30 Creative Honey Recipes, From co*cktails To Chicken Dinners (2024)

How do you make a picky eater fall in love with vegetables? When it comes to carrots, our answer is two-part: slather them in a sweet and sticky glaze and then roast them. In the oven, the honey and butter in the glaze will caramelize, transforming plain, boring carrots into an addictive side dish.

Get the Honey-Glazed Carrots recipe.

Our crispy coated version of this slightly sweet dish more closely represents the Panda Express takeout version than the traditional. The candied walnuts are our favorite part and are what make this dish so special!

Get the Honey Walnut Shrimp recipe.

A longtime favorite of Delish readers, this savory-sweet salmon never disappoints. Hot tip: Let the fillets cook undisturbed for a few minutes. That, and super high heat is how you get that delicious crust here.

Get the Honey Garlic Glazed Salmon recipe.

These soft and chewy cookies are traditional for the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah, but are delicious any time of year. They're beloved by all, young and old, and we can't keep a batch around for long!

Get the Honey Cookie recipe.

This version is a smart cheat: 3 ingredients, 1 clean jar, and a few seconds of stirring, and you are done. A little tart, substantially spicy, and sufficiently sweet—just like honey should be.

Get the Hot Honey recipe.

Fans of the whiskey sour to the front, please! The Gold Rush co*cktail is the whiskey drink you’re already in love with, minus the egg whites. This shaken bourbon co*cktail also utilizes a honey syrup instead of simple syrup, taking it truly over the top.

Get the Gold Rush co*cktail recipe.

Why buy prepared honey mustard when it can be as simple as just two ingredients mixed together? Our version does add a little more into the mix for a rewarding richness from the mayo and perky puckers from the lemon and black pepper, but trust us, it's worth it.

Get the Honey Mustard Dressing recipe.

The hardest part of making these Brussels sprouts is leaving them alone. Honestly if you're anything like us, you're going to be popping these in your mouth like they're popcorn. They are cooked until perfectly tender and golden brown, then glazed with a honey balsamic glaze that will change your life.

Get the Honey Balsamic Glazed Brussels Sprouts recipe.

This easy weeknight dinner takes practically zero effort but is absolutely delicious. The glaze is simple and made up of things many people will already have in their pantry. Pair with some broccoli or fried rice and you'll have a delicious dinner on the table in under an hour.

Get the Honey Garlic Chicken recipe.

The trick to this simple cake is to use really good honey. While clover honey is typically used in baking because its flavor is mild, here we really want the honey flavor to stand out: We used a wildflower honey, which is sweet and floral, but an orange blossom honey would also work well.

Get the Classic Honey Cake recipe.

Who doesn't love a good healthy snack? Much like our Parmesan cauliflower bites, these little guys have just enough crunch and flavor to keep us going. Craving salt but avoiding chips and unhealthy snacks? These sticky-spicy bites will save the day.

Get the Honey-Garlic Cauliflower recipe.

Sticky and rich, baklava is a dessert made of layered sheets of phyllo dough, nuts, spices, and honey. Our version uses walnuts and pistachios but feel free to use whichever nuts you like the most!

Get the Walnut and Pistachio Baklava recipe.

In our opinion, the crunchier the better. Which is why pretzels make the perfect chicken coating. The obvious and best dipping sauce? Honey mustard, of course. It's a MUST.

Get the Sheet Pan Honey Mustard Pretzel Chicken recipe.

Chicken thighs are certainly the juiciest and most flavorful part of the chicken, but they also take the longest to cook. Here we trimming them and sear the skin before roasting to help speed up the cooking, meaning you can have this one-skillet meal on the dinner table in no time.

Get the Honey Mustard Chicken recipe.

An Arnold Palmer is a super refreshing drink comprised of half iced tea and half lemonade, made famous by the golfer of the same name. We make our own simple lemonade here and sweeten the tea with honey for a bit of a floral note. Add more honey to make the drink a little sweeter if you like, but we think it's just perfect.

Get the Arnold Palmer recipe.

To make this delicious vegetarian side dish, you'll toss a pound of steamed carrots in a slightly spicy honey-butter glaze. Rather than cooking the carrots and the glaze together in the pan, you'll cook the carrots and the glaze separately, reducing the risk of mushy veggies.

Get the Steamed Carrots With Hot Honey Butter recipe.

This dish is an all-time fave at Delish. The pairing of crunchy Panko-crusted shrimp and creamy, spicy-sweet sauce is ridiculously addictive. No matter how often we make it, it never gets old.

Get the Bang Bang Shrimp recipe.

Baked brie is one of those classic appetizers everyone loves. It's easy to make with very little prep (thanks to store-bought puff pastry) and a pretty short cook time. Drizzle it with some honey and you'll have a warm, cheesy app that feels extra fancy in no time at all.

Get the Baked Brie In Puff Pastry recipe.

Castella cake is an impossibly airy and light Japanese sponge cake flavored with honey. It’s humble—never decorated, always loaf-shaped—and so simple. Traditionally served for special occasions, it's also delicious eaten alongside morning coffee or tea.

Get the Castella Cake recipe.

Crispy chicken underneath a sticky and sweet honey sauce? Yes please! Served with brown rice and broccoli, you'll never need takeout again.

Get the Crispy Honey Sesame Chicken recipe.