The Best Ways To Make Food Swicy Without Hot Honey

Doctor, I need some treatment, please. Whatever you prescribe for food burnout, I’ll take it. Forgive the dramatics, but I’m feeling a little exhausted at the moment – and what’s causing it is the swicy epidemic sweeping the world. Sweet and spicy flavors are, I say again with my full chest, absolutely everywhere, and it’s a little tiring.

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The reason it’s tiring, though, is not because sweet and spicy combos don’t work (they really do), but because everyone’s fallen back on one vehicle for them: Hot honey. Now, I love hot honey as much as the next person, but I like my swiciness to have a little nuance sometimes. I want fruity. I want unexpected forms of heat. I want seasoning! And so, I thought it was time to roll up my sleeves and lay out the best ways to add sweet & spicy notes to food without reaching for a bottle of Mike’s. You can still do that if you want. But try these first.

Candied Jalapeños

An ingredient that works as well as a mix-in as it does as a topper, candied jalapeños are an underrated addition to your fridge. They have all the swiciness that hot honey does, but with a seriously vinegary punch, and an undertone of spices (if you choose to add them) that rounds out their flavor.

They’re also super easy to make. You just put together a simple syrup made with sugar, your vinegar of choice (apple cider will give a touch more depth), and spices like mustard and celery seeds, and then cook some freshly sliced jalapeños in it until they start to shrivel up. Pull them out, reduce the syrup further, and then pop everything in a jar. It’ll keep for weeks.

Spicy Fruit Salsas

One of the original forms of swiciness, and one that’s now become a little more overlooked in the swiciness space (is it a space? Probably not, but I’m saying it anyway!). Fruit salsas combined with sliced chilis or chili flakes deliver a subtle sweetness and a gently building heat, which feels altogether more rounded than hot honey.

What I love about using fruit salsas for sweet & spicy flavors is that they’re customizable. If you like things to be a little less fierce, add less chili. If you prefer sourness, throw in some sliced grapefruit or an extra squeeze of lemon. It’s up to you.

Mango & Tajín

In my opinion, this combo gives you the most bang for your buck. Combining mango and tajín is, in a sense, a cheat’s way of making a fruit salsa – but isn’t it just so very effective? That’s because the seasoning blend does so much of the heavy lifting, with the dehydrated lime and salt in the mix giving the mango so much more character, and amplifying its natural sweetness. Add as little or as much tajín as you want.

Sweet Chili Sauces

And who could forget the OG! Sweet chili has been somewhat overlooked in the last couple of years as a sweet and spicy vehicle, but it’s been there the whole time, people! Granted, it’s less punchy than hot honey a lot of the time, but it’s a great way to introduce mild heat while sweetening things up – and honestly, it goes with everything.

I like to doctor my sweet chilis, too, to give them a bit more heat. Throw in a few (and I mean a few) pieces of freshly sliced Thai chilies, leave it to sit for a while, and you’re good to go. Just get some milk, you might need it.