Buffalo Wing Sauce Recipe

Homemade Buffalo Wing Sauce can easily be made in 5 minutes with only 4 ingredients! Hot sauce, melted butter, garlic, and an optional sweetener are quickly mixed together to create the perfect spicy flavor. Use it to add a kick to chicken wings or to any of your favorite game day recipes!

My friends, Super Bowl Sunday is almost upon us.

And for me the best part of the Super Bowl isn’t the football.

It’s not the halftime show or even the fun commercials.

Oh no! It’s actually the spread of finger foods, dips, and appetizers.

Especially the Buffalo Chicken Hot Wings.

And those wings wouldn’t be complete without a spicy and bold buffalo wing sauce to douse them in. (And then lick off of your fingers after you’re done munching!)

What is Buffalo Sauce?

Classic Buffalo Wing Sauce is not just bottled hot sauce. It’s actually a combination of bottled hot sauce and a fat to balance out the spice and make the delicious and creamy sauce we all know and love.

The recipes can be made with lots of variations, but most are sauces made from hot sauce and butter. Some have other ingredients in them, such as white vinegar or Worcestershire sauce, depending on the exact flavor.

While you can go crazy and add in a ton of different ingredients, the one you’ll find here is a great basic recipe without a lot of extras.

You’ll only need 4 ingredients with an optional fifth. That’s it!

Ingredients

The simple ingredients you need to make this Buffalo Sauce Recipe include:

• Butter. Melting the butter will make it easier to whisk the ingredients together. If you are vegan, use a vegan butter substitute. You can also swap it out for olive oil. It doesn’t get as creamy, but it will still give you that rich taste and luxurious mouth feel.
• Hot sauce. You want to select your favorite hot sauce in this recipe. See below for more details on the best hot sauces.
• Garlic. A little bit of garlic goes a long way to add even more flavor. Don’t want to use fresh garlic? Substitute ½ teaspoon of dried garlic powder instead.
• Salt. Yet again, you only need a little. Most hot sauces are a bit salty so make sure you taste between each small addition. Also, if you use unsalted butter you may need to sprinkle in a little extra.
• Honey. This is totally optional and it tastes great with or without it. But if you don’t mind a few extra carbs, the floral sweetness really helps to balance out the spicy flavors. You can also mix in agave nectar or pure maple syrup, if vegan.

Best Hot Sauce to Use

Not all hot sauces are created equal! You’ll find lots of variety between different brands in flavor, heat level, and sweetness.

The best hot sauces for this recipe are:

• Frank’s RedHot Sauce. Frank’s is the classic hot sauce used in most homemade wing sauce recipes. The Original was used when testing this recipe because it is a tad bit spicier. You can also use the Buffalo flavor if you prefer a little less spice.
• Crystal Hot Sauce. This is a Louisiana style hot sauce with a brighter, sweeter taste than the others.
• Sriracha sauce. If you want to do an Asian style wing, this is the hot sauce for you. Be aware that it is a bit spicier and sweeter than the other ones mentioned.

How to Make Buffalo Sauce

The basic steps for making Buffalo Wing Sauce are simple to follow. Please see the recipe card below for more detailed ingredient amounts.

Melt the Butter

Place the butter in a microwave-safe bowl and heat until it is in liquid form. This will make it easier to mix in with the other ingredients.

Stir the Sauce

Measure the hot sauce, garlic, salt, and honey, if using, into the bowl with the melted butter.

Mix together until smooth. A whisk will ensure everything disperses evenly.

Serving

This recipe makes enough to coat up to 3 pounds of wings or meatballs.

Use in recipes like Buffalo Chicken Wings, Buffalo Chicken Meatballs, or Buffalo Cauliflower Wings.

Storing

• To Store: Place in an airtight container or glass mason jar in the refrigerator for up to 1-2 weeks.
• To Freeze: Seal in a freezer-safe airtight container for up to 6 months.

Dietary Modifications

The recipe you’ll find below is already vegetarian and gluten-free as written. Here are some adjustments and substitutions you can make to help it fit your other dietary requirements:

• Dairy-Free – Use a dairy-free butter.
• Vegan – Select a plant-based butter alternative and use agave nectar or maple syrup instead of honey.
• Keto and Low-Carb – Omit the sweetener and make sure the hot sauce has no sugar added.  

FAQS

Expert Tips and Tricks

• Pick your favorite. Choose a hot sauce you love the flavor of since it makes up the majority of the sauce!
• Adjust to taste. Sprinkle in just a little salt at a time until you reach your desired results.
• Heat it up. Melted butter mixes with the other ingredients better than softened.
• Add more kick. Mix in cayenne pepper for an extra spicy sauce.

Buffalo Sauce Recipes

Try this spicy sauce on a few of these easy recipes:

• Homemade Buffalo Cauliflower Bites
• Buffalo Chicken Celery Sticks
• Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Meatballs
• Crockpot Buffalo Chicken Dip
• Baked Buffalo Chicken Wings
• Buffalo Tater Tots