Finding ways to add a little heat and sweetness to your meals can feel like a tricky balance. You want something that brings flavor without being too overwhelming, and store-bought options often fall short with artificial ingredients or price tags that make you wince at the checkout.
That’s where this fermented jalapeño honey comes in handy. It’s surprisingly easy to make at home, gives you control over the heat level, and creates this perfect sweet-and-spicy combo that works on everything from pizza to cheese boards.
Why You’ll Love This Fermented Jalapeño Honey
- Just two simple ingredients – All you need are fresh jalapeños and raw honey to create this amazing condiment that adds flavor to everything from pizza to cheese boards.
- Natural fermentation process – The honey naturally ferments the peppers without any special equipment or complicated steps, making it accessible for anyone to try at home.
- Perfect balance of sweet and heat – The honey mellows out the jalapeño spice while the peppers add a gentle kick, creating a flavor combination that works on both savory and sweet dishes.
- Long shelf life – Once fermented, this honey keeps for months in your pantry, giving you a homemade condiment that’s always ready to elevate your meals.
- Hands-off preparation – After the initial setup, you just wait for time and nature to do their work, checking in occasionally while the flavors develop.
What Kind of Jalapeño Peppers Should I Use?
Fresh jalapeños are what you’ll want for this fermented honey recipe, and you can find them at pretty much any grocery store. The size and heat level can vary quite a bit, so don’t worry too much about getting exactly 5-6 peppers – just use enough to fill your jar with some room for the honey to cover them. If you like things on the milder side, you can remove some or all of the seeds and white membranes before adding them to the honey. For those who want more heat, leave everything intact or even add an extra pepper or two to really kick things up.
Options for Substitutions
This simple ferment is pretty straightforward, but here are a few swaps you can make:
- Jalapeño peppers: You can use other peppers like serranos for more heat, poblanos for milder flavor, or fresno peppers for a similar heat level with a slightly different taste. Just keep the quantity about the same.
- Raw honey: Raw honey is really important here since it contains the natural enzymes needed for fermentation. Regular processed honey won’t work the same way, so try to stick with raw honey if possible. You can use different varieties like wildflower, clover, or orange blossom for different flavor notes.
Watch Out for These Mistakes While Fermenting
The biggest mistake when making fermented jalapeño honey is not keeping the peppers completely submerged under the honey, which can lead to mold growth on any exposed pieces – always make sure to add more honey if needed to cover everything completely.
Another common error is using pasteurized honey instead of raw honey, since the natural enzymes and wild yeasts in raw honey are what kick-start the fermentation process.
Don’t forget to “burp” your jar daily by loosening the lid to release built-up gases, especially during the first week when fermentation is most active, and avoid using metal utensils when stirring or serving since they can interfere with the fermentation.
Finally, be patient and resist the urge to taste too early – while you might see bubbling within a few days, the best flavor develops after at least 2-3 weeks of fermentation at room temperature.
What to Serve With Fermented Jalapeño Honey?
This sweet and spicy condiment is perfect for drizzling over pizza, especially margherita or pepperoni, where the honey balances out the heat beautifully. I love using it as a glaze for grilled chicken or pork, or even stirring a spoonful into cream cheese for an instant spicy-sweet dip with crackers. It’s also amazing on a charcuterie board alongside aged cheeses like goat cheese or sharp cheddar, where guests can drizzle it right on top. For breakfast lovers, try it on buttered biscuits or even over scrambled eggs for a morning kick that’s not too overwhelming.
Storage Instructions
Store: Keep your fermented jalapeño honey in a clean glass jar at room temperature during the fermentation process, which takes about 1-2 weeks. Once it’s done fermenting, you can store it in the pantry for months or even years – honey is naturally preserving! Just make sure to use a clean spoon every time you dip into it.
Refrigerate: If you want to slow down the fermentation process or live in a really warm climate, you can move your jar to the fridge after the initial fermentation. The cold will make the fermentation nearly stop, but your honey will still keep all those amazing flavors and last just as long.
