What Is Hot Honey? Ghost Pepper, Carolina Reaper & Pepper X Infused Honey, Explained

Hot honey has gone from pizza-shop secret to full-blown food obsession — and for good reason. Sweet heat makes almost everything better. At Ohh BeeHave Apiary on Florida's Treasure Coast, we make ours the hard way: real raw honey from our own hives, infused with seriously hot peppers. Here's everything you need to know.

What is hot honey?

Hot honey is simply honey infused with chili peppers. The honey mellows and rounds out the burn, while the peppers give the sweetness an edge. The best versions start with raw, unfiltered honey — the floral complexity of real honey is what makes the sweet-heat combination work. Mass-produced versions built on pasteurized honey taste flat by comparison.

Choosing your heat level

Ghost Pepper: The gateway. Big flavor, a slow build, and a warm finish that enhances food without punishing you. If you're new to hot honey, start here.

Carolina Reaper: For heat lovers. The Reaper held the Guinness World Record for hottest pepper for years, and it brings real fire — but infused in raw honey, it becomes an addictive slow burn rather than pure pain.

Pepper X: The final boss. Currently recognized as the hottest pepper in the world. Our Pepper X honey is for the folks who ask us at the booth, 'okay, but what's your HOTTEST?' You know who you are.

What to put it on

Pizza is the classic — especially anything with pepperoni or sausage. But hot honey is just as good drizzled on fried chicken and wings, biscuits and cornbread, charcuterie and cheese boards (it's unreal with brie and goat cheese), roasted brussels sprouts and sweet potatoes, burgers, and yes — vanilla ice cream. Trust us on that last one.

Try it from a real Florida apiary

Every bottle of our infused hot honey starts with raw honey harvested from Ohh BeeHave Apiary hives right here on the Treasure Coast. Order online, or find our booth at local markets where you can sample before you commit to the Reaper. We also make raw wildflower honey, cut comb, beeswax candles, and handcrafted goat milk soaps — all local, all small-batch.