A client once told me she’d been sweetening her herbal tea with honey for a week into her Daniel Fast, completely convinced it was fine because it was “natural”. As a certified nutritionist, I make sure this is one of the first things I clarify with anyone starting the fast, it trips up more people than almost any other rule.
The Short Answer
Can you eat honey on the Daniel Fast? No, honey is prohibited.
This surprises a lot of people. Honey is a natural substance derived from plant nectar and has been used for thousands of years. But despite that, honey is not permitted on the Daniel Fast.
This applies to all types of honey, including:
❌ Raw honey
❌ Manuka honey
❌ Organic honey
❌ Local honey
❌ Honey in cooking and baking
❌ Honey used as a sweetener in teas or smoothies
❌ Foods containing honey as an ingredient (granola bars, sauces, dressings)
If you’ve been adding honey to your herbal tea or oatmeal during the fast, you’ll need to stop, since it goes against the fast’s guidelines.
For the complete list of all approved and excluded foods, visit → [The Ultimate Daniel Fast Food List].
Why Is Honey Not Allowed on the Daniel Fast?
There are three clear reasons honey is excluded:
1. Honey is an animal product. Honey is made by bees, which makes it animal-derived. The Daniel Fast prohibits all animal products — meat, dairy, eggs, seafood, and honey included. This is the simplest explanation.
2. Honey is a sweetener, and all sweeteners are excluded. The Daniel Fast eliminates every type of sugar and sweetener — white sugar, brown sugar, maple syrup, agave, stevia, coconut sugar, and honey. The fast is built around a return to whole, natural, unsweetened foods, and adding any sweetener, natural or not, goes against that.
3. The biblical basis excludes rich foods. Daniel 1:12 shows Daniel choosing simple food — vegetables and water, over the king’s rich meals. In biblical times, honey was considered a luxury and an indulgence. Including it would go against the spirit of the fast.
What Does the Bible Say About Honey and the Daniel Fast?
Interestingly, honey is referenced positively elsewhere in the Bible, including in Proverbs 24:13, which describes it as good, and in depictions of the promised land as a place flowing with milk and honey.
Proverbs 25:16 also advises eating only a little honey, since too much can make you sick. This reflects the biblical view of honey as a delicacy and a luxury, which is exactly why it doesn’t fit the Daniel Fast’s guidelines.
The Daniel Fast is built around abstaining from excess and luxury. Honey, as a natural sweetener and a luxury food, is precisely what the fast food company asks you to set aside for a while.
What Can You Use Instead of Honey on the Daniel Fast?
This is the most practical question, and the good news is there are several approved ways to add natural sweetness without honey.
1. Dates and Date Paste — Best Overall Honey Substitute
Dates are whole fruits and fully permitted on the Daniel Fast. They’re incredibly sweet, especially Medjool dates, which have a deep, caramel-like sweetness that works beautifully as a honey substitute.
How to make date paste:
- Soak 1 cup of pitted Medjool dates in warm water for 10 minutes
- Drain and blend with 2-3 tbsp fresh water until smooth
- Store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks
How to use it:
- Stir into oatmeal instead of honey
- Blend into smoothies for natural sweetness
- Use in baking as a 1:1 honey replacement
- Mix into energy balls and snacks
Date paste has a thick, sticky texture close to honey, with natural fruit sugar and full Daniel Fast compliance.
2. Fresh or Frozen Fruit — Best for Smoothies and Oatmeal
Ripe bananas, mangoes, and berries are naturally sweet enough to flavour smoothies and oatmeal without any added sweetener.
Best naturally sweet, Daniel Fast fruits:
- Ripe bananas — mash into oatmeal or blend into smoothies
- Medjool dates — whole or blended
- Mango — frozen mango makes smoothies sweet and creamy
- Raisins — stir into oatmeal for pockets of sweetness
- Dried cranberries (no added sugar) — check the label carefully
The key principle: let fruit provide the sweetness. It’s the most natural way to add flavour while staying within the fast’s guidelines.
3. Cinnamon — Best for Hot Drinks and Oatmeal
Cinnamon has no sugar, but it significantly boosts the perceived sweetness of a dish. A generous dash in oatmeal, a smoothie, or herbal tea makes it taste noticeably sweeter without any sugar or sweetener at all.
