All you need for the easiest hot honey sauce is honey, red pepper flakes and vinegar. But I like to layer the heat with different types of red pepper flakes and a splash of hot sauce. It is a delicious sweet and spicy sauce ready to be drizzled over every meal.
Yield1 cup
Servings16
Ingredients
- 1 cup honey
- 3 tablespoons red pepper flakes*, more to taste
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce (optional), like Tabasco
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, combine the honey with 3 tablespoons of red pepper flakes.
- Place the saucepan over low heat and warm the mixture to a light simmer – without letting it boil. Stir often to ensure even heat distribution. Remove the saucepan from the heat and allow it to infuse for 10 minutes.
- Taste the honey. If you want more heat, add another tablespoon (or more) of chile flakes. Allow it to rest for another 10 minutes.
- Stir in the tablespoon of apple cider vinegar.
- Strain the hot honey with a fine mesh strainer. If your chilli flakes are small enough to pass through the strainer squeeze it through muslin cloth instead.
- Add a pinch of salt and taste again. If you want even more heat, add a teaspoon of hot sauce, or more to taste. I use Tabasco.
- Transfer your room-temperature spicy honey to a sterilised glass jar or airtight container and store it in a dark dry place for up to 3 months.
Notes
- You can use crushed red pepper flakes (the ubiquitous kind with the seeds in) or any coarse chile flake like Aleppo pepper or gochugaru. I prefer a combination of spicy red pepper flakes and fruity seedless pepper flakes (like Aleppo pepper or gochugaru) in the honey. Play around with the chilli flakes, or try whole dried chillies or a sliced fresh Jalapeño.
- Storage instructions: Store strained hot honey in a cool, dark place, like a pantry or cupboard, for up to 3 months. Or, if you prefer to leave the honey unstrained, it is best stored in the fridge. And if you used fresh chillies instead of dried red pepper flakes, it is best to refrigerate and consume it within 1 week.