Hot Honey Broccoli – Savory Spin

In this easy Hot Honey Broccoli recipe, broccoli florets are baked until crispy and then drizzled with chili, ginger, and garlic-infused honey. This is a quick recipe that is a healthy side dish for everyday meals and holiday gatherings.

If you love the combination of sweet and spicy, I think you just might enjoy this dish.

This hot honey broccoli is so quick and so easy. It is a tasty side dish for lunch or dinner, or even at a get-together for friends and family. This dish is inspired by a bowl of hot honey Brussels sprouts I had at a restaurant in New York.

And, you only need 6 easy-to-find ingredients, that you probably already have in your kitchen, to make this dish.

What are the ingredients needed to make this Hot Honey Broccoli?

You will need:

1. Broccoli florets
   You could grab a bag of pre-cut broccoli florets from the produce section at your grocery store if you want to keep this a super quick recipe. However, sometimes those bagged broccoli florets tend to be a bit more expensive than the wrapped stalks of broccoli heads. So, if you want to keep this a budget-friendly recipe and don’t mind cutting up the heads, grab a bunch of those broccoli heads instead. Cutting the florets off the stalks is a messy job. I have a few notes on this under the section on “Preparing The Broccoli”, below.
2. Ginger
   Fresh ginger adds another level of spice to this dish. And, ginger has a reputation for helping relieve gas, bloating, nausea, and several other digestive ailments. In fact, when my mom feels an upset stomach looming, she will chew on a chunk of fresh ginger.
3. Garlic Cloves
   Just like fresh ginger is necessary for this Hot Honey Broccoli, fresh garlic is a must as well. If you are in a rush, you could purchase garlic (and ginger) that has been peeled and cut. These are usually in containers in the produce section.
4. Honey
   I used regular, store-bought, grade A, honey. But, feel free to use your favorite honey instead. Also, if you want to make this dish for vegan friends, you could replace the honey with maple syrup.
5. Red Chili flakes
   Red chili flakes are what are responsible for the spicy element of this dish. You can adjust the amount used depending on how chili-hot you would like this dish to be.
6. Oil
   I used grapeseed oil while making this recipe. But, feel free to use olive oil or any oil you prefer. And, you could also melt some butter or coconut oil and use either of those as well.

You will also need some salt and black pepper to season this dish.

Preparing The Broccoli

First off, wash the broccoli and dry it well. If the broccoli is wet, it will not crisp up. I usually rinse the broccoli, dry it off with kitchen towels, and then let the broccoli sit out on dry kitchen towels for a few hours so they are completely dry.

Next is cutting the broccoli florets off the stalks. Simply cut the broccoli floret right where its stem meets the larger stalk. If the florets are too large, gently pull the floret apart with your fingers into equal pieces. Keeping the broccoli florets similar in size results in the most even cooking. By the way, if this stem vs stalk conversation is confusing, check out this article on broccoli.

Once the broccoli florets have been cut off, the broccoli stems could be shredded or diced and used in a salad or coleslaw. Or, those stems could be sliced up and air-fried into some tasty broccoli stem chips!

How to make this Hot Honey Broccoli?

Once you have gathered your ingredients and prepared your broccoli, this recipe comes together quickly.

I started by preheating the oven to 425 degrees.

Then, I tossed the broccoli florets with the oil so they were well coated.

Then I placed the broccoli florets on a lined baking tray, making sure that the broccoli florets were spread out and not overlapping each other.

Oven Baked Hot Honey Broccoli Option

While the broccoli florets are baking, peel the ginger and garlic cloves. After that, using a Microplane grater, grate the ginger and garlic. If you do not have a microplane grater, dice the garlic and ginger as finely as you can.

After about 13-15 minutes, remove the oven-roasted broccoli florets from the oven and set aside.

Add the honey, the grated ginger and garlic, and the red chili flakes to a small saucepan and place it over medium-high heat. Stir the ingredients in the saucepan. Once the honey starts to bubble (this should take a minute or two), remove the pan from the stove.

Add the hot honey mixture to the roasted broccoli and toss well. Season with salt and pepper and serve warm.

Air Fryer Hot Honey Broccoli Option

If you have an air fryer, you can air-fry the broccoli florets and have them ready for that honey mixture in a little less time.

Prepare the broccoli florets as outlined above.

But refrain from tossing the broccoli florets in the oil. Instead, place the broccoli florets in the base of an air fryer. Again, make sure that the pieces are not touching.

Then, set the air fryer temperature to 425 degrees Fahrenheit and plop the broccoli florets into the air fryer. Let these air fry for 7–8 minutes. Remove from the air fryer, toss with the hot honey mixture, season with salt and pepper, and enjoy!

Serving Options

This hot honey broccoli can be served as a side dish to a plethora of veggies, tofu, and meats. It is a delicious dish that can be enjoyed as a simple side to some chicken or even a veggie burger.

This dish can also shine as a snack on top of some toast slices that have been slathered with a bit of ricotta, too!

Storing and Reheating

This Hot Honey Broccoli can be stored in an airtight container, in the fridge for about 5 days or so. But, it does not reheat quite as crispy as it was when it was first made.

To reheat this dish, place the broccoli on a baking sheet and place it in an oven that has been preheated to 450 degrees. Bake this for 5 minutes or so.

This could also be reheated in an air fryer. Simply place them on an air fryer tray and air fry at 450 degrees for about 3 minutes or so.

Thanks so much for stopping by. If you make this recipe, please let me know in the comments below what you think of it, or tag your creation on social media with @savoryspin or #savoryspin. For more fusion, spice-filled, recipe ideas, please subscribe and follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and/or Pinterest!