Hot honey is the “it” condiment of the moment. Sweet, spicy and oh so addictive its no surprise hot honey has popped up on menus from Brooklyn, to Austin, to Portland and everywhere in between. Drizzle hot honey on pizza, fried chicken or scratch made biscuits and you’ll soon become a convert to the congregation singing the praises of hot honey. Sure, you can buy a bottle of hot honey but it’s cheaper and easier to make hot honey at home, and chances are you’ve already got all the ingredients on hand. This Homemade Hot Honey Recipe is easy to make and you’ll want drizzle it on just about everything.
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What is Hot Honey?
Hot honey is honey that has been infused with fresh or dried chili peppers, the result is sweet honey with a kick of spice. You can change the level of heat depending and what pepper you use. Serano and jalapeno peppers or red pepper flakes will produce a milder heat while habenero or scotch bonnet peppers will give your honey a definite kick. Dried chiles like guajillo will make for a smokier flavor. For simplicity I used red pepper flakes but you can certainly get creative making your hot honey.
How to make hot honey at home
Making hot honey from scratch couldn’t be easier. Add honey and your choice of chile or pepper flakes to a saucepan. Bring this to a simmer over medium heat, remove from heat and stir in apple cider vinegar ( I like to add apple cider vinegar for a bit of acid to balance the sweet heat). Cool to room temperature and transfer to a glass container (I love these glass jars from Weck ) straining out peppers if desired. This recipe adapts easily to making larger batches, homemade hot honey makes a great gift!
How to use hot honey
Hot honey can be used on a variety of foods, it’s a great addition to any dish that you want a hit of sweet heat! Here are a few suggestions.
- Pizza (especially pepperoni or prosciutto)
- Baked brie (check out my baked brie with hot honey and pecans!)
- Cheese boards
- Homemade biscuits (like my jalapeno cheddar biscuits) or scones
- Add to your favorite hot tea
- Hot toddy or other cocktails (check out my hot honey hot toddy!)
- Fried chicken or chicken tenders
- Chicken wings (take a look at my tequila lime chicken wings or oven baked bbq chicken wings)
- Homemade vinaigrette dressing
If you like this Homemade Hot Honey Recipe be sure to take a look at some of my other recipes.
Homemade Guajillo Chile Sauce (Instant Pot and Traditional Methods)
Sun Dried Tomato Pesto (Pesto Rosso)
Homemade Cranberry Sauce with Apple Cider
If you make this Homemade Hot Honey Recipe please be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Be sure to follow me on Facebook and Pinterest for my latest recipes. Also, if you do make this recipe please tag me on Instagram, I’d love to see what you guys are making!
Homemade Hot Honey Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup honey
- 2 tsp red pepper flakes (or 2 fresh or dried chiles of your choice)
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
Instructions
- Add honey and your choice of chile or pepper flakes to a saucepan. Bring this to a simmer over medium heat, remove from heat and stir in apple cider vinegar. Cool to room temperature and transfer to a glass container straining out peppers if desired.
Lindsay Fuce says
This is such an awesome post! I add hot honey to so many things!!
Tiffany Smith says
This sounds like something my husband would love! He is the spicy fan in the family LOL
Jessica l Tao of Spice says
Mmmm, I’ve heard of hot honey, but never tried it. Definitely, be making this soon. I love anything and everything hot and you can’t go wrong with honey, so I’m sure it will be amazing!
Soheila Hakimi says
Wow! I had no idea it was so easy to make! I’m going to try and make a jar tomorrow before our monthly homemade pizza Fridays!
Michelle Frank | Flipped-Out Food says
You had me at “hot honey on pizza.” Next, I’m going to try this on some baked Camembert.
Luci says
Yum! This hot honey is delicious! It taste wonderful on literally anything! I was shocked at how easy it was to make and how tasty it is!
Katie says
Looks so good! Can’t wait to try this one.
Dannii says
Oh wow. I want to drizzle this over hot brie and dip bread in it.
Danielle Wolter says
I am going to be making this over and over again! It was so good I’ll be suing it on everything!
Judy Tracey says
It tastes good. I haven’t tried it on anything yet. This would be a perfect use of crystallized honey, since you warm it up.
Natalie says
This is what I did! I had a container that had gotten all crystallized so I used it to make this.
Andrea Metlika says
Wow, have not had this before but I am all in for it! Sounds like a fantastic condiment to add to any dish.
