Hot Honey Recipes: 9 Sweet and Spicy Ways to Use It All Summer

Hot honey earned its spot on menus for a reason. That first hit of sweetness followed by a slow, creeping burn hits a flavor combination your tongue doesn't quite know what to do with, in the best way. What started as a pizza topping at a single Brooklyn pizzeria has spread into everything from fried chicken sandwiches to cocktails, and it's easy to see why once you've tried it. Wikipedia's overview of the condiment notes that hot honey combines raw honey with chilies and gained mainstream popularity in the early 2020s alongside the rise of Mike's Hot Honey, a single brand that turned a niche condiment into a category of its own.

You don't need a trendy restaurant to get in on it. A jar of good raw honey, some chili heat, and a little creativity covers most of what you need. Here are nine ways to put hot honey to work this summer, plus a few notes on making your own if you'd rather skip the store-bought version.

Store-bought or homemade: both work

If you want hot honey without the extra step, Weeks Honey Farm's Hawt Honey is raw honey infused with real Southern chiles, ready to pour straight from the jar. It's the fastest route to everything on this list.

Prefer to make your own? Start with a mild, versatile base like wildflower honey or clover honey, warm it gently on the stove with a spoonful of red pepper flakes or a sliced fresh chili, and let it steep off the heat for 20 to 30 minutes before straining. The National Honey Board points out that honey's natural ability to balance bold, smoky, spicy summer flavors makes it a natural partner for exactly this kind of infusion. Keep the heat gentle. Honey degrades and loses some of its floral character if it gets too hot for too long, so a low simmer beats a rolling boil every time.

1. Hot honey fried chicken

This is the pairing that built the trend, and it's still the best entry point if you've never made hot honey chicken before. Drizzle it generously over crispy fried or oven-baked chicken tenders right after they come out of the fryer, while the coating is still hot enough to let the honey cling and slightly caramelize into the crust. The sweetness cuts through the richness of the fried coating, and the heat builds gradually instead of hitting all at once.

For a shortcut version, toss wings in hot honey straight after baking instead of drizzling, so every piece gets an even coat. A squeeze of lime at the end brightens the whole plate.

2. Hot honey pizza

Nothing beats the original. A few generous drizzles over a finished pizza, whether it's a classic pepperoni pie, a white pizza with ricotta, or something loaded with soppressata, transforms an ordinary slice into something worth talking about. Add it after the pizza comes out of the oven rather than baking it in, since the sugars in honey will scorch under sustained high heat.

Pair it with something salty. Cured meats, aged cheeses, and a scattering of fresh basil all play well against the sweet-heat combination, giving your palate something to bounce between with every bite.

3. Hot honey butter for cornbread and biscuits

Southern cooking already knows what to do with honey butter, and adding heat only makes it better. Whip softened butter with a spoonful of hot honey until it's fluffy and evenly streaked with color, then let it firm back up in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before serving. Spread generously over warm cornbread or biscuits fresh from the oven, where the butter melts into every crevice and carries the heat along with it.

This one doubles as a make-ahead item for a summer cookout. A batch of hot honey butter keeps well in the fridge for a couple of weeks, ready whenever cornbread shows up on the table.

4. Hot honey on grilled corn

Corn on the cob gets a serious upgrade with a hot honey brush-on. Grill the ears until they've got some real char, then brush hot honey over the surface while it's still warm, letting it seep into every row of kernels. A crumble of cotija cheese and a squeeze of lime on top turns this into an elote-style side dish that disappears fast at any summer gathering.

If you want a milder version for a mixed crowd, cut the hot honey with a little plain honey before brushing it on, so the heat stays present without overwhelming anyone at the table who's sensitive to spice.

5. Hot honey glazed salmon

Whisk hot honey with a splash of soy sauce and a bit of rice vinegar, then brush it over salmon fillets during the last few minutes of grilling or baking, once the fish is nearly cooked through. The sugars caramelize fast, so watch it closely. This glaze also works well on shrimp skewers if you want something quicker for a weeknight dinner, since shrimp cooks in a fraction of the time salmon needs.

