Homemade Buffalo Wing Sauce (Made with Frank's Hot Sauce + Video)

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This easy homemade buffalo wing sauce recipe is an original and a crowd-pleaser! We start with Frank’s red hot sauce (mild yet spicy) and it gets tastier from there – It’s even better than Buffalo Wild Wings’ sauce! Try this sauce with crispy baked chicken or on buffalo chicken pizza.

This easy homemade buffalo wing sauce recipe is an original and a crowd-pleaser! We start with franks (mild yet spicy) and it gets tastier from there!

My dad is a chef. So naturally, you would think I would be the one to bring in the best recipes to my marriage.

Well, little did I know my husband had the skills to make amazing homemade pizza and the best wing sauce ever!

Not kidding! Friends, this wing sauce is about to change your life! (Even my dad, the chef, approves!) It only contains FOUR ingredients! You can also use this sauce on buffalo chicken pizza.

Reasons to Make Homemade Buffalo Wing Sauce

It’s healthier than store-bought. Yep, I’m pulling THAT card on you. Anytime you make a recipe at home, you can be certain it’s going to be better for you.
It beats the pants off of any store-bought buffalo wing sauce. Hands down, no doubt about it. And we have dozens of friends who have come over for wing night to back us up.
You know what the ingredients are. This homemade buffalo wing sauce uses just four ingredients – FOUR!
It can be made with what you already have on hand. I have no doubt you have the ingredients needed in your pantry right now.
You can make as much as you need. As written, this recipe makes a lot of wing sauce. But you can easily halve this recipe if you need less.

Here’s What You Need

Image containing recipe ingredients hot sauce, butter, ketchup, cornstarch.

Hot sauce (or try my homemade recipe)
Ketchup
Butter
Cornstarch

Notes on Ingredients

Hot Sauce. We typically use Frank’s hot sauce because it is cayenne pepper sauce. However, my homemade hot sauce recipe is a Frank’s copycat and works as a great substitute.
Ketchup. I know. Ketchup in buffalo wing sauce?! This replaces the typical vinegar/Worcestershire sauce you need to make legit buffalo sauce. It’s my husband’s secret ingredient!
Butter. The butter mellows out the tang of the ketchup and levels the hot sauce to medium heat. It makes the sauce thicken just right, too!

PS…I have to tell you – when I saw my then-future husband put hot sauce, butter, and ketchup in a saucepan, I thought he was nuts. Somehow THAT was going to turn into amazing buffalo wing sauce?! IT DOES!

Step by Step Instructions

The first time I made this, I asked Mr. Crumbs for instructions. Here’s what he told me:

“Dump the entire bottle of hot sauce in a pan. Then squirt ketchup until it peeks out the top. Add the butter. Wait, then add a spoonful of cornstarch with a smaller spoonful of water and you’re done.”

Thankfully, I’ve learned to decipher his code and get a few more details so this awesome sauce can be replicated elsewhere.

Step 1. Mix hot sauce, ketchup, and butter in a small saucepan. (Melting the butter separately isn’t necessary.)

The hot sauce, ketchup, and butter are being combined in a small saucepan for this tasty homemade buffalo wing sauce recipe!

Step 2. Add a cornstarch/water mixture to thicken the sauce.

Cornstarch and water mixture is being added to the buffalo wing sauce liquid within a small saucepan.

Step 3. Use a nifty whisk like the “saucinator” to mix until desired thickness.

This homemade buffalo wing sauce is being mixed with a metal whisk in a small saucepan.

Step 4. Use immediately on hot foods (like the best crispy baked chicken wings ever) or let cool to room temperature to use on cool foods (like buffalo chicken bacon ranch salad).

Recipe Tip

In the rare event, you have leftover sauce, you can store it in an airtight container or a mason jar in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Once it chills, the saturated fat from the butter will cause it to thicken. You can warm it up in a saucepan before using it on your next favorite buffalo chicken recipe.

FAQs

What is buffalo sauce flavor?

Buffalo wing sauce has a spicy and tangy flavor!

Is buffalo sauce and buffalo wing sauce the same?

They are different. The hot sauce consists of mainly hot peppers, vinegar. Some seasonings may be in there as well. The taste is HOT. A little goes a long way.

Wing sauce consists of hot sauce and melted butter. It is a mild version of hot sauce and spicy. This can be tossed with the chicken.

What is buffalo wing sauce made of?

The original buffalo wing sauce was invented in 1964 at a small family business called Anchor Bar. While I don’t have their original recipe, the traditional ingredients include:

First, there is cayenne pepper sauce, this ingredient gives the recipe that spice! Second, there is white vinegar, which adds a unique tang. Then finally, there is butter to mellow out the spice and tang, making it finger-licking good.

Note: Some people add ½ teaspoon garlic powder.

To Serve

Sliced carrot sticks are being dipped into a bowl of homemade buffalo sauce(with chopped chives on top) and there are also celery sticks on the plate platter.

Here are a few of our favorite recipes that you can use with tasty buffalo wing sauce:

Buffalo Chicken Bacon Ranch Salad
One Pan Buffalo Chicken Potatoes
The Best Crispy Baked Chicken Wings
Pair any buffalo chicken recipe with homemade ranch dressing or blue cheese dressing and you’ve got a crowd-pleaser!
You can make a veggie platter with carrot sticks and celery and use the buffalo wing sauce for dipping.

More Homemade Sauce Recipes

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