While Texas Roadhouse offers a menu packed with sensational offerings, true connoisseurs of this beloved steakhouse chain know that what keeps people coming back is the cinnamon honey butter. Sweet, warmly spicy, and whipped to airy perfection, this simple compound butter practically turns Texas Roadhouse’s signature pillowy rolls into a dessert as it melts effortlessly into the bread’s nooks and crannies. You can even recreate this signature recipe at home and use it to transform your popcorn into a snack lover’s dream.
This combo works not only because butter, honey, and cinnamon taste good on almost everything, but also because they’re particularly delicious on popcorn. As the butter sinks into the popped kernels, the rich fat, earthy sweetness, and aromatic heat elevate the popcorn’s subtle nuttiness, evoking the fairground flavors of caramel or kettle corn, but with additional nuance and complexity.
This artisanal snack is also extremely easy to make. Before popping your popcorn (on the stovetop is best), use a whisk to whip together melted butter, honey, and cinnamon to taste. You don’t need salt if your butter is already salted, or if you’re using salt when popping your popcorn. Once the popcorn is ready, pour it into a big bowl with the butter and stir using tongs or a serving spoon. Keep stirring until the popped kernels turn shiny and are evenly speckled with flecks of cinnamon. Decant into smaller bowls to share, or sneak away to watch a movie with the whole bowl to yourself (we won’t tell).
Making this sweet and spicy snack your own
Though this tempting popcorn topping is fairly easy to make on your own, you can also ask for cinnamon honey butter to go on your next trip to Texas Roadhouse. That way, you won’t have to worry about getting the ratio right, and you can even add extra seasonings to create your own signature flavor (you can, of course, do this with the homemade version, too). There are plenty of interesting and delicious popcorn seasoning blends you can add to this flavor profile, whether your tastes lean more sweet or savory.
For anyone into desserts, you can add ingredients that evoke the flavors of classic desserts. Tried and true pumpkin spice fans can add additional spices like ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice along with a drizzle of caramel sauce to mimic the flavors in a classic PSL. Cocoa powder in the butter mixture along with crushed graham crackers and mini freeze-dried marshmallows turn your popcorn into a true campfire snack with the nostalgic flavors of s’mores.
If you’re a fan of anything barbecue (same), the honey and cinnamon in this blend pair beautifully with smoky, spicy, and astringent flavors while the butter helps all the spices bloom. Try adding a pinch of hot, smoked paprika, onion and garlic powder, dry mustard, and even a little cayenne to bump up the heat. For a more authentic barbecued flavor, you can even add some freeze-dried tomato powder, if you can find it.
