Looking to spice up your life? Search no further! Our hot honeys offer the perfect kick for any meal or snack. Add a little zest to your breakfast sandwich, pour it on popcorn, or use it as a marinade on your favorite meat while grilling for an extra zing. While pure raw honey on its own is a delectable treat, we can’t help but get a bit creative in the kitchen with our selection of spicy honeys, which include Ghost Pepper Honey, Firecracker Hot Honey, and Smokin’ Hot Honey.
What is Spicy Honey?
Spicy honey can be made in a variety of ways. One simple method is placing sliced peppers (fresno or red jalapenos for medium heat, or ghost peppers or habanero for bold heat) on the bottom of a jar and pouring raw honey on top.
Honey’s hygroscopic quality means it naturally absorbs moisture from the air or any other elements it is exposed to. This is why it’s so easy to experiment with infused honey. We encourage you to choose a pepper you like and try an infusion— playing with the amount of pepper and pepper surface area to get just the right intensity. We turn our jars once daily for about a week. It’s always a good idea to wear gloves and goggles if you’re working with especially hot peppers. Check out our full line of infused honeys, which includes hot honey, and experience the burst of flavor for yourself.
Remember that, in general, raw honey is known for its antimicrobial and antioxidant properties. Infusions only enhance the natural goodness of honey. So it’s okay to go wild—you’ll still get the health benefits.
Hot Honey Flavor Profiles & Aromas
Would you believe that hot honeys are great for both savory and sweet foods? It’s true! Spicy honeys can bring out the flavor profiles of your favorite foods.
Firecracker Hot Honey
To make our spiciest hot honey, Firecracker Hot Honey, we infuse Thai chilies and vinegar into our raw honey. It’s a heat that won’t light you up completely, but it will have a solid burn on the roof of your mouth.
There’s no wrong way to use our Firecracker Hot Honey. Drizzle it atop pizza, mac ‘n’ cheese, ice cream, salmon (for a hot honey glaze), grilled or fried chicken, sharp cheeses, Greek yogurt, stir fry veggies and—believe it or not—cocktails.
Smokin’ Hot Honey
Sweet. Smoky. Spicy. You’ve never tasted anything quite like this. For our Smokin’ Hot Honey, we take locally grown North Carolina Applewood Smoked Chilies and infuse them in pure raw honey with a dab of vinegar to get the perfect combination of flavors.
Pour some Smokin’ Hot Honey over BBQ, chicken, ribs, wings, ice cream (trust us, it’s delicious), fruits, cheeses, and cocktails.
Ghost Pepper Honey
The sweet heat of our spicy Ghost Pepper Honey comes from the infusion of monofloral honey with red ghost peppers. Although the ghost pepper is no longer considered the hottest pepper in the world (a title now held by the Carolina Reaper), this little pepper can pack a punch.
Ghost Pepper Honey is perfect for cooking and spicing up any and all dishes. Here’s a tip: Make sure to flip your Ghost Pepper Honey upside down (and then rightside up) a few times in order for the Ghost Pepper Oil to mix thoroughly with the honey before each taste. If you don’t do this, all of the Ghost Pepper Oil will be sitting on top of the honey and your first taste will be quite spicy!
One trick in sampling the sweet heat of hot honeys is to spread the honey on a cracker rather than just on a spoon—it may not be as spicy as when you lick it straight off a spoon.
Warm up This Winter with Hot & Spicy Honey
While any of our honeys make perfect gifts (any day of the year), consider buying the Smokin’ Hot Honey and Firecracker Hot Honey together in our Hot Honey Lover Gift Set for friends or family members who love a little sweet heat. Better yet, bring home a bottle of hot honey for yourself and serve it on the side of your holiday ham!
Warm up in the kitchen with these Hot Honey recipes!