What Is Hot Honey and Why Is It Everywhere?

From fried chicken to pizza to cocktails, hot honey is having a moment. And it’s all by delicious design.

“The rise of hot honey is far from random — it’s the result of a complex and trackable convergence of cultural signals, consumer needs, and culinary experimentation,” Alon Chen, the CEO and cofounder of Tastewise, a consumer intelligence platform for food brands, explains to Food & Wine.

To get to the root of this hot honey frenzy, we need to go back in time by about two decades. Essentially, the cupcake fad of the early aughts and the trend toward putting brusssels sprouts on every menu in the mid-2010s walked so hot honey could run. 

It’s not just your imagination or us speaking in hyperbole. The sweet and spicy product is everywhere. Bottled hot honey brand Sweet Sting says its sales have had sudden and sharp increases, once jumping up by 50% week over week, with the company’s CEO, Dan Bycroft, telling Stuff that the sales increase came “out of nowhere.” 

KFC launched a hot honey collaboration earlier this year, Chipotle created an entire hot honey menu last month, and Ritz recently revealed its hot honey crackers. Glen Powell’s new line of condiments even includes a hot honey barbecue sauce.

Where did this come from, and where is it going? Here’s what to know about the food trend and if the experts think this one is here to stay. 

What is hot honey?

Hot honey is just what it sounds like: a fusion of sweet honey and spicy chiles. There are a number of ways to make it, which vary depending on the recipe and chile pepper, powder, or flakes used. Some methods call for simply soaking chiles in the honey for a period of time while others might require simmering the ingredients together.

Regardless of the recipe and method, you can fundamentally make hot honey with two ingredients. But don’t let its simplicity fool you. This condiment strikes a rare balance by delivering a bold flavor that doesn’t have to overpower a dish. 

Hot honey may be the instigator the “swicy” trend, a portmanteau for sweet and spicy.

“Consumers have clearly shown their enthusiasm for sweet heat flavor combinations,” Chris Brandt, the chief brand officer for Chipotle, shared in a statement with Food & Wine when the brand launched its swicy menu. “We have had tremendous success with ‘swicy’ innovations and believe Chipotle Honey Chicken will capture fans with a whole new level of excitement.”

Is hot honey a new trend?

While hot honey may feel like an overnight sensation, it’s anything but a new flavor. “I saw hot honey become a real trend about four years ago,” says Elijah Morey, co-owner of Elijah’s Xtreme, a craft hot sauce and hot honey brand. “It was a combination of Nashville hot honey chicken sandwiches and pizza places in New York City adopting hot honey, especially with Mike’s Hot Honey once it really took hold of the market online.” 

Even before that, variations of chile-infused honey have existed in some form or another for quite some time. Specialty Food Magazine reports that honey has been infused with pepperoncini peppers in Italy for centuries. And of course, the concept of combining sweet and spicy ingredients is nothing new and can be tasted in culinary traditions around the world.

As Morey points out, Mike’s Hot Honey is widely acknowledged as a driving force for popularizing the condiment in the United States, and this popular product has shown up in partnerships with everyone from Dunkin’ to 7-Eleven. 

“We partnered with Mike’s Hot Honey back in 2020,” says Betty Kaufman, the strategy director at food and beverage consultancy The Culinary Edge. “Our work focused on evolving the brand and product positioning for broader food service adoption through highlighting the craft quality of the product and its versatility across savory and even sweet dishes.”

That versatility proved critical to the brand’s breakout. “Suddenly, hot honey wasn’t just for your slice — it was for chicken sandwiches, biscuits, roasted veggies, and even cocktails,” says Kaufman.

Social media scaled the trend

It wasn’t just marketing firms and food brands that played a hand in the widespread growth of hot honey. User-generated content on TikTok and Instagram accelerated the trend’s visibility and appeal.

“Hot honey has been trending up for some time now, but TikTok and Instagram after 2020 really turned up the heat,” Morey adds. “So many new creators share recipes, inspiration, and food ideas that have helped make this market explode.”

Tastewise confirmed the digital surge, sharing its Hot Honey Trends report with Food & Wine, which indicates that social media mentions of hot honey are up 15% in the past 12 months.

Chefs are loving hot honey too

According to Hunter Evans, the executive chef and owner of Elvie’s and The Mayflower Café in Mississippi, sweet and spicy together “just makes sense, culinarily.” As Evans recalls, he “first noticed hot honey about five years ago, around the time Elvie’s opened, and we put it on the menu then,” and it continues to be a crowd-pleasing staple today. 

2024 F&W Best New Chef Erika Council serves the condiment atop fried chicken on one of her famous biscuit sandwiches at Bomb Biscuit in Atlanta, and 2023 F&W Best New Chef Edgar Rico drizzles it on the carrot tostada at Nixta Taqueria in Austin.

Perhaps the most famous hot honey dish can be found at pizza spot Roberta’s in New York City. The restaurant has served the condiment on its iconic Bee Sting pizza for over a decade, evidence of the sweet and spicy trend’s longevity.

Does hot honey have staying power?

These experts certainly think so. “Hot honey is here to stay,” Morey proclaims. “It’s a pantry staple for millions of Americans, no different than hot sauce, barbecue sauce, or ketchup.”

That’s the thing about hot honey. It’s the unsuspecting pantry staple you’ll find yourself turning to all the time. It can be a condiment, marinade, glaze, and even a cocktail ingredient. This sweet and spicy ingredient’s versatility has made it at home in acclaimed kitchens and on drive-thru menus alike.

“Ultimately, all trends come about as they can satisfy a specific need within the market. While trends tend to change quite rapidly, the consumer needs that drive them tend to remain more consistent,” Chen explains. “Brands recognize the sustained growth of hot honey as both a flavoring and a condiment. Its versatility, combined with a strong association with American classics, means that it works both with summery and cozy winter foods, giving it longevity beyond a seasonal or limited-time trend.”