Priya Lakshminarayan says
Wow why didn’t I ever think of this! Love this idea
veenaazmanov says
Love to have some Homemade delicacy. This one is best for the Dinner Table. Homemade and flavorful.
Charla says
I bet the sweetness from the honey and the heat from the pepper flakes make this a wonderful pair.
Tiff says
I’ve never thought to try dried chiles! I look forward to trying this recipe out!
Biana says
Looks so good! Will go perfectly with chicken, great recipe!
Jo says
Oh I love the combination of sweet and spicy! Perfect with chicken wings!
Irina says
WOW! I would never imagine making hot honey! What a beautiful and tasteful approach! I will definitely make this. 🙂
Rachna says
This is ingenious! Such an easy recipe and I can imagine the kick from the chilli flakes. Thank you for shating.
Lexa says
Yum! This hot honey on a white pizza, just amazing! I also love to use it for my honey mustard dressing.
Silvia Martinez says
Such a simple recipe, this is my first time hearing about this hot honey and I’m already making a list in my head of the dishes I can make with this. Thanks!
Heidy says
This Homemade Hot Honey is so versatile and delicious. I used it on chicken and pork—and the veggies. Great tasting, and even the kids loved the flavor.
Jere Cassidy says
I can think of lots of food to pour this hot honey on, starting with chicken and waffles.
Jenny says
I love hot honey! Can’t wait to try this recipe!
Katie Youngs says
I am going to make this asap! I have seen so many recipes lately that call for hot honey but I can never find it in the stores. It never occurred to me to just make it myself. Thanks for posting!
Aditi Bahl says
This is so easy to make. Am sure it tastes yummy and can be used in a lot of recipes too. Cant wait to try this.
veenaazmanov says
Sounds like a delicious spread with spicy flavor. Very interesting. Thanks
Tristin says
So many great ways to use this hot honey! Can’t wait to dive in it sounds delicious.
Ramona says
There is nothing better than homemade honey, it is always the best option! I love making my own and it is definitely the best and most natural option. I am going to try this recipe out, thank you for sharing!
Debbie says
Oh wow!! I love sweet and spicy so I know I will love this Homemade Hot Honey . I bet this would be fantastic brushed on smoked ribs or pork chops. So many possibilities !!
Adriana says
This is a fantastic idea! I have seen many brands promoting hot pot honey, but it definitely is best when homemade trying this week as ai have all the ingredients handy.
Oscar says
This honey went well on top of some feta, it was delicious. Thanks for the recipe
Kristina Tipps says
Really good! I plan to add it to my charcuterie boards.
Alexandra says
This recipe is so simple to prepare, but utterly delicious!
We enjoyed it with baked brie the other night, and look forward to using it in so many ways.
Kyleigh says
I love hot honey! I had no idea it was so easy to make!
Melinda says
Oh my gosh!! What a clever way to vastly improve regular honey. My son is going to love this.
Kathryn says
This hot honey was so easy to make! We drizzled it on pizza…delicious!
Jessica Formicola says
Hot honey?? Yes, PLEASE! I can’t wait to make a batch of this to dip my fried chicken into! I bet it will taste great!
anna says
This is such a great idea! Flavoured honey has always been my favourite, but I never had it in spicy version. Really looking forward to trying this, I imagine it would be divine with cheese board!
Linda says
Oh wow…look at how smooth and ah-ma-zing this honey is! This and crispy chicken wings will be my new BFF
Amanda says
This was delicious! We drizzled it on fried chicken, and it was the perfect finishing touch. Looking forward to using it over and over again.
kushigalu says
Great post. Thanks for all the detailed information on hot honey. I would love to make this and use it on many of my recipes.
Uma Srinivas says
This hot honey recipe is totally new to me. But sounds easy and flavorful! Thanks.
Kate says
This is such a great idea. I will defintely try this. I am looking forward to eating hot honey with BBQ meat. Many thanks for sharing this recipe idea.
Jen says
The combination of sweet and spicy flavours was perfect. Plus it was so easy to make.
Naiby says
I remember seeing hot honey somewhere. Now I can make it. Thanks!
Alain Miller says
Really nice and easy to make. Apple cider vinegar gives it some extra depth. I’m going to try it on Pizza this weekend. The pepper flakes are a nice touch if you keep them in, as they float to the top. The downfall? They float to the top. If you have friends or if you don’t want the extra ‘added’ heat from the flakes, just strain it before bottling.
