I make this easy no-cook Hot Honey Sauce almost every week. It adds a sweet and spicy kick that goes with pretty much anything! You can use it to spruce up a basic weeknight pizza or salad. Or, impress guests by drizzling it over Whipped Ricotta Dip, a Puff Pastry Tart, or holiday cheese board.
For another savory and spicy honey recipe, check out my Honey Sriracha Sauce made with butter and garlic. The butter thickens the sauce, making it great for dipping nuggets (or crispy tofu sticks) into!
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Why you'll love this recipe
- Fast and Easy: This homemade hot honey recipe is so easy to make. It comes together in 1 minute. And you only need 2 ingredients. (Or 3 ingredients if you want to get fancy)!
- No Cooking: There's no need to cook or heat the honey. Not only does this preserve the nutrients in the honey—but it's also way faster and simpler to make. No need to wash any pots!
- No Need to Refrigerate: This spicy honey can be safely stored at room temperature for weeks. Other refrigerated hot honeys need to be reheated before use. Whereas this one will always be a pourable consistency.
- Versatile: There are so many delicious ways to use this! Drizzle over pizza, roasted veggies, cheese, wraps, sandwiches, wings, or nuggets. Or use in vinaigrette, dressing, marinades and more.
Ingredients (and substitutes)
You only really need 2 ingredients to make this recipe:
- Honey: Any liquid honey works. I like to use a mild tasting honey, like Clover.
- Hot Sauce: This recipe uses Frank's Red Hot because its heat and tang are perfect for hot honey. It's important to use a vinegar-forward hot sauce. So if substituting, stick with other Louisiana-style hot sauces.
- Chili Flakes (optional): A sprinkle of red pepper flakes (or other chili flakes) makes this sauce extra pretty! It also makes it spicier. But skip if you don't have any.
Find the recipe card below for the complete recipe, including all ingredients and instructions.
How to make Hot Honey (with photos)
Here's how to make this no cook Honey Hot Sauce, in just 1 minute:
Find the recipe card below for the complete recipe, including all ingredients and instructions.
Tips
- Adjust to taste: Feel free to adjust the amount of hot sauce to suit your taste. And if you want it even spicier, add chili flakes. They're a great way to add heat without making the sauce too watery.
- Go with Louisiana-style hot sauce: What makes hot honey special is the balance of sweet, spicy, and a bit of acidity. Frank's Red Hot is a vinegar-based hot sauce, so it provides the heat and acidity all in one. If you don't have a similar hot sauce, make this Sriracha Honey Sauce instead.
- Make extra: It's easy to scale up this recipe. Make a double batch so you have extra for the week.
- Store at room temperature: This recipes only uses shelf stable ingredients, so it doesn't need to be refrigerated. Not only does this make it easier to store, but it's also easier to use! Most hot honeys that need to be refrigerated harden and require reheating.
- If honey hardens: It's normal for honey to crystallize over time—and it's still safe to eat. In the unlikely event your honey hardens, simply warm it up to make it runny again.
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Recipe FAQ's
I recommend substituting another Louisiana-style hot sauce (like Crystal, Louisiana, or similar). They'll have the most similar heat and tang to Frank's Red Hot.
You can use hot honey for so many things! Use it to garnish pizza, puff pastry tarts, whipped ricotta dip, roasted tomatoes and veggies, and cheese boards. Or, use it as dip for wings, nuggets, or crispy tofu sticks. Or, use it as a sweet and spicy ingredient in salad dressings, marinades, sauces, and wraps.
This recipe uses only shelf-stable ingredients—so no, you don't need to refrigerate it.
It'll last months. Make sure to use clean utensils for dipping into the honey, so you don't contaminate it with food crumbs.
Other Infused Honey recipes:
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📖 Recipe
Easy Hot Honey Sauce (No Cook!)
Ingredients
- ¼ cup honey
- 2 to 3 teaspoons Franks Red Hot sauce (see note 1)
- red pepper flakes (optional, to taste)
Instructions
- Mix: In a bowl, whisk ¼ cup honey and 2 to 3 teaspoons Franks Red Hot sauce until smooth. Add red pepper flakes to taste and adjust as needed.
Notes
- Hot Sauce: Use Frank's Red Hot. Otherwise substitute with another vinegar-based Louisiana-style hot sauce, like Crystal or Louisiana. Adjust the amount of hot sauce to taste. It's easier to start with less and add more as needed. If you want the honey even spicier, add red pepper flakes which add heat without watering down the honey too much.
- Serving Suggestions: Use homemade hot honey as a garnish for pizza, whipped ricotta dip, cheese boards, sandwiches, wraps, etc. It's also a great sweet and spicy ingredient to add to vinaigrette, dressings, marinades, and more.
- Storage: Keep in a sealed container at room temperature.
Terri Clifford says
How many weeks will the hot honey sauce last?
bri says
Hi Terri! The recipe as written should last for months. The recipe ingredients are shelf-stable at room temperature. However, if you make substitutions or if the hot honey sauce gets contaminated (with food crumbs, etc) that would reduce the shelf life. Hope this helps! Let me know if you give this recipe a try.