Cyberchondria, involving the excessive and compulsive seeking of health information, has garnered escalating attention in recent years. One model proposes cyberchondria as an addictive behavior, and craving is considered a key driver of addictive behaviors. However, craving has yet to be systematically studied in the context of cyberchondria. Therefore, this study aimed to conceptualize a contruct of health information craving, develop, and validate a health information craving scale, intended for subsequent empirical examinations in the context of cyberchondria. We employed a rigorous multi-step procedure for scale development and validation, conducting three separate studies with 1633 participants. The resulting scale of health information craving exhibited a multi-dimensional structure with positive and negative reinforcing sub-scales, as confirmed through diverse reliability and validity assessments. As expected, the scale demonstrated a positive relationship with individuals' cyberchondria, thus providing support for the nomological validity of the developed scale. Furthermore, the findings suggest that health information craving should be considered a related but distinct concept from another similar concept, health information need, thereby offering further support for its operationalization. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.