Use homemade honey lemon pepper sauce as a savory glaze or dipping sauce. Tangy lemon pepper seasoning and sweet and spicy honey are a perfect combination for crispy chicken wings, drumsticks, turkey legs, and sheet pan salmon. Plus, the super easy recipe is ready in less than 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.
- Worcestershire Sauce: Worcestershire sauce adds an umami-rich flavor to the sauce, or you can substitute it with soy sauce or liquid aminos.
- 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.
How to Make Honey Lemon Pepper Sauce
The full recipe with measurements is in the recipe card below.
Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the remaining ingredients and whisk to combine. Simmer on low for 2-3 minutes until the honey dissolves. Remove the pan from heat and taste and season with salt.
If you enjoy 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. Or, take game day to the next level by drizzling the honey lemon pepper sauce over crispy cauliflower bites, sweet potato wedges, or Hasselback potatoes – a perfect appetizer. Use it as a dipping sauce for french fries, or pair the honey lemon pepper glaze with a tasty main dish like roasted pork tenderloin, baked chicken thighs, or baked salmon and flounder.
What To Do With Leftovers
- Refrigerate: 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. The bright, savory sauce works well with chicken wing recipes, seafood, vegetables, and other poultry.
Honey Lemon Pepper Sauce
- 5 tablespoons salted butter, melted
- ½ cup hot honey
- fresh lemon juice, one lemon
- 2 tablespoons hot sauce
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon lemon pepper seasoning
- 1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
- 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon coarse black pepper
- kosher salt, to taste
- Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the remaining ingredients and whisk to combine. Simmer on low for 2-3 minutes until the honey dissolves. Remove the pan from heat and taste and season with salt.