Get ready to drizzle this crazy good Hot Honey Sauce on everything! This is not your typical one-dimensional spicy honey. It's an ultra-delicious sweet and spicy sauce with smoky undertones and tons of flavor that’s perfect for chicken, sandwiches, fries, and more. Plus it can be made in less than 2 minutes!
Skip to:
I know it gets old hearing people say, ”This is the best recipe”, but I don’t know a better way to say it. This is the VERY BEST. I'm talking next-level hot honey sauce!
What is hot honey, you ask? Sometimes it's just spicy honey (chili-infused honey)… but not this recipe. It's a well-rounded, super flavorful, crazy delicious homemade hot honey recipe.
You won't be sorry when you try this honey sauce for chicken -chicken sliders, hot honey chicken sandwiches, and hot honey wings.
Don't stop there though. It's perfect for all the times you want to drizzle something with a little sweet honey and a kick of spice. Try it on biscuits, pizza, charcuterie boards… and the list goes on. See the bottom of this post for more ideas.
The first time I tried a version of this spicy honey sauce on chicken sandwiches from Spoon Fork Bacon, I knew it was something that would be delicious on just about everything.
🏅 Why this recipe is great
- It’s a spicy condiment that takes 2 minutes (or less!)
- This hot honey sauce recipe is so much more flavorful than your average spicy honey that's made with just liquid honey and chili flakes. This recipe is so much more flavorful!
- It’s cheap and easy to make your own.
🌶 Ingredients
- Honey: Any lightly flavored pure honey will do but make sure it is fresh and room temperature. A stronger flavored honey may impact the finished product.
- Butter: Melted butter adds the perfect thickness to the sauce. Salted or unsalted butter works in this recipe.
- Cayenne pepper: This is where the heat comes from, and the spice level can be adjusted to your liking. Feel free to substitute other dried hot peppers (red pepper flakes, dried smoked ghost chili peppers, Carolina reapers, etc..) keeping in mind that it may change the flavor profile.
- Smoked paprika: Don’t substitute this ingredient! While all are important, this one really is the key ingredient to this sauce! Any brand will do, but I love the one from Trader Joe's.
- Garlic powder: A great addition that rounds out the flavors.
🍯 How to make hot honey sauce
Start by melting butter in a bowl or small saucepan over low to medium heat. Then add in regular honey and spices.
Mix all ingredients together until thoroughly combined. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. To use, microwave on half power until loose.
🍕 15 ways to use hot honey sauce
- Drench over fried chicken for a crave-worthy Crispy Chicken Sandwich.
- An amazing drizzle on soft pillowy biscuits.
- A great dipping sauce for chicken fingers, chicken tenders, or chicken nuggets.
- As a spicy twist on fried chicken and waffles.
- Lather some onto this cast iron cornbread or even this jalapeno cheddar cornbread (made with Jiffy).
- Add spicy flavors to roasted sweet potatoes (or other vegetables) for a new taste experience.
- Add to a snack board or charcuterie tray. A favorite on any cheese plate.
- Brush on grilled corn.
- Use as a wing sauce over hot honey wings.
- Try a hot honey drizzle on pizza! (Trust me … it’s amazing!!)
- Add it to bacon for the ultimate breakfast or BELT experience!
- Swap out the maple glaze on these chicken sausage appetizers.
- Drizzle a small amount on these crispy smashed potatoes.
- Try a crostini with ricotta, fruit, and a dollop of this sweet and spicy sauce.
- Mix over some roasted nuts.
- It's a great gift in a food basket or on its own!
👨👩👧👦 For a crowd
This quick and easy hot honey recipe makes a fantastic addition to potlucks, dinner parties, or family get-togethers. Basically, anywhere you want to wow people's taste buds with very little effort! It's the perfect sauce to make ahead!
🙋 Questions and Answers
The best honey is fresh honey. We can't guarantee the final product if the honey has crystallized. If you feel confident using crystalized honey, please do. While local honey or raw honey is delicious, it is not necessary for this recipe.
The level of spiciness is determined by the spiciness of the pepper and how much of the pepper is used. For this recipe, we want a kick of heat that's enough to feel the kick but not so spicy that it blows your mouth off. Of course, feel free to adjust the spiciness level for your taste buds.
