Spicy Honey BBQ Sauce is equal parts sweet and heat! Honey bbq sauce recipe is sweetened with honey and brown sugar, and made nice and spicy with both jalapeño and habanero peppers. And don't worry, 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.
Most bbq sauces on the market just aren't spicy enough for my personal tastes. That is why I'm cooking with habanero peppers for this recipe.
There are also some jalapeño peppers in there for good measure! To balance out all of that heat is the perfect amount of honey.
Oh, and I have a not-so-secret ingredient that really ties it all together... tequila. Yes, tequila! If you have a good bottle on hand, make yourself a spicy jalapeño margarita and thank me later.
Ingredients in Spicy Honey BBQ Sauce
- Jalapeño peppers
- Habanero peppers
- Onion
- Garlic
- Olive oil
- Tomato paste
- Apple cider vinegar
- Worcestershire sauce
- Honey
- Spicy chili flakes
- Ground mustard
- Smoked paprika
- Tequila
- Brown sugar
- Salt and pepper
How to Make Sweet and Spicy BBQ Sauce
Cook the onion and pepper. 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.
Add garlic. 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.
Stir in your remaining ingredients. Mix in the 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.
Simmer. 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.
Recipe Tips & Notes
- You can switch the vinegar. Apple cider vinegar brings an additional sweetness along with the welcomed tang, but you can use other vinegars if you'd like.
- Tame it. 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.
- Make it spicier. 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 swap the 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.
How should I use spicy 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.
Storage
In an airtight container in the fridge, sweet and spicy bbq sauce should stay fresh for up to 1 week. Be sure to use a clean spoon every time you reach for some! Any new bacteria will cause the sauce to spoil quickly.
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
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
Jody says
Have you canned any of your BBQ sauces? I have a ton of tomatoes and peppers for it.
Mike H. says
I don't usually do it with this particular one because it should keep a few months easily in the fridge, or even longer. The key factor here is acidity. For shelf-stable foods, the target pH level should be below 4.6, but for home cooks, it's safer to aim for around 3.5 to allow for any potential mistakes. If you're unsure, you can add more vinegar to lower the pH. Sauces made with fermented chili peppers tend to have an even longer shelf life.
Becky says
Do you know if this would freeze well? This recipe looks super tasty, and i would like to make a batch with some of this years harvest. But I know I won't be able to eat in a week! Thanks for all of your recipes!
Mike Hultquist says
Hi, Becky. Yes, this freezes quite nicely. Enjoy it!!!
Justin Harrington says
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"!
Mike Hultquist says
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!!
Lynne says
This sauce was delicious I added Gochujang hot pepper paste as well and it came out perfect! Thank you so much!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Gochujang! Yes! Glad you enjoyed it, Lynne.
Sonja gray says
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...!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Nice, Sonja! I love it! That's some crazy hot BBQ sauce for sure! I love that you're growing superhots. Enjoy the heat!!
Debbie Florek says
This is a very nice sauce. I'm not one for too hot a sauce, so I toned it down, and added more Tequila.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Sounds perfect, Debbie! Love it!
Des says
Hi Mike,
If I don't have tequila (or bourbon), what else could I use as a substitute?
Cheers,
Des
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
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.
Mark says
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
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Mark! I love the updates! Sounds just perfect. Cheers!!
Peter Parris says
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!!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Great, Peter! I'm sure it will turn out nice and spicy! Yeah, curious how it turns out. Enjoy!
Charlie B says
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?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
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!
Gloria Kersh says
I'm definitely making this and using my datil in place of the habaneros. Yummmmm.
Thanks for the recipe.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Great. Datil peppers would be AWESOME here. Let me know how it turns out!
Ronda says
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.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
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.
lin says
Can i use dried jalapenos for this recipe. We are beekeepers so always looking for recipes using honey. Thanks
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
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!