Vegan Honey (maltose syrup made from wheat grass)

Did you know that you can make vegan honey at home from wheat grass, or even cat grass?

That’s right! By combining cat grass, a popular snack for your feline companion, with glutinous rice, you can easily produce a delectable and naturally sweet vegan honey alternative. This process doesn’t require the involvement of bees and results in a delightful, smooth texture that will surely satisfy your taste buds.

In this step-by-step guide, we will walk you through the process of creating your very own homemade vegan honey using simple, everyday ingredients and techniques.

Summarization of the recipe:

Begin by soaking the wheat grass seeds to aid in germination, then spread them on damp cheesecloth. Spritz the seeds with water twice a day, rinsing the tray to prevent mold. Once the wheat grass is about 2 inches tall, soak glutinous rice and cook it before adding finely chopped wheat grass. Let it blend in the rice cooker on “keep warm” mode for 5 hours. Strain the mixture, simmer the liquid until syrupy at 105℃/220℉, and transfer it to sanitized Mason jars. Allow the honey to cool before sealing the jars. Get ready to indulge in your own delicious, naturally sweet vegan honey creation!

What is vegan honey?

In general, vegan honey refers to a honey substitute or alternative that is made without the involvement of bees or any animal-derived ingredients. Vegan honey alternatives can be made from various sources such as fruits, flowers, or plant extracts. These alternatives aim to mimic the taste, texture, and sweetness of traditional honey.

In this current recipe, our homemade vegan honey is actually maltose syrup (麦芽糖), who has a rich, caramel-like sweetness and a smooth and viscous texture, just like honey. It is produced by breaking down the starches in malted grains into simpler sugars, primarily maltose.

The roles of wheat grass and glutinous rice

The two important ingredients in this recipe are wheat grass and glutinous rice:

Wheat grass and roots are rich in enzymes, particularly amylase, which plays a crucial role in breaking down starches into simpler sugars. The germination process of wheat grass activates these enzymes, making it an ideal source for extracting maltose. The enzymes in wheat grass initiate the conversion of starches in glutinous rice into maltose during the fermentation process.

• Fun fact: Human saliva contains amylase too, which plays a role in the initial digestion of starches in the mouth. That’s why when you chew on rice for a prolonged period, you may experience a subtle sweetness in your mouth.

Glutinous rice, also known as sticky rice or sweet rice, contains a high amount of amylopectin, a type of starch. The amylase in wheat grass breaks down the starches in glutinous rice, resulting in the production of maltose syrup.

Tips for making vegan honey at home

1. Choose rice with a high starch content

The starches in rice is one of the key ingredients in this recipe. Therefore, choosing rice varieties with a higher starch content will result in a sweeter and thicker end product.

For optimal results, it is recommended to use glutinous rice (also known as sticky rice or sweet rice) in this recipe. However, if glutinous rice is not available, you can also substitute it with other high-starch rice varieties like sushi rice, Arborio rice, Calrose rice, or Jasmine rice.

Try not to use Basmati rice, as it has a lower starch content compared to the previously mentioned varieties, resulting in a lighter taste and texture texture when used for making vegan honey.

2. Use cat grass seeds

Since I have a cat pet, I always have some cat grass seeds at home. The most commonly used cat grass seeds come from varieties such as oat grass, wheatgrass, rye, and barley grass. All these seeds contain a great amount of amylase when they germinate. So, regardless of the specific type of cat grass seeds you have, you can use them for making vegan honey with no problem.

3. Grow cat grass for making vegan honey

Growing cat grass at home can be incredibly easy, requiring minimal effort. One convenient method is to cultivate it on a shallow tray, using cheesecloth as a lining, eliminating the need for soil.

To grow cat grass for vegan honey, it is important to loosely cover the seeds with kitchen paper to block direct sunshine. There are some main reasons:

1. Moisture retention: Direct sunlight can cause the soil to dry out quickly. By covering the seeds, you create a microclimate that helps retain moisture, promoting better germination and early growth.
2. Protection from overheating: Intense sunlight can generate excessive heat, which may be detrimental to the germination process. By providing a cover, you shield the seeds from potential overheating, creating a more favorable environment for their development.
3. Minimize chlorophyll production: covering the grass can inhibit the production of chlorophyll, which has a earthy and leafy taste. By minimizing chlorophyll production in the grass, we can enhance the purity of our vegan honey’s taste.

An additional crucial suggestion is to daily rinse and drain any excess water from the tray to maintain cleanliness and prevent the occurrence of mold or rot. For the best result, you can use a seed sprouter tray so that the cat grass’s roots won’t sit in water.

4. Monitor the temperature

The optimal temperature for the activity of amylase derived from wheat grass is between 50 to 70 ℃ (122 to 158 ℉). These enzymes are often classified as thermophilic or heat-tolerant, meaning they can function effectively at higher temperatures. But when the temperature is higher than 80 ℃ (176 ℉), the enzyme’s structure can become disrupted, leading to a loss of its catalytic activity.

Therefore, it is important to ensure that you let the cooked glutinous rice cool to approximately 60℃/140℉ before incorporating the chopped wheat grass through blending.

Additionally, ensure that the temperature setting of your rice cooker is within the range of 50 to 70 ℃ (122 to 158 ℉) when utilizing the “keep warm” mode.

If you don’t have a rice cooker, you can set your oven at 60℃/140℉ or use the oven’s “keep warm” mode. Check out this post for how to cook rice using a regular pot or in microwave.

