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A jar of hot honey and a honey dipper showing the hot honey dripping in the jar

Hot Honey

Hot Honey is the new hot sauce trend, and we couldn’t agree more! It’s the perfect balance of sweet and spicy, with a sticky texture, and perfect for drizzling over pizza, fried chicken, veggies, salmon and more!

Course condiment, sauce
Cuisine American
Keyword honey recipe, hot honey, hot honey recipe, hot honey sauce, how to make hot honey
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Servings 12
Calories 133 kcal
Author Mahy

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups Honey
  • 2-3 Tablespoons chili flakes
  • 2 teaspoons Apple Cider Vinegar

Instructions

  1. In a saucepan over medium heat, add the honey

    A hand pouring some honey into a sauce pan

  2. Right away add in the chili flakes.

    A hand adding in a small bowl of chilli flakes over the honey in a saucepan over medium heat

  3. Cook the chili flakes and honey just enough that the mixture simmers but doesn't boil.

    Honey and chili flakes in the sauce pan simmering on the edges and not boiling

  4. At this point, remove the saucepan from the heat and add in the vinegar.

    A hand pouring in a small bowl of apple cider vinegar to the sauce pan with honey and chili flakes off the heat

  5. Let the hot honey cool slightly before pouring it into a jar.

    Hot honey sauce ready and being poured from the sauce pan into a jar

  6. Once the hot honey sauce is cooled completely, then you can seal the jar and store it.

    A jar of homemade hot honey top view showing the color and texture of the sauce

Recipe Video

Recipe Notes

Hot Honey Sauce Tips and FAQ

  1. The honey you chose will have a predominant flavor on the final hot honey recipe, so if you have a certain type of honey, start with that.
  2. Always use liquid honey.
  3. Dried chili flakes are optional as they have no moisture.
  4. Similarly the type of chili flakes you use will affect the flavor of spice, level of spice and any smokey taste for the sauce. 
  5. When making hot honey recipe, avoid boiling the honey, just bring it a gentle simmer with the chili flakes and take if off the heat right away. 
  6. A vinegar is needed to balance the sweet and spicy with a slight tang, but also to stabilize the sauce. If you don’t want a strong vinegary taste to your hot honey, use apple cider vinegar as we did here. 

How to Store Hot Honey? Does Hot honey need to be refrigerated?

This is the most common question I get. No hot honey doesn’t need to be refrigerated at all.

It’s best to store the sauce in a jar, seal the jar once the sauce has cooled completely, and keep it at room temperature in your pantry.

How long does hot honey last?

The beauty of this hot honey sauce is that it can last for up to 6-8 months at room temperature. There’s nothing that can make it go bad. So make as much as you like!

Can I use Fresh chilies?

It’s best to avoid fresh chilies as they contain moisture and will alter the sauce texture and shelf life. If you have fresh chilies however, then you need to make my grandpa’s famous Hot Pepper Sauce! You’ll LOVE it!

Is hot honey very spicy?

If using regular chili flakes, you’ll find that hot honey is not as spicy as you expect it to be! It’s rather a balance of sweet with a hint of spice. However, if you use hot pepper flakes like scotch bonnet flakes, then you can expect a higher level of spice for sure!

How to use hot honey sauce?

OMG we can’t even think of a thing that wouldn’t taste amazing with hot honey! 

 

Nutrition Facts
Hot Honey
Amount Per Serving
Calories 133 Calories from Fat 2
% Daily Value*
Fat 0.2g0%
Saturated Fat 0.03g0%
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.1g
Monounsaturated Fat 0.04g
Sodium 24mg1%
Potassium 49mg1%
Carbohydrates 36g12%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 35g39%
Protein 0.3g1%
Vitamin A 395IU8%
Vitamin C 0.2mg0%
Calcium 7mg1%
Iron 0.4mg2%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.