Review: McDonald's New Hot Honey Menu Is Sweet, Spicy, And Full Of Flavor

There are so many ways to cook with hot honey or make use of it as a topping in various dishes for all the most important meals of the day — which is something McDonald's has shown it's aware of. The massive fast-food chain has debuted a handful of new menu items focused around the sweet and spicy goodness that is hot honey. Besides a new hot honey sauce dip cup, McDonald's has launched one new breakfast sandwich and three new lunch menu options predominantly featuring the sauce. But, do these menu items taste as good as they sound?

I'm honored to be among the first to answer this question, as I was given the opportunity to review the full line of new hot honey products on the day they were released in my region (Southern New Jersey). And, of course, I get to report my findings so you can know whether these new options are worth ordering. Using my food industry background with other relevant experiences, I judged each menu item based primarily on its taste. You can find my full methodology in the next slide. Now, ready to learn whether you should beeline to your closest McDonald's to grab one of these limited edition hot honey items? Let's get into it.

I included all available hot honey menu items on the day of release in this review. Each item was eaten as-is, without alterations, for the fairest possible assessment. This includes the dipping cup, which was tasted alone on a spoon for the purposes of this review. Each item was judged predominantly on taste, with balance, smell, and visual aesthetics playing smaller roles, particularly when one of these traits was especially noteworthy.

To make my judgments, I relied primarily on more than 15 years in the food industry. My previous experience eating at McDonald's, along with writing reviews for the Daily Meal, also came into play. This includes similar articles like this one reviewing Subway's new Protein Pockets, and this one reviewing McDonald's limited-edition Dill Pickle Grinch Salt McShaker Fries. Although personal preference played a role in this review, I aimed to be as unbiased about product quality as possible.

You can find the new hot honey menu products at participating McDonald's locations nationwide, beginning January 27. These are limited edition items, so they won't have a permanent place on the menu, and there isn't a specific end date announced. However, I can make a reasonable guess that these items will at least be available through Valentine's Day, due to the marketing angle used by the franchise. The official press release starts with a cute and catchy slogan that really appeals to my marketing background: "Roses are red, violets are blue ... introducing Hot Honey Sauce, something we made just for you!" Beneath this, the press announcement clarifies that the release is meant for the Valentine's Day season. Long story short? You'll want to snag these items while you still can, because they won't be around forever.

Pricing can vary significantly based on location, with the pricing I provide here being relevant to the Millville, New Jersey, McDonald's location. Although prices may differ, this should allow for a good baseline of what you might expect these items to cost. The Hot Honey Sauce Dip Cups were 38 cents for two, while the Hot Honey Sausage Egg Biscuit cost $4.69. The Bacon Hot Honey McCrispy Sandwich was $7.69, while the option without bacon was $7.19. Finally, the Hot Honey Snack Wrap cost $2.99.

The Hot Honey Sauce Dip Cup alone has 50 calories, no protein, and 13 grams of carbs. For breakfast, the new menu offers a Hot Honey Sausage Egg Biscuit — this totals 550 calories with 17 grams of protein and 41 grams of carbs. It also starts your day off with 20% of your daily iron requirements. Since the breakfast sandwich also contains more than half your daily sodium, it's not suitable for those restricting their salt intake.

Moving on to lunch, we have the Hot Honey McCrispy Sandwich, which contains 660 calories, 27 grams of protein, and 62 grams of carbs. It also has 15% your daily iron, and 10% of your daily potassium needs. Unfortunately, it also contains more than half your daily sodium intake. The Bacon Hot Honey McCrispy Sandwich totals 770 calories, 33 grams of protein, and 63 grams of carbs. Plus, it has 15% of your daily iron needs and 10% your total daily potassium. But, be warned that this sandwich also contains an incredible 68% of your total sodium intake.

Finally, we have the Hot Honey Snack Wrap, which is the lowest calorie option on the new hot honey menu. It contains 350 calories, 17 grams of protein, and 38 grams of carbs. You'll receive 10% of your total daily calcium and iron needs. This snack wrap also contains the lowest sodium totals, with only 41% of your total daily intake.

The Hot Honey Sauce Dip Cup is the starting point for all of the other products, so whether it's good or not is going to be a founding question for most people. The sauce is primarily crafted from honey, water, sugar, red bell pepper puree, distilled vinegar, salt, and soybean oil.

This sauce ended up being different than what I expected. My expectations were a thin, transparent sauce that mostly tasted like honey with some spice, but that's not what I ended up with — and I don't think that's a bad thing. This is a deeply red, somewhat thick sauce with brownish undertones. The smell is to die for, featuring a dominant sweetness with faint hints of spice and obvious notes of red bell pepper. This scent is indicative of the taste, which I'm incredibly thankful for. The sweetness of honey takes center stage, but the sweet and earthy profile of red bell peppers is combined throughout. Atop this is a layer of mild to moderate heat.

I highly recommend trying McDonald's new Hot Honey Sauce. It's the perfect balance of hot, sweet, and flavorful. I recommend trying it with McDonald's French Fries, chicken nuggets, or hashbrowns.

