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This Hot Honey Pizza is not your average pizza. It’s so much better! The mix of sweet, spicy, and cheesy flavors is absolutely addictive. You really can’t take my word for this one. You just have to try it!
Meet Your New Favorite Pizza
Once you start putting hot honey on your pizza you won’t be able to stop. This pizza, in particular, is next-level. It’s topped with sausage, prosciutto, caramelized onions, three cheeses, fresh basil, and a spicy-sweet Hot Honey drizzle. The flavors come together like the Dream Team of ’92 (my husband told me to write that after I asked him to describe this pizza in his own words).
I love a classic pizza (Neapolitan Pizza is one of my favorites), but adding unique flavors and toppings makes pizza night so much more fun. This Hot Honey Pizza (nicknamed the ‘Honey Badger Pizza’ at our house) and our Pickle Pizza have been our go-to favorites lately. My husband even asked for both on his birthday because he couldn’t pick just one!
I’m seriously so excited for you to make this pizza! Be sure to leave me a comment and tell me what you think! I’ll be over here using way too many exclamation points because I’m that obsessed.
🩷 Erica
Key Ingredients
Pizza dough – You can use homemade pizza dough or store-bought, whatever works best for you. Just make sure to roll it out nice and thin so it crisps up nicely.
White sauce – This garlicky cream sauce is rich and smooth, but if you’re short on time, leftover
Cheeses – A mix of shredded mozzarella, creamy ricotta, and fresh mozzarella makes the perfect combo of melty, gooey, and rich.
Toppings – Prosciutto, caramelized onions, and sausage crumbles bring so much flavor. To keep it simple, grab premade sausage crumbles and let the oven do the work. And don’t forget the fresh basil. It’s a must for this pizza!
Hot Honey – This is what ties it all together, giving the pizza a sweet, slightly spicy kick (don’t worry, it’s not that spicy. The heat level can easily be adjusted, especially if you use our Hot Honey recipe).
Try it With an Italian-Style Pizza Dough
Since making this for the first time a few months ago, I’ve been going back and forth between using a regular pizza dough and our Italian Pizza Dough (from our Neapolitan Pizza Recipe) and honestly, I love it both ways. The thin, chewy crust from the Italian-style dough gives this pizza more of that authentic, wood-fired pizzeria feel. It crisps up beautifully on the bottom while staying light and airy in the middle. If you prefer a thicker, softer crust, stick with classic pizza dough. But if you love that traditional Italian bite with a little char on the edges, the Italian dough might even make this pizza better.
How to Make Hot Honey Pizza Step-by-Step
- Preheat your oven to 500℉ with a pizza stone or steel inside (or just the oven if using a baking sheet). Roll out the pizza dough to about 12″ on a floured surface, poke holes all over the dough with a fork, then set aside.
- In a small saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Add garlic and cook 30 seconds. Whisk in cream, simmer 1 minute, then reduce heat and stir in parmesan until smooth. Set aside to thicken.
- In a skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of butter, add onions and salt, and cook over medium heat until edges brown (about 5 minutes). Add water, cover, and cook low for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft. Uncover and cook until liquid evaporates. Set aside.
- Transfer dough to the hot stone/steel in the oven and bake 3 minutes (or 5 minutes on a baking sheet) until it puffs slightly. Remove from oven.
- Spread the sauce over the crust. Top with shredded mozzarella, prosciutto pieces, sausage crumbles, spoonfuls of ricotta, chunks of fresh mozzarella, and caramelized onions.
- Return pizza to oven for 3–5 minutes until cheese melts and crust is golden. Broil 1–2 minutes for bubbly browned spots. Rest briefly, slice, top with fresh basil, drizzle with hot honey, and serve!
Expert Tips and Suggestions
Preheat your pizza stone/steel – The last few months I have been using a pizza steel rather than a pizza stone or cast iron pizza pan and I actually have liked it so much better! Give it at least 30 minutes in the oven before baking. The hotter the surface, the crispier your crust will be.
Don’t skip the par-bake – Pre-baking the dough for a few minutes keeps the crust from getting soggy once the sauce and toppings go on. However, if you are using an Italian-style Pizza dough you actually can skip this step.
Make your own hot honey – Store-bought is great (you can’t go wrong with a little Mike’s Hot Honey), but homemade hot honey lets you adjust the heat level exactly how you like it.
Balance the toppings – A little prosciutto and sausage go a long way. Keeping toppings light ensures the crust bakes evenly and doesn’t weigh down the pizza.
