Hot Honey
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This easy hot honey recipe combines 3 basic ingredients for a sweet & spicy drizzle you’ll want to put on everything! Makes a great gift!
Have you ever heard of Mike’s Hot Honey? It’s so good!
You can put it on all sorts of things to bring that sweet heat that is so crave-able! I especially love it on pepperoni pizza but honestly it can work in a zillion different ways.
Today’s recipe is a copycat and I think you’re going to love it.
It’s made with just 3 simple ingredients and it only takes a hot minute. <– HA! No pun intended.
Use this as a drizzle to bring out the best in all sorts of dishes. More on that below!
In the meantime, be sure to peep some of my other best topping recipes! I’m looking at you honey butter, apricot jam, and puttanesca sauce!
Table of Contents
- What is hot honey?
- Why this is the best hot honey recipe
- What does hot honey taste like?
- Ingredients
- Special equipment
- How to make hot honey
- How to serve hot honey
- Expert tips
- Frequently asked questions
- A few more of my best topping recipes
What is hot honey?
This is a really delicious condiment that adds sweetness and heat to all sorts of dishes.
It’s made with just 3 simple ingredients and takes mere minutes of active time.
I love to make a big batch and give the jars away as a hostess gift or party favor.
Why this is the best hot honey recipe
- Tastes amazing: The balance of sweetness, spice, and a slight tanginess will take your foods to the next level!
- Few ingredients: You’ll only need 3 pantry staples to make this yummy drizzle.
- Easy to make: It’s just a matter of letting everything infuse until you have the level of heat you like.
- Long shelf life: This stuff keeps almost indefinitely in your cupboard.
What does hot honey taste like?
This hot honey recipe provides the perfect balance of floral sweetness, peppery heat, and a slight tanginess that will enhance anything you drizzle it on.
Ingredients
Honey: Use any kind of honey you like. Or, for a vegan option, you can substitute with the same amount of maple syrup or agave nectar.
Crushed red pepper flakes: This ingredient is what brings that hum of heat that will make your lips tingle!
Apple cider vinegar: I tried making hot honey with and without the vinegar, and I definitely thought it tasted better with. The end result is not tart or vinegary per se, but that tiny splash of acidity really does bring out the other flavors.
Special equipment
- Measuring cups and spoons: Follow my guide on how to measure ingredients.
- Pot: You will gently heat the mixture in a small pot on the stove.
- Silicone spatula: Helps get every last bit out of the pot.
- Strainer: To strain out the solids.
- Jar(s): Use a heat-safe, lidded vessel to store the hot honey.
How to make hot honey
This easy recipe comes together in 3 simple steps.
Step 1: Combine the ingredients
Place the honey and crushed red pepper flakes in the pot over very low heat.
As the honey warms, it will thin out and you can stir in the apple cider vinegar.
Step 2: Warm
Heat the mixture very gently. You don’t want it to boil, but you do want to look for small bubbles to appear around the edges of the pot.
Once you see that, you can cut the heat and allow the hot honey to steep and cool.
Step 3: Strain
Taste the hot honey frequently as it cools. The longer it sits, the spicier it will become.
When it’s reached the level of heat you like, you can pour it through a fine mesh strainer to remove the hot pepper flakes. Or not!
I am not a huge lover of spicy foods but with this I like to allow it to get really spicy. Just because I only ever use such a small amount, I like it to really taste like something, kwim? So I leave the crushed red pepper in there.
How to serve hot honey
Drizzle this condiment on anything you want to add some special flavor to! Here are a few ideas:
- Chicken (Especially if it’s fried! This is fantastic on my crispy chicken sandwich!)
- Barbecue (Try it on pulled pork or baked beans.)
- Cheese (Place a small jar on your charcuterie board and allow guests to drizzle it themselves. Or put a little on your macaroni and cheese!)
- Waffles or pancakes
- Eggs
- Cocktails (Add a unique flavor to cocktails or mocktails. Try this in your pina colada or margarita! Or in a hot toddy!)
- Bread (To-die for on angel biscuits, cornbread, buttermilk biscuits, beer bread, or sweet potato biscuits!)
- Pizza (This was my introduction to hot honey and it is truly outta this world!)
- Fish (My next move is to glaze salmon with it.)
- Veggies (This would be fantastic on any kind of roasted veg. I’m thinking carrots, butternut squash, brussels sprouts…)
- Ice cream
- Fruit (Such as grilled peaches or pineapple.)
Expert tips
Don’t overdo it: Keep an eye on your hot honey as it warms. If it boils for too long, you’ll end up with caramel. Still really delicious, but as it cools it will solidify and you won’t be able to drizzle it.
Make it hotter: The longer the honey and crushed red pepper infuse together, the hotter your honey will be. If you want it mild, only let it sit for around 30 minutes before straining out the solids. If you like it really spicy, leave them in there!
Give it more tang: For a tangier hot honey sauce, add more apple cider vinegar to taste.
Gift it: Double or triple the recipe to make a big batch, then divvy it up into small canning jars and give it as gifts. Jars or squeeze bottles of hot honey make an excellent stocking stuffer, hostess gift, or party favor.
Frequently asked questions
Did you know sugar is a preservative?
It’s true!
Foods with a really high sugar content, such as honey, will keep almost indefinitely at room temperature. They’ve actually found centuries-old honey in the Egyptian pharoah’s tombs that’s still good as new!
Keep this in a lidded vessel (such as a squeeze bottle or jar) in your cupboard at room temperature.
There is no need to process the jars because the natural sugars in honey will act as a preservative that inhibits any kind of microbial growth.
The nutritional info below reflects a serving size of 1 tablespoon.
The batch makes around 1 cup of hot honey and scales beautifully.
A few more of my best topping recipes
As an amazon associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Hot Honey
Ingredients
- 1 cup (339 g) honey
- 1 teaspoon (5 g) apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon (1 g) crushed red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Place the honey, apple cider vinegar, and crushed red pepper in a small pot over very low heat.
- Warm the ingredients together, stirring, until small bubbles begin to appear around the edges of the pot.
- Turn off the heat and allow the hot honey to cool, tasting frequently to gauge the level of heat.
- When the honey has reached the desired spice level, pour it through a fine mesh strainer into a heat-safe, lidded vessel.
