oozy hot toffee mixture, it will fluff up and grow more than double in size. So choose a large or high sided pot.
    • It's important that your sugar is the right temperature or stage.
    • You can still make honeycomb without a thermometer - just scroll up for the method to determine hard crack stage without a thermometer.

    Making honeycomb without a thermometer

    Although a candy thermometer makes it easier to make homemade honeycomb, you can still make it without one.
    You'll just need to test the hot sugar syrup in cold water to reach the correct stage: hard crack stage.

    Hard crack stage

    With a food thermometer, you can easily determine if your hot sugar syrup has reached hard crack stage: test with the thermometer until it reaches 300F/150C.
    To tell if your sugar syrup is at hard crack stage without a thermometer, you'll need a bowl of very cold water.
    Once the hot sugar mixture begins to darken, take a small teaspoonful and drop it into the bowl of cold water. Leave it for a few moments the reach into the water and pick up the syrup. If it's soft and pliable, then it's at soft ball stage and is not ready.
    Try again until the sugar syrup instantly hardens in the water and 'cracks'.
    Please see this great short video about the stages of sugar syrup.

     

    Nutrition

    Calories: 109kcalCarbohydrates: 18gFat: 3gSaturated Fat: 2gSodium: 1mgPotassium: 67mgFiber: 1gSugar: 15gVitamin A: 5IUCalcium: 7mgIron: 1.1mg

    The nutritional information provided is approximate and can vary depending on several factors, so is not guaranteed to be accurate. Please see a registered dietician for special diet advice.

    Tried this recipe?Mention @kateveggiedesserts or tag #veggiedesserts! I love seeing your recreations.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. K

      April 19, 2022 at 8:25 pm

      Have you/anyone else tried this with regular granulated sugar instead of superfine? Does the sugar not melt in time? Either way, looking forward to trying this. Thanks!

      Reply
    2. Salty

      November 13, 2019 at 10:41 pm

      How long will this keep for? Thank you

      Reply
      • Kate Hackworthy

        November 15, 2019 at 4:25 pm

        Hi, you can store it in a sealed container somewhere cool and dry (not the fridge). It will keep for at least week. If you want it to last longer, then coat it in melted chocolate and it will last a month.

        Reply
    3. Gail

      August 10, 2019 at 3:24 pm

      5 stars
      Pretty good

      Reply
    4. rita

      June 12, 2019 at 1:59 am

      Tried making this for the first time tonight, DISASTER!!! It turned out flat, thin and hard enough to use as a slab in the yard. What did I do wrong?? I followed your recipe to a tee.

      Reply
      • Kate Hackworthy

        June 14, 2019 at 1:33 pm

        Hi, Rita, sorry it went wrong for you. It's the baking soda that makes it all lovely and light. What happened when you added it? It should have all fizzed up with air bubbles, which would ensure it's not flat and like a hard slab!

        Reply
    5. Jane

      December 23, 2018 at 7:43 am

      5 stars
      OMG I LOVE this honeycomb and have made this over xmas to give as gifts! Thanks for the recipe 🙂

      Reply
    6. taylor

      December 20, 2018 at 12:10 pm

      5 stars
      these were so dreamy! i didnt know honeycomb was so easy to make!

      Reply
    7. Shelley

      December 20, 2018 at 3:50 am

      Can this be made with maple syrup rather than cirn syrup?

      Reply
      • Kate Hackworthy

        December 20, 2018 at 5:37 pm

        Hi Shelley
        I haven't tested this recipe with maple syrup so you may be best looking for a maple honeycomb recipe online just in case the ratios are different.
        Kate x

        Reply
        • Liza

          December 19, 2020 at 3:04 pm

          5 stars
          Aaaaaamazing.. First go at making honeycomb and I'm so pleased with the results. Thank you so much for sharing ❤

          Reply
    8. Noelle

      December 13, 2018 at 9:13 pm

      5 stars
      These were a great small gift and treat for the holidays!!

      Reply
    9. Terri

      September 26, 2018 at 3:45 pm

      5 stars
      WOW!!! I just made this, so EASY, and so DELICIOUS!!! I'm not sure one batch will be enough...my kids are devouring it...and I may be helping them!

      Reply
    10. Anj Young

      August 15, 2018 at 11:39 am

      5 stars
      Made this recipe many times for honeycombed ice cream.

