| | |

Homemade Hot Honey Recipe

This homemade hot honey recipe is a versatile spicy-sweet condiment that’s delicious drizzled over pizza, roasted vegetables, fried chicken or chicken wings, breakfast sandwiches, and much more! This chili honey is so easy to make, that you’ll never go back to buying storebought again.

Looking for more easy DIY recipes? Try my homemade pizza doughtaco seasoninghomemade cashew butter, or vegan oyster sauce.

What You’ll Love About This Recipe

  • Affordable – The flavor of this easy hot honey recipe is very similar to the popular Mike’s hot honey store-bought version but without the hefty price tag! It’s the perfect balance of sweet and spicy.
  • Customizable – Easily customize this spicy hot honey sauce depending on your preferred spice tolerance. You can also get creative with add-ins to switch up the flavor profile.
  • Simple ingredients – all you need are two pantry staples (the third ingredient is completely optional).

Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make this spicy honey:

  • Raw honey – I love using local honey whenever possible. 
  • Crushed red pepper flakes – also dried chili flakes.
  • Vinegar – optional. I used white wine vinegar, but you could also use you can also use rice vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or red wine vinegar.

How to Make Hot Honey: Step By Step

Here are some quick visual instructions. The full instructions and ingredient list will be in the printable recipe card below!

1. Add the honey and crushed red pepper flakes to a small saucepan over medium heat. Heat until the honey mixture comes to a light simmer. Stir and remove the pan from the heat.

2. Allow the chili flakes to infuse into the honey for 10-12 minutes. Taste the honey with a clean spoon then adjust the spice level as needed. For a spicier flavor, let the chili flakes infuse longer. To make it less spicy, add in more honey.

3. Stir in the vinegar (if using) then pour the honey through a fine mesh strainer into a clean jar. Let cool to room temperature before putting the lid on.

Helpful Tips

  • The longer you let the chilis steep, the stronger their flavor will come through. Making infused honey is a very similar process to making infused simple syrups
  • To strain or not to strain? I prefer to strain out the chili flakes, but many people prefer to not strain them. Not straining the chilies will increase the heat level over time.

Storage

Once cooled, store in an airtight container or jar at room temperature in a dry place for up to 3 months if using dried chilies.

If using fresh chili peppers, store the honey in an airtight jar in the fridge for 1 week. If using hot sauce, store it in the fridge for up to 3 months.

Make It Your Way: Substitutions & Variations

Please remember that recipes are just a starting point.

How can you make this hot honey sauce recipe using what you already have? Here are some ideas…

  • No red chili flakes? – use another type of dried peppers, fresh chilies, or your favorite hot sauce. If using hot sauce such as Frank’s Red Hot, omit the vinegar since it already contains it. Using hot sauce is also a quicker method since there is no steeping period.
  • Add-ins – ground cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, allspice, clove, pumpkin spice, dried thyme, or other dried herbs, etc. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Why use raw honey if you cook it?

You just want to use pure honey or raw and unfiltered honey, which still has many of the beneficial enzymes – my personal favorite.

Unfortunately, a lot of honey is mixed with corn syrup or sugar, so it’s important to source 100% honey.

Can you make hot honey with fresh peppers?

Yes, you can also use fresh chilis such as sliced jalapeno peppers, habanero peppers, or another type of hot peppers. However, the honey will have a shorter shelf life. It will also need to be stored in the fridge and consumed within 1 week.

How To Use

The uses are endless, but here are a few ideas. You can add a drizzle of hot honey to:

More DIY Recipes

I hope you love this Hot Honey Recipe! If you make it, be sure to leave a comment & a star rating below. Thank you!

Homemade Hot Honey Recipe

A spoonful of homemade hoy honey dripping into a jar.
This homemade hot honey recipe is a delicious spicy-sweet condiment that's delicious drizzled over pizza, roasted vegetables, fried chicken or chicken wings, breakfast sandwiches, and much more! This chili honey is so easy to make, that you'll never go back to buying storebought again.
Cook Time 2 minutes
Infusion 10 minutes
Total Time 12 minutes

Ingredients
 

  • ½ cup raw honey
  • 1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
  • ½ teaspoon white wine vinegar or vinegar of choice optional

Instructions

  • Add the honey and crushed red pepper flakes to a small saucepan over medium heat. Heat until the honey mixture comes to a light simmer. Stir and remove the pan from the heat.
  • Allow the chili flakes to infuse into the honey for 10-12 minutes. Taste the honey with a clean spoon then adjust the spice level as needed. For a spicier flavor, let the chili flakes infuse 5-10 minutes longer. To make it less spicy, add in more honey.
  • Stir in the vinegar (if using) then pour the honey through a fine mesh strainer into a clean jar. Let cool to room temperature before putting the lid on.

Notes

See the blog post for storage, helpful tips, recipe FAQs, and ideas for how to use hot honey.

Make It Your Way: Substitutions & Variations

No red chili flakes? – use another type of dried peppers, fresh chilies, or your favorite hot sauce. If using hot sauce such as Frank’s Red Hot, omit the vinegar since it already contains it. Using hot sauce is also a quicker method since there is no steeping period.
Add-ins – ground cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, allspice, clove, pumpkin spice, dried thyme, or other dried herbs, etc. 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating