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Homemade Buffalo Sauce

You’ve found your new go-to buffalo sauce recipe. It includes my secret trick to a nice and thick buffalo sauce that coats your chicken wings completely, and it’s all about the butter.

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Homemade Buffalo Sauce in a mason jar with chicken tender being dipped in them

This buffalo sauce is the most popular sauce on my website for good reason. It’s spicy, thick, and only takes 5 minutes to make!

I’ve tested this recipe more than 20 times to determine the best butter ratio to get you that creamy thickness you want in a buffalo wing sauce. Any more, and the sauce is too buttery, and any less, it doesn’t thicken up enough.

And my husband is from Buffalo, NY, so you know this sauce is good. I mean, really good.

Chicken tenders coated in delicious buffalo sauce on a plate

Homemade Buffalo Sauce Ingredients

Buffalo sauce is made with a mixture of hot sauce, butter, vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce.

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The butter helps make the sauce super creamy and is irreplaceable in the recipe. It’s what really makes the sauce have the perfect flavor.

How to make Buffalo Sauce

Overlay of ingredients needed to make the homemade buffalo sauce

A full printable version of this recipe with ingredient measurements is available at the bottom of this post.

STEP ONE: Combine the Frank’s Red Hot sauce, butter, white vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, cayenne pepper, and garlic powder into a small saucepan on medium-low heat. Whisk frequently.

You can use another kind of hot sauce if you prefer something to Frank’s, but I personally recommend Frank’s Red Hot to get the best desired taste.

Collage of step by step photos of ingredients cooking in a small sauce pan

STEP TWO: Allow mixture to come to a simmer. The butter should be completely melted. This takes about 5 minutes. Taste the sauce and add salt as needed.

STEP THREE: Take off the heat and allow it to cool. The sauce will start to thicken as it cools.

Buffalo sauce inside a mason jar served with celery and chicken

Buffalo Sauce Recipe Variations

Heat tolerance can vary per person, so it’s important to tailor this recipe to exactly what you want. To make the sauce spicier, simply double the cayenne pepper included.

If you prefer a milder version of this recipe, you can half the amount of cayenne pepper used. You can even omit it if you prefer. This will minimally affect the taste of the sauce and help you lower that spice level.

You can also use my mild buffalo sauce recipe instead.

Wamred buffalo sauce being drizzled on top of chicken

How to thicken Buffalo Wing Sauce

This recipe will thicken while it sits in the fridge and comes out nice and thick when ready to use.

If you’re looking to thicken up the sauce quickly after making, just follow these simple steps:

  1. Heat up the buffalo sauce in a small saucepan or keep on heat.
  2. Mix together 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and 1 tablespoon warm water in a small separate bowl to create a slurry mixture.
  3. Add the slurry mixture into the hot buffalo sauce, stir, and let cook for another 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.

The mixture of water and cornstarch will allow the buffalo sauce to thicken.

You can repeat this method until you reach the consistency you would like, being mindful it can take a few minutes on the heat for it to thicken fully.

How to make Buffalo Wing Sauce vegetarian

This recipe can be easily made vegetarian by swapping out normal Worcestershire sauce (it contains anchovies) for a vegan Worcestershire sauce.

You can also substitute the amount of Worcestershire sauce needed with half lemon juice, half soy sauce, and a small pinch of granulated sugar.

I do not recommend changing this specific recipe into a vegan variety as butter is a necessary ingredient to keep the creamy texture.

Piece of breaded chicken tender being dipped into the buffalo sauce

Storing Homemade Wing Sauce

This homemade buffalo sauce recipe can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a month.

I like to store mine inside a tightly sealed Mason Jar.

To use refrigerated buffalo sauce, remove from the fridge, stir sauce, and let it sit for 5 minutes. This will allow the sauce to thin up to the right consistency perfect for chicken wings.

Buffalo sauce stored in a mason jar

Ways to use Homemade Buffalo Sauce

This recipe can be used as an easy dipping sauce for chicken tenders, cauliflower, and more. The sauce is also great as a chicken wing sauce.

