I always have a jar of this hot honey recipe on my desk, so I stopped buying it when I saw it selling for fifteen dollars a bottle, because it’s really easy to make at home. The whole process is just heating honey with chili flakes, and the only way to mess it up is by being impatient and turning up the heat. Don’t do that — Low heat is the key.

Ingredients for Your Hot Honey Recipe
- About a cup of honey
- A spoonful or two of red pepper flakes
- A splash of apple cider vinegar
- A pinch of salt
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Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Combine Your Ingredients
Put everything in a small pot. Don’t turn the stove on yet. Stir it all together into a weird-looking sludge.
Step 2: The Gentle Infusion
Put the pot on your smallest burner on the lowest possible heat. So low you’re not even sure it’s on. Just let it warm through for 5, maybe 10 minutes. Stir it once or twice. All you’re looking for is for the honey to get thin and runny. You’re not looking for bubbles. If you see a single bubble, the heat is too high. It should just smell warm and a little spicy.
Step 3: Let It Steep and Mingle
Turn the stove off. Move the pot off the burner and just leave it alone for an hour. Go do something else. This is when the heat from the flakes actually gets into the honey.

Step 4: Strain and Store
If you don’t like the texture of the flakes, pour the honey through a small strainer into a jar. I usually don’t bother. Let it cool off, then put a lid on it. It lives in the pantry, not the fridge.
Tips for the Perfect Spicy Honey Sauce
After making gallons of this stuff, here are my unsolicited opinions on how to make hot honey at home.
- For the honey, use the cheap, clear stuff in the plastic bear. The expensive, raw honey has too much of its own flavor and it just fights with the peppers. You want a neutral base. This is for a spicy honey sauce, not a honey tasting.
- The vinegar is not optional. It might sound weird, but that little bit of tang is what stops it from being just one-note sweet heat. It makes the flavor more interesting. Trust me.
What to Put Hot Honey On? (The Fun Part!)
The whole point of this easy hot honey is to use it. Here’s a quick list:
- Fried chicken. Obviously.
- Pizza. Any kind. Just drizzle it over the top right when it comes out of the oven.
- Roasted vegetables, especially carrots and Brussels sprouts. Toss them with it before they go in the oven.
- A slice of sharp cheddar on a cracker.
- A warm biscuit.
- A bowl of plain yogurt.

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Why This Hot Honey Recipe is a Game-Changer
It’s just a good trick to have up your sleeve. It’s a cheap way to make your food less boring. That’s really all it is. It adds a kick to things that need it, and you made it yourself in about ten minutes of active time. It’s simple, useful, and tastes good. Make a jar. Let me know what you end up putting it on.
Hot Honey Recipe

Stop buying expensive hot honey. Make your own amazing sweet & spicy drizzle at home in minutes. Perfect for pizza, chicken, and so much more.
Ingredients
- 1 cup honey (The cheap stuff in the plastic bear is perfect for this)
- 1-2 tablespoons red pepper flakes (You decide how hot you want it)
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt (Just a pinch really)
Instructions
Step 1
ok so toss it all in a small pot. don't turn on the heat. just give it a stir.
Step 2
put the stove on LOW. like, the lowest setting. let it get warm and runny. you'll smell it when it's ready. NO BUBBLES.
Step 3
now just kill the heat. slide the pot off the burner and forget it for an hour.
Step 4
strain it if you dont want the bits. pour it in a jar. done. it can live in the cupboard.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Yield
16Serving Size
1Amount Per ServingCalories 64Total Fat 0gSaturated Fat 0gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 0gCholesterol 0mgSodium 34mgCarbohydrates 18gFiber 0gSugar 17gProtein 0g
