Hot Honey

Sweet Heat

Hot honey is raw honey infused with chili peppers, creating a condiment that delivers sweetness first, followed by a building heat that lingers on the palate. The concept is not new (Calabrian beekeepers in southern Italy have been making miele piccante for centuries), but the American hot honey movement, largely driven by brands popularizing it as a pizza topping, has turned it into one of the fastest-growing condiment categories in the food industry.

Making Hot Honey

The process is simple. Dried chili flakes (red pepper flakes, cayenne, or specialty peppers like ghost pepper or habanero) are steeped in warm honey. The capsaicin (the compound that makes peppers hot) dissolves into the honey over hours to days. The honey is strained to remove most of the pepper remains, though some producers leave flakes in for visual appeal and extra heat. The heat level depends on the pepper variety and the steeping time.

At home, start conservatively: 1 tablespoon of red pepper flakes per cup of raw honey, gently warmed and steeped for 20 minutes, produces a mild-to-moderate heat. Strain and adjust. You can always add more heat; you cannot take it away.

How to Use It

Hot honey's breakthrough moment was pizza. Drizzled over a pepperoni or sausage pizza, the sweet-spicy honey creates a flavor combination that is genuinely addictive. But it goes far beyond pizza: fried chicken and hot honey is a southern U.S. staple, charcuterie and cheese boards (especially with sharp cheddar or blue cheese), roasted Brussels sprouts, grilled peaches, cocktail rimming, and even vanilla ice cream all benefit from a hot honey drizzle.