6. Hot honey and cheese boards

A cheeseboard with a small dish of hot honey drizzled over soft cheese instantly feels more intentional than crackers and cubes alone. It pairs especially well with creamy, mild cheeses like brie or goat cheese, where the heat and sweetness have room to stand out against something that doesn't fight back with its own strong flavor. A sharp aged cheddar works too, if you want the honey to play against something saltier and more assertive.

Scatter some toasted nuts or dried fruit nearby, and you've got a spread that covers sweet, spicy, creamy, and crunchy without much effort at all.

7. Hot honey margaritas

Swap the simple syrup in a classic margarita for hot honey, and you get a cocktail with a genuinely interesting finish: sweet up front, tequila in the middle, and a slow warmth at the very end. Shake it with tequila, fresh lime juice, and a small spoonful of hot honey (start light and adjust to taste, since the heat concentrates once it's diluted with ice), then strain over fresh ice with a salt or chili-salt rim.

This one's worth making in a small batch before a summer gathering, since guests tend to ask for the recipe the moment they try it.

8. Hot honey drizzled over ice cream

This combination sounds unlikely until you try it. A drizzle of hot honey over vanilla ice cream, especially alongside something salty like crushed pretzels or a sprinkle of flaky sea salt, plays the same sweet-heat-salt game that makes hot honey work everywhere else on this list. Cold ice cream slows down the burn just enough to make it feel more like a warm undertone than a direct hit, which makes this a surprisingly good way to introduce hot honey to someone who's never tried it.

9. Hot honey vinaigrette

Whisk hot honey with olive oil, apple cider vinegar, a touch of Dijon mustard, and a pinch of salt for a vinaigrette that turns a plain summer salad into something with real dimension. It's particularly good over salads built around bitter greens, grilled peaches, or a mix of fresh berries, where the sweetness and heat both have something to play against.

This same vinaigrette doubles as a marinade for grilled chicken or pork if you make a bit extra, since the acid in the vinegar helps tenderize while the honey promotes a deeper caramelized crust on the grill.

A quick note on kids and honey

Hot honey isn't just an adult flavor experience worth gatekeeping from kids for taste reasons. It's worth a genuine safety reminder here: honey in any form, hot or otherwise, should never be given to infants younger than 12 months old. The CDC is direct on this point, noting that honey can contain the bacteria responsible for infant botulism and should be kept away from babies entirely, including honey worked into baked goods or added to a pacifier. Once a child passes their first birthday, this risk goes away, but it's worth keeping in mind if you're making a big batch of hot honey cornbread for a gathering that includes little ones.

Why this trend has staying power

Sweet-heat flavor combinations aren't new, but hot honey specifically has shown real staying power rather than fading after a season or two. Trade coverage tracking restaurant menu trends has followed hot honey's rise closely, and reporting on the broader sweet-heat menu movement points to hot honey items spreading well beyond independent pizzerias into national chains, fast-food breakfast sandwiches, and grocery store condiment aisles.

Unlike a lot of food trends that peak and disappear within a season, hot honey's appeal comes down to something simple: it works on almost anything. Once you've tried it on one dish, it's hard not to start reaching for it on everything else, and that kind of versatility tends to be exactly what separates a passing fad from something that sticks around in regular rotation.

Try it yourself

Whether you go with a ready-made jar or infuse your own at home, hot honey earns its spot in a summer kitchen fast. Start with Weeks Honey Farm's Hawt Honey for the quickest path to all nine of these ideas, or grab a jar of raw wildflower honey if you'd rather build your own blend from scratch. Not sure which base honey you'll like best for infusing? The Georgia Honey Sampler lets you try several varieties in smaller jars before committing to a full-size bottle. For more ways to put raw honey to work this summer, browse the full recipe collection for ideas beyond the hot honey lineup, including the farm's summer grilling recipes if you're already firing up the grill this weekend.