Sweet honey is swirled into creamy butter, flecked with chili crisp, smoky paprika, and warming spices. This spicy-sweet, whipped hot honey butter spread is as good on biscuits as it is on steaks and side dishes.
On holiday weekends growing up, my mom would sometimes bake up a batch of Bisquick drop biscuits. We'd enjoy them warm from the oven, split and slathered with butter, dripping with drizzled honey of course.
As I got more into cooking over the years, I fell in love with compound butters. How with just a few ingredients, something that is on the table at almost every meal, is transformed into something that elevates an entire meal. They can lean savory, they can go sweet, or, like this hot honey butter, land somewhere right in between.
Other chili butters rely on crushed chili flakes or dashes of hot sauce, but for me, this is the perfect place for some chili crisp. The dried chilies are already suspended in a spicy oil, which helps them blend seamlessly into the butter.
I also add ground ginger and cinnamon, taking the flavor profile beyond simply "hot" to a smokier, earthier, more aromatic place. The result is a creamy, spreadable butter layered with sweetness, warmth, and different frequencies of spice.
Spring is always full of showers (rain, baby, bridal, and beyond!) and with holidays like Mother's Day around the corner, this chili honey butter is an easy way to make a weekend breakfast or celebratory brunch feel a little more special. Unless, of course, your mom is like mine: firmly anti-chili crisp. In that case, we'll stick with butter and honey, just like always. 💛
Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there. Whether you're raising the next generation of humans, caring for animals, nurturing the spirits of those around you, or giving birth to new ideas. A mother's love, in all forms, is a beautiful thing.
ingredients for hot honey butter
ingredient notes & swaps
- For a recipe like this where butter is the star of the show, I definitely recommend using an especially delicious variety. I used salted Kerrygold (so good!) which turns out perfect for my taste. If you use unsalted butter, you can add ¼ - ½ teaspoon of salt when you mix in the spices.
- The chili crisp I used has fermented soybeans in it, which have amazing flavor. They're a little too chunky for this spicy honey butter recipe, so I picked them out.
- Hot smoked paprika adds a deep, smoky heat that nicely echoes that of the chili crisp and cinnamon. For less fire, use sweet paprika here to take the spice level down a notch.
- To that end, increase or decrease any of the spices to suit your tastes. Go bold with extra chili crisp or tame things down by halving the amounts. Taste as you go and trust your instincts!
hot honey butter recipe
Sweet honey is swirled into creamy butter, flecked with chili crisp, smoky paprika, and warming spices. This spicy-sweet, whipped hot honey butter spread is as good on biscuits as it is on steaks and side dishes.
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 1 cup 1x
Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, at room temperature
- ¼ cup honey, at room temperature
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract or paste
- 1 tablespoon chili crisp
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon hot smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Place butter in a large mixing bowl and whip until light and fluffy. Depending on the ambient temperature, this may be easy to do with nothing more than a whisk and your own hands. Or, if like me, you find yourself making this hot honey butter on a chilly mid-March day, you may want the help of a hand mixer.
- Add all of the remaining ingredients to the bowl.
- Continue whipping until nicely blended, or if the texture allows, use a rubber spatula to fold the ingredients together until cohesive and smooth. Give it a taste and adjust seasonings as needed, making it spicier, sweeter, more vanilla-y, or saltier as you like!
- Serve your hot honey butter right away if you like its fluffy, silky texture. Or, pack it into a serving dish, cover, and refrigerator for 30 minutes - 1 hour for a more structured spread. The flavors will continue to mellow as it sits as well, so don't worry if it tastes a bit strong at first.
Notes
- Make sure the butter and honey both are at room temperature. Cold butter is very difficult to whip; likewise, adding cold honey to warm temperature butter will also cause difficulty when mixing. Both of these ingredients need to be room temperature (about 70℉) before using. Room temperature butter is soft to the touch, but not at all melted or oily looking.
- If you want to form your chili butter into log shape for slicing, chill it for about 30 minutes after mixing, just until it holds its shape when pressed but is soft enough to mold. Lay out a sheet of parchment paper or plastic wrap and place the butter on top of it, then start shaping the butter into a log. Use the parchment or plastic to help roll and round the sides, then fold over the ends and refrigerate until firm.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Category: sauce
- Method: no cook
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 tbsp
- Calories: 121
- Sugar: 4.4 g
- Sodium: 106.1 mg
- Fat: 11.6 g
- Carbohydrates: 4.9 g
- Protein: 0.2 g
- Cholesterol: 30.5 mg
FAQs
What is hot honey butter used for?
So many things! This spicy butter is great on warm biscuits, cornbread, or even waffles and pancakes for an interesting twist at breakfast. Or, place warm pats of cold hot honey butter on top of grilled steaks, chicken, or steamed rice for a spicy-sweet dinner.
Should honey butter be refrigerated?
Yes, you can store leftovers tightly sealed in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Though none of the ingredients need to be refrigerated on their own, the way they interact with each other once combined makes it better off to keep chilled.
What's the secret to fluffy honey butter?
There are a few things to keep in mind to create perfectly fluffy hot honey butter:
- Room temperature butter is best. Make sure to use room temperature butter when making honey compound butter recipes, as cold butter does not incorporate air.
- Avoid partially melted butter. Make sure the butter is not too warm (partially melted) as the butter also needs to be nice and homogenous in order to whip.
- Use an electric mixer. While whisking by hand will certainly work to combine the ingredients, the speed produced by an electric mixer is best for creating a light and fluffy whipped texture.
If you like the spirited spice of this hot honey butter recipe, try my other fiery dishes like Chipotle Cherry Salsa or spicy Shrimp Burrito Bowls!
dig in!
Enjoy & let me know what you think 🌙 💛