Michele Peterson says
This hot honey is my new favourite condiment! It’s delicious on so many foods and you can change it up so easily to make it hotter or milder.
Amy says
OMG…………..this is a game changer! I love how we can still create interesting combinations of foods with pantry items. I am so going to put this on everything! I might make 2 batches. One with chilli flakes and one with jalapenos. Yum!
Melinda says
Spicy and sweet and wow, I am definitely serving this with my next cheese pizza. What a treat and the recipe looks easy too. Perfection!!
Brianna May says
Omg I love this stuff! I always drizzle it over pizza. To die for.
Julia says
Omg, you’re right, hot honey is such a hot trend right now! I keep seeing food bloggers recommend different brands and saw Trader Joe’s just released their own, but now I’ll be making it at home. 😉
Sharon says
Once you’ve had hot honey, you will never go back! It’s great for drizzling on fried chicken or sandwiches.
Sharmila Kingsly says
This sounds serious;y awesome.. Flavoring the honey is uber cool.. Im gonna try this!!
AISilva says
This homemade hot honey recipe sounds so good. My husband and I love sweet and spicy, so I’m sure this will be added to our rotation. Thank you so much for this recipe!
Beth says
We love this recipe and we add it to so many recipes! Excited to make this again!
veenaazmanov says
Such a lovely combination to flavoring Honey. I can top it up with anything. Enjoy it on Bread or on a dessert too.
Allyssa says
Thank you so much for this very helpful hot honey recipe! It tasted amazing and easy to make! Highly recommended!
Heather says
I’ve never heard of hot honey before, but now that I have I want it on EVERYTHING! Thanks for all of the great suggestions!
Natalie says
Oh wow, this is interesting. I think I never tried anything like this, but I’m excited to give it a try. I bet this is great poured over the chicken. I’m definitely making this.
Kushigalu says
Hot honey – My new favourite in the kitchen. We are spicy food lovers. Use it so many recipes:-)
Farrukh Aziz says
Wonderful recipe! The honey goes perfectly in salad dressings! And it was really simple to make! Thanks for the recipe.
Kate says
I have a cold now and guess what, I have added the hot honey to a cup of hot water – very soothing. I know its meant to be used as a condiment but let’s just say, I have found one new way!
Melanie says
Omg this is such a great idea! I would totally dip my chicken wings in this! Saving for later!
Katie Crenshaw says
I am so glad I found this recipe. I have been buying Mike’s Hot Honey, and now I can make my own at home. I love putting this on roasted Brussels sprouts. I also like it on my pizza.
Hayley Dhanecha says
I’ve never heard of hot honey but your recipe sounds incredible! I never would have thought of making homemade honey!!
Amanda Scarlati says
This is soo good – I put it on everything! Chicken, pizza and fresh biscuits!
Susan says
Should/could this honey be water-bath preserved?
Brianna says
When I make it I’m usually using it within a month so I’ve never tries preserving it. Per this post you don’t need to use a water bath https://www.keepingbackyardbees.com/the-canning-bee-why-honey-doesnt-spoil/
Becky H says
How do you store this hot honey?
Brianna says
I would store it in a glass jar. Honey doesn’t need to be refrigerated.
Bill Edwards says
This is so good. I do have one word of caution. Honey will appear to be harmlessly hanging out in the pot and a second later it will be boiling over uncontrollably. Big mess. I learned this the hard way. It was worth cleaning up the mess. The hot honey is wonderful. Thanks for posting this!
Brianna says
Sorry to hear about the boil over but I’m thrilled to hear you like the hot honey 🙂
Vanessa says
Made this in like 5 minutes. So easy and so delish
Brianna says
I’m glad you liked it!
Judy says
How long will this keep? Refrigerated or just in cupboard?
TIA
Brianna says
I usually use it within a month when I make it but it will last up to 3 months at room temperature.
Carol says
I followed your directions and I did not think the honey seemed very hot, and I’m a wimp! maybe it has to sit for a couple days to steep???? It looks pretty and tastes good, just not very spicy!
Brianna says
When using chile flakes the spice level is on the mild side. If you like more spice you can use a fresh hot pepper like a scotch bonnet or habenero.
Sheila Vaillancourt says
I love hot honey! Does this require refrigeration?
