SaveThis buffalo sauce recipe is the classic tangy, buttery hot sauce for wings. You melt butter, whisk in a cayenne pepper hot sauce, and add a splash of Worcestershire, a little garlic powder and a touch of vinegar. It’s ready in about five minutes. The basic version needs only two ingredients, hot sauce and butter; the rest add depth. Below you’ll find what each ingredient does, a mild, medium and hot ratio guide, how to toss wings, and how to keep chicken safe.
What Is Buffalo Sauce?
Buffalo sauce is a mix of cayenne pepper hot sauce and melted butter. The hot sauce brings heat and a sharp vinegar tang, and the butter rounds it out and makes the sauce cling to wings. Many home versions add Worcestershire sauce, garlic and a little extra vinegar. It’s thin and glossy rather than thick, and it’s most often tossed with fried or baked chicken wings.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Cayenne pepper hot sauce (1/2 cup): the base. Use a Louisiana-style cayenne pepper sauce, such as Frank’s RedHot. Use the plain hot sauce, not a ready-made “wing sauce,” which already contains oil and seasonings.
- Unsalted butter (1/4 cup / 56 g): richness and body. Unsalted butter keeps the salt in check, since hot sauce is already salty.
- Worcestershire sauce (1/2 teaspoon): savory depth.
- Garlic powder (1/4 teaspoon): a little garlic flavor that blends in smoothly.
- White or cider vinegar (1 teaspoon, optional): extra tang.
- Cayenne pepper (a pinch, optional): more heat.
How to Make Buffalo Sauce
- Melt the butter. In a small saucepan over low heat, melt the butter.
- Whisk in the rest. Whisk in the hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, and vinegar and cayenne (if using).
- Warm through. Keep whisking over low heat for 1 to 2 minutes, until smooth and warm. Keep the heat low; you don’t need to boil it.
- Use it. Toss with hot cooked wings or pour into a bowl for dipping.
Mild, Medium or Hot: Buffalo Sauce Ratios
Recipes range from about equal parts hot sauce and butter to about three parts hot sauce to one part butter. More butter makes it milder and richer; less butter makes it sharper and hotter.
| Heat level | Hot sauce | Butter | Extra |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mild | 1/2 cup | 1/2 cup | none |
| Medium (recipe card) | 1/2 cup | 1/4 cup | none |
| Hot | 1/2 cup | 3 tablespoons | pinch of cayenne or more |
Start with the recipe card, taste, and adjust. If you add more butter, the yield goes up too.
How to Toss Buffalo Wings
Cook the wings first, by frying, baking or air-frying, until the meat reaches 165°F, the safe minimum the CDC sets for all poultry. Check with a food thermometer. Then put the hot wings in a large bowl, pour the warm sauce over them, and toss until coated. Toss just before serving so the coating stays crisp.
Serve with celery and carrot sticks and our buttermilk ranch dressing for dipping. For a sweeter, smoky wing sauce, try our honey BBQ sauce.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the ingredients in buffalo sauce?
Cayenne pepper hot sauce and butter are the core. Many recipes add Worcestershire sauce, garlic, vinegar or a pinch of cayenne.
What are the three ingredients in buffalo sauce?
A simple three-ingredient version uses hot sauce, butter and garlic powder, about two parts hot sauce to one part butter.
Is buffalo sauce the same as hot sauce?
No. Buffalo sauce is hot sauce mixed with melted butter, which makes it richer and milder and helps it cling to wings.
Why did my buffalo sauce firm up in the fridge?
The butter solidifies when it’s cold. Rewarm the sauce gently over low heat and whisk until smooth.
How should I store buffalo sauce?
Refrigerate it in a covered container within 2 hours of making it (1 hour if it’s above 90°F), and keep your fridge at 40°F or below, as the CDC advises.