Cinnamon is fully permitted on the Daniel Fast and worth using generously, especially in the mornings, when honey cravings tend to be strongest.
4. Pure Vanilla Extract (Alcohol-Free) — Best for Baked Goods
Pure vanilla extract adds a warm, sweet note to baked goods and smoothies without any sugar. It must be alcohol-free; standard vanilla extract is made with alcohol, which isn’t permitted on the Daniel Fast.
Look for alcohol-free vanilla extract or vanilla bean powder at natural food stores. A little goes a long way.
5. Unsweetened Coconut — Best for Texture and Subtle Sweetness
Unsweetened shredded or flaked coconut adds a gentle natural sweetness to oatmeal, energy bites, and smoothie bowls. It’s fully approved and pairs beautifully with banana and cinnamon for a naturally sweet morning meal.
What About Stevia on the Daniel Fast?
Stevia is one of the most debated sweeteners in the Daniel Fast community. Here’s where the different views land:
Those who say stevia is NOT allowed: Stevia is an extensively processed extract; although it comes from a plant, the stevia sold in stores has gone through significant refining. Under a strict interpretation of the Daniel Fast, processed foods aren’t permitted.
Those who say stevia IS allowed: Some practitioners argue that stevia in its most natural form (green stevia leaf powder) is simply a dried herb, similar to any other herb or spice, and is therefore approved.
My recommendation: If you’re following the Daniel Fast strictly, it’s safest to skip stevia entirely and use dates, fruit, and cinnamon instead. If you’re taking a more relaxed approach, only pure green stevia leaf powder should be considered an option, not processed stevia extract or blends.
Common Mistakes People Make With Sweeteners on the Daniel Fast
Adding honey to herbal tea, assuming “natural” means allowed. This is the most common sweetener mistake on the fast. Honey is natural, but it’s still not approved. Enjoy your herbal tea plain, or with a splash of fresh lemon juice.
Using maple syrup as a honey substitute. Maple syrup is a sweetener and is also excluded — coming from a tree doesn’t change that it’s a refined sweetener.
Using agave nectar. Agave is marketed as natural, but it’s heavily processed and not approved on the Daniel Fast.
Using coconut sugar. Coconut sugar sounds wholesome, but it’s still a refined sugar and isn’t approved.
Using flavoured plant milks with hidden sweeteners. Many oat and almond milks contain added sugar, rice syrup, or other sweeteners. Always check the label and choose unsweetened varieties only.
FAQs
Is maple syrup allowed on the Daniel Fast?
No. Maple syrup is a sweetener and is excluded, along with every other form of sugar or syrup.
Can I use coconut sugar on the Daniel Fast?
No. Coconut sugar is still a refined sweetener regardless of its natural origin.
What’s the sweetest approved food on the Daniel Fast?
Medjool dates are the sweetest whole food approved on the fast — their natural caramel-like sweetness satisfies sugar cravings better than any other approved food.
Can I eat granola on the Daniel Fast?
Most store-bought granola contains honey, maple syrup, or sugar and isn’t approved. Make your own with rolled oats, raw nuts, seeds, cinnamon, and date paste as a binder.
Is monk fruit sweetener allowed on the Daniel Fast?
Monk fruit extract is heavily processed and not approved under a strict interpretation. Use whole dates or fruit instead.
Can you have agave on the Daniel Fast?
No. Agave is a processed sweetener and isn’t approved.
Final Thoughts
Giving up honey and other sweeteners is one of the more unexpected challenges of the Daniel Fast, especially if you’ve relied on honey as a “healthy” sweetener before.
The good news is that dates, fresh fruit, and cinnamon provide real sweetness while staying fully within the guidelines. After a few days without any sweeteners, your taste buds adjust, naturally sweet foods start tasting sweeter than they used to.
For everything allowed and excluded on the Daniel Fast, visit → [The Ultimate Daniel Fast Food List]
For sweet Daniel Fast breakfast ideas that skip honey entirely, visit → [15 Easy Daniel Fast Breakfast Recipes]
For sweet Daniel Fast snack ideas, visit → [12 Daniel Fast Snack Ideas to Keep You Full]