This jalapeno honey butter is the compound butter that surprises everyone. Sweet from the creamed honey, gently spiced from the fresh jalapeno, and rich from the perfectly whipped salted butter, it hits a balance that is genuinely hard to stop eating. Spread it on warm cornbread, crusty bread, or grilled corn and watch it become the first thing to disappear.
Quick Look
- 📋 Recipe: Jalapeno Honey Butter
- ⏲️ Ready In: 10 minutes
- 👪 Servings: 16 tablespoons
- 🔪 Difficulty: Easy 💭
- Top Tip: Make this butter the day before you need it. The jalapeno and honey flavors meld into the butter overnight and the heat level deepens beautifully.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- The perfect balance of sweet and heat. The honey moderates the jalapeno and the jalapeno cuts right through the sweetness of the honey.
- Tested quantities so you know exactly where to start without guessing.
- Creamed honey incorporates smoothly into the butter without separating.
- The stand mixer keeps the jalapeno pieces intact with beautiful visible green flecks throughout.
- Ready in 10 minutes with no cooking required.
- Genuinely versatile, it's wonderful on cornbread, bread, grilled corn, and more.
Jump to:
This jalapeno honey butter hits a balance that is genuinely hard to stop eating. The butter is perfectly smooth and whipped, the fresh jalapeno pieces add little flecks of heat and a satisfying texture contrast, and the creamed honey rounds everything out into a sweet heat combination that is slightly addictive. Once you have it on warm cornbread you will understand why it disappears faster than anything else on the table.
Most jalapeno butter recipes either use no honey at all or add it as a vague afterthought with instructions to add it to taste. We tested our way to a specific ratio that we are confident about. Three tablespoons of creamed honey to one cup of salted butter with one and a half fresh jalapenos gives you a butter that is genuinely sweet, genuinely spiced, and genuinely balanced. Start there and adjust to your personal heat preference from that confirmed foundation.
One important note about this butter: it gets spicier as it rests. We recommend making it the day before you need it for the best flavor.
This recipe is part of a compound butter collection developed for our bread and butter toast party where guests built their own gourmet toasts all evening long.
Our full compound butter recipes guide covers all six compound butters from the toast party with tested recipes and make-ahead timelines. For more sweet butters you will love our whipped honey butter and our strawberry butter. And if you want to serve all six butters together our butter board post shows you exactly how to do it.
Ingredients
Here are a few notes on the key ingredients before you get started. Full quantities are in the recipe card below.
- Salted butter: Salted butter is our recommendation for this recipe. The salt enhances both the honey sweetness and the jalapeno heat. If you only have unsalted butter, add some fine sea salt while mixing.
- Fresh jalapenos: We use one and a half fresh jalapenos with the seeds and white membrane removed. The seeds and membrane hold most of the heat, so removing them keeps the butter pleasantly spiced rather than aggressively hot. If you love heat you can leave some seeds in. If you prefer very mild start with one jalapeno and add more after tasting. Remember all jalapenos are not created equal, some are hotter, or more mild than others. You may need to vary the amounts accordingly. Taste as you go.
- Creamed honey: Creamed honey is the same reason it works so well in our whipped honey butter, it incorporates smoothly into the butter without separating and creates a perfectly stable emulsion. Liquid honey can work as a substitute but add it slowly while the mixer runs and note that it may separate slightly over time. You can find creamed honey at most grocery stores right beside the regular honey.
How to Make Jalapeno Honey Butter
- Step 1: Slice the jalapenos lengthwise and remove all seeds and white membrane. Finely dice the jalapeno flesh. A fine dice distributes the jalapeno evenly throughout the butter so every bite has a consistent level of heat and those beautiful green flecks are visible throughout. Wear gloves if your skin is sensitive. Jalapeno oil can irritate and is easy to accidentally transfer to eyes.