The Hot Honey Sausage Egg Biscuit is predominantly made from egg, sausage patty, hot honey sauce, salted butter, and clarified butter, served inside of a fresh, crumbly biscuit. There are food allergen warnings for wheat, milk, soy, and egg. This was clearly a big must-order item because when I showed up at my local McDonald's, they were out of stock for the day. But, thankfully, after speaking with a manager, they whipped me up one special for the purposes of this review.

I will start off by saying that, while I adore spicy foods, I don't usually prefer to start my day off with them. My stomach doesn't handle spice in the morning as well as it does after the first few hours I'm awake. That being said, I wouldn't have normally ordered this, but I'm quite pleased I did. McDonald's Hot Honey Sauce pairs perfectly with the savory, peppery sausage patty, and the crumbly, buttery biscuit. The egg pairing is a little strange on its own, honestly, but when it's all enjoyed together, I find that this breakfast sandwich comes together nicely.

I probably wouldn't order this again during its limited edition run, only because I don't prefer spicy foods for breakfast. However, if you're looking for a sweet and spicy way to start your day, I definitely recommend it.

The Bacon Hot Honey McCrispy Sandwich is essentially the Hot Honey McCrispy Sandwich, but with bacon. It primarily features a crispy chicken fillet, shredded lettuce, bacon, hot honey sauce, mayonnaise, jalapeño crisps, and a potato roll. In terms of allergens, it contains wheat and egg, with the possibility of sesame.

This option is my favorite off the new hot honey menu. The crispy chicken fillet really soaks up the Hot Honey Sauce, so that you get a lot of that flavor in every bite. Then, the bacon adds a nice layer of umami crunch, while the jalapeño crisps increase the heat level from borderline mild to borderline spicy. The bun was fantastic, and everything came together so nicely. It's amazing what a difference the addition of bacon here makes, when compared to the standard variety (which is reviewed below).

I will definitely be purchasing this again, and I'm going to be sad when the limited edition run ends. Truthfully, I think this sandwich deserves a spot on the permanent menu and highly recommend you grab one before time runs out.

The Hot Honey McCrispy Sandwich is crafted from a crispy chicken fillet, shredded lettuce, hot honey sauce, mayonnaise, and jalapeño crisps on a potato roll. People with allergies should be aware that this sandwich contains wheat, soy, and egg, along with a warning that it may also contain sesame.

This is basically the same sandwich as in the section above, except it comes without the bacon. For me, I think that without the bacon, the Hot Honey McCrispy Sandwich isn't quite as good. It's still fine, but I'd choose the alternative every time. The benefit to this sandwich is that it doesn't contain pork, so those who don't consume pork can safely have this option.

I won't purchase the Hot Honey McCrispy Sandwich again purely out of personal preference — but it's still a great sandwich. I strongly recommend this to anyone who wants to get in on the Hot Honey craze but doesn't like bacon, doesn't eat pork, or wants to choose a lower sodium option.

The Hot Honey Snack Wrap is crafted from chicken strips, hot honey sauce, shredded cheese, and shredded lettuce, rolled up inside of a flour tortilla. Those who need to watch for allergens should know it contains warnings for wheat and milk.

I enjoy a good (if not iconic) snack wrap on occasion, but they aren't my favorite option. However, the Hot Honey Sauce really elevates this McDonald's wrap. In fact, I think this is my favorite option from all of the ones I've tried in the past, of which there are quite a few. The wrap offers a strong starchy flavor profile that balances the sweet and spicy sauce, with the light umami flavor of the chicken taking the backseat. I couldn't honestly taste the cheese much, but the lettuce provided a nice earthy crispness I enjoyed.

I might get the Hot Honey Snack Wrap again if I wanted to switch things up from my favorite option (the Bacon Hot Honey McCrispy Sandwich). If you're looking for light fare that allows you to experience the sweet and spicy goodness of the Hot Honey Sauce, this is your best bet.

I honestly wasn't sure how this taste test would go, especially when I first saw that the Hot Honey Sauce wasn't quite what I was expecting. But, I'm happy to report that it went even better than I assumed — I'll definitely be going back for more.

One of the best things about this new menu is the variety, which offers something for everyone. Want a sweet and spicy breakfast? Choose the Hot Honey Sausage Egg Biscuit. Looking for something hearty and extra savory for lunch? The Bacon Hot Honey McCrispy Sandwich has you covered. Want something filling but don't like bacon? Opt for The Hot Honey McCrispy Sandwich. Need healthy fare to fuel your body? There's a Hot Honey Snack Wrap for that.

But it goes beyond the obvious variations in the menu. After trying it, I think the Hot Honey Sauce could be used to elevate a wide range of menu items — especially Chicken McNuggets or fries. I'm even thinking about trying to add a little of this sauce to a McDonald's hamburger because I think it would be a good pairing that isn't covered in the new menu. I truly believe McDonald's Hot Honey menu is the best thing they've come out with recently, and I highly recommend every McDonald's fan try one (or all) of these new items.