What Is Hot Honey? (And 15 Ways to Use It)

Hot honey is exactly what it sounds like: honey infused with chillies. The result is a sticky, golden drizzle that hits sweet first and warm-spicy after. It went from a Brooklyn pizzeria secret to one of the fastest-growing condiments in the world, and once you have a jar in your kitchen you'll find yourself putting it on everything: pizza, fried chicken, cheese, pancakes, even ice cream. Most hot honeys are smooth and strained. Ours is a little different: we infuse Dutch flower honey with crunchy Taiwanese chilli crisp, so you get texture along with the heat. Here's everything you need to know, plus 15 ways to use it.

Where did hot honey come from?

Chillies and honey have been paired for a long time in lots of food cultures, but the modern hot honey craze has a surprisingly specific origin story. In 2004, an American student named Mike Kurtz tasted chilli-infused honey at a pizzeria in Brazil and couldn't stop thinking about it. Back home he started making his own version, and in 2010 he brought a jar to Paulie Gee's, the Brooklyn pizzeria where he worked. It ended up drizzled over a soppressata pizza called The Hellboy, customers went a bit feral for it, and Mike's Hot Honey was born.

Fifteen years later, sweet heat (the trend forecasters call it "swicy", sorry) is everywhere. Hot honey now appears on more than 11% of US menus, with menu mentions growing around 230% over four years, and retail sales jumped roughly 157% year on year in 2025. In other words: this is not a fad that's going away. It's a new pantry staple, like sriracha or chilli crisp before it.

How is hot honey made?

The classic method is simple: gently warm honey with chillies (fresh, dried, or flaked), let the heat infuse, then strain out the solids so you're left with smooth, spicy honey. Some brands skip the real chillies entirely and use chilli extract instead, which gets you heat but not much flavour.

The best hot honeys keep it simple: real honey, real chillies, and not much else. When you're reading labels, that's the thing to look for. If the ingredient list is longer than a sentence, or "honey" isn't the first ingredient, put it back on the shelf.

Crispy hot honey: the Taiwanese twist

Here's where we do things differently. Instead of infusing and straining, we make our Crispy Hot Honey by combining pure Dutch flower honey with our signature Taiwanese crispy chilli oil, the same Great Taste award-winning recipe with crunchy chilli, fried garlic, sesame seeds and a whisper of Sichuan peppercorn.

So instead of smooth honey with invisible heat, you get golden honey with actual crispy bits in it. Sweet, sticky, garlicky, gently spicy, with crunch. It's the love child of hot honey and chilli crisp, and honestly, once you've had the crunchy version it's hard to go back.

The heat level is a friendly 2 out of 5. Enough to notice, not enough to scare the kids off their pancakes.

Regular hot honey vs Chilli Chan's Crispy Hot Honey

15 ways to use hot honey

This is the fun part. Hot honey works anywhere you'd want sweet, salty and spicy to collide, which turns out to be almost everywhere. Our 15 favourites:

1. Pizza. The classic. Drizzle it over anything with cured meat or loads of cheese. Try our Hot Honey BBQ Chicken Pizza if you want the full experience.
2. Fried chicken. Crispy skin plus sticky heat is one of the greatest food combinations ever discovered. Nashville figured this out decades ago.
3. Burrata and soft cheeses. A drizzle over burrata, cottage cheese, goat cheese or brie with some crusty bread. Five-minute starter, restaurant-level result.
4. Halloumi. Brush it on before grilling or drizzle after. The squeaky-salty-sweet-spicy thing is unreasonably good.
5. Pancakes and waffles. Swap your maple syrup once and see what happens. The gentle heat wakes the whole plate up.
6. Warm sourdough with butter. Salted butter, hot honey, fresh bread. Sometimes the simplest things win.
7. Salmon glaze. Brush it on in the last few minutes of roasting. It caramelises into a sticky, spicy crust.
8. Crispy bacon. Drizzle over bacon just before it comes out of the pan. Your weekend brunch will never recover.
9. Roasted veggies. Carrots, sprouts, sweet potato, pumpkin. Toss with hot honey in the last 10 minutes of roasting.
10. Cheese boards. Put the jar straight on the board and let people discover it themselves. Watch it disappear.
11. Yoghurt and granola. A small drizzle over thick Greek yoghurt sounds odd and tastes brilliant.
12. Vanilla ice cream. Trust us. Sweet, cold, creamy, then a slow warm tingle. This one converts sceptics.
13. Strawberries. Our little kick on the Wimbledon classic. See the strawberry recipe.
14. Salad dressings. Whisk with olive oil, mustard and a splash of vinegar for a sweet-heat vinaigrette.
15. Cocktails. Stir into a margarita or hot toddy instead of plain syrup. Hot honey margaritas are a genuine crowd move.

FAQ

Is hot honey very spicy?

Usually not. Most hot honeys are more warm than fiery, because the sweetness of the honey softens the chilli heat. Ours sits at a gentle 2 out of 5, so it's family-friendly. If you want more fire, add a spoon of crispy chilli oil on top.

What does hot honey taste like?

Sweet first, then a slow build of warmth. Ours also brings garlic, toasted sesame and a hint of Sichuan peppercorn from the chilli crisp, plus actual crunch, which most hot honeys don't have.

Can you cook with hot honey?

Absolutely. Use it as a glaze for salmon, chicken or roasted veggies, whisk it into dressings and marinades, or drizzle it on after cooking. For glazes, add it near the end so the honey caramelises without burning.

How should you store hot honey and how long does it last?

Keep it in the fridge or a cool, dry cupboard. Our Crispy Hot Honey keeps for up to a year. If the honey crystallises, that's natural; stand the jar in warm water and it turns silky again.

Is hot honey vegan?

No. Honey is made by bees, so hot honey isn't vegan by most definitions. If you want the same crunchy sweet-heat vibe without honey, our Crispy Chilli Oil is 100% vegan.

Is hot honey gluten-free?

Ours is. We use a gluten-free soy sauce in our chilli crisp. It does contain soy and sesame, so check the label if you have allergies. Always check individual brands, as recipes vary.