This 3-ingredient, 5-minute hot honey sauce is sweet, sticky, spicy, and perfect for drizzling and spreading over everything like pizza, cornbread, biscuits, and more!
Add the honey and dried chili flakes (and powder if using) to a small saucepan, stir, and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat.
Simmer (don't boil!) the mixture for 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then remove the hot honey sauce from the heat and stir in the apple cider vinegar.
Allow it to cool down, and transfer it to a sterilized jar. Enjoy!
Storage Instructions
Store the hot honey in a sterilized jar in a cool, dark cupboard for 3 months.If you use fresh chilies, I aim to use it within 1-2 weeks (up to a month if you've strained out the chilies) and keep it stored in the fridge.Note that honey will thicken when chilled, so bring it back to room temperature before using it (or pop it in the microwave for 10-15 seconds).
Notes
To adjust the heat: You can experiment with different types of chili flakes or dried/fresh chilies and how much you add to the honey. If you only discover it's too mild/hot after preparing it, either add more honey (for a more mellow flavor) OR add more chili flakes to the mixture and either return it to the heat or allow them to infuse over several days in the pantry.
Adjust the flavor: Use a combination of regular and smoky chilies for extra depth of flavor in the spicy honey sauce.
For "instant" hot honey: Combine high-quality honey with the chili sauce or chili paste and microwave for 30 seconds. Adjust the amount to taste. I recommend one teaspoon of hot sauce per two tablespoons of honey. Store this in the fridge.
Keep the heat low: Honey is simple to boil, bubble up, create a massive mess, and burn. I recommend paying attention to the pan and keeping it to a gentle simmer.
Avoid old chili flakes: They lose potency over time, so you may find the hot honey sauce ends up milder than expected.
What is the best chili to use?
This really comes down to what you have available and the flavor and spice level you're looking for.
You can also use fresh chilies, using whichever one matches your desired heat levels. For example:
Anaheim is relatively mild,
Guajillo is medium,
Chipotle is hot,
Chile de Arbol is very hot.
Note that using fresh chilies will affect the shelf life. Also, when using fresh chili, note that the amount of seeds you add will affect how spicy the honey hot sauce recipe is.Check the blog post for more notes, serving recommendations, and answers to top FAQs!