Hot Honey Recipe

This hot honey recipe is a simple homemade condiment that adds sweet and heat to almost anything. Made with honey, red pepper flakes, a splash of vinegar, and optional fresh or dried chiles, it's easy to customize from mildly warm to pleasantly spicy. Drizzle it over chicken, pizza, roasted vegetables, cornbread, cheese, and even desserts for a boost of flavor.

Hot honey has moved from trendy pizza topping to pantry staple, and once you make it yourself, you'll see why. The technique is simple, but the flavor is all in the choices: mild or bold honey, fresh or dried chiles, gentle heat or a spicier kick. Make one batch and you'll start thinking of all the ways to make the next one your own.

Hot Honey Recipe Snapshot

• Sweet and spicy - A simple balance of honey, chile heat, and a splash of vinegar.
• Easy to customize - Make it mild, medium, or spicy.
• Ready in minutes - Warm gently, steep, strain if desired, and jar.
• Use it everywhere - Drizzle over air fryer chicken, pizza, roasted vegetables, gluten-free cornbread, cheese boards, fruit, or even ice cream.
• Make it sugar-free - Using zero-sugar honey substitute.

Ingredients You'll Need

• Honey - For homemade hot honey, use a good-quality honey you enjoy. Its flavor comes through, so choose one with a profile you like, from mild and floral to bold and robust. Notes below.
• Red pepper flakes - The easiest heat source. Start modestly; they bloom fast.
• Chile (optional) - Fresh or dried chiles add flavor, color, and varying levels of heat. Fresno, jalapeño, red Holland chile, chile de árbol, and Calabrian chiles are all good choices.
• Apple cider vinegar - Just a splash balances the sweetness and makes it pop.
• Pinch of salt - Small but important. It sharpens the whole thing.

Please see the recipe card for measurements.

Choosing Honey for Hot Honey

The type of honey dramatically influences the final flavor, just as the type of olive oil affects a vinaigrette. I use a local raw honey I buy at my farmers market. If possible, buy honey from a local beekeeper or farmers market and experiment with different varietals to find your favorite flavor profile.

Buckwheat Honey - Rich, robust, and earthy with molasses-like notes. If you enjoy bold flavors, this is an excellent choice for hot honey because the honey flavor remains noticeable even after the chiles are infused. The beekeeper I buy honey from says this is her favorite for making hot honey.

Orange Blossom Honey - Floral and lightly citrusy. A wonderful all-purpose choice that creates a balanced hot honey with a bright finish.

Eucalyptus Honey - Distinctive and aromatic with herbal notes. It makes a more complex hot honey that pairs especially well with cheese, grilled meats, and roasted vegetables. One of my favorites.

Wildflower Honey - Variable from region to region but usually offers a nice middle ground between mild and robust.

Clover Honey - Mild and approachable. A good choice if you're making hot honey for the first time or prefer the chile flavor to be the star.

Variations

• Citrus hot honey - Add a strip of orange or lemon zest while the honey steeps, then remove before storing.
• Herbed Hot Honey - Add a small sprig of fresh thyme or rosemary while the honey steeps. Remove before storing.
• Smoky Hot Honey - Add a pinch of smoked paprika or use a small piece of dried ancho chile for smoky depth.

Chef's Tip: Build the Heat. When I first made hot honey, I was cautious about making it too spicy. The flavor was delicious, especially with orange peel and a pinch of smoked paprika, but it needed more kick. Red pepper flakes provide most of the heat, while fresh chiles add color, flavor, and varying heat depending on the variety. If you're heat-sensitive, start modestly, then taste and adjust. For more spice, add extra red pepper flakes, infuse longer, or leave some of the flakes and fresh chile slices in the jar instead of straining.

How to Make Hot Honey

Serving Suggestions

Hot honey is incredibly versatile. Use it as a finishing drizzle for savory dishes, stir it into dressings and sauces, or pair it with simple sweet recipes when you want a little heat. It's especially good with chicken, pizza, pan roasted vegetables, cheese, whipped ricotta, fruit dip, yogurt, and ice cream.

How to Store Hot Honey

Store hot honey in a clean glass jar with a tight-fitting lid at room temperature for up to 3 months. Keep it in a cool, dark pantry or cupboard, away from heat and direct sunlight.

If you used fresh chiles, strain them out before storing for best quality and food safety. The honey may thicken or crystallize over time; gently warm the jar in a bowl of warm water and stir until smooth.

Recipes to Use With Hot Honey

Here are a few delicious ways to use it.

If You Make Hot Honey

Please leave a comment and let me know how hot you made it and how you used it. I love to hear from you and your comments help other readers. Thanks for supporting my site.

📖 Recipe