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Home » Spicy Honey BBQ Sauce Recipe

Spicy Honey BBQ Sauce Recipe

by Mike Hultquist · May 23, 2018 · 22 Comments

Jump to Recipe
Spicy Honey BBQ Sauce | ChiliPepperMadness.com #BBQ #BBQSauce #BarbecueSauce #SpicyFood #HabaneroSauce

This honey bbq sauce recipe is sweetened with honey and brown sugar, and made nice and spicy with both jalapeno and habanero peppers, though you can easily adjust the heat levels to your own personal preferences. 

Spicy Honey BBQ Sauce - Recipe
 

If you love your barbecue sauces a little bit sweet and a little bit (or a LOT) spicy, this is the recipe for you, my friends. I've made a lot of homemade bbq sauces over the years, and there's nothing better than making it yourself.

I've purchased some pretty darned great barbecue sauces from the store and from artisan sauce makers, but when you make it at home, you're able to control exactly what ingredients go into the final sauce, and also the level of heat.

Most bbq sauces on the market just aren't spicy enough for my personal tastes. That is why I'm cooking with habanero peppers today for this recipe.

Habanero peppers? YES!

AND jalapeno peppers as well, because we all know about Mike's #JalapenoObsession. Can't help it!

Spicy Honey BBQ Sauce - Ready for Slathering Onto Your Favorite Grilled Foods

Spicy Honey BBQ Sauce - Ready for Slathering Onto Your Favorite Grilled Foods

How to Make This Homemade Spicy Honey BBQ Sauce Recipe

Making your spicy honey bbq sauce is easy enough.

Heat up a large saucepan to medium heat and add olive oil with onion and peppers. I used my cast iron pan for this because I love the way it conducts heat, so everything cooks nice and evenly. Cook them down about 5 minutes or so, until everything softens.

Toss in the garlic and cook another minute, until garlic becomes fragrant. You'll be able to smell its awesomeness. I LOVE the smell of cooking garlic.

Next, stir in your remaining ingredients - tomato paste, apple cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, honey, spicy chili flakes, ground mustard, smoked paprika, tequila, brown sugar, and a bit of salt and pepper to taste. Apple cider vinegar brings an additional sweetness along with the welcomed tang, but you can use other vinegars if you'd like.

Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer about 20 minutes. You can simmer longer if you'd like, but don't let the sauce reduce too much.

Give it a taste. Good? Great! Add it to a food processor and process until it is nice and smooth. You can serve this right away, or let it sit awhile to allow the flavors to more fully develop.

Steps to Making this Spicy Honey BBQ Sauce Recipe

Steps to Making this Spicy Honey BBQ Sauce Recipe

I've included a longer video below showing HOW TO MAKE THIS RECIPE, as well as information on how to adjust the heat levels.

Adjusting the Spiciness

As mentioned, I made this nice and spicy by using 2-3 jalapeno peppers and 4 small habanero peppers. If this is too hot for you, you can either reduce or skip the habanero peppers entirely and just focus on the jalapeno pepper. Dial back on the chili flakes as well.

For a NO HEAT version of this recipe, use a sweet bell pepper instead. Any color will do, though I prefer a red bell. You will still get amazing flavor.

Want an even HOTTER version? Add in more habanero peppers, or use hotter peppers. Ghost peppers or 7-Pot Peppers are GREAT here. You can also add a few splashes of your favorite spicy hot sauce.

You can also use powders, like cayenne pepper, chili powder, red pepper flakes or others.

Learn more about your chili pepper options - Types of Chili Peppers and Hottest Peppers in the World List.

What Can I Use Instead of Honey?

If you prefer to skip the honey, agave nectar is a good alternative. Molasses is popular for barbecue sauce recipes as well.

Or, just double up on the brown sugar.

Recipe Ideas for Honey BBQ Sauce

This spicy honey bbq sauce recipe is GREAT on pretty much any grilled foods - figure chicken, pork, shrimp - though I LOVE it with chicken wings. Heck, I love it on almost anything. It's so sweet and tangy. Here are a few recipes to get you thinking.

One-Pot Sweet and Spicy BBQ Chicken Wings, Grilled Steakhouse BBQ Burgers, Bacon Wrapped Shrimp.

Yum!

