If you’re a fan of sweet and savory mash-ups, you’re going to flip for this Hot Honey Sauce recipe! Made with just 5 ingredients in less than 5 minutes of active time, this delicious spicy-sweet condiment is sure to add a big kick of flavor to everything from biscuits and breakfast sandwiches to pizza and dessert.
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About This Recipe
When I first read about the hot honey craze a few years ago, I immediately knew it was something I had to try. I’m a sucker for unexpected pairings, and this one sounded too good to pass up! If you’ve yet to jump aboard this sweet-n-spicy train, I’m here to attest: it’s 100% delicious and extremely versatile.
So what is this hot honey sauce, anyway? Sticky, syrupy honey is infused with fiery chiles for a condiment that is shockingly tasty. It goes great with cornbread, biscuits, and fried chicken, is perfect for adding to cheese plates and pizza, and is weirdly tasty over a scoop of ice cream (vanilla or chocolate) and stirred into tea, just to name a few ideas.
Despite falling in love with this wild new concoction, I couldn’t bear to keep buying it from the store where small bottles can run upwards of $10 or more. Luckily, I’ve discovered the secret to making this zesty condiment at home for a fraction of the price. And friends? It takes just 5 ingredients and 5 minutes of your time to make. Let’s get after it.
Ingredients & Substitutions
As promised, you don’t need much to make my hot honey recipe. In fact, I’d bet you already have everything on hand! Here’s everything you’ll need:
- Honey - I generally recommend using local honey because the flavors are often more nuanced than the large commercial brands, but since we’re adding flavor ourselves, feel free to use regular ol’ clover honey if you prefer. It's up to you if you want to use your pure honey or raw honey for this recipe to make this spicy sauce.
- Chili Flakes - Feel free to swap in different types of dried chiles here. I always have crushed red chili flakes on hand, so that’s what I used, but you could also use part or all of a whole dried chili as well. Here’s a guide to different types of dried chiles; a good rule to remember is the smaller the pepper, the hotter the heat!
- Cayenne Pepper - Other chili powders can also be used. Ancho, chipotle, or smoked paprika will impart some smokiness, regular chili powder will be less spicy, and ghost pepper flakes will be even spicier.
- Brown Sugar - Either light or dark brown sugar will work here. I like adding just a smidge to give the honey hot sauce a touch of caramel undertones and to balance out the latent heat of the peppers.
- Salt - Adding just a small amount of salt will wake up the rest of the flavors in this ambrosial sauce.
Equipment
Making hot sauce with honey is a simpler endeavor than you might think. These are the only pieces of equipment you’ll need:
- Heavy-Bottomed Saucepan - Every kitchen needs a saucepan, and having a heavy bottom is a sign of good quality. Thicker construction typically means that the heat will distribute more evenly, preventing scorching.
- Squeeze Bottle or Airtight Container - I like keeping my hot honey sauce in a squeeze bottle so it’s easy and tidy to use, but any airtight container will work.
- Funnel (Optional) - Having kitchen funnels on hand is incredibly helpful for catching all of your hard work instead of letting it spill on the counter. Since honey is quite sticky (read: difficult to clean up), I strongly suggest keeping one nearby if your storage container has a narrow opening.
How To Make Hot Honey Sauce
My honey hot sauce couldn’t be easier to make. Here’s how it’s done:
Step 1: Heat. Add honey, red pepper flakes, salt and brown sugar in a small saucepan. Heat over medium heat until the honey is quite hot.
Step 2: Infuse. Turn off the heat and allow to infuse for 30 minutes.
Step 3: Store. Pour into an airtight container and use as desired. Note: If you’d like milder honey, feel free to strain the chili flakes from the mixture before storing it.
Serving Suggestions
Once you try a spoonful of this spicy honey, I have a feeling you won’t have any trouble finding lots of uses for it. Hot honey chicken is a no-brainer, but there’s so much more that it can do. This liquid gold goes particularly well:
- On pizza (that’s how the OG commercially available Mike’s Hot Honey got its start… in a pizza shop!)
