Learn how to make hot honey with our simple recipe! This hot honey is perfect to add to all your favorite recipes – from drinks, to appetizers, to desserts and more.
Hot honey is infused with spices and herbs that might just surprise you – it’s so tasty, and fun to make too – in under five minutes.
This honey recipe can be used just about anywhere. We’ll show you how to make it and where to use it.
Our hot honey is a balanced mixture of sweet and savory spices that is going to blow you away. It’s irresistibly good, but just wait until we show you all the ways you can use it!
Hot honey can be incorporated into an amazing amount of appetizers and drizzled over your favorite veggies. It’s a delightful topping for biscuits and breads, and it’s perfect to add to your favorite vinaigrette salad dressings and even cocktails for a little heat.
While hot honey was made famous over the past few years (Mike’s Hot Honey, anyone?) it’s an ingredient that’s been around for a while. I just know you’re going to love it as much as we do!
Honey is an ingredient that adds the perfect hint of sweet flavor to everything it touches – but now, you can bring the heat, too.
Why You’ll Love It
Ingredients and Substitutions
See printable recipe card for complete ingredients and instructions.
- Honey – Choose your favorite brand. We tend to use our favorite local honey!
- Crushed Red Pepper Flakes – Or, sub with red chili flakes.
- Fennel Seeds – Fennel seeds add a little bit of a taste of licorice. Sounds crazy but I promise it’s delicious here!
- Oregano – You could also sub with our oregano seasoning for a more complex flavor profile.
Variations
- Add little hot sauce
- Add a few cracks of sea salt
- Add 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
- Add a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar (this will make it taste more like Mike’s Hot Honey!)
How to Make
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, add honey and crushed red pepper.
- Stir continuously as directed, folding in fennel and oregano after you pull the mixture off the stovetop.
- Let the honey rest for approximately five minutes before serving, or transferring to a jar for storage.
Tips
- Note that we chose not to strain our hot honey, because we love the way it looks with the herbs and seasonings inside. However, that means it will get hotter over time, with storage.
- To strain, simply pour your hot honey over a fine mesh strainer to trap the larger pieces of fennel seeds and pepper flakes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Hot honey is a spiced honey, so it’s the same food ingredient, but with the addition of herbs and spices! Depending on the recipe, you’ll find additions of everything from hot sauce, to vinegar, and lemon or lime juice, too.
Don’t heat your honey too fast, or for too long! Just heat it to a simmer – this is for health reasons (it loses nutritional value over high heat) and also because it will begin to thicken and caramelize.
Serving Suggestions
- Drizzle over pizza
- Brussel sprouts
- Roasted sweet potatoes
- Try it with beer bread or cornbread muffins
- Serve over your favorite protein, liked baked chicken or salmon
- Add to cocktails like this Cadillac margarita
- Add to charcuterie boards
- Drizzle over cheese and crackers
- Add to vinaigrette dressings
- Mix with cream cheese or whipped ricotta
How to Store
- Room Temperature – As written, our hot honey can be stored at room temperature for months. Consider it the same way you’d store traditional honey, in a cool dark pantry or shelf.
- Refrigerator – You can also refrigerate your hot honey, though it’s unnecessary.
More Honey Inspiration
Hot Honey
Ingredients
- ½ cup honey
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes or red chili flakes
- ½ teaspoon fennel seeds
- ½ teaspoon oregano
Instructions
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, add honey and crushed red pepper, stirring to combine.
- Stir continuously as directed, and when small bubbles begin to form, remove from heat.
- Fold in fennel and oregano.
- Let the honey rest for approximately five minutes to infuse before serving, or transferring to a jar for storage.
Julie’s Tips
- Note that we chose not to strain our hot honey, because we love the way it looks with the herbs and seasonings inside. However, that means it will get hotter over time, with storage.
- To strain, simply pour your hot honey over a fine mesh strainer to trap the larger pieces of fennel seeds and pepper flakes.
Estimated nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and is not guaranteed.
I just made this–it’s delicious !
Thanks Julie !
Hi Claire,
I love to hear that! Thanks so much for taking the time to review, you made my day!
Have a great week,
Julie
Love these recipes
Thanks, Lee!