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Home » Dips, Sauces, & Custards

Homemade Buffalo Sauce

Published: Jan 21, 2022 · Modified: Sep 2, 2022 by Emma · This post may contain affiliate links, which can earn us a commission.

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This delicious, homemade buffalo sauce is flavored with lots of butter and a few spices to make it way more tasty than any store-bought version.  It's definitely the secret to making your next batch of wings even more addictive!

If you're looking for ways to use buffalo sauce, try this buffalo chicken dip or dip these sausage balls in it.

person pouring a spoonful of buffalo sauce into a bowl

Jump to:
  • Ingredients
  • How to Make
  • Recipe FAQs
  • Store
  • Expert Tips
  • Recipe

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Ingredients

glass bowls of ingredients for buffalo sauce

Fortunately, it doesn't take any fancy ingredients to make your own buffalo sauce! You probably already have all of these ingredients in your fridge or pantry.

  • Hot Sauce: The classic choice is Frank's Red Hot Original (affiliate), but you can change this up if you want a different flavor or spiciness level.
  • Butter: Use unsalted butter here. Otherwise, you won't be able to control the salt levels in the sauce.
  • Vinegar: This makes the buffalo sauce a little more spicy and increases the tang.
  • Spices: Fresh minced garlic, Worcestershire sauce, salt, sugar, and onion powder make this sauce extra flavorful.

How to Make

combining the buffalo sauce ingredients in a saucepan
  1. Place all the ingredients into a small saucepan.

2. Set over medium heat and whisk constantly until the butter has melted and the mixture is simmering.

person dipping a wing into a bowl of buffalo sauce

3. Pour into a bowl and let it cool to room temperature, whisking occasionally as it cools.  This will re-incorporate any butter that separates, ensuring a beautifully smooth and thick texture as it cools.

4. Dip some chicken wings into your homemade buffalo sauce, serve with celery sticks and blue cheese dressing, and you're all set!

Recipe FAQs

What is Buffalo sauce made of?

It consists of cayenne pepper hot sauce, melted butter, and seasonings. Cayenne pepper is often added to make it more spicy, but I left it out to keep it more mild. The other seasonings are freshly minced garlic, salt, vinegar, sugar, onion powder, and Worcestershire.

Why do they call it Buffalo sauce?

This sauce isn't named after the American bison as one might expect, but instead is named for Buffalo, New York, the city where it was invented. Teressa Bellissimo created this condiment in 1964, and coated deep-fried chicken wings in it to create the first buffalo wings.  Anchor Bar, the place where this condiment was invented, is still open today and serves buffalo wings according to Teressa's secret recipe.

What's the difference between buffalo sauce and hot sauce?

Hot sauce is an ingredient in buffalo sauce, while buffalo sauce is a combination of hot sauce, butter, and spices. The butter adds flavor and cuts some of the spiciness, while the seasonings make it taste even better.

What does Buffalo sauce taste like?

It tastes spicy, buttery, tangy, and garlicky, depending upon the spices added to it. Depending upon the hot sauce you use, you can adjust the spiciness to your taste preferences (mild, medium, or hot).

Store

How long does it keep?

I'd recommend eating this homemade version within a couple weeks of making it, since it doesn't contain preservatives like store bought.  You can always freeze it for longer storage.

How to Freeze

Yes, you can freeze this condiment!  Simply seal it inside of an airtight container and freeze for up to 6 months.  Defrost in the fridge overnight, or at room temperature for a couple of hours.  You'll want to reheat and re-whisk it before using.

Expert Tips

  • Use Frank's Red Hot Original.  It's a vinegar based cayenne pepper sauce and has the right amount of heat.
  • Want to up the heat?  Decrease the butter by 2 tablespoons, add an extra teaspoon of vinegar, and add cayenne pepper to taste.
  • Change up the flavor by adding extra garlic, red pepper flakes, cayenne pepper, BBQ sauce, minced jalapeños, liquid smoke, or teriyaki.
  • Simmer for 30 seconds or so to help it thicken.
  • Whisk occasionally as it cools to help incorporate the butter and give it a smoother texture.
  • Let it cool and thicken before using.  This will help it stick to the wings better.

Other Delicious Game Day Eats

  • Southern Pimento Cheese
  • Baked Jalapeño Poppers
  • Sloppy Joe Sliders
  • Pretzel Buns Recipe

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Recipe

glass mason jar of buffalo sauce with a spoon

Homemade Buffalo Sauce

Make the best homemade buffalo sauce with this easy recipe.  This wing sauce is made from scratch with Frank’s Red Hot, melted butter, garlic, and spices.  It will definitely take your wings to the next level!
5 from 2 votes
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Course: Appetizers
Cuisine: American
Keyword: buffalo sauce recipe, homemade buffalo sauce
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 1 ¼ cup
Calories: 87kcal
Author: Emma

Ingredients
 

  • ⅔ cup cayenne pepper hot sauce
  • ½ cup unsalted butter
  • 2 teaspoons minced garlic
  • 2 teaspoons distilled white vinegar
  • ½ teaspoon granulated sugar
  • ½ teaspoon onion powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt, or more to taste
  • ¼ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional

Instructions

  • Place all the ingredients in a small saucepan and set over medium heat.  Stir constantly until the butter has melted, then simmer for 30 seconds.  Some fat may separate as it simmers, but this will re-incorporate as it cools.
  • Remove the sauce from the heat and pour into a bowl to cool.  Let it to room temperature before using, about 30 minutes.  Whisk occasionally as it cools to mix in any separated butter.  The sauce will noticeably thicken and become smooth.
  • Coat deep fried or baked wings in the sauce, and serve any extra on the side.  Be sure to have some blue cheese salad dressing and celery sticks ready to enjoy alongside the wings.

Notes

  • Add more heat by decreasing the butter by 2 tablespoons, adding an extra teaspoon of vinegar, and adding cayenne pepper to taste.
  • Let the sauce cool and thicken before using; this will help it stick to wings.
  • Store: To store leftovers, seal it inside of a mason jar and store in the fridge for up to 1 week.  It will harden when refrigerated, so you'll need to microwave it for about 30 seconds and stir well before using to give it a pourable consistency.

Nutrition

Serving: 2TablespoonsCalories: 87kcal (4%)Carbohydrates: 1gProtein: 1g (2%)Fat: 9g (14%)Saturated Fat: 6g (38%)Polyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 24mg (8%)Sodium: 485mg (21%)Potassium: 36mg (1%)Fiber: 1g (4%)Sugar: 1g (1%)Vitamin A: 331IU (7%)Vitamin C: 12mg (15%)Calcium: 5mg (1%)Iron: 1mg (6%)

This post was originally published on January 30, 2020 and was republished on January 21, 2022 with reformatted content and refreshed images.

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