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This 5-minute Buffalo Sauce Recipe is super EASY to make at home using simple pantry ingredients. Tangy, spicy, and buttery-rich, it tastes a million times better than anything you’ll buy from the store.
The Best Buffalo Wing Sauce
This homemade buffalo sauce is the BEST you will every make. It’s also one of the easiest. Made with simple ingredients, most of which you probably already have, it comes together in just 5 minutes! It’s tangy, spicy, and SUPER flavorful, and a must-have for game-day recipes like buffalo chicken dip (a reader-favorite), baked buffalo cauliflower, and, of course, baked buffalo wings! Let’s learn how to make it!
⭐ 5-Star Reader Review ⭐
“I just made this today to have with chicken wings, and it was one of the most delicious things i’ve eaten in many years. This is definitely going to be a regular meal for me from now on!”– Adam
Table of Contents
What’s in Buffalo Sauce?
Homemade buffalo sauce (aka buffalo wing sauce) is famously simple and can be made with just two ingredients: hot sauce and butter. To give the sauce a little more depth and an overall better balance of flavors, I also like to add a few pantry staples:
- Garlic powder: adds mellow savory flavor
- Worcestershire sauce: brings subtle, umami richness
- White vinegar: brightens and sharpens the tang
- Salt (optional): taste first
- Cayenne pepper (optional): for an extra kick of heat
Want a slightly sweeter, more “sticky” buffalo sauce? Stir in 2 to 3 teaspoons of honey to round out the heat and help the sauce cling to the coating. I typically add a bit of honey whenever I make crispy, breaded air fryer buffalo cauliflower or baked buffalo wings.
Pro Tip: The only hot sauce I recommend using to make homemade buffalo sauce is Frank’s RedHot Original Cayenne Hot Sauce. It offers classic tangy cayenne flavor and consistent heat for the most authentic buffalo wing taste. It also emulsifies smoothly with butter for the most reliable results every time.
Why is it Called Buffalo Sauce, anyway?
“Buffalo sauce” gets its name from Buffalo, New York, where it was first made at the Anchor Bar, a small family-owned restaurant. It is widely credited to Teressa Bellissimo, who created the original sauce using a simple mix of butter, hot sauce, and cayenne pepper.
How to Make Buffalo Sauce (Buffalo Wing Sauce)
Making homemade buffalo sauce is FAST, taking just a few minutes on the stovetop.
- Melt the butter: Add the butter to a medium saucepan and melt over medium heat. Once melted, reduce the heat to low to prevent the sauce from separating.
- Whisk in the seasonings: Whisk in the hot sauce, white vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper until smooth.
- Warm until silky: Keep whisking and gently heat for 2 to 3 minutes, just until warmed through and fully combined. Avoid boiling.
Prefer a no-stove option? Whisk the hot sauce, white vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper together in a medium bowl. Melt the butter in a separate bowl in the microwave, then slowly whisk it into the hot sauce mixture until smooth and glossy.
Ways to Use Buffalo Sauce
Buffalo sauce isn’t just for wings! This tangy, spicy, buttery sauce can be used to create countless recipe. Here are some of my favorite ways to put a batch of homemade buffalo sauce to good use:
- Use it to make creamy, cheesy buffalo chicken pasta, buffalo chicken mac and cheese, or this picnic-friendly buffalo chicken pasta salad. Prefer less carbs and more veggies? You’ll love this buffalo chicken spaghetti squash recipe.
- Enjoy all the flavor of buffalo wings in this rich and creamy buffalo chicken soup, made with tender chicken and vegetables in a flavorful buffalo-infused broth.
- Packed with tender pan-seared chicken and crisp, fresh veggies, this buffalo chicken salad is a healthier way to enjoy bold buffalo wing flavors. Serve it with this easy 5-ingredient homemade blue cheese dressing!
- No deep fryer needed! These crispy baked buffalo wings are slathered in buffalo sauce and are perfect for parties, tailgates, or a fun family dinner.
- Use it as a dipping sauce for crispy oven-baked sweet potato fries, real-deal homemade French fries, or air fryer French fries.
Not sure where to start? Try my 5-star reader favorite buffalo chicken dip (or Crock Pot buffalo chicken dip), this super easy recipe for baked buffalo chicken, and my homemade buffalo ranch sauce which tastes just as magical as it sounds.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, absolutely. This recipe contains just 1 gram of carbohydrates and 1 gram of sugar per (1/2 cup) serving.
Buffalo sauce can be very spicy or very mild. How spicy it will be depends the butter to hot sauce ratio (more butter will make it less spicy), or if any additional spices (like cayenne pepper) were added.
To thicken your buffalo sauce you can make a cornstarch slurry with equal parts cornstarch and water or a roux by gently heating and combining equal parts fat (in this case butter) with flour.
Many buffalo sauce recipes are gluten-free. For this particular recipe be sure to check that your Worcestershire sauce is gluten-free before adding to your sauce.
Storing Leftovers
Fortunately, buffalo sauce is fantastic leftover.
The last time I made this homemade buffalo sauce, my husband mixed the leftover sauce with leftover angel hair pasta, dumped some blue cheese on top, warmed it in the microwave, and called it lunch.
Keep it stored in an airtight jar or container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. It thickens quite a bit after cooling due to the butter, but it will thin-out after reheating. Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop.
More Favorite Sauce Recipes
If you try making this buffalo wing sauce recipe, I’d love to hear what you think! Please leave a comment and a star rating below, your feedback helps other readers discover (and enjoy) this recipe too. Thank you so much! 💛
Homemade Buffalo Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter, melted
- 1 cup Frank's RedHot Original Cayenne Hot Sauce
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional
- salt and black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Melt the butter to a medium saucepan set over medium heat. Once the butter is nearly melted, stir in the hot sauce, white vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper (optional). Bring to a gentle simmer (do not boil), stirring often.
- Remove from heat and season with additional salt and pepper, to taste.
- Gently stir before serving over wings.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
My bf loves buffalo sauce, so I decided to make this for buffalo cauliflower for the soccer game and keep a bit extra for later. We both loved it.
Thank you so much, Heather! I am so glad you both loved it, and buffalo cauliflower for a soccer game sounds perfect. Love that you saved a little extra for later! ๐