Serve: This fermented honey is ready to drizzle over pizza, stir into tea, or add to marinades straight from the jar. The jalapeños will get softer over time and the honey develops this incredible spicy-sweet flavor that just gets better with age.
| Preparation Time | 10-15 minutes |
| Cooking Time | 0 minutes |
| Total Time | 7-14 days |
| Level of Difficulty | Easy |
Estimated Nutrition
Estimated nutrition for the whole recipe (without optional ingredients):
- Calories: 1000-1120
- Protein: 1-2 g
- Fat: 0-1 g
- Carbohydrates: 270-300 g
Ingredients
- 5 to 6 fresh jalapeños
- 1 cup raw honey, more if necessary
Step 1: Prepare the Jalapeños
- 5 to 6 fresh jalapeños
Slice the fresh jalapeños into rings, removing some or all of the seeds and ribs, depending on your desired heat level.
Using gloves can help protect your hands from the hot oils in the peppers.
Set the slices aside.
Step 2: Fill the Jar with Jalapeños
- sliced jalapeños from Step 1
Place the sliced jalapeños from Step 1 into a wide-mouth pint-sized mason jar.
Fill the jar until it is about half to three-quarters full.
This ensures there is enough space for the honey and the fermentation process.
Step 3: Add Honey to Cover Jalapeños
- 1 cup raw honey, more if necessary
- jalapeños in the jar from Step 2
Pour the raw honey over the jalapeños in the jar, adding just enough to completely submerge and coat all of the pepper slices.
If the honey is thick, you can gently stir or tap the jar to help it settle around the jalapeños.
I like to use a little more honey than necessary so there’s plenty of delicious spicy honey at the end.
Step 4: Mix, Seal, and Begin Fermentation
- jalapeños in honey from Step 3
Screw the lid onto the jar tightly and flip it over gently a couple of times to coat all the jalapeños with honey.
Then, loosen the lid slightly so that gases produced during fermentation can escape.
Place the jar in a dark, room-temperature place.
Flip the jar daily to keep the jalapeños coated and to encourage even fermentation.
Step 5: Ferment and Monitor
Allow the jalapeños to ferment for one to two weeks, flipping the jar daily.
You may notice bubbling or the honey becoming runnier—this is a sign that fermentation is occurring.
The process is complete when the honey has thinned and the jalapeños have infused their flavor, typically after about a week or two.
Once ready, store in the refrigerator to slow fermentation and enjoy the spicy-sweet honey jalapeños.
Best Fermented Jalapeno Honey
Ingredients
- 5 to 6 fresh jalapeños
- 1 cup raw honey, more if necessary
Instructions
- Slice the fresh jalapeños into rings, removing some or all of the seeds and ribs, depending on your desired heat level. Using gloves can help protect your hands from the hot oils in the peppers. Set the slices aside.
- Place the sliced jalapeños from Step 1 into a wide-mouth pint-sized mason jar. Fill the jar until it is about half to three-quarters full. This ensures there is enough space for the honey and the fermentation process.
- Pour the raw honey over the jalapeños in the jar, adding just enough to completely submerge and coat all of the pepper slices. If the honey is thick, you can gently stir or tap the jar to help it settle around the jalapeños. I like to use a little more honey than necessary so there’s plenty of delicious spicy honey at the end.
- Screw the lid onto the jar tightly and flip it over gently a couple of times to coat all the jalapeños with honey. Then, loosen the lid slightly so that gases produced during fermentation can escape. Place the jar in a dark, room-temperature place. Flip the jar daily to keep the jalapeños coated and to encourage even fermentation.
- Allow the jalapeños to ferment for one to two weeks, flipping the jar daily. You may notice bubbling or the honey becoming runnier—this is a sign that fermentation is occurring. The process is complete when the honey has thinned and the jalapeños have infused their flavor, typically after about a week or two. Once ready, store in the refrigerator to slow fermentation and enjoy the spicy-sweet honey jalapeños.
