The best homemade buffalo wing sauce recipe! All you need is 3 ingredients and 5 minutes of your time to make this perfectly smooth and delicious buffalo sauce. Perfect for chicken wings, pulled chicken, buffalo cauliflower, crispy chicken tenders, pizza, or to use as a dip.
I know many people just buy bottles of hot sauce to toss crunchy chicken wings in, but honestly, a good buffalo wing sauce is SO easy to make and tastes much better! It’s perfectly balanced, not too tangy or hot, it’s smooth, rich, and delicious.
So whether you’re making buffalo chicken wings for Superbowl, or you’re just craving great-tasting buffalo wings, you have to make the wing sauce from scratch!
Why Do They Call It Buffalo Sauce?
The name has nothing to do with buffalos! The sauce was invented in 1964 by a family-owned business called Anchor bar located in Buffalo, New York.
While the original buffalo sauce has never been published, we know for sure that buffalo sauce is specifically made with Frank’s Red Hot Original sauce. I have made it so many times, and here’s the closest recipe to what you can get at a NY sports bar.
What Is Buffalo Wing Sauce Made Of?
Buffalo sauce is all about balanced flavors! The main ingredient is, of course, Frank’s Red Hot Original sauce (the original, not Frank’s wing sauce). It’s an aged cayenne pepper-based hot sauce that already includes vinegar and garlic powder, so it’s hot but also acidic.
To balance the acidity, I like to add some type of sweetener (I used honey in this recipe), but brown sugar or maple syrup can also be used.
Butter is added for richness, smoothness, and balancing the flavors. It’s an essential ingredient to make a delicious buffalo wing sauce.
Seasoning with salt and pepper is totally optional but adds some flavor.
Tip!
If you like your sauce really hot, do not add more hot sauce, instead, add half a teaspoon of cayenne powder. Adding more hot sauce will result in a very tangy sauce that is not very pleasant (due to the vinegar).
Other optional ingredients that you can add: a teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce, ½ teaspoon of paprika, ½ teaspoon of garlic powder, and ½ teaspoon of onion powder.
Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Why Add Butter to Hot Wing Sauce?
The butter is what gives you a restaurant-quality sauce at home. It adds silky and smooth richness to the sauce, cuts down the heat a little, and of course, adds great flavor!
How to Make Buffalo Sauce
This is so simple and takes just 5 minutes of your time!
Melt butter in the microwave in a small bowl or glass jug (do not overheat, microwave until the butter has just melted), then add the hot sauce, honey, salt and pepper (if using). Whisk until well combined, and that’s your wing sauce ready to dip!
Keep the wing sauce warm, or reheat slightly prior to using.
The sauce is enough for 3 pounds of chicken wings.
10 Ways to Use Wing Sauce
- Toss Instant Pot chicken wings or Air fryer chicken wings, or try my Air fryer buffalo chicken wing recipe.
- Use to make buffalo chicken dip
- Toss crispy Air fryer chicken tenders
- As a sauce for Smashed potatoes
- Dip Oven-baked fries
- Drizzle over pizza or nachos
- Add to Pulled chicken when making sandwiches or wraps
- Toss crispy cauliflower to make buffalo cauliflower wings
- As a coating for buttermilk chicken tenders or fried shrimp
- Great on BBQ baby ribs!
Need more Buffalo-style recipes? Try my Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese, Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Peppers, Buffalo Shrimp, Buffalo Chicken Pasta, Buffalo Chicken Pizza, or Buffalo Chicken Sliders next!
Common Questions About Buffalo Sauce
Add ½ teaspoon of cayenne to the sauce.
Store homemade buffalo sauce in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 1 month. If it separates, it’s because the butter hardens when it’s chilled. Just reheat it gently prior to use.
Any hot sauce would do, Louisiana hot sauce, sriracha, etc.
You can use ghee or sunflower oil.
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
Buffalo Wing Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- ½ cup Frank's Original Red Hot Sauce
- 1 tablespoon honey
- ¼ teaspoon salt optional
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper optional
Instructions
- Melt butter in the microwave in a small bowl or glass jug (do not overheat, microwave until the butter has just melted).
- Add the hot sauce, honey, salt, and pepper. Whisk until well combined and toss your chicken wings in the sauce.
- Keep the wing sauce warm, or reheat slightly prior to using.
Notes:
- It is recommended that you use Frank’s hot sauce, but it can be substituted with any hot sauce and it will work fine.
- Butter can be substituted with ghee or sunflower oil.
- The sauce is enough for 3 pounds of chicken wings.
- If the butter is overheated, it won’t mix very well with the hot sauce. So make sure to heat it until just melted.
- If you like your sauce really hot, do not add more hot sauce, instead, add half a teaspoon of cayenne powder. Adding more hot sauce will result in a very tangy sauce that is not very pleasant (due to the vinegar).
- Optional ingredients that you can add: a teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce, ½ teaspoon of paprika, ½ teaspoon of garlic powder, and ½ teaspoon of onion powder. You can also add a clove of garlic to the sauce for a garlicky flavor.
- Store homemade buffalo sauce in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 1 month. If it separates, it’s because the butter hardens when it’s chilled. Just reheat it gently prior to use.
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
© Little Sunny Kitchen
Laura S says
Loved this sauce and got lots of compliments on my Buffalo Cauliflower Bites. I used Goya hot sauce because that’s what I had on hand. The sauce had a great tangy bite with a lovely warmth and without too much heat.
Tammy Edwards says
I made this Buffalo Wing Sauce tonight and it was absolutely delicious 😋!! This is the only recipe I will use. Everyone loved it. Thanks for sharing your recipe.
Diana says
Perfect! So glad to hear you loved it!