- Step 2: Place room temperature butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl if using a hand mixer. Whip on medium high speed for about 3 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Step 3: Add the creamed honey and finely diced jalapeno to the whipped butter. Mix on medium speed until fully combined and the jalapeno is evenly distributed throughout. The stand mixer distributes the jalapeno pieces beautifully while keeping them intact and visible rather than pureeing them completely. You want those green flecks throughout.
- Step 4: Taste the butter on a small piece of bread. Keep in mind that the heat may deepen, and flavors will meld together if you make this ahead of time. Increase the honey and or jalapenos to taste. Transfer to an airtight container or wrap tightly in parchment paper. Store in the refrigerator. Remove 30 minutes before serving to soften to a spreadable consistency.
Expert Tips
- The flavors will meld and deepen together in the fridge overnight and get better.
- This is actually a wonderful thing for make-ahead entertaining.
- If you have sensitive skin wear gloves to chop your jalapenos, as the oil from the peppers can be an irritant.
Serving Suggestions
- On cornbread: This is the classic pairing and for good reason. The sweet heat of the butter against the sweetness of the cornbread is one of the best combinations on our whole toast party table. Our sweet cornbread recipe is the perfect match.
- On warm crusty bread: A generous spread on fresh sourdough or a warm dinner roll is genuinely extraordinary. The butter melts into the warm bread and the honey and jalapeno flavors bloom beautifully.
- On grilled corn: Brush generously over hot corn on the cob straight from the grill. One of summer's best bites.
- On grilled vegetables: Toss hot roasted or grilled vegetables with a tablespoon straight from the refrigerator. The butter melts instantly and coats everything in sweet heat flavor.
Frequently Asked Questions
Made with seeds and membrane removed as this recipe recommends, the heat level is moderate and very approachable, full of pepper flavor without too much heat. The honey moderates the jalapeno heat significantly. Most people who are not fans of very spicy food find this butter pleasantly warm rather than hot. If you're looking for more heat, just increase the peppers, and/or include more white membrane and seeds.
Yes. Start with a half of a jalapeno instead of one and a half and remove all seeds and membrane if you're looking for a more mild version.
Yes. Leave the white membrane, and some seeds in when dicing the jalapeno, or add up to two full jalapenos.
Creamed honey incorporates seamlessly into whipped butter and stays perfectly emulsified. Liquid honey can separate from the butter fat over time, leaving a pool of honey at the bottom of the jar. Creamed honey prevents this completely and produces a more stable and more beautiful result.
Up to one week in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Yes and no. The texture of the fresh jalapenos will change after freezing, they will lose their crunch and become soft, but the flavor will remain great. Freeze in an airtight container or wrapped tightly in parchment paper for up to 3 months.
More Compound Butter Recipes You Will Love
If you try this jalapeno honey butter or any other recipe on my blog please leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. Thanks for visiting today!
Recipe
Jalapeno Honey Butter
Ingredients
- 1 cup salted butter room temperature
- 1 ½ jalapeno peppers finely diced
- 3 tablespoons creamed honey
Instructions
- Slice the jalapenos lengthwise, remove all seeds and white membrane, and finely dice the flesh. Wear gloves if your skin is sensitive.1 ½ jalapeno peppers
- Place room temperature butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a large bowl if using a hand mixer. Whip on medium high speed for about 3 minutes until light and fluffy.1 cup salted butter
- Add the creamed honey and finely diced jalapeno to the whipped butter. Mix on medium speed until fully combined and jalapeno is evenly distributed throughout with visible green flecks remaining.3 tablespoons creamed honey
- Transfer to an airtight container or wrap tightly in parchment paper. Store in the refrigerator. Remove 30 minutes before serving to soften to a spreadable consistency.
Notes
- If using unsalted butter add some fine sea salt in Step 2.
- The flavors of the butter meld together as it rests. Make it the day before you need it for the best flavor.
- For milder heat start with one jalapeno and remove all seeds. For more heat leave some seeds in or increase to two jalapenos.
- Liquid honey can be substituted for creamed honey. Add it slowly while the mixer runs. Note that liquid honey may separate slightly over time.
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week.
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