This buffalo sauce recipe is an original and a crowd-pleaser! With only 4 ingredients, this mild yet spicy sauce can top your favorite chicken wings, potatoes, or even pizza.
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!
No kidding! Friends, this buffalo 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 or Buffalo Chicken Potatoes.
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, because…
- You know what the ingredients are. This homemade buffalo sauce uses just four ingredients – FOUR!
- It beats the pants off 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.
- 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, making this homemade buffalo sauce creates A LOT of wing sauce. But you can easily halve this recipe if you need less.
BUFFALO SAUCE RECIPE INGREDIENTS
- Hot Sauce. We typically use Frank’s red 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 a buffalo sauce recipe?! This replaces the typical vinegar and Worcestershire sauce you need to make legit buffalo sauce. It’s my husband’s secret ingredient!
- Unsalted 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!
- Cornstarch. This gives it the thick texture you expect in a wing sauce.
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 chicken wing sauce?! BUT IT DOES!
HOW TO MAKE SAUCE FOR BUFFALO CHICKEN WINGS
The first time I made this, I asked Mr. Crumbs for instructions on his homemade buffalo sauce recipe. 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 for buffalo wings can be replicated elsewhere.
Step 1. Mix hot sauce, ketchup, and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. (Melting the butter separately isn’t necessary.)
Step 2. Stir in the cornstarch/water mixture and let simmer to thicken the sauce.
Step 3. Whisk until the sauce reaches your desired thickness.
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).
BUFFALO SAUCE RECIPE TIPS
In the rare event that you have leftover sauce, you can store it in an airtight container or a mason jar in the fridge for 3-4 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.
Once it chills, the saturated fat from the butter will cause it to thicken. You can warm the sauce up in a saucepan to thin it back out before using it on your favorite buffalo chicken recipe.
To make this buffalo sauce recipe spicier, add cayenne pepper, ¼ tsp at a time.
HOW TO SERVE BUFFALO CHICKEN DIPPING SAUCE RECIPE
Here are a few of our favorites that you can use with this tasty buffalo chicken dipping sauce recipe:
- Buffalo Chicken Bacon Ranch Salad
- One Pan Buffalo Chicken Potatoes
- The Best Crispy Baked Chicken Wings
- Pair any buffalo chicken dip 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 sticks and use the buffalo wing sauce for dipping.
- Make tasty buffalo cauliflower! Roast cauliflower florets in the oven until crispy. Then toss in the sauce for a full flavor dish!
BUFFALO SAUCE RECIPE FAQS
What is buffalo sauce flavor?
This buffalo sauce recipe has a spicy and tangy flavor.
Are hot sauce and buffalo wing sauce the same?
They are different. The hot sauce consists of mainly hot peppers and 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 rich and smooth mild version of hot sauce and not as spicy. This can be tossed with chicken.
What is buffalo wing sauce made of?
The original buffalo wing sauce recipe was invented in 1964 at a small family business called the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, New York. While I don’t have their original recipe, the traditional ingredients include cayenne pepper sauce for spice, white vinegar for tang, and butter to mellow the other two out.
Note: Some people add ½ teaspoon garlic powder.
Which hot sauce for buffalo sauce recipe?
I like to use Frank’s hot sauce most of the time. Otherwise, I make my own Frank’s copycat using this recipe!
MORE HOMEMADE SAUCE RECIPES
- Easy Hot Sauce
- Homemade Ketchup
- Homemade Red Enchilada Sauce
- Homemade BBQ Sauce
- Creamy Cauliflower Sauce
- 5 Minute Vegan Nacho Cheese Sauce
- Homemade Sweet and Sour Sauce
- Easy Pizza Sauce
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Homemade Buffalo Wing Sauce
This buffalo sauce recipe is an original and a crowd-pleaser! With only 4 ingredients, this mild yet spicy sauce can top your favorite chicken wings, potatoes, or even pizza.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 18 oz 1x
- Category: Sauces/Condiments
- Method: Saucepan
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 12 oz hot sauce (I use Frank’s regular hot sauce)
- ¼ cup ketchup
- 8 tbsp butter, unsalted
- 2 Tbsp cornstarch
- 1 Tbsp water
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, combine all of the ingredients except the cornstarch and water. Bring the sauce to a simmer, stirring often, until the butter is melted.
- Combine the cornstarch and water in a small mug and stir until it is completely dissolved.
- Pour the cornstarch slurry into the sauce and immediately start whisking it into the sauce. Keep whisking, and the sauce will start to thicken. When the sauce is noticeably thicker (i.e. will heavily coat the back of a spoon), remove the sauce from the heat and set it aside.
- Use immediately on foods that are hot (i.e. chicken wings) or let cool to room temperature to use on foods that are cold (i.e. salads).
Notes
- Best enjoyed the day it’s made, but leftovers will last for 3-4 days in the fridge.
Nutrition
- Calories: 486
Hi, this is for Tara Mac Ginty–Hello, Tara. I’m Louisiana born and bred. Tabasco is a fine substitute, and, to MY way of thinking, preferable to Frank’s Hot Sauce. Frank’s is very good, but I prefer Tabasco. I hope that helps. Have a lovely day.
Brown sugar sounds really interesting! I already put regular sugar, but next time…
I was born in Buffalo NY. I’m 38 years old and this recipe is very similar to what I grew up watching my parents make. We didnt eat chicken wings, we ate chickenfingers. This was our dipping sauce. Frank’s hot sauce, butter and the secret ingredient, brown sugar. Just a hint of sweetness. Amazing
All food if you live somewhere where you can buy Frank’s Hot Sauce. I live in Ireland and no such product to be found. Can I use Tabasco?
Sorry Tamara! I can’t possibly be knowledgeable about all the different food across the world. 🙂 I’d suggest making your own hot sauce, using the link in the post!
Can I sub arrowroot, tapioca or potato starch for the corn starch? Some friends coming to our Super Bowl party have wheat and corn allergies.
I haven’t tested those options Jackie, but I’m sure that would be fine!
Hi Tiffany,
I’m looking for an app where I can add my stores I shop for groceries and then I add the items I prefer to shop for and it helps me find the items on sale. It’s crazy the difference in price from one day to the next.
It’s totally worth visiting two or three stores if I can svae $30.00 per shopping effort.
I agree – that’s well worth the savings! I don’t know if there’s an app that does everything you want, but Flipp collates the weekly ads from stores in your area and you can search the ads with your list. Maybe that would work?
Check out an app called Basket. I believe it is available for iPhone and Android and I think it could be what you are looking for.
This looks delicious! As far as substituting ghee for butter goes, I have made a “whole30” crock pot buffalo chicken recipe (it’s a favorite) and the sauce is similar to this recipe. I’ve always made it with ghee and it turns out great! So I’m sure it’d be fine in this recipe too.
Thanks for the tip Katie!