Hot Honey Recipe: How to Make Spicy Chilli Honey at Home

Hot honey is honey infused with chilli, usually with a splash of vinegar to balance the sweetness. Drizzled over pizza, fried chicken, roast vegetables or a slab of cheese, it adds sweet, spicy and tangy in one go. Shop-bought bottles are easy to copy at home: you need runny honey, dried chilli flakes and about 15 minutes.

Hot honey recipe

Serves: about ¾ cup (250 g). Prep: 5 minutes. Cook: 5 minutes. Total: 20 minutes, including infusing.

Ingredients

• ¾ cup (250 g) runny honey, such as our Kalymnos thyme honey
• 1–2 tsp dried chilli flakes (red pepper flakes), to taste
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar
• Pinch of fine sea salt
• Optional: ¼ tsp smoked paprika, or 1 dried chilli, split

Method

1. Put the honey and chilli flakes in a small saucepan over low heat.
2. Warm gently for 3–5 minutes, stirring, until the honey is runny and just starting to bubble at the edges. Don’t let it boil hard.
3. Take the pan off the heat and leave for 10 minutes so the chilli infuses.
4. Stir in the vinegar and salt. Taste, and add more chilli if you want more heat.
5. Strain out the flakes if you want a smooth honey, or leave them in. Pour into a clean, dry jar.

Choosing the honey

Any runny honey works. A mild, light honey lets the chilli lead; a strongly flavoured honey, such as thyme or pine honey, gives a more complex result with floral or resinous notes. Compare them in pine honey vs thyme honey. If your honey has crystallised, warming it in the pan will melt the crystals as you infuse; see how to decrystallize honey for gentle methods.

Choosing the chilli

• Chilli flakes: the easiest choice, with medium heat. Start with 1 tsp per ¾ cup of honey.
• Whole dried chillies: split them and infuse for longer for a cleaner look.
• Hotter versions: add a pinch of cayenne or a hotter dried chilli, a little at a time.
• Smoky: a pinch of smoked paprika or chipotle flakes.

We use dried chilli for a hot honey that keeps. Fresh chillies, garlic or herbs add water to the honey and are best used in a small batch that you keep in the fridge and finish within a few days.

Don’t overheat it

Warm the honey gently, just enough to make it runny and help the chilli infuse. Boiling honey hard darkens it and changes its flavour. The National Honey Board also advises against boiling or scorching honey when you liquefy it.

How to use hot honey

• Pizza: drizzle over a pepperoni or salami pizza straight from the oven.
• Chicken: brush over fried or roast chicken, or toss wings in it with a knob of butter. Try it with our Greek chicken marinade.
• Cheese: spoon over baked feta, halloumi, goat’s cheese or a cheese board.
• Vegetables: toss with roast carrots, squash or sprouts. Our honey glazed carrots have a spicy variation.
• Breakfast: a little on fried eggs, cornbread or biscuits.
• Dressings: whisk 1 tsp into a lemon vinaigrette.

Storing hot honey

Hot honey made with honey, dried chilli, a little vinegar and salt keeps in a clean, dry, closed jar at room temperature for several weeks; use a clean spoon each time. Honey can crystallise over time, especially when cool. If it does, stand the jar in warm water until it’s runny again. Keep versions made with fresh chilli or garlic in the fridge and use them within a few days.

Don’t give honey, including hot honey, to babies under 12 months old. The CDC advises against it because of the risk of infant botulism.

Find the honey for your next batch in the Greek honey collection, or read does honey go bad?.

Sources

• National Honey Board: Honey FAQ (crystallization and storage)
• CDC: Foods and drinks to avoid or limit for infants

Hot honey: frequently asked questions