Homemade Hot Honey

I've been making hot honey at home for years, and it's an easy way to add some sweet heat to your fried chicken, drinks, desserts, and more. This hot honey recipe will take a few minutes, and you will most likely have everything in your pantry! Looking to add some spice to pantry staples? Let's do it!

What is hot honey?

Hot honey is a sweet, spicy, and tangy sauce made with honey, chili peppers, and other ingredients. It's used as a condiment or in cocktails, BBQ sauces, marinades, and baked goods.

What does hot honey taste like?

Hot honey is sweeter than regular honey, with a subtle heat that builds slowly as you eat it. The sweetness comes from adding sugar or another sweetener during the cooking process (some recipes use fruit juice), while the heat comes from cayenne peppers or other chilies.

The texture of this spicy honey depends on what kind of chili peppers you use — some are thick and syrupy; others are thin and more watery. Some recipes have chunks of dried chilies in them too.

Why make hot honey?

Making hot honey is easy — all you need is essential ingredients and a few minutes of free time! It's also great because it can be customized to suit your taste buds: I 

INGREDIENT NOTES

Honey: Honey is a sweet syrup made by bees. For this recipe, you can use any honey, but I recommend using raw or local honey because it retains more nutrients and flavor.
If you want to switch up the flavor profile, feel free to experiment with different types of honey! If you are vegan or do not consume honey, you can swap in agave or maple syrup instead of regular honey, but the infusion/heat time may vary.

Red Pepper Flakes: Crushed red chili flakes are dried red peppers crushed into small pieces. I use dried chiles, but fresh chile peppers will also work. You can also use habanero peppers, cayenne pepper, or jalapeno pepper.

Related: Jalapeno Fermented Hot Honey

INSTRUCTIONS

Stovetop Method

First, you'll need a small saucepan and a fine mesh strainer. Next, add honey, and stir your crushed red pepper and apple cider vinegar to your saucepan. Heat the pan over medium-low heat until it comes to a simmer and the honey starts to bubble. When I say bubbles, I mean tiny bubbles at the edges of the pan. 

Then remove it from the heat. Let it infuse for five minutes before tasting, and let it infuse longer if you'd like it hotter. The total time will depend on how hot you'd like it.

Heat-Free Infusion

Say you are trying to preserve the natural elements of honey or have some local raw honey that you'd like to spice up. Looking to keep it heat-free? We can do that! While this room-temperature infusion may take a week at minimum for the flavors to infuse to your liking, this is a set-it-and-forget-it method.

Add a teaspoon of red pepper flakes to an airtight glass jar. Top with honey, mix to combine with a clean spoon, and keep it in a cool, dry spot away from direct light. Check on it every couple of days!

Once you're happy with the heat level, strain the chili flakes out of your honey with a fine-mesh strainer into a glass jar or container. Straining may take a bit longer with honey that is at room temperature. Straining is optional but means your hot honey may get hotter over time.

Storage

Hot honey is a delicate product and needs to be stored properly.

Store your hot honey in a cool, dry spot at room temperature. Do not store it in the refrigerator! 

Hot honey should be stored in a sealed container to keep out air, which can cause it to crystallize and lose its flavor. But, just like any other honey, if you leave it open, you'll find it hard and clumpy over time, making it less tasty when you use it on your morning toast or tea.

HOW TO USE HOT HONEY

Hot honey is a great way to add sweet heat to any dish.

Enjoy hot honey over ice cream or fruit, on some roasted vegetables, or add it to your favorite drinks. You can also use it in baking and saucing and for a little pick-me-up. Here are some ideas to get you started.

Avocado Toast

Cut the avocado in two, remove the pit, and remove the flesh with a spoon. Then mash with a fork or potato masher. Spread hot honey on toast and top with mashed avocado.

Vanilla Ice Cream

Add a tablespoon of hot honey to your favorite flavor of vanilla ice cream, and eat it up! This will add a pleasant sweetness that complements the vanilla flavor very well.

Hot Toddy

Mix ½ cup whiskey with 2 tablespoons of hot honey and heat it up on the stovetop or microwave until warm (but not boiling). You can serve this over ice if you like.

Charcuterie Board

Hot honey pairs perfectly with charcuterie boards. Use it as a glaze for meat and cheese, or drizzle it over the board as a dip for bread or crackers.

Salad Dressing

Hot honey can be used to make simple salad dressings by mixing it with olive oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper. You can also add herbs like thyme or rosemary for more flavor.

Pizza

Spread hot honey onto pizza dough before adding sauce and toppings to give your pizza some extra flavor! Then, add garlic powder or dried herbs for an added kick of flavor.

Cream Cheese Dip

Drizzle some hot honey on a brick of cream cheese to create an easy dip with pretzels or chips! Instead of butter or jam, you can also use this as a spread on toast or bagels.

Storage  

Store in an airtight container at room temperature. Do not store this product in direct sunlight, near heat sources, or any other place with extreme temperature changes, as it could alter your honey's flavor.