- As a dipping sauce for chicken nuggets or grilled cheese sandwiches
- As a glaze on chicken wings, salmon, or roasted veggies, like brussels sprouts
- A hot honey drizzle on charcuterie boards or a cheese cheese plate - or avocado toast!
- Drizzled on french toast, waffles or pancakes (especially if you serve them with fried chicken!)
- As a stir-fry ingredient for your favourite foods
- Slathered on cornbread or biscuits, with a hefty pad of butter of course
- Drizzled on fruit and cheese crostini for a little sweet heat
- Brushed on sweet summer corn
- As a coating for candied bacon
- Poured over ice cream
- As an ingredient in cocktails (Hot Hot Toddy, anyone?)
- As a housewarming or hostess gift (bonus points if you pair it with some biscuit mix and European butter. Stored in a small glass jar, this is a great gift idea!)
Did you come up with any genius hot honey recipes to try? Let me know in the comments below or tag me on your social media posts so I cheer you on!
Expert Tips
This super simple recipe for hot honey is pretty much impossible to mess up. That said, I have a few words of wisdom to share:
- Optional Add-Ins - Feel free to customize your hot honey sauce by adding a bit more pizzaz in the form of a splash of vinegar (apple cider vinegar is my favorite) or vinegary hot sauce, fresh herbs like rosemary or thyme, or even by switching up which types of chiles you use.
- Storage - Since honey stays good nearly indefinitely, you can keep this honey hot sauce at room temperature for 6 months or longer so long as it’s in an airtight container. Keep it in a cool, dark spot in the kitchen for best results. Also, I highly recommend keeping it in a squeeze bottle for easy dispensing.
- To Make It Spicier - Simply add more chiles, spicier chiles, and/or let it steep without straining the chiles out at the end.
- To Make It Milder - Add more honey to this basic recipe.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nope! It’s totally shelf stable and should be fine at room temperature for upwards of 6 months if the remaining sauce is kept in an air-tight container in a dry place away from heat and sunlight.
I’m someone who really appreciates balance, so this recipe is one that suits my tastes. It’s hot without being punishing, and the sweetness of the homemade hot honey really comes through, which helps to tame that fire. However, if the sauce is too hot for YOUR tastes, feel free to dilute it with more honey until you find your perfect homeostasis. Since you're making your own batch, this homemade version can be adjusted to your heat level!
I first started hearing about it back in 2015, when Brooklyn-based Mike’s Hot Honey first got a national TV spot and started being mentioned more frequently in large food publications.
Using honey hot sauce for wings or pizza is just the tip of the iceberg. It also goes well in salad dressings, as a glaze for roasted veggies, fish, and meats, is an excellent accompaniment to cheese, and is even good on ice cream and brownies. Skip up a few sections in this post for a more comprehensive list of ways to use this tasty condiment!
More DIY Recipes
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Hot Honey Sauce
Equipment
- Heavy-Bottomed Saucepan
- Squeeze Bottle or Airtight Container
- Funnel (Optional)
Ingredients
- 1 cup (339 g) Honey
- 1 teaspoon Chili flakes
- ½ teaspoon Cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon Brown sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon Salt
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients into a saucepan.1 cup Honey, 1 teaspoon Chili flakes, ½ teaspoon Cayenne pepper, ½ teaspoon Brown sugar, ⅛ teaspoon Salt
- Heat over medium until the honey is quite hot.
- Turn off the heat and allow to infuse for 30 minutes.
- Pour into an airtight container and use as desired.
Notes
- Optional Add-Ins - Feel free to customize your hot honey sauce by adding a bit more pizzaz in the form of a splash of vinegar (apple cider vinegar is my favorite) or vinegary hot sauce, fresh herbs like rosemary or thyme, or even by switching up which types of chiles you use.
- Storage - Since honey stays good nearly indefinitely, you can keep this honey hot sauce at room temperature for 6 months or longer so long as it’s in an airtight container. Keep it in a cool, dark spot in the kitchen for best results. Also, I highly recommend keeping it in a squeeze bottle for easy dispensing.
- To Make It Spicier - Simply add more chiles, spicier chiles, and/or let it steep without straining the chiles out at the end.
- To Make It Milder - Add more honey.
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