Store any extra sauce in an airtight container or in cute jars in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Be sure to bring it to room temperature or warm slightly before serving.
👨🏼🍳 Tips & Tricks
- Don’t skip the smoked paprika! It isn’t the same as any other paprika.
- Make sure that you use fresh honey. If it is beginning to crystalize it’s time to buy a new one.
📖 Other great condiments and sauces
- Red Robin Campfire Sauce - A two-ingredient wonder!
- Quick & Easy Tzatziki Sauce - One of my favorite ways to get protein and a great way to eat more veggies!
👋🏻 Connect with us!
If you try this recipe, please leave a comment and star rating to let us know how it is! We’d also love to connect with you on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest. Tag @borrowedbites or hashtag #borrowedbites to show us your food!
📋 Recipe
ADDICTIVE Hot Honey Sauce (just 2 min!)
Ingredients
- ¼ cup honey
- ¾ teaspoon cayenne pepper plus more if desired
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- ¼ cup butter melted
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir until thoroughly combined.¼ cup honey, ¾ teaspoon cayenne pepper, 1 tablespoon smoked paprika, ¼ cup butter, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. To use, allow to come to room temperature or warm gently in the microwave on half power until loose.
Notes
- Don’t skip the smoked paprika! It isn’t the same as any other paprika.
- Make sure that you use fresh honey. If it is beginning to crystalize it’s time to buy a new one.
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.
Richard Jones JONES says
Hi Does someone know if this is close to what burger King using on the spicy chicken sandwich, it's a complete mess if you ever had one but the sauce is delicious
Misty says
Hi Richard! I have not tried the Burger King version, but if you find out we'd love to hear!
Ellie says
Crystallization does NOT mean you need to buy a new jar of honey, in fact honey lasts for thousands of years so you certainly won't have honey go out of date in your lifetime. Crystallization is a natural process that happens to all honey over time-in fact it proves your honey is real honey as fake honey does not crystallize. The only thing you need to do is gently warm the honey if you don't like the consistency of the crystals.
Katie says
I'm excited to try! A pizza place I love uses it for their Hawaiian pizza. I'll have to try to make my own!
Misty says
Hope you love it!
Lyla says
Is it thick enough to put over rice ?
Misty says
It's a pretty thick sauce, so it can be drizzled over rice if you'd like. It does get a little thinner when it is hot.
Barb says
Protip-crystallized honey is perfectly fine to use! Especially for this recipe as it just needs heated and never goes bad!
Richard says
The only issue I have being a hobby beekeeper. Just because honey has crystallize just means you need to warm the bottle in a warm water bath till the crystals dissolve. HONEY NEVER GOES BAD.
Danielle says
Richard,
Just to clear up any confusion, we are not saying that honey goes bad. Just that we can't vouch for the final product if a person starts with crystallized honey. If you are comfortable with that then by all means warm the honey and use. Have a great day!
V. Adams says
I decided that I needed a sauce for my fried chicken tenders and saw your recipe. This is an excellent recipe and I will be making this many more times.Thanks for sharing.
Danielle says
Thank you for taking a minute to let us know how much you loved it! Makes our day!
Kyle says
How much would you need to coat about 20 wings?
Misty says
1 recipe would be more than enough to cover 20 wings. I suggest putting it on the wings while they are super hot to make sure the sauce coats them evenly. Enjoy!
Kyle says
Thanks!!
Aspen says
This is so good that I'm going to make little chicken pieces with it for my lunches next week. Yum, I can't wait! Way to spice up a meal. 😀
Luanda says
Why would you go get new honey if yours is crystallized? Warm it up and you are good to go. If it crystallizes at least you know you have real honey and not some adulterated "stuff".
Danielle says
We don't recommend using crystalized honey because we won't be able to vouch for the outcome. However, if you want to risk it please feel free. If you try it, please let us know how it turns out.
Annette says
Honey lasts forever, even if it crystalizes it is still edible, just rewarm.
Ellier says
See my comment above, if you gently reheat honey it will 100% lose the crystals and can be used as normal.
Frank says
Yes, crystallized honey is exactly the same as liquid honey. Honey is a super-saturated solution, the solids in raw honey cause it to crystallize faster, but all super saturated solutions come out of suspension. Warm it up, it’s identical.