Try Some of My Other Popular BBQ Sauce Recipes

  • Chipotle-Bacon-Bourbon Barbecue Sauce
  • Peach-Bourbon Barbecue Sauce
  • Ancho BBQ Sauce
  • Easy BBQ Sauce
  • South Carolina Mustard BBQ Sauce
  • Mango-Habanero BBQ Sauce
  • White BBQ Sauce (Alabama White Sauce)

If you enjoy this recipe, I hope you'll leave a comment with some STARS. Also, please share it on social media. Don't forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I'll be sure to share! Thanks! -- Mike H.

Honey-Mustard Recipes

If you love honey bbq sauce, you might enjoy these honey mustard recipes as well.

  • Beer-Honey Mustard
  • Chipotle Honey Mustard
  • Habanero-Peach-Honey Mustard

Patty's Perspective

This is pretty hot for my palate, but the beautiful sweetness really helps to balance it out. I can really taste the complex layers of spices in this sauce. Definitely a winner in my book and will be my go-to barbecue sauce for this summer.

If you enjoy this recipe, I hope you'll leave a comment with some STARS. Also, please share it on social media. Don't forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I'll be sure to share! Thanks! -- Mike H.

Spicy Honey BBQ Sauce - Recipe
Print

Spicy Honey BBQ Sauce Recipe

This bbq sauce recipe is sweetened with honey and brown sugar, and made nice and spicy with both jalapeno and habanero peppers, though you can easily adjust the heat levels to your own personal preferences.
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: barbecue, bbq, sauce, spicy
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Calories: 146kcal
Author: Mike Hultquist
Servings: 8
Tap or hover to scale
5 from 6 votes
Leave a Review

Ingredients

  • 2-3 jalapeno peppers diced
  • 4 habanero peppers diced
  • 1 sweet onion diced
  • 3 cloves garlic chopped
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 6 ounces tomato paste
  • ½ cup apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 3 tablespoons honey
  • 2 tablespoons spicy chili flakes
  • 1 tablespoon ground mustard
  • 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
  • 2 ounces tequila
  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Heat a large saucepan to medium heat and add olive oil with onion and peppers. Cook about 5 minutes, or until everything softens.
  • Add the garlic and cook another minute, until garlic becomes fragrant.
  • Add remaining ingredients and stir until everything is combined.
  • Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer about 20 minutes.
  • Strain into a storage container. You can serve this right away, or let it sit awhile to allow the flavors to more fully develop.

Video

Nutrition Information

Calories: 146kcal   Carbohydrates: 30g   Protein: 1g   Fat: 1g   Sodium: 252mg   Potassium: 416mg   Fiber: 2g   Sugar: 25g   Vitamin A: 1435IU   Vitamin C: 18.9mg   Calcium: 43mg   Iron: 1.7mg
Spicy Honey BBQ Sauce - Recipe
Did You Enjoy This Recipe?I love hearing how you like it and how you made it your own. Leave a comment below and tag @ChiliPepperMadness on social media.
Spicy Honey BBQ Sauce | ChiliPepperMadness.com #BBQ #BBQSauce #BarbecueSauce #SpicyFood #HabaneroSauce

Categories: BBQ/Grilled Tags: Chili Pepper Madness, chili pepper recipe, game day and superbowl parties, grilling recipe, habanero pepper, jalapeno pepper, video recipe

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    Recipe Rating




  1. Justin Harrington says

    June 01, 2022 at 10:44 pm

    5 stars
    Just.....wow! I used 2 jalapeno peppers, 4 habaneros and threw in a ghost for that extra muchness. It made for a reaaaally thick sauce so I'll add some liquid to it next batch but there will definitely be many a "next batch"!

    Reply
    • Mike Hultquist says

      June 02, 2022 at 5:41 am

      Glad you enjoyed it, Justin. Yes, I mention in the post that you can add water or stock to thin it out to your preference pretty easily. I appreciate the comments!!

      Reply
  2. Lynne says

    February 21, 2021 at 3:01 pm

    5 stars
    This sauce was delicious I added Gochujang hot pepper paste as well and it came out perfect! Thank you so much!

    Reply
    • Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says

      February 21, 2021 at 3:11 pm

      Gochujang! Yes! Glad you enjoyed it, Lynne.

      Reply
  3. Sonja gray says

    October 14, 2020 at 2:27 pm

    5 stars
    Hi,
    This is only the 2nd barbecue sauce that I have made. This is a fantastic recipe.
    I have gone super chilli mad this summer and grown Naga, ghost & carolina reaper chillies with a massive crop of little red balls of dynamite. I used 2 ghost chillies in this recipe, wow, what a lovely kick mixed with the honey & vinegar. It has become the new go to family barbecue sauce.
    Making the next batch soon with Naga chillies..
    Still got loads to use...!

