Calories in 1 Tsp of Honey

Honey bees collect nectar from flowers to make honey. The flavor, color and sweetness of honey vary depending on what flowers the bees visit. Most commercial honeys come from a wide range of flowers, but specialist honey is sometimes made from the nectar of just one flower.

A bee on a honeycomb filled with honey. (Image: Comstock/Stockbyte/Getty Images)

Calories

A 1-tsp. serving of honey contains 21 calories, the vast majority of which come from carbohydrates. Honey has a negligible amount of protein and no fiber, fat, cholesterol or sodium.

Considerations

The same serving of honey contains 5.69 g of sugar and trace amounts of iron, potassium and several B-complex vitamins.

Warning

Honey sometimes contains the Clostridium bacterium, which can cause infant botulism, a disease characterized by muscle weakness, which can cause poor sucking, a weak cry, constipation, and decreased muscle tone, according to KidsHealth from Nemours. Do not feed honey or products that contain honey, including processed food with honey, to children under 12 months old.