Hot Honey (Capsaicin-Infused)
Hot honey is the simplest capsaicin preparation: warm honey, add peppers, steep, strain. The honey's viscosity slows capsaicin delivery to your palate, producing a long, gentle burn that pairs with fried chicken, pizza, cheese boards, and cocktails.
Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
1 hour infusion
Servings
16
Max SHU
100K
Heat Level
100,000 SHU — Hot range
Ingredients
- 1 cup honey (raw, unfiltered preferred)
- 4–6 fresh chile peppers (Fresno, Thai, or habanero for more heat)
- Pinch of sea salt
- Optional: ½ teaspoon apple cider vinegar
Instructions
- 1
Slice peppers into thin rings. Leave seeds for more heat, remove for less.
- 2
Warm honey in a small saucepan over the lowest heat possible (do not exceed 160°F / 71°C — higher temps destroy beneficial enzymes).
- 3
Add sliced peppers and salt. Stir gently.
- 4
Keep on lowest heat for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. The honey will thin and the peppers will soften.
- 5
Strain through a fine mesh sieve into a clean jar. Press peppers to extract all honey.
- 6
Add vinegar if using (helps shelf stability). Cool and cap.
- 7
Store at room temperature. Lasts indefinitely — honey is naturally antimicrobial.
Capsaicin dissolves slowly into honey because honey is ~80% sugar by weight with only ~17% water. The low water activity (aw ~0.6) makes honey naturally antimicrobial — nothing grows in it. Capsaicinoids are stable in this environment indefinitely. The infusion gets hotter over the first week as more capsaicin migrates out of the pepper tissue.