This homemade hot honey recipe requires three simple ingredients and is ready in less than ten minutes! It is the perfect combination of sweet, spicy, and tangy! It will quickly become your favorite sauce to drizzle on everything from chicken to pizza, roasted vegetables, vanilla ice cream, biscuits, and so much more!
We like to drizzle this Hot honey sauce on our Air Fryer Chicken Wings and Gluten-Free Jalapeno Cheddar Biscuits!
This hot honey will quickly become your go-to condiment! It tastes like spicy honey and is great on just about everything! Making it at home allows you to customize the flavors to suit your taste. You can make it super spicy by adding more chili peppers, or alter the flavor completely by using different types of dried peppers, like dried chipotle peppers for a smokey flavor or dried ancho chili peppers for a spicy, slightly fruity flavor.
Reasons You’ll Love This Recipe
- You can control the spice level! Make this sauce as mild or as spicy as you like.
- It is a great gift! Pour some into a mason jar and give them as gifts for special occasions.
- It’s a sweet heat that tastes great with just about anything!
- Homemade Hot Honey is more affordable and tastes way better than the store-bought version.
Hot Honey Recipe Ingredients
- Honey: This is the base for the sauce. Raw honey is best to use.
- Red Pepper Flakes: Crushed Red Pepper Flakes are considered medium-low spicy at 15,000-30,000 Scoville Heat Units (SHU). The type of peppers used will determine the spiciness of the hot honey sauce. Want super spicy? Try Dried Habanero (Scoville 100,000 – 350,000) or Chile de Arbol (Scoville 30,000 to 50,000). We use Pequín Chile (40,000 to 60,000 SHU).
- Apple Cider Vinegar or Hot Sauce: Adds acidity and tanginess that balances out the flavors
We’ve made this hot honey sauce several times and found the secret to giving it the best flavor! It’s Crystal Hot Sauce! Crystals has a dark chili flavor from the cayenne chiles use and it has a subtle vinegar base. The heat and vinegar base gives the hot honey sauce just the right amount of kick and tanginess. We like to use apple cider vinegar and a bit of crystal hot sauce and find it makes the hot honey tastes very similar to the popular Mikes Hot Honey Sauce!
How To Make Hot Honey Sauce At Home
- Add honey, chili flakes (or dried chilies of your choice), and apple cider vinegar to a small saucepan over medium-low heat.
- Bring the mixture to a simmer (You’ll see small bubbles forming along the edge of the pan). Remove the saucepan from the heat.
- Stir in hot sauce (if using). Allow the honey to cool and the flavors infuse for at least 15 minutes.
- Taste and adjust the flavor, if desired. Add more apple cider vinegar for a tangier flavor. Add more hot sauce for spice.
- Transfer the mixture into a glass jar or airtight container. (Strain out the peppers through a fine-mesh strainer for a milder sauce.)
Tips For Making The Best Hot Honey
- DO NOT BOIL THE HONEY. Simmer it over low heat. Boiling honey destroys its nutrients and alters the taste.
- If using dried peppers, chop the peppers and add the pepper and the seeds to the honey. You can strain the honey afterward or leave the chopped pepper and seeds in the honey.
- Strain the pepper flakes for mild spice, or leave the pepper flakes in the honey when storing for spicier honey.
Does Hot Honey Need To Be Refrigerated?
No, it does not. Store the honey in an airtight container or jar and keep it in a dry, cool place. It will last up to 4 months stored at room temperature. If you place the honey in the fridge it will harden, requiring you to take it out of the fridge to soften before using.
What Kind of Peppers Are In Mike’s Hot Honey?
Mike’s Hot Honey is infused with chili peppers.
Is Hot Honey Really Hot?
Hot honey taste like spicy honey. It is sweet because of the honey but has a bit of a kick from the peppers. Homemade hot honey is determined by how spicy you want to make it and as spicy as the peppers you use.
Ways To Use Hot Honey Sauce
- Use it as a dipping sauce. It is great for dipping any type of french fries, like these Crispy Sweet Potato Fries, Cottage Fries, or Accordion Potato Fries.
