Homemade Hot Honey Sauce

This homemade hot honey sauce is the perfect sweet and spicy topping to drizzle over everything from pizza to wings and even make some hot honey fried chicken.

Don't overpay for little bottles of store-bought hot honey sauce anymore because all you need is a few ingredients and a few minutes, and you will have a perfectly sweet and spicy homemade hot honey sauce to drizzle on anything you want.

Jump to:

• What is hot honey?
• What does hot honey taste like?
• Ingredients.
• Steps.
• Adjust the heat.
• Tips and tricks.
• Make it your own.
• Ways to use hot honey.
• Storing.
• More recipes.
• 📖 Recipe

What is hot honey?

Hot honey is simply honey that has been infused with chili peppers to make a sweet, spicy, and sticky sauce. Different sauces can vary by spice levels depending on the type and amounts of chilis used.

What does hot honey taste like?

Hot honey simply tastes like spicy honey. The flavors will vary depending on the type of honey and chilis used to infuse the honey.

Ingredients.

Have you ever gone to buy bottles of hot honey and had sticker shock at the prices over $15.00 a bottle? Did you know you can easily make some homemade hot honey for a lot less? You can, and I can bet that you probably already have the ingredients in your kitchen.

• Apple cider vinegar. - The apple cider vinegar adds just a hint of acidity that adds more flavor and depth to the hot honey. If you don't have apple cider vinegar, you can also use white wine vinegar or even rice vinegar.
• Honey. - This homemade hot honey sauce works best with lighter honey. Darker honey with a stronger flavor can impact the overall taste of your hot honey sauce. Do not think you have to use the most expensive honey. You can even use honey that has crystalized since the heat of making the sauce will break down the honey crystals.
• Chili peppers - You can use either fresh or dried chilis to make hot honey. I tend just to use simple red pepper flakes because they are inexpensive, and I always have them on hand. You can also use chili powder, cayenne pepper, or even a bit of smoked paprika. If you want to use fresh peppers, you can use jalapeno, serrano, or habanero. Use a chili pepper that you like the flavor and heat levels of.

Steps.

There are just a few simple steps needed to make this recipe for a homemade version of Mike's hot honey.

1. Add the honey and chili peppers to a small skillet or saucepan.
2. Bring the honey mixture to a simmer on low for a few minutes.
3. Remove it from the heat and add the apple cider vinegar.

Adjust the heat.

When it comes to deciding the best chili pepper to use to make hot honey, it usually comes down to the level of spice. Let's break down the heat level.

For dried peppers:

Milder

• Gochugaur, also known as Korean pepper flakes.
• Anaheim chili peppers. - They are usually dried whole. These chilis are mild, and typically the hotter ones are similar in heat to mild jalapenos.
• Ancho chili peppers. - Ancho chili peppers are dried poblano peppers. It has a sweet and smokey flavor similar to paprika. Ancho chilis can actually calm down spicier peppers with mixed.
• Guajillo Chili Peppers - These dried red peppers typically need to be rehydrated. They have a spice level similar to a medium jalapeno.

Hotter

• Dried or dehydrated jalapenos. - Dried jalapenos are just normal jalapenos that have usually been smoked and then dried. Just like regular jalapenos, the spice level can vary from milder to spicier.
• Red pepper flakes. - Red pepper flakes are sold in the spice section. They are usually a mixture of peppers, most commonly from peppers like jalapenos, bell peppers, fresno peppers, anaheim peppers, and cayenne peppers.

For fresh peppers:

For milder fresh peppers, you will want to use anaheim, guajillo, or jalapenos. If you want more heat, you can use chipotle or habanero peppers. If you really want extra spicy hot honey, you can use a chile de arbol pepper that is very spicy.

Tips and tricks.

• Use honey that you love. - Honey can vary greatly in flavor, so always use honey that you like before adding any chili peppers to it.
• Use a pepper suitable for the spice level that you want. - Using a really spicy chili pepper is going to make your hot honey sauce spicier. Always err on the side of milder to start. You can always add more heat if needed.
• Don't boil the honey. - You want to make sure to keep the heat at a medium-low temperature so you don't boil the honey. A light simmer is all it needs to infuse the honey with the chili peppers. Boiling the honey can cause it to crystallize.
• The longer your simmer the honey and chili peppers, the more spicy the hot honey sauce will be.
• You can strain the chili peppers out of the honey if you desire. Just note if you don't, the chilis will continue to infuse the honey, and it will get hotter over time.
• If you make your hot honey sauce too spicy, simply add more honey to the pot. This will dilute the chili pepper and reduce the overall heat.

Make it your own.

It's easy to add more delicious flavor to this hot honey recipe.

• Butter. - You can use either salted or unsalted butter. Just add equal parts butter to your honey. The melted butter adds richness to the hot honey and adjusts the thickness of the sauce.
• Add a mixture of chili peppers. - If you want more flavors, use a combination of chili peppers. You can even add a combination of dried and fresh if you want.
• Garlic. - You can use garlic powder or even some fresh or roasted garlic in your hot honey sauce to make a hot honey garlic sauce..

Ways to use hot honey.

There is no wrong way to use this homemade hot honey. Here are my favorite ways to use hot honey sauce.

• I love drizzling it over my gluten-free fried chicken or adding more heat to my spicy, gluten-free fried chicken.
• It's delicious when drizzled over some gluten-free cornbread or biscuits.
• Use it as a dipping sauce for your favorite gluten-free chicken nuggets.
• Add a sweet and spicy flavor to roasted vegetables.
• Brush on grilled corn.
• Add to your favorite gluten-free bbq sauce for some hot honey bbq sauce.
• Add to a snack board or charcuterie tray; it's delicious on cheese!
• Use it to toss and dip some gluten-free wings into, making it the perfect hot honey wing sauce.
• Drizzle it over some gluten-free pizza; trust me, just do it!
• Mix over some roasted nuts for a bit of extra flavor.
• It's even great on its own as the perfect homemade gift.

Storing.

You can store this hot honey sauce recipe either at room temperature or in the fridge.

• If you plan on storing it at room temperature, be sure to use sterilized jars. In sterilized jars, hot honey will stay good stored in a dark place for up to three months.
• If you use fresh chili peppers, I suggest storing your hot honey in the fridge. When stored in the fridge, hot honey will stay good for up to three weeks.

More recipes.

Sometimes homemade versions are just better than store-bought. Check out some of my favorites to make at home instead.

📖 Recipe