Slice and drizzle right before serving – Cutting the pizza first helps the hot honey drizzle seep into each slice instead of just sitting on top.
More Pizza’s To Try Hot Honey On
Honestly you can put hot honey on just about any kind of pizza, from classic Neapolitan Pizza, to French Bread Pizza, to Fruit Pizza (yes, it’s true, even on fruit pizza it’s so good) and everything in between!
Frequently Asked Questions
Hot honey adds a sweet heat that pairs perfectly with melty cheese and salty toppings. It’s not overpowering. Just the right amount of sweet and spicy to make things interesting (and delicious).
It has a little kick, but don’t worry, it’s not too spicy. You can buy or make the honey to your preference.
Yes! You can prep the dough, sauce, and toppings ahead of time and assemble when you’re ready to bake. Leftover slices reheat best in the oven or air fryer so the crust stays crisp. Just avoid the microwave if you can. Drizzle with a little extra hot honey after reheating to freshen it up.
More Unique Pizza Ideas
When it comes to pizza, we love thinking outside the box. The best part is all the creative possibilities. Switch up the toppings, sauces, and cheeses and you’ve got a whole new meal. Honestly, we could eat pizza every day for a month and never repeat the same flavor twice! Here’s some of our favorites:
Have you tried this Hot Honey Pizza? I’d love to hear what you think! Drop a comment below and let me know how you liked it. And don’t forget to take a pic and tag us on Instagram @favoritefamilyrecipes! 📸🔥🍯🍕
Hot Honey Pizza
Equipment
- 1 pizza peel or pizza stone (optional)
Ingredients
- 10-12 ounces pizza dough (homemade or store bought, see notes above)
- 4 tablespoons butter (divided)
- 1 clove garlic (crushed)
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1/4 cup freshly shredded parmigiano reggiano (or freshly shredded parmesan cheese)
- 1 cup finely sliced yellow onion
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1/4 cup flour (or as needed for flouring surfaces)
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 ounce sliced prosciutto (about 4-5 slices)
- 1/3 cup cooked, crumbled Italian sausage
- 1/3 cup fresh ricotta cheese
- 1/3 cup fresh mozzarella cheese
- fresh chopped basil (to taste)
- 1/4 cup hot honey (or to taste)
Instructions
- First, preheat your pizza pan, pizza stone, or pizza steel in a 500℉ oven (if you are using a regular baking sheet, preheat the oven but not with the pan in it). While it is heating start preparing the sauce.
- Heat 2 tablespoons butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. When melted, add garlic and simmer for about 30 seconds. Whisk in cream and simmer for 1 minute. Reduce heat to low and whisk in parmesan cheese. Keep whisking until smooth and creamy. Set aside to cool and thicken.
- Next, caramelize the onions. Heat 2 tablespoons butter in a non-stick pan. Place onions in the pan and sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon salt. Heat over medium heat for about 5 minutes of until the edges of the onion starts to brown.
- Add 1 tablespoon of water, cover, and reduce heat to low. Heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally until onions become soft. Add a little more water if needed to keep from sticking. Remove cover and continue to cook on low until all the water evaporates. Set aside until ready to use.
- Roll out pizza dough to 12" in diameter on a floured surface. Place on a floured wooden pizza peel. Poke a few holes in the crust with a fork to keep it from rising too much in the oven.
- Slide the pizza dough directly onto the preheated pizza stone/steel in the oven and bake for about 3 minutes or until dough starts to puff up.If you are using a baking sheet. Line the baking sheet with parchment paper and place the dough on the sheet. Heat for 5 minutes or until dough puffs up.
- Remove pizza from the oven and place back on the wooden pizza peel. If you are using a baking sheet, you can just keep the pizza on the baking sheet and remove the whole thing from the oven. Spread sauce evenly over the pizza crust and top with shredded mozzarella cheese.
- Tear prosciutto into smaller pieces and place over the pizza along with the cooked sausage crumbles.
- Spoon drops of ricotta (about 1 tablespoon in size) randomly over the top. Tear off pieces of fresh mozzarella and place in any empty spaces over the pizza. Add caramelized onions evenly over top.
- Place back in the 500℉ oven for 3-5 minutes or until crust is lightly browned and cheese starts to melt. Change oven to "broil" and broil for 1-2 minutes until crust gets a few browned spots and cheese is bubbly. Watch very closely while broiling to prevent burning.
- Remove from oven and allow to rest for a minute or two.
- Slice and add fresh basil. Drizzle hot honey over the top and serve!