Brianna says
It does not require refrigeration, honey of all kinds is perfect at room temperature.
Gary. Estel says
Made this for my grandson and
Sister. Left pepper flakes in. Found that leaving the pepper flakes will add more heat as it sits. Everyone that has tried it has enjoyed it and says it is better than the store bought that they have had
kris says
fantastic on pizza!
KFlo says
I saw the same recipe on Instagram with the exception of adding 1 tbsp of Frank’s Redhot. I think that would be a nice “salty” addition.
Brianna says
that would be tasty!
Donna says
Delicious! And so easy to make.
Matt says
Followed the recipe, used 2 dried and 1 fresh red habanero. Turned out very nice. HHH – Hot Habanero Honey
Brianna says
That sounds fabulous!
Candie says
How do you store it? Fridge or left out on shelf? For how long?
Brianna says
Left out at room temperature, covered. Honey is safe for months but to be conservative I recommend a month.
Candie says
Ok I see now my questions
Candie says
Can you taste the heat right away or does it take time as it sits? I have some going now and it’s not hot at all. Thankyou
Brianna says
Depends on the pepper used and how fresh they are. For red pepper flakes if they are older they can lose some of their potency.
LisaFettig says
How do you store the hot honey after you put in glass containers? Does it need to be refrigerated? If you make large batches should it be pressure canned? Thanks!
Brianna says
Hot honey does not need to be refrigerated. While I’ve only made smaller batches looking at a few survivalist website they recommend keeping honey longterm in an airtight container like a mason jar, there was no mention of pressure canning. I hope this helps!
Sharon says
What is the shelf life on this if the peppers are strained out? Does it need refrigeration?
Michael D Grimm says
Thank you for the information
I’ll give it a try. Also loved your cluck (chicken rub) will try on pork next.And Texas isn’t far behind
Brynn says
How long will this last in a jar on the shelf?
Brianna says
I usually use it within a month but it should be good for 3 months or more
CH says
Hi,
For fresh peppers (habanero or scotch bonnet), do you recommend putting them in whole or chopped up (after removing the seeds)?
Brianna says
You can leave them as is after removing the seeds, though if you want to chop them up feel free!
Ivy says
How long will this keep & what’s the best way to store it?
Ivy says
NVM – I see the other comments now. This looks great!
Eric W says
Simple and SO good!
Brianna says
I love it!
Carol Edwards says
Will try this because ready made Hot honey is quite expensive. Any idea what the shelf life would be?
Brianna says
If you can the honey it would last for years but I typically make smaller batches and use it as needed.
Catherine Guzovich says
This sounds really good.
Beverley says
I use chilli honey on porridge 😋
Brianna says
Yum, I love it!
margaret says
How is this stored? Room temperature or refrigerator? I just made it using one Scotch Bonnet and its delicious.
Brianna says
I store it at room temperature. Scotch bonnet would be great!
Warren G says
Do you have to refrigerate this since introducing apple cider vinegar to the recipe?
Brianna says
No, all the ingredients keep pretty much indefinitely (though I usually use up my batch within a month).
cori branco says
Great on salmon. Such an easy recipe.
Stephanie Margalis says
Hi there! What’s the shelf life on this? Can it remain in the pantry or does it need to go into the fridge because of the vinegar?
Brianna says
It can remain in the pantry. I’ve had it up to 2 months but properly sealed can last indefinitely
MJ says
Oh my gosh this was a freaking winner!!! Winner, winner chicken dinner! I cook all the time and I rarely am impressed by chicken recipes. This was delicious, my family loved it it. I did make the hot honey sauce too spicy fir my son so I had to doctor it a little. I added more honey and a a small splash of apple cider vinegar I think this gave it a nice zing. Thank you so much, I just love the crunch that the cornflakes give. Such an awesome recipe 😍
Jo says
great recipe very easy to make , love it on fried chicken, pizza , roasted carrots , ham
Mary Dickson says
My husband loves the hot honey chicken at Publix, so I decided to get a recipe and make some. I used Tupelo honey, organic pepper flakes, I drained them and he loves it. Thank you for the recipe, Jesus’ Blessings and Peace Mary
Nilsa says
Where should this be stored, in the fridge ?
Also how long does it keep? Thank you for the recipe!
Brianna Simmons says
This can be stored either in the fridge or in the pantry. While I usually use it within a few weeks honey will keep indefinitely!