- Coat your chicken wings with the sauce. It’s perfect on fried chicken. You can glaze your chicken wings in this sweet spice sauce. Our Gluten-Free Air Fried Chicken Wings would be perfect for this sauce.
- Drizzle on top of cheese. Baked brie tastes phenomenal with regular honey on top. Imagine adding this hot honey –it’s next level!
- Add to pizza. Serve your pizza with hot honey to drizzle on top. It’s AMAZING on pepperoni pizza! You can also try adding it to specialty pizzas like this Spinach Artichoke Pizza or Arugula Pesto Pizza.
- Use it as a spread. Cornbread, biscuits, focaccia, basically any type of bread, taste great with a bit of hot honey on top. Our Sweet Potato Cornbread, Buttermilk Biscuits, and Rosemary Garlic Foccacia are solid options!
- Serve on a charcuterie board. Jams, dips, and sauces are what separate basic charcuterie boards from stellar charcuterie boards. Add this hot honey to drizzle on meats and cheeses on your next board.
- Drizzle it on your eggs or breakfast bowl. Pour a bit on top of your scrambled eggs, quiche, or frittata.
I hope you enjoy this Hot Honey Recipe. If you try the recipe, don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know what you think in the comments below! Take pictures, tag #goodfoodbaddie, and share them with me on Instagram and Pinterest! I love seeing my recipes come to life in your kitchen.
More Sauce and Dip Recipes To Try!
- Best Homemade Barbecue Sauce (GF + Vegan)
- 5 Delicious Vegan Sauces!
- Easy Jerk Sauce Recipe
- Dairy-Free Tzatziki Sauce (Vegan + Whole30)
- Maple Bourbon Glaze
Hot Honey Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup Honey
- 2 tablespoons Dried Chili Flakes (use dried chili peppers of choice or red crushed pepper flakes)
- 1 tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
- 2 teaspoons Hot Sauce, plus more to taste (Crystal Hot Sauce, Frank Hot Sauce, or Tapatio are good options)
Instructions
- Add honey, chili flakes (or dried chilies of your choice), and apple cider vinegar to a small saucepan over medium-low heat.
- Bring the mixture to a simmer (You'll see small bubbles forming along the edge of the pan). Simmer for 3-5 minutes. (Do not boil) Remove the saucepan from the heat.
- Stir in hot sauce (if using). Allow the honey to cool and the flavors infuse for at least 15 minutes. Taste and adjust the flavor, if desired. Add more apple cider vinegar for a tangier flavor. Add more hot sauce or dried chili pepper for spice. Add more honey to level out the spice.
- Transfer the mixture into a glass jar or airtight container. (Strain out the peppers through a fine-mesh strainer for a milder sauce.)
Notes
Tips For Making The Best Hot Honey
- DO NOT BOIL THE HONEY. Simmer it over low heat. Boiling honey destroys its nutrients and alters its taste and texture.
- If using dried peppers, chop the peppers and add the pepper and the seeds to the honey. You can strain the honey afterward or leave the chopped pepper and seeds in the honey.
- Strain the pepper flakes for mild spice, or leave the pepper flakes in the honey when storing for spicier honey.
- Adjust the spice level to your taste. Add more honey if you find the sauce too spicy.
- You can make it super spicy by adding more chili peppers, or alter the flavor completely by using different types of dried peppers, like dried chipotle peppers for a smokey flavor or dried ancho chili peppers for a spicy, slightly fruity flavor.
- Apple Cider Vinegar gives the hot honey a tangy flavor. The hot sauce adds to the tanginess and gives the honey just the right amount of kick. We like to use apple cider vinegar and a bit of Crystal hot sauce and find it makes the hot honey tastes very similar to the popular Mikes Hot Honey Sauce! (Tapatio and Frank’s Hot Sauce are also good options)
This is the best hot honey recipe I’ve ever tried! I’ve been putting it on everything all week 🙂