Aldi's Fan-Favorite Hot Honey Has An Even Spicier Version

Spicy and honey may not be the most intuitive flavor combination. This hasn't stopped it from becoming a phenomenon in recent years, showing up in everything from KFC's Hot Honey Chicken to Utz's limited-time potato chips flavor. When you think of how delicious some sweet-and-spicy flavor combinations are, it makes sense that Aldi shoppers would go gaga over the discount grocery chain's hot honey.

Case in point: Adventures in Aldi's Instagram post showing off Berryhill Extra Hot Honey. Judging from the comments, this is indeed good news. One commenter informed others that it's a cheaper version of Mike's Hot Honey, the brand that proudly proclaims itself as America's number one brand of hot honey. A two-pack of Mike's Extra Hot costs $24.99 on the company's site, which breaks down to about $12.50 for a 12-ounce bottle. In contrast, the 10-ounce Berryhill Extra Hot Honey bottles cost $5 each—  definitely a bargain.

The thread is full of other comments, either declaring their love for the product or their excitement to try it. One commenter even suggests taking a spoonful of honey when you're sick.

Like many other Aldi favorites, the makers of Extra Hot Honey, Berryhill, is a private brand and trademark of the grocery store chain. The brand specializes in pantry staples and produces jams, chocolate syrup, regular honey (of course), and chocolate hazelnut spread countering Nutella. They also make a more mild, though obviously still spicy, hot honey.

However, possibly given Aldi's propensity to have products disappear and reappear without warning, some Aldi subreddit shoppers have wondered whether the brand's extra hot honey might be seasonal. One user posted that it's great on fried chicken. This is just the start, of course. All manner of recipes and uses can be found. 

If you think about it, anything you enjoy with honey will likely also accommodate the kick of hot honey, be it Detroit-style pizza or barbecued ribs. You could even spice up an oat milk honey latte if that's your jam. You can find a bevy of cocktails made with hot honey that are perfect for summer (via Dine with Drinks). And if it works for one brand of hot honey, you can bet it will work for Aldi's Berryhill Extra Hot.

Others on the Reddit thread seem to confirm that the Berryhill Extra Hot Honey is either seasonal or just not available at all locations, and there's a good amount of back and forth around that. Those who couldn't find the item were quickly prompted with suggestions for recipes to make their own hot honey at home.

One user suggested mixing regular honey with an equal amount of hot sauce. Another said they pour red pepper flakes into honey for the same effect.

There are, however, plenty of other recipes for hot honey to be found online. How truthfully they replicate the flavor of the bottled versions is probably up for debate.

One important factor to take into consideration is vinegar. Both Berryhill and Mike's prominently feature vinegar, meaning that the spiciness is distinctly akin to what you experience with a hot sauce — not unlike Frank's Red Hot or Tabasco. Unless the recipe you are about to use to make your own includes that ingredient in some form, you likely aren't going to get quite the same effect from the result.