Try using it with these recipes:

Is Buffalo Sauce Keto?

Yes! Most buffalo sauces, including this homemade thick buffalo sauce recipe is completely keto.
This specific recipe includes 0 carbohydrates, making it completely keto-friendly and perfect for a low-carb diet.

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Yield: 8

Buffalo Wing Sauce Recipe

Homemade Buffalo Sauce in a mason jar with chicken tender being dipped in them

A quick and easy homemade Buffalo sauce that can be made up to one month ahead of time. It's spicy and awesome with chicken wings.

Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2/3 cup Frank's Red Hot sauce
  • ½ cup unsalted butter
  • 2 tablespoons white vinegar
  • ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
  • Salt to taste

Instructions

  1. Combine the Frank's Red Hot, butter, white vinegar, Worcestershire sauce*, cayenne pepper, and garlic powder to a small sauce pan on medium-low heat.
  2. Whisk frequently until sauce comes to a simmer and butter is completely melted.
  3. Taste and add salt as needed.
  4. Let cool and refrigerate up to a month. Sauce will thicken as it cools.

Notes

* to make vegetarian, substitute Worcestershire sauce out for a vegan Worcestershire or use half lemon juice, half soy sauce, and a small pinch of granulated sugar.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 105Total Fat: 12gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 31mgSodium: 583mgCarbohydrates: 0gFiber: 0gSugar: 0gProtein: 0g

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samantha

About Samantha

I’ve always had a love of cooking and creating new recipes, so it only made sense to create a food blog so I could share those recipes with you. This site is designed to provide easy and flavorful recipes with as little ingredients as possible. That means you still get great flavor combinations without all that extra time and effort. Read more...

27 thoughts on “Homemade Buffalo Sauce”

  1. I made this tweet it a little because I didn’t have all the ingredients. But the basic recipe and it is wonderful!! Thank you, supper was wonderful!

    Reply
  2. Can I substitute with with white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar? Of course I have those and not White vinegar (after coming home shopping for ingredients ready to go)

    Reply
    • Hi Susan, I personally prefer to use Frank’s Red Hot because of the flavor, but you can also use any other kind of hot sauce like Cholula, Texas Pete, etc.

    • Hi Judi, the sauce can be made and kept in the refrigerator for up to 30 days, so feel free to do that the day before or even earlier if you would like!

    • Hi Shelley, I fully recommend using butter to make this buffalo sauce recipe, but you could try olive oil and a little lemon juice instead. I have never tried this substitute, but since butter gives it a bit of a more creamy taste and feel, it will not turn out exactly as the recipe was tested.

    • I noticed that it says that you can switch the regular worcestshire for other type for vegan sauce. It’s not going to be vegan with butter in it anyway.

    • Hi Juliette, you are correct the recipe would never be vegan. As stated in the post, the recipe would be vegetarian, not vegan with the switch. Most regular Worcestershire sauces include anchovies, which is not a vegetarian ingredient. It’s a lot easier, in my experience, to find a vegan Worcestershire sauce than one labeled vegetarian. I hope that clears it up!

    • Hi Jeff, the butter can separate when the buffalo sauce isn’t mixed well enough. I recommend using a whisk or even an immersion blender to make sure the butter is completely mixed in with the sauce.

    • I had the same experience, however a local wing place has hot sauce that separates exactly the same so I’m not too worried about it. I just give it a quick mix before using it

    • This also happened to mine. I don’t think I should have let it boil. It’s delicious nonetheless.

  3. Hi Samantha!
    I am new to your cooking blog…. what a great alternative to buying store bought wing sauce. Thanks for a wonderful recipe. Cheers!

    Reply
  4. I’m a first-time blogger without any original recipes to call my own. Can I use your buffalo sauce recipe on my blog?

    Reply
    • Hi Chanel, no. These are recipes I spent hours creating to make perfect. If you are looking to start a food blog, you would need to create all of your own original recipes. Otherwise, that is stealing someone else’s hard work.

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