This sweet and spicy Hot Honey Dressing Recipe is as easy as it is delicious! In just 5 minutes whisk together a handful of pantry staples like olive oil, honey, mustard, red pepper flakes, and dried herbs. Add a splash of lemon juice for bright flavor and you have an incredible homemade vinaigrette recipe ready to serve. Toss on a simple green salad, drizzle over pasta salad, or add to your next veggie tray.
This spicy honey dressing is one of many Hot Honey Recipes we make and love. From condiments to dinners, we can help you get sweet heat in every bite.
Make room for your new go-to salad dressing! This is a delicious twist on a classic vinaigrette. After testing it with a variety of different dried herbs and acids, we've nailed the perfect flavor combo!
- It's bright, sweet and spicy all at the same time without being overpowering.
- The heat level is adjustable depending on how spicy you want it.
- It's the easiest salad dressing to make and goes great on all kinds of salads.
If you're a creamy salad dressing lover, we highly recommend this Sweet Hot Ranch Dressing Recipe. Or ditch the salad and go straight to our signature spicy honey sauce that's amazing on chicken wings, sandwiches, and so much more!
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Ingredients for simple honey salad dressing
This recipe only requires a few pantry staple ingredients. Ingredient quantities are in the recipe card below, but here are a few noteworthy tips.
- Light olive oil: It's really important to use light olive oil in this recipe, which you can find at your local grocery store. Regular olive oil has a much stronger taste and overpowers the rest of the flavors.
- Honey: You can use regular honey, or opt for store-bought or homemade hot honey.
- Lemon: Use a freshly juiced lemon for best results. Lemon adds a tangy flavor that is the perfect balance to the sweet honey and superior to apple cider vinegar, balsamic vinegar, or red wine vinegar common in other homemade dressings.
- Garlic: We buy ours minced to save some time, but you can mince it yourself as well.
- Red pepper flakes: Increase or decrease the chili peppers depending on your preferred spice level. Keep in mind that if you used spicy honey instead of regular, it will already have some spice.
- Spices: Kosher salt, black pepper, dried oregano, dried basil, dried thyme, and ground mustard give this dressing all the flavor it needs.
Helpful kitchen tools
Good Seasons Italian Dressing Mix, 2 Packages with Cruet, 1.4 Oz. NetWhisks for Cooking, 3 Pack Stainless Steel Whisk for Blending, Whisking, Beating and Stirring, Enhanced Version Balloon Wire Whisk Set, 8Zulay Kitchen Lemon Squeezer Stainless Steel - Premium Quality, Heavy Duty Solid Metal Squeezer Bowl - Large Manual Citrus Press Juicer and Lime Squeezer Stainless SteelBertolli Extra Light Tasting Olive Oil, 51-Ounce Bottle
How to make hot honey dressing
Start by adding all your ingredients to a medium bowl or a large glass jar. To get the most juice out of the lemon, press it firmly with your palm and roll it a few times on the counter top. Then use your hands or a citrus juicer to juice it.
Whisk the dressing vigorously to help it emulsify, which is the process of the acid in the lemon juice and the oil combining together so your dressing separates less. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
What to use spicy honey dressing on
These are our favorite ways to use this sweet and spicy vinaigrette on all kinds of yummy dishes.
- Of course any green salad would be great! Try it on this Italian Chopped Salad or this Autumn Chopped Salad.
- Replace the classic Italian dressing on your next pasta salad recipe.
- Drizzle it on roasted Brussels sprouts or green beans for a new flavor kick.
- Swap the lemon dressing in this quinoa salad for a new flavor profile.
- Serve a small bowl of dressing on a charcuterie board with cherry tomatoes, cut veggies, meats, cheeses, and more.
- Ditch the oil and vinegar on your next sub sandwhich and use this dressing instead.
- Drizzle it on this Sweet and Spicy Chicken Wrap.
- Use it in place of the dressing in this 4-Ingredient Chicken Marinade.
How to store hot honey dressing
Store in an airtight container or a jar in the fridge for 1-2 weeks. The olive oil may solidify slightly, so allow to sit at room temperature for a few minutes or pop in the microwave on half power for 10-20 seconds before serving. Then shake or whisk to recombine.
FAQ
A common mistake when making homemade salad dressing is eyeballing the measurements. This is how you accidentally end up with a bitter, too sweet, or too oily dressing. We suggest taking the extra minute to measure for the best tasting dressing!
If you like your vinaigrette thicker and creamy with little to no separation, you can use an immersion blender to completely emulsify the ingredients. Use a medium speed and mix it for 15-30 seconds, or until it is fully combined and thicker in texture.
Tips and tricks
- Use light olive oil instead of regular olive oil so that the honey and herb flavors really shine!
- Use freshly squeezed lemon juice - it makes all the difference in flavor.
- Adjust the spice to your taste by increasing or decreasing the red pepper flakes.
- Make sure to use a whisk (not a spoon or spatula) and mix vigorously. This helps the oil and other ingredients to emulsify, or combine together with less separation.
More condiment recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
- Campfire Sauce (a Red Robin dipping sauce copycat that actually tastes like the original!)
- Fruit Salad Dressing with Poppy Seeds and Honey
- Hot Honey Mustard (a spicy condiment with dijon mustard)
- Greek Vinaigrette Salad Dressing
- Homemade Tzatziki Sauce and What to Serve with Tzatziki
- Fiery Honey Whipped Butter
- Easy Honey Jalapeno Lime Vinaigrette (a sweet and spicy 4 ingredient salad dressing)
Recipe
Simple Hot Honey Dressing Recipe (Vinaigrette)
Equipment
- Dressing container or jar
Ingredients
- ¾ cup light olive oil
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 3 tablespoon honey
- 2 teaspoon garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon ground mustard
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼-½ teaspoon red pepper flakes or more to taste
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients in a jar or medium bowl. Whisk vigorously to combine.¼ cup lemon juice, 3 tablespoon honey, 2 teaspoon garlic, 1 teaspoon ground mustard, 1 teaspoon dried basil, 1 teaspoon dried thyme, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper, ¼-½ teaspoon red pepper flakes, ¾ cup light olive oil
Notes
- Use light olive oil instead of regular olive oil so that the honey and herb flavors really shine!
- Use freshly squeezed lemon juice - it makes all the difference in flavor.
- Adjust the spice to your taste by increasing or decreasing the red pepper flakes.
- Make sure to use a whisk (not a spoon or spatula) and mix vigorously. This helps the oil and other ingredients to emulsify, or combine together with less separation.
Add Your Own Notes
Nutrition
All nutrition information is provided by a third party and is an estimate only. Use your own nutritional calculator for more specific measurements.
Danielle says
There are so many different salads you can use this dressing for!