We think you’d agree, honey is the perfect, natural sweetener! Who doesn’t love a little (or big!) stir in tea or a swirl on yogurt? YUM! If sweet and savory is your thing then hot honey just might be your new go-to flavor booster.  

If you’re not familiar with hot honey then maybe you’re imagining a warmed-up sweet syrup.  But one taste and you’ll realize it’s all about the spice. And, with the sugar in honey taming the burn of capsaicin, hot honey adds a sweet and spicy zing to a wide variety of foods and drinks without setting your mouth on fire.  

And, if you already eat honey for its healthy qualities like antioxidants, good gut bacteria, and immune-boosting properties, you’ll be happy to know that this alkaline food gets a kick from its spicy friend Capsaicin. The compound found in hot peppers that brings on the burn also has a number of health benefits including anti-inflammatory properties, speeding up metabolism, and controlling pain. Yes, hot honey is considered a healthy condiment and probably better for you than fatty mayo (ranked as top choice in the U.S) and iconic ketchup which is either high in sugar or high fructose corn syrup.

Speaking of condiments, did you know that hot honey became famous as a pizza condiment?  That’s right, a guy named Mike Kurtz made the discovery while exploring Brazil when he was offered some local honey with added chili peppers as a dip for his pizza. Kurtz fell in love with the flavor so much that he started manufacturing his own style of hot honey for drizzling on just about everything. If you’re wondering, yes, hot honey can easily be made right in your own kitchen with ingredients you already have.

And, pizza isn’t the only food that goes surprisingly well with the sweet and spicy flavor of hot honey, check out some of the superb ideas and recipes below to get started on your own sweet and spicy journey…

Wondering what to do with a jar of Hot Honey?

• Drizzle on: fruit, yogurt, grilled veggies, ice cream, pizza, sweet breads
• Bake with it in place of regular honey… imagine a spicy warm cornbread just out of the oven – delish!
• Add it to the charcuterie board
• Swirl into hot or iced tea or an alcoholic beverage
• Whisk into dressings, glazes, and marinades.

Hot Honey Wings

Glazed Hot Honey Garlic Shrimp

Baked Brie with Hot Honey and Pecans

Mike’s Hot Honey Watermelon Mule

Hot Honey-Peanut Butter No-Churn Ice Cream

Sorry jelly, peanut butter finds a new friend – you guessed it… Hot Honey! Photo: FoodNetwork.com

We hope you bring some sweet and spicy dishes to the table this summer and if your looking for something to LOOK hot in while experimenting with hot honey check out our Short & Sweet Sale for 10% off all short sleeve PJ’s and hoodies. See you in the next blog!

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Deb Fries is a freelance writer and designer and worked at Julianna Rae in Graphics and Customer Service, she now writes for the blog at JuliannaRae.com.