You might need a last-minute/best wing sauce recipe. Or game day is approaching. Or you just need a new go-to sauce. If that’s the case, this super quick and easy buffalo hot sauce recipe is for you! This buffalo wing sauces are mouthwateringly good with a rich, creamy, and hot flavor that you can tweak to your liking. It tastes better than store-bought and can be enjoyed in endless ways!
What Is Buffalo Sauce?
Originally, buffalo wing sauce consisted of melted butter, hot sauce, and cayenne pepper (usually 2:1 hot sauce to butter). It was initially designed as a wing sauce recipe. And it was accompanied by sides of celery and blue cheese to balance the heat. Now it’s grown in popularity thanks in part to the Buffalo Bills football team and American football fans. So there are all sorts of “buffalo” dishes. These all refer to dishes seasoned with a buttery hot sauce.
Why Is It Called Buffalo Sauce?
Well, to your potential relief, there’s no buffalo or bison involved in the recipe at all. Instead, the name comes from where this tasty sauce originated – Anchor Bar in Buffalo, New York. My version of this buffalo sauce for wings is pretty authentic to the original. I only swap out the cayenne for aromatic garlic powder to better suit my spice levels. However, I’ve also included several popular homemade buffalo sauce add-ins below to adapt the recipe to your liking. It’s shockingly easy to make, too.
How Hot Is Buffalo Sauce?
This depends on the hot sauce you use and if you add more spicy ingredients. In general, many hot sauces blend cayenne pepper with vinegar and salt, so they sit at a moderate level of heat. However, it can be mild, medium, or hot. Plus, when making this homemade buffalo sauce recipe, you can adapt it to your taste.
Watch How to Make it
What Is In Buffalo Sauce?
This simple homemade buffalo wing sauce contains just a few ingredients and can be ready in just minutes!
Hot sauce: Use your favorite hot sauce, such as Frank’s (my preferred option when using store-bought), Crystal, or Cholula. Alternatively, use homemade hot sauce. Melted butter: I prefer unsalted butter. Though you can use lightly salted butter and adjust the amount of added salt used in the recipe.
For vegan buffalo sauce, use your favorite vegan butter instead.
Garlic powder: Fresh garlic also works but massively reduces the shelf life, so I prefer to stick to powdered. Salt: Season to taste.
Although a simple combination of ingredients, the results are remarkable. The butter helps to make a super-rich and creamy sauce to rival all sauces for wings.
How to Make Buffalo Wing Sauce
How to make wing sauce from scratch is so quick and easy. You’ll have it from the kitchen to the table in no time! First, melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. It should only be melted, not bubbling or turning brown, so monitor it well. Then, add the remaining ingredients, stirring well. Bring to a simmer and cook until smooth and thickened – just a few minutes. Give it a taste and adjust the seasonings to your liking. Then remove it from the heat and leave it to cool (it will thicken as it cools). Then it’s ready to either use immediately or store in the fridge. How to make buffalo sauce is that easy.
Ways to Use Buffalo Wing Sauce
There are plenty of ways to use this chicken wing sauce recipe and not just with wings. Here are a few of my top recommendations.
Use the hot wing sauce to make buffalo chicken wings (baked, grilled, or air fried) or buffalo cauliflower wings. Serve with a side of blue cheese dressing or Ranch dressing and celery. Season your favorite chicken thighs or chicken breast recipe. To baste grilled shrimp. Spread it over chicken burgers. Or make buffalo chicken wraps and pinwheels. Mix into Mac and cheese. Or mix it into pasta as a simple sauce. Or use buffalo chicken to stuff pasta shells. Use the sauce for meatballs (with blue cheese). Enjoy this homemade buffalo sauce as a flatbread or pizza base. Make buffalo chicken dipping sauce or Buffalo hummus. Enjoy buffalo chicken in tacos, burritos, and burrito bowls. Make cheesy Buffalo-inspired chicken nachos. Make a buffalo chicken salad with blue cheese dressing. Add to deviled eggs or this deviled egg potato salad. Toss some with popcorn. Use with potato wedges, fries, or other cooked potatoes and vegetables. Use the buffalo chicken as a potato skins/baked potato filling. Add a little of this hot wing sauce to a bloody mary.
Let me know in the comments what your favorite ways to enjoy this buffalo wing sauce are!
How to Store Homemade Buffalo Sauce
Allow it to cool. Then store it in an airtight container, like a bottle or jar, in the refrigerator for up to a month! When you want to use the hot wing sauce, shake it well and remove it from the fridge for several minutes. This will allow the butter to soften again for the best consistency. You could also reheat it slightly in the microwave (just 10 seconds is usually enough). Alternatively, transfer it to an airtight freezer-safe container or bag. Store it in the freezer for up to 6 months. Allow it to thaw in the fridge overnight before using it again.
More Easy Sauce Recipes
Easy homemade ketchup Simple homemade mustard 5-Ingredient mayonnaise Quick and No-Fail Hollandaise Sauce How to Make Bechamel Sauce (White Sauce) Raising Cane’s Sauce Recipe (Copycat)
If you try this easy buffalo sauce recipe (the best hot wing sauce), I’d love to hear your thoughts/questions below. Also, I’d appreciate a recipe card rating below, and tag me in your recipe recreations on Instagram @Alphafoodie!