    Reply
    • Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says

      October 14, 2020 at 3:13 pm

      Nice, Sonja! I love it! That's some crazy hot BBQ sauce for sure! I love that you're growing superhots. Enjoy the heat!!

      Reply
  4. Debbie Florek says

    July 11, 2020 at 1:20 pm

    5 stars
    This is a very nice sauce. I'm not one for too hot a sauce, so I toned it down, and added more Tequila.

    Reply
    • Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says

      July 11, 2020 at 1:37 pm

      Sounds perfect, Debbie! Love it!

      Reply
  5. Des says

    July 07, 2020 at 12:00 am

    Hi Mike,

    If I don't have tequila (or bourbon), what else could I use as a substitute?

    Cheers,
    Des

    Reply
    • Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says

      July 07, 2020 at 5:48 am

      Des, you can try this with rum, or just skip it and compensate with some extra water or broth. It is still very good without the alcohol.

      Reply
  6. Mark says

    February 20, 2020 at 12:19 am

    5 stars
    Amazing recipe!
    Replaced the Habs with a single Chocolate Bhutlah and the tequila with an oaky bourbon to give this sauce a nice woody BBQ taste with a slow (but steady) spice. Incredible result!
    I'm going to make more with 2 and 3 Bhutlah just to see how far I can push it.

    Thank you so much for this recipe!
    Cheers Mike, from Christchurch, New Zealand.
    - Mark

    Reply
    • Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says

      February 20, 2020 at 8:05 am

      Thanks, Mark! I love the updates! Sounds just perfect. Cheers!!

      Reply
  7. Peter Parris says

    September 30, 2019 at 1:32 pm

    5 stars
    Mike,
    Thanks again for another great recipe. I have a chocolate scorpion plant that put out a whole bunch of peppers this year. I am going to try this recipe with just one chocolate scorpion and the regular ingredients. Ill let you know how it turned out, wish me luck!!

    Reply
    • Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says

      September 30, 2019 at 1:45 pm

      Great, Peter! I'm sure it will turn out nice and spicy! Yeah, curious how it turns out. Enjoy!

      Reply
  8. Charlie B says

    September 12, 2019 at 2:22 pm

    Michael,

    First off, love spicy. I am new to making (more like trying to make) my own sauce, thank you for creating such an informative site.

    That said, as a novice, I have two questions about this recipe.

    1. Does it need to be refigerated?

    2. How long can it be kept?

    Reply
    • Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says

      September 12, 2019 at 3:05 pm

      Thanks, Charlie. I appreciate it. Refrigeration is a big discussion in the hot sauce world. Many people like to keep theirs out, as they believe refrigeration affects flavor. I personally prefer refrigeration to prevent spoilage. Anything will spoil eventually.

      As far as how long it lasts - It should keep a few months easily in the fridge, or even longer. It’s all about the acidity. To be technical, target level ph for shelf stable foods is below 4.6 ph, but should probably be lower for home cooks, around 3.5 or so, to account for errors. If you’re concerned, add more vinegar to lower the ph. Sauces made with fermented chili peppers will last even longer.

      I hope this helps!

      Reply
  9. Gloria Kersh says

    May 30, 2018 at 3:07 pm

    I'm definitely making this and using my datil in place of the habaneros. Yummmmm.
    Thanks for the recipe.

    Reply
    • Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says

      May 30, 2018 at 3:09 pm

      Great. Datil peppers would be AWESOME here. Let me know how it turns out!

      Reply
  10. Ronda says

    May 23, 2018 at 5:30 pm

    We like spicy things, but don't care for the flavor of habaneros. Is there another pepper we can use in place of the habaneros or shall I just use additional jalapenos? Thanks.

    Reply
    • Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says

      May 24, 2018 at 7:11 am

      Ronda, yes, you can use other peppers with this recipe. Using only jalapeno peppers is just fine. Let me know how it turns out for you.

      Reply
  11. lin says

    May 23, 2018 at 1:16 pm

    Can i use dried jalapenos for this recipe. We are beekeepers so always looking for recipes using honey. Thanks

    Reply
    • Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says

      May 23, 2018 at 1:56 pm

      Hi, Lin. Absolutely. It would be best to rehydrate the peppers first, though. They may rehydrate in the overall sauce mixture, depending on how much you're using, but I would rehydrate them first and then cook accordingly. Let me know how it turns out for you. Do a search for "honey" on the site here and you'll find a number of recipe ideas. I'm happy to make suggestions!

      Reply

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