      Reply
    11. Erica Knight

      May 13, 2018 at 10:13 pm

      5 stars
      I've never managed to successfully made honeycomb before. Very excited that this recipe worked!

      Reply
    12. Kressa

      May 09, 2018 at 11:32 pm

      5 stars
      Such a tasty recipe! Will make again.

      Reply
    13. Jenny

      April 13, 2018 at 8:39 pm

      5 stars
      My gosh it tastes amazing, especially with that salted chocolate on 🙂

      Reply
    14. Bin

      December 22, 2017 at 7:28 pm

      5 stars
      This was a perfect treat for my Christmas dessert bar

      Reply
    15. Kara

      December 14, 2017 at 10:59 am

      5 stars
      Oh my, this was amazing! Thank you!

      Reply
    16. Hannah

      December 10, 2017 at 7:01 pm

      This looks and sounds delicious! I need to try it myself x

      Reply
    17. Margaret Gallagher

      December 10, 2017 at 5:25 pm

      5 stars
      Just got to keep practicing! My honeycomb still goes gooey - one day I'll get it just right and not have to resort to buying it
      Loving your recipe

      Reply
    18. Jo of Jo’s Kitchen

      December 10, 2017 at 12:05 pm

      I need to make this. Looks so delicious! I loved salted caramel anything

      Reply
    19. Laura H

      December 09, 2017 at 3:03 pm

      What a great idea to make little packets of this! That would make a great stocking filler 🙂

      Reply
    20. Kacie

      December 09, 2017 at 12:20 pm

      5 stars
      I love making foodie gifts as Christmas presents - and receiving them too!

      Reply
    21. Gareth Torrance

      December 08, 2017 at 8:34 am

      5 stars
      We've been buying these, because my wife loves them but I had no idea how to make them. This is great!!

      Reply
    22. Vicky @ Avocado Pesto

      December 07, 2017 at 7:05 pm

      5 stars
      I always plan to make edible gifts for everyone for the holidays and really never get around to it! I need to make these though - YUM!

      Reply
    23. Dawn - Girl Heart Food

      December 07, 2017 at 1:36 pm

      I love salty/sweet combos so this is right up my alley! Perfect for gifting too 🙂

      Reply
    24. Leslie

      December 07, 2017 at 12:53 pm

      5 stars
      I've never seen this before. It will make a great addition to Christmas goodie bags.

      Reply
    25. Kayleigh McManus

      December 07, 2017 at 12:36 pm

      5 stars
      These sound amazing! Especially for over Christmas! Whenever I go anywhere there is always only one veggie desert option x

      Reply
    26. kathryn clayton

      December 07, 2017 at 11:19 am

      5 stars
      Homemade Christmas gifts are just the best, this honeycomb looks delicious and so easy. Starting my homemade gift making this weekend.

      Reply
    27. Dannii

      December 07, 2017 at 10:49 am

      5 stars
      We make our own honeycomb every year at Christmas, as it's so easy. I am actually republishing my recipe soon, as the old photos were terrible.
      I haven't made a salted version before though, so I will have to try that.

      Reply
    28. Zena

      July 20, 2017 at 8:44 pm

      5 stars
      I didn't realise honeycomb was so easy to make until I saw your post and tried. I thought it would be really hard but it is not. I'm making more for teacher presents for my kids to give.

      Reply

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    Hi, I'm Kate, a journalist, author and multi-award-winning food blogger. I hope you enjoy my vegetarian and vegan recipes. About Me

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    Check out my Veggie Desserts Cookbook, full of tasty desserts with vegetables!

    Kate Hackworthy in the kitchen

    Hi, I'm Kate, a journalist, author and multi-award-winning food blogger. I hope you enjoy my vegetarian and vegan recipes. About Me

    Collage of press logos.

    Popular recipes

    • The BEST Easy Red Lentil Dahl
    • Easy Naan Bread Recipe (yeast-free)
    • Mini Baked Potatoes
    • Easy Lentil Soup

    Healthy Recipes

    • Butternut Squash Salad
    • Easy Healthy Cabbage Soup
    • Easy Vegan Ramen (15 minutes)
    • Rajma Masala (Kidney Bean Curry)

    My cookbook

    Veggie Desserts and Cakes Cookbook cover.

    Check out my Veggie Desserts Cookbook, full of tasty desserts with vegetables!

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