The search is over! If you’re looking for the perfect way to elevate any dish with a kick of sweetness and heat, look no further than hot honey. The complex sweetness of honey enhanced by the warmth and tingliness of hot peppers creates a flavor profile so tasty (and addicting) that you’ll be putting this golden elixir on everything from appetizers to desserts. 

 

Hot honey has risen in popularity in recent years, which means you can most likely find it on the shelves at your local grocery store. But suppose it’s not available to you or you’re looking for more robust flavors than some commercial options. In that case, we’re going to show you a quick, easy, customizable, and delicious recipe to make your very own homemade hot honey.

 

 

What is Hot Honey? 

Hot honey is the result of using heat to infuse the flavors of hot peppers into honey, yielding a mixture that displays an intriguing balance of sweetness and heat. It can enhance the flavors of many sweet and savory dishes and even add a pleasant kick to cocktails and other beverages. And the best part is you can easily create it at home with just a few common ingredients! 

 

There are countless ways to make hot honey, allowing for a wide range of flavors, spice levels, and sweet-to-heat balances. This means that each store-bought product or recipe for hot honey will likely taste different to you. We encourage you to try a variety of brands or recipes to find the one that you think tastes best.

 

 

 

Understanding the Heat Level of Hot Honey

For this recipe, we used a habanero pepper. Please note that these peppers are very spicy, registering anywhere between 100,000 and 350,000 on the Scoville scale, a scale used to determine the spice level of peppers. For comparison, a jalapeño pepper registers anywhere between 2,000 and 10,000. 

 

This hot honey recipe will be enjoyed mainly by those looking for a more intense heat level. If you’re a spice novice, however, don’t worry! You can easily swap out the habanero pepper for any pepper you desire, such as a jalapeño, or 2-3 tablespoons of your favorite crushed red pepper flakes. 

 

After trying this recipe, we rate this homemade habanero hot honey a heat level of 7 out of 10. It will provide the heat you’re looking for, with the habanero flavor coming through nicely at the beginning and finishing with a robust and lasting tingle from the heat.

 

 

 

What is in Hot Honey?

While you can get as creative as you want, there are only two to three key ingredients in hot honey: 

 

• Honey. Of course, honey is the most essential ingredient for making hot honey. You can use whatever honey you’d like. It can be worth “splurging” for high-quality honey if you can, but it certainly isn’t necessary.
• Hot Peppers. This is where you can start to get creative with your flavors. Experimenting with different peppers will yield a range of appearances, flavors, and heat levels. We used habaneros for this recipe, but for a more mild result, consider using jalapeños, Calabrian chilis, or crushed red pepper flakes. 
• Vinegar. Vinegar is optional, but it can help tone down the honey’s natural sweetness and add more tanginess. We used apple cider vinegar, but you can also use red wine, rice, white, or another vinegar of your choice. 
• Herbs and Seasonings. Adding herbs and seasonings is another method that can significantly impact the final flavor. Some options include adding lemon pepper or garlic for a more savory outcome or using fresh herbs like a sprig of rosemary or thyme to infuse with your hot honey. 

 

Keep in mind that you should strain these ingredients as best you can to help extend the shelf life of your hot honey. 

 

How to Make Hot Honey 

Now that we’ve covered all the ingredients let’s talk about how we will bring them together to create this sensational condiment. The full recipe will be at the bottom of this page with more detail, but here is a general overview:  

• Simmer your honey and peppers. Add your honey and peppers (and any other herbs or seasonings you’d like) to a cold pan and heat on medium until it begins simmering. Once simmering, stir it well, turn off the heat, and remove the pan from your stove. 
• Let your ingredients infuse. Allow the mixture to sit undisturbed for 10-15 minutes. The longer it infuses, the more pronounced your flavors will be. 
• Taste. We recommend tasting after 10 minutes to ensure the heat does not exceed your comfort level. 
• Add your vinegar. Once you’ve reached your desired heat level, add your vinegar and mix well. 
• Strain. Place a fine mesh strainer over your mason jar or airtight container, and pour the mixture through so you are left with the hot honey only. Discard the remaining ingredients or use them as you please (the peppers may be good to use as a separate condiment). 
• Cool and serve. The honey may still have some residual heat, so we recommend letting it sit uncovered until it has cooled to room temperature. Serve immediately or cover and store in your refrigerator for up to three months.

 

Ways to Use Hot Honey

There are countless fun and creative ways to use hot honey. Here are a few of our personal favorites: 

 

• Pepperoni Pizza. We don’t make the rules; we just follow them. And one rule that will always be constant is that pepperoni and hot honey are a match made in heaven. Drizzle some over your pepperoni pizza for a bit of added spice and sweetness that compliments the oils in the meat and cheese oh so perfectly. Bonus points if you add some fresh ricotta or burrata as well! 
• Salad dressings. Kick any vinaigrette or honey mustard dressing up a notch by swapping regular honey with hot honey. See how to make hot honey your new secret ingredient in your homemade salad dressings.
• Fried chicken. This one goes without saying. The spicy sweetness complements the salty, crispy-crunchy, savory chicken so well that we can hardly put it into words. You just have to try it! 
• Cocktails. Swap simple syrup for hot honey in your favorite cocktails, like an old-fashioned or a spicy margarita. If you’re feeling extra fiery, add a chili lime seasoning rim to your margarita for an additional kick. See how to make hot honey simple syrup for cocktails
• Hot Honey Butter. Mix hot honey with softened butter to make a creamy, spicy, sweet spread that will elevate baked goods like fresh biscuits, rolls, and cornbread. 
• Ice cream. Just trust us! Adding a drizzle of hot honey to a scoop of vanilla ice cream is a revelation. Warning: doing this may change how you eat ice cream forever, so be prepared for the possibility of crossing the point of no return.

 

Homemade Hot Honey Recipe

This recipe is quick, easy, and delicious. Once you make it, you’ll want to use this hot honey as your new go-to condiment to upgrade any dish!

 

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cooking Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Yield: 1 cup (8 oz.)

 

Ingredients: 

• 1 cup honey
• 1 habanero pepper or your favorite hot pepper, thinly sliced. You can also use 2-3 Tbs. of crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp. apple cider vinegar 

 

Instructions: 

1. Measure 1 cup of your favorite honey (we used a local brand), and pour it into a small sauté pan or saucepan. Use a rubber spatula to scrape any remaining honey from your measuring cup. 
2. Place your sliced pepper or pepper flakes into the pan with the honey and heat over medium heat until the honey comes to a simmer. 
3. Once simmering, turn off the heat, remove your pan from the stove, and let it sit for 10-15 minutes to allow the heat from the pepper to infuse and the honey to cool. 
4. Mix one teaspoon of apple cider vinegar with your hot honey. To make it more tangy, add vinegar to taste. 
5. Strain your hot honey through a fine mesh strainer into your container of choice. We recommend an airtight container or mason jar to store the honey for future use.
6. Serve immediately and enjoy, or see below for storage instructions. 

 

Notes: 

1. The longer the pepper infuses with the honey, the hotter your honey will be. We recommend tasting the honey after 10 minutes to test the spice level. If you’d like it hotter, let the pepper infuse longer. 
2. Store the hot honey in a mason jar or airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three months. You do not need to refrigerate your hot honey if you're using dry pepper flakes. Simply keep the container in a cool, dark place. 

 

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Did you make this recipe? Let us know in the comments and tell us how you liked it, what you used it on, or if you have any other thoughts about hot honey.