Learn how to make buffalo sauce! Rich, spicy, and tangy, this easy homemade version rivals any store-bought wing sauce I've tried.
Let’s talk buffalo sauce! This famous wing sauce is rich, tangy, and spicy. I recently tested out a homemade version for this buffalo cauliflower recipe, and I love the bold flavor so much that I’ve been using it in other ways too. As a dip for sweet potato fries or air fryer French fries, slathered on a black bean burger… If you love punchy flavors and lots of heat, then I think you’ll go nuts for this buffalo sauce recipe.
But I’m getting ahead of myself.
What is buffalo sauce, anyway?
I’ll start by saying that it has nothing to do with the animal. Buffalo sauce gets its name from its city of origin, Buffalo, New York, where Teressa Bellissimo is said to have invented buffalo chicken wings at the Anchor Bar in 1964.
In its simplest form, buffalo wing sauce is a just a combination of cayenne pepper hot sauce and butter. My recipe calls for a few additional ingredients to help balance the flavors, but it’s still very straightforward. If you keep a bottle of Frank’s RedHot in your fridge, you can whip it up anytime!
Buffalo Sauce Recipe Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this recipe:
- Cayenne pepper hot sauce – Which basically just means Frank’s RedHot. It’s super spicy and tangy!
- Butter – For richness and buttery flavor. Vegan butter works too!
- Honey – Its sweetness balances the sharp hot sauce, and it makes the buffalo sauce thick and glossy. Swap in 1 tablespoon agave if you’re vegan.
- Garlic powder – For savory, umami flavor.
- And paprika – It adds earthy, peppery complexity.
To make the sauce, melt the butter and place it in a medium bowl. Add the hot sauce, honey, garlic powder, and paprika, and stir to combine. That’s it!
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
How to Use Homemade Buffalo Sauce
Of course, this homemade buffalo sauce is fantastic on buffalo wings, cauliflower or otherwise. Serve them with a side of vegan ranch dressing (or blue cheese dressing, if that’s more your thing) for an insanely delicious appetizer or snack.
Not in a wing mood? There are other ways to use this tasty sauce!
The sauce will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week, so you’ll have plenty of time to experiment with it. Let me know your favorite ways to use it in the comments!
More Favorite Sauce Recipes
If you love this homemade buffalo sauce recipe, try one of these tasty sauces next:
Buffalo Sauce
Prep Time: 5 minutes mins
Total Time: 5 minutes mins
Serves 8
Skip the store-bought buffalo sauce, and learn how to make your own instead! This homemade buffalo sauce is spicy, tangy, and SO easy to make. Find our favorite ways to use it in the post above.
Ingredients
- ½ cup cayenne pepper hot sauce, such as Frank’s RedHot
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted*
- 2½ tablespoons honey*
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon paprika
Instructions
In a medium bowl, stir together the hot sauce, melted butter, honey, garlic powder, and paprika. Season to taste.
Notes
*To make vegan buffalo sauce, replace the butter with vegan butter. Substitute 1 tablespoon agave nectar for the honey.
FAQs
Combine hot sauce, butter, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, cayenne, garlic powder, and salt in a pot over medium heat. Bring to a simmer while stirring with a whisk. As soon as the liquid begins to bubble on the sides of the pot, remove from heat, stir with the whisk, and set aside for use. Enjoy!
How do you make Bobby Flay buffalo sauce? ›
ingredients
- 1⁄2 cup red wine vinegar.
- 1 -2 tablespoon pureed chipotle chile in adobo.
- 1 tablespoon new mexico chile powder.
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard.
- 1 teaspoon salt.
- 1 -2 tablespoon honey.
- 1⁄2 cup unsalted butter, quartered.
Key Ingredients
Butter: Makes this homemade sauce so creamy and silky. Garlic powder: Adds more flavor to our sauce. You can also use fresh grated garlic if you prefer.
What is in the original buffalo sauce? ›
Sauce. Cayenne pepper-based hot sauce, melted butter, and vinegar are the standard base of Buffalo wing sauce, which may be made mild, medium, or hot. Other ingredients are also common, although less dominant, such as Worcestershire sauce and garlic powder.
