The Best Hot Honey: Our Taste Test Winners . . . And A Recipe

Let’s talk hot honey.

As the name implies, this is honey with a kick thanks to added chillies or peppers. Fans of hot honey love the sweet with a spicy finish.

To find the best hot honeys, we did a blind taste test. That way we aren’t influenced by brands or fancy bottles. We tasted several hot honey brands and then cleared our pallets between brands.

Before we get to the winners, here’s one of our favorite hot honey recipes.

Recipe: Hot Honey Pumpkin Pie

Hot Honey Pumpkin Pie

Prep Time: 1 hour

Difficulty: Easy

Servings: 6-8

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 homemade or store bought pie crust, par-baked in a pie pan for 10 minutes
  • 2 eggs
  • ½ cup sugar
  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon ground ginger
  • ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1 can (15 oz) pumpkin puree
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • ¼ cup milk
  • Roasted or candied pecans for decoration (optional)
  • ¼ cup Mike’s Hot Honey, plus more for serving

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs. Whisk in sugar and ground cloves.
  3. Mix in the pumpkin puree, heavy cream, milk, and Mike’s Hot Honey until combined.
  4. Pour the filling into the warm pre-baked crust, ¾ of the way full. Bake for 50-60 minutes; checking around 50 minutes to see if the pie is set. After 25 minutes, cover the edges with aluminum foil so the crust doesn’t get too browned.
  5. After the filling is set (a little jiggle in the center is okay as it will set completely as it cools), place on a wire rack to cool. Cool for 2-3 hours. Decorate with the pecans, and serve with whipped cream and more Mike’s Hot Honey.

Recipe and photo credit: Mike’s Hot Honey

About the Authors

Denise & Alan Fields are consumer advocates and best-selling authors. The Fields have authored 12 books with three million copies in print, including the best-selling guide to baby gear, Baby Bargains.

The Fields have been featured and quoted in the New York TimesWall Street Journal and Los Angeles Times.

As consumer products experts, the Fields have been guests on the NBC Today Show, Good Morning America and ABC’s 20/20.

How We Pick Products To Recommend

We often turn to our readers (3 million strong!) to find products to recommend. We ask our parent readers for their favorites and consider their real-world experiences in our recommendations.

When we test a product, we always purchase it with our own monies. We do not take free samples, as we believe that compromises our independence.

We also fact check manufacturer information with our own measurements. If a maker claims a product weighs X pounds, we will weigh it to make sure. If the battery life is supposed to be six hours, we will see how it stands up in the real world.

In some cases, we will do interviews with experts in the field to get additional feedback on products.

To get hands-on time with products, we regularly meet one-on-one with gear companies and even tour manufacturing facilities. (When we do this, we pay our own travel expenses).

Why Trust Us

We’ve been rating and reviewing products for the home and families since 1994. We do extensive research, evaluating products with an eye toward quality, ease of use and affordability.

We make our living from affiliate commissions, but we always recommend what we think are the best bets for our readers (not the ones that are the most expensive). We are always looking for products that offer the best bang for the buck.

Our independence is a key reason why we have been doing this so long. As we mentioned above, when we purchase a product for hands-on testing, we do so with our own money.

Here’s another key point: we don’t take money from the brands we review. No free samples, no sponsors, no “partnerships.” Our work is 100% reader-supported!