Homemade Hot Honey Recipe (use on tenders, pizza, and more!)
Learn how to make hot honey at home with only 4 ingredients! This recipe makes an easy hot honey that’s a great condiment for dipping fried chicken fingers or chicken wings, drizzle on pizza and biscuits, or else you like! The spiciness is up to you, so add more peppers for a hotter hot honey, or less for a milder one!
Someone once told me they eat hot honey on vanilla ice cream.
And though I haven’t gathered the courage to try that, I’ve tried it on so many other things. Like for example, I use the candied jalapeños from my homemade hot honey and eat them on toast with peanut butter. It’s honey one of the best things when you’re craving something sweet, spicy, creamy! So if you’re into that sort of taste-y treat, it’s worth trying!
Other ways to use hot honey include drizzling it on a spice of pizza, french fries, serving it as a condiment on your charcuterie board or my char’boo’terie board! Spicy honey is great on salmon and roasted vegetables, drizzled on homemade biscuits, other protein, and so much more!
But buying a jar of Mike’s Hot Honey or one of the other larger brands can be expensive! I think it was $12 the last time I went to the store. You can totally make a bigger batch of that for half the price at home!
Ingredients for homemade hot honey
- Honey: This one is a give for a batch of hot honey! Use any kind of honey that you usually keep on hand. I usually buy mine in bulk and locally when possible!
- Jalapeno peppers: I looove using fresh chilies like, jalapeño peppers in my hot honey recipe. They add a delicious complexity to the honey. You can also use red pepper flakes or chili flakes if you don’t have jalapenos on hand. Serrano peppers also make a good substitute and typically add a bit of heat. For an even spicier hot honey, swap the green peppers for habanero peppers! That’s sure to add a nice kick!
- Cayenne Pepper: The dried chiles add a change of flavor from the fresh! You can use as little or as much of the cayenne as you’d like. The more that you use, the spicier this hot honey sauce is going to be!
- Hot sauce: I like to use something like Cholula or Tapatio. You can also use a Louisiana-style hot sauce that. If you prefer a more acidic spicy honey, just add 1-2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar.
My homemade hot honey recipe
- Add it all in. In a small saucepan add the honey, jalapeño slices, cayenne pepper and hot sauce. Stir to combine.
- Bring it to a simmer. Bring this to a simmer over medium-low heat until small bubbles start to form around the edges of the pot. Lower the heat once it reaches a boil, and let the peppers steep in the honey.
- Strain the mixture. If you don‘t want to use the jalapeños for your recipe, remove them by straining the hot honey into your favorite mason jar. I typically leave the peppers in and use them within a week.
- Storage. Allow the honey to cool to room temperature before adding the lid. Use the hot honey within 1 week if you keep the jalapeños in. You can store them for up to 2 weeks if you discard the fresh chili peppers. Use a clean tablespoon or honeycomb to drizzle onto your favorite foods!
FAQs about this recipe
It adds a unique flavor to dishes that‘s both sweet and spicy! Hot sauce or honey alone wouldn’t elevate a dish the same way hot honey does!
It can be as spicy as you want when you make it at home! For my homemade version, most of the heat comes from the cayenne pepper. So if you use less, it won’t be as spicy!
Hot honey starts off sweet and tapers off a bit with a kick on the tongue! It works beautifully with carbohydrates and protein!
Anything creamy like burrata, brie, mozzarella, or even goat cheese works beautifully.
I love serving it with my pretzel chicken fingers. It’s also great on my homemade pizza, in my hot honey cranberry goat cheese balls, with blackened salmon and broccoli, and on my charcuterie boards.
Other sauces and condiments you might like:
- Fresh Herb Vinaigrette
- Best Homemade Italian Dressing
- Easy Quick Pickled Onions
- 2-Minute Caesar Salad Dressing
- Just Like Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ Sauce
Homemade Hot Honey Recipe
Learn how to make hot honey at home with only 4 ingredients! This recipe makes an easy hot honey that’s a great condiment for dipping fried chicken fingers or chicken wings, drizzle on pizza and biscuits, or else you like! The spiciness is up to you, so add more peppers for a hotter hot honey, or less for a milder one!
Ingredients
- 1 cup honey
- 1-2 jalapeño peppers, thinly sliced
- ¼ -½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2-4 teaspoons hot sauce (such as Cholula or Tapatio)
Instructions
- COMBINE: In a small saucepan add the honey, jalapeño slices, cayenne pepper and hot sauce. Stir to combine.
- SIMMER: Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat until small bubbles start to form around the edges. Lower the heat to low once it reaches a boil. Let the peppers steep in the honey for 4-5 minutes.
- STRAIN: If you don‘t want to use the jalapeños for your recipe, remove them by straining the hot honey into your favorite mason jar. I typically leave the peppers in and use them within a week.
- STORAGE: Allow the honey to cool to room temperature before covering with a lid. Use the hot honey within 1 week if you kept the jalapeños in. You can store them for up to 2 weeks if you discarded the peppers. Drizzle onto pizza, chicken strips, and much more!
Hi! I’m so excited to try this recipe. Could I store these longer term if I do a traditional canning / sealing? Thinking about gifting this for the holiday. Thank you!