Homemade honey lemon pepper sauce is a savory glaze, perfect for brushing onto everything from crispy chicken wings to drumsticks, turkey legs, and fried salmon bites. Best of all, it’s ready in under 5 minutes!
Key Ingredients
- Butter: Melted butter is a perfect way to coat poultry, seafood, and vegetables. I recommend using unsalted butter for the best results; then, you can add salt, as needed, to control the flavor.
- Hot Honey: What would hot honey lemon pepper sauce be without hot honey? You can make hot honey sauce from scratch or use regular honey for a milder sauce.
- Lemon Juice: Brighten the sauce with lemon zest and fresh lemon juice. Select lemons with a vibrant color that are heavy for their size. Bring them to room-temperature lemons and roll them between your palm and the counter to make them easier to juice.
- Hot Sauce: Use any hot sauce brand, such as Frank’s Red Hot Sauce, Texas Pete, or Tabasco. However, Crystal’s hot sauce is my go-to for this recipe.
- Spices: Taste and season the honey lemon pepper sauce with zesty lemon pepper seasoning, cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes, coarse black pepper, and kosher salt.
Additions and Substitutions
- Swap the sweetener. Replace the sweet honey with maple syrup, light brown sugar, agave nectar, or a sugar-free option like monk fruit.
If you enjoy the honey lemon pepper sauce, pair it with one of these tasty recipes!
What to Serve Honey Lemon Pepper Sauce on?
Coat crispy baked chicken wings with the sticky sauce for the ultimate party wings.
Take your appetizer game up a notch by drizzling honey lemon pepper sauce over crispy cauliflower bites, sweet potato wedges, or Hasselback potatoes.
Use it as a glaze for veggies, roasted pork tenderloin, baked chicken thighs, salmon, or flounder.
Storage
Store the leftovers in an airtight container for 3-4 days. The sauce will harden once refrigerated because of the butter. Remove the sauce from the fridge and let it come to room temperature before using.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does lemon pepper sauce taste like?
Hot honey lemon pepper sauce is tangy and slightly spicy. The fresh lemon juice lightens the sauce, while the lemon pepper and hot honey pack in all the flavor and heat.
Honey Lemon Pepper Sauce
- 3 tablespoons melted butter
- 2 tablespoons hot sauce
- ½ cup hot honey
- 1 tablespoon lemon pepper seasoning
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon coarse black pepper
- lemon juice, one lemon
- kosher salt, to taste