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.
Quick Look at the Recipe
- ⏲️ Prep Time: 15 minutes
- ⏲️ Total Time: 15 minutes (not including optional 30 minute resting time to thicken sauce)
- 🍽️ Yield: 1¼ cups
- 🥕 Dietary Info: Gluten Free; can be made Vegan and Dairy Free
- ⚡ Calories: 87 calories per serving (based on nutrition facts in recipe card)
- 🧈 9 Ingredients: cayenne pepper hot sauce, unsalted butter, minced garlic, white vinegar, sugar, onion powder, salt, Worcestershire sauce, and cayenne pepper.
- 🥣 Method: Stovetop
- 🔪 Equipment: small saucepan, garlic press, and whisk.
- ⭐ Expert Tip: For a thicker sauce, cool before using; about 30 minutes. Whisk occasionally as it cools to mix in any separated butter.
- 🌶️ Flavor & Texture: This buffalo sauce is smooth, buttery, and spicy with a great balance of flavors for more depth than just heat.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Made with Basic Pantry Staples: All you need are a few spices and flavorings from your pantry along with a stick of butter, and you can make an amazing buffalo sauce.
- Better Flavor than Bottled or Store-Bought: Unlike many recipes and many bottled sauces, this one includes a few other seasonings to add a rich and balanced flavor.
- Made in 15 Minutes: The method to make this buffalo sauce couldn't be easier; combine in a saucepan, heat through, and enjoy! (For a thicker sauce, follow my tip in the recipe card!)
Featured Comment
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "I love using this homemade buffalo sauce in buffalo chicken dip! One can really taste the difference with homemade ranch and buffalo sauce--it makes the dip irresistible. Thanks for sharing!"
- Blair
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Ingredients
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.
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Buffalo Sauce
- Place all the ingredients into a small saucepan. (image 1)
- Set over medium heat and whisk constantly until the butter has melted and the mixture is simmering. (image 2)
- 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. (image 3)
- Dip some chicken wings into your homemade buffalo sauce, serve with celery sticks and blue cheese dressing, and you're all set! (image 4)
Recipe FAQs
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.
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.
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.
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).
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.
Serving Buffalo Sauce
If you're looking for other appetizer recipes, make sure to try our recipes for jalapeño poppers, buffalo chicken dip, buttermilk ranch, and garbage bread.
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
Recipe
Homemade Buffalo Sauce
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.
Video
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 sizes and nutritional information are only an estimate and may vary from your results.
Blair
I love using this homemade buffalo sauce in buffalo chicken dip! One can really taste the difference with homemade ranch and buffalo sauce--it makes the dip irresistible. Thanks for sharing!
Emma Fajcz
You're very welcome! So happy to hear that this sauce was such a success for you.