Homemade Hot Honey BBQ Sauce
On January 31, 2025
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This homemade Hot Honey BBQ Sauce blends cayenne and red pepper with honey for a kick of sweet, sticky heat. It’s the perfect spicy BBQ sauce for your chicken, pork, shrimp, and so much more.
Homemade Hot Honey BBQ Sauce
Making great BBQ is all about combining the right flavors to bring the most out of your meat, and this homemade version of my Hot Honey BBQ Sauce does just that. You’ll combine fiery cayenne and red pepper flakes with luscious honey in a tomato base, then kiss it with brown sugar and apple cider vinegar for brightness. It’s the kind of sauce that starts sweet, builds to a gentle warmth, and leaves a little fire in your belly.
Whether you’re coating it on fall-off-the-bone ribs, brushing it over grilled chicken, or glazing some roasted veggies, this sauce has you covered. Let’s get started.
What is hot honey BBQ sauce?
Hot honey BBQ sauce is a spicy twist on traditional honey BBQ sauce, combining the sweetness of honey with a kick of heat from cayenne and red pepper flakes. It’s the spicy sister of the sauce I use on my honey BBQ wings. While it shares some flavor notes with trendy hot honey (like the one used on this hot honey pepperoni pizza), this is a true BBQ sauce. It’s sticky enough to caramelize beautifully on grilled meats, but with enough heat to wake up your taste buds.
Ingredients for this Recipe
Here’s what you’ll need to make this hot honey BBQ sauce at home. These are all pantry staples so it should be easy to make this recipe without a pricey trip to the grocery store.
- 1 cup ketchup
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons honey
- 1 Tablespoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
How to Make Hot Honey BBQ Sauce
Once you’ve got your ingredients gathered and prepared, just follow these simple steps to make your own hot honey BBQ sauce:
- Make the sauce. Add all the ingredients for your seasoning in a small bowl over medium heat, then stir together to combine. You want the salt and sugar to dissolve fully, and for everything to incorporate evenly. After that, reduce the heat and simmer your sauce for 20-25 minutes.
- Cool and blend the sauce. After your sauce reduces down, allow it to cool before carefully pouring it into your blender jar or food processor. You want to puree the sauce until you have a nice, smooth consistency.
- Rest, use, and store. Transfer your sauce to an airtight container and chill it in the refrigerator. I recommend letting your sauce cool overnight so all the flavors continue to meld and the sauce settles. After that, sauce, drizzle, glaze, and coat all your favorite meats with the tangy heat of this hot honey sauce.
That’s really all it takes to create your own delicious sauce at home. I’ve also got a whole post on how to make bbq sauce. Check it out if you want to take your sauce game to a different level.
Storage and Shelf Life
If you want to make your hot honey BBQ sauce ahead of time, or you have some left, it will last up to 2 weeks. Make sure you place your sauce in an airtight container. I love using lidded mason jars, but you can use anything you have on hand. Store your container of sauce in the refrigerator, then pull it out whenever you’re ready to sauce.
More BBQ Sauce Recipes
After you get your first taste of hot honey glazed salmon or a wing tossed in sauce you made yourself, you’ll be hooked. Luckily for you, Ive got dozens of BBQ sauce recipes you can make right in your own backyard. No mater what flavors you’re in the mood for, you can find a sauce in your Recipe Library or Hey Grill Hey App. For now, check out these family favorites:
Homemade Hot Honey BBQ Sauce Recipe
Follow the recipe card below so you and the people you love can enjoy this hot honey BBQ sauce on everything. Once you’re done licking that sweet, spicy sauce off your fingers, make sure to leave a 5-star review and tell me how you used your sauce. Follow me on Facebook and Instagram so you can find even more BBQ recipes, tips, and inside looks.
You can get a closer look at how to make your own BBQ sauces at home with several step-by-step tutorials on my YouTube channel. If you’re ready to start create your own flavors, you have to head over to The Grill Squad. I’ve got a whole class on making your own sauces and rubs at home, so you can become a true Backyard BBQ Hero.
Hot Honey BBQ Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 cup ketchup
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons honey
- 1 Tablespoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Make the sauce. Combine all the ingredients for your sauce in a small pot over medium heat. Mix together until combined, then reduce heat and simmer for 20-25 minutes.1 cup ketchup, ½ cup brown sugar, ¼ cup apple cider vinegar, 2 Tablespoons honey, 1 Tablespoon cayenne pepper, 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, ½ teaspoon black pepper
- Cool and blend the sauce. Remove sauce from heat and allow to cool. Carefully pour sauce into a blender and puree until smooth.
- Rest, use, and store. Transfer your sauce to a lidded jar and chill in the refrigerator overnight for the best results. Your sauce will last 2 weeks in the fridge when stored properly in an airtight container.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