What is Frank's buffalo sauce made of? ›
Distilled Vinegar, Aged Cayenne Red Peppers, Salt, Water, Canola Oil, Paprika, Xanthan Gum, Natural Butter Type Flavor and Garlic Powder.
What makes buffalo sauce taste like buffalo? ›
If you're not from the U.S. you're probably asking yourself how someone made a sauce out of a buffalo, but don't worry, the name actually comes from Buffalo, New York, where this sauce is said to have originated. It's an incredibly tasty mix of cayenne hot sauce and butter.
What is buffalo sauce made of Chick Fil A? ›
Water, cayenne red pepper, distilled vinegar, soybean oil, salt, egg yolk, xanthan gum, dehydrated garlic, potassium sorbate and sodium benzoate added as preservatives, propylene glycol alginate, whey protein concentrate, natural flavor, calcium disodium EDTA added to protect flavor, annatto and turmeric added for ...
What's the difference between Frank's hot sauce and buffalo wing sauce? ›
Buffalo sauce starts just like Frank's RedHot® Original – aged cayenne red peppers, distilled vinegar, water, salt and garlic powder. But really, it ends there. (So, what's thedifference between hot sauce and buffalo sauce?) Natural butter flavor and paprika.
Do you put buffalo sauce on wings before or after cooking? ›
Most oven-baked chicken wings are tossed in sauce after they have been cooked, which means that the skin needs to be perfectly crisp to soak up all the sauce. Thoroughly pat the wings dry with paper towels before seasoning them with salt and placing them on a baking sheet.
Can I use Frank's red hot instead of buffalo sauce? ›
To give your wings authentic Buffalo flavor, use 3 parts Frank's RedHot® Original and 2 parts melted butter. Toss your wings in this mixture and serve.
One of the most accepted health benefits of hot sauce (and spicy food in general) is its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties as well as bioactive compounds such as flavonoids, phenolic acids, carotenoids, and vitamins C, E, and A. Hot sauce by its nature is a powerhouse of healthy eating.
How to make buffalo sauce stick to wings? ›
To get buffalo sauce to stick to wings, it's essential to toss the wings in the sauce immediately after they come out of the fryer or oven while they are still hot. The heat helps the sauce adhere to the wings, creating a flavorful and evenly coated exterior.
Does Frank's buffalo sauce need to be refrigerated? ›
Frank's RedHot manufactures 9 different hot sauces. It recommends refrigerating two of them, Frank's RedHot Sweet Chili® and Frank's RedHot® Slammin' Sriracha® Chili Sauce, after opening. Frank's says that refrigerating its other sauces keeps them fresher, but is not required.
Why is buffalo sauce bitter? ›
The superhot sauces have oleoresin capsicum, or extract in them. It is very bitter and poor tasting, and imparts that to the sauces. Some other sauces, not so hot, have an excess of vinegar in them and often a sour taste.
Does buffalo sauce have buffalo meat? ›
Some people may be turned off by the name Buffalo sauce, thinking that it's a sauce made from the animal of the same name. Rest assured, Buffalo sauce does not contain any part of the buffalo animal. Many brands of Buffalo sauce are actually vegan because they use artificial butter flavoring rather than actual butter.
Why is buffalo sauce so vinegary? ›
If you look at the ingredients list of most hot sauces, you'll see that vinegar is often one of the first ingredients. So why is that and what can you do if you're not so hot about vinegar? Well, let's start with why so many hot sauces have so much vinegar. There's two main reasons: preservation and taste.
Why is buffalo sauce red? ›
Buffalo Sauce Ingredients
Buffalo sauce starts just like Frank's RedHot® Original – aged cayenne red peppers, distilled vinegar, water, salt and garlic powder.
What are the ingredients in Buffalo Wild wings buffalo sauce? ›
Water, Cayenne Red Pepper, Distilled Vinegar, Soybean Oil, Salt, Egg Yolk, Modified Cornstarch, Xanthan Gum, Garlic (Dehydrated), Spice, Natural and Artificial Flavors, Onion (Dehydrated), Corn Syrup, Molasses, Caramel Color, Sugar, Calcium Disodium EDTA Added to Protect Flavor, Tamarind Extract.
