The primary components of honey are the simple sugars (monosaccharides) glucose and fructose. The third greatest component is water. Honey also contains numerous other types of naturally occurring sugars, as well as acids, proteins, and minerals.

Honey also contains a variety of dietary antioxidant compounds. The amount and type depend largely on the floral source/variety of the honey. Generally, darker honeys are higher in antioxidant content than lighter honeys.

Bees introduce small amount of enzymes into honey during various phases of their manufacturing process. While the amount of particular enzymes present can vary widely across honey varieties, the types of enzymes are fairly uniform. The predominant enzymes are diastase (amylase), invertase, and glucose oxidase. catalase, acid phosphatase and other enzymes are generally present in lesser amounts.