5. Texture of finished vegan honey

Once finished thickening, the texture of vegan honey should be slightly lighter than store-bought bottled honey, as it will turn thicker after it’s cooled.

You can keep track of the temperature using a food thermometer. The desired temperature range for thickened vegan honey should fall between 105 to 110 ℃ (221 to 230 ℉). Before taking the temperature measurement, it’s advisable to give the mixture a thorough stir to ensure an accurate reading, as there may be some variations in temperature within the mixture.

If you don’t have a food thermometer, you can simple do a V Shape Test using a spatula. Use a spatula to scoop up some liquid from the pan. The liquid should be maintained without falling, it should naturally form a 1-2 inch V shape on the edge of the spatula. At this point, the vegan honey has been thickened into the desired texture.

6. Storage of homemade vegan honey

While the liquid is still hot, transfer it into sanitized Mason jars. Follow this post for how to sterilize canning jars. Let the syrup cool to room temperature before tightly closing the lid of the Mason jar.

Avoiding direct sunlight, homemade vegan honey can be stored at room temperature for up to 2 months.

It can be stored in the fridge for up to 1 year. But it will turn hard or crystallize when stored in the fridge. However, this change in texture does not indicate spoilage or a loss of quality. Crystallized vegan honey can be easily restored to a liquid state by gently heating it. You can place the jar of crystallized honey in warm water, and stir until it becomes smooth again.

EQUIPMENT for making vegan honey:

• 2 Large shallow trays (Ideally use 2 seed sprouter trays.)
• Cheesecloth 
• 1 Spray bottle
• Rice Cooker
• 1 Large pan
• 3 Mason jars (I used 3 8-oz mason jars to store my homemade vegan honey. You can also use a 24-oz large mason jar.)
• 1 Food thermometer (Optional)

INGREDIENTS List: 

• 1½ cup Wheat grass seeds (300g)
• 5½ cup glutinous rice (1200g; Can also use regular white rice. But glutinous rice contains higher starch content, resulting in a shinier appearance and sweeter taste for the homemade vegan honey.)
• 6 cup cold water (1400ml; for soaking and cooking the glutinous rice)

Step-by-step INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Place the wheat grass seeds in a bowl of water and let them soak for about 12 hours. This will help speed up germination.

2. Rinse a piece of cheesecloth under running water, gently squeeze out the water so that the cheesecloth is damp. Lay the cheesecloth flat on a tray or shallow dish. Evenly sprinkle the soaked cat grass seeds over the surface of the cheesecloth. Gently place a layer of kitchen paper over the seeds, allowing some space for air circulation. This helps retain moisture for germination. (For the best result, you can use a seed sprouter tray with a lid and small holes on the bottom. If so, the cheesecloth and kitchen paper is not needed).

3. Twice a day, remove the kitchen paper and thoroughly wet the seeds by spraying water over them. After you wet the seeds, carefully lift up the cheesecloth (with seeds on it) from the tray and rinse the tray under running water, then carefully place the cheesecloth back to the tray, cover the kitchen paper back. (It’s important to keep the tray clean and not to let the cheesecloth sit in water to prevent mold or rot.)

4. The growing duration can vary depending on the season and room temperature. In my experience during the summer, it took approximately 5 days for wheat grass seeds to reach a height of 2 inches. Once the wheat grass reaches this height, wash, drain, and soak 5½ cups of glutinous rice in 6 cups of water overnight.

5. The following day, transfer the soaked glutinous rice along with the soaking water into a rice cooker. Choose the “rice” mode and cook the rice until it is completely done.

6. Once the glutinous rice has finished cooking, remove the lid of the rice cooker and fluff the rice using a spoon. This will help it cool down more quickly.

7. Harvest the wheat grass. Make sure to carefully preserve the roots as you pull the wheat grass off the cheesecloth. The roots contain a great amount of enzymes, so it’s important to keep them intact.

8. Thoroughly rinse the wheat grass multiple times, at the same time remove any spoiled or non-germinated seeds.

9. Use a food processor or a knife to chop the wheat grass and its roots as fine as possible.

10. Once the cooked glutinous rice has been cooled to 60℃/140℉, add the chopped wheat grass into the rice cooker. Thoroughly blend them together with clean hands. (If you don’t have a thermometer, you can touch the glutinous rice with your finger, at 60 ℃, it would feel hot, but not unendurably hot.)

11. Place the lid on the rice cooker, choose the “keep warm” mode, and set a timer for 5 hours. (If your rice cooker doesn’t have the keep warm function, you can also place the pot into an oven and set its temperature at 60℃/140℉ for 5 hours.)

12. Set a fine mesh straining bag (or 3 layers of cheesecloth) over a large pan, pour the glutinous rice and wheat grass mixture into the bag. Lift the bag and squeeze it repeatedly to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard the solids remaining inside.

13. Simmer the liquid over medium heat for approximately one and a half hours until it transforms into a syrupy consistency or until the overall temperature reaches 105℃/220℉. During the first hour, intermittently stir the mixture using a spatula. In the last half hour, increase the frequency of stirring to prevent the bottom from burning.

14. Use a fine mesh skimmer to remove any floating foam. Transfer your homemade vegan honey into sanitized Mason jars. Let the syrup cool to room temperature before tightly closing the lid of the Mason jar.

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