Homemade Buffalo Sauce
Rich, spicy and tangy, this homemade buffalo sauce is wicked delicious and incredibly addictive! It's SO much better than all of the store-bought, bottled buffalo sauces I've been using all this while, and is ridiculously easy to make too!
I like to think of myself as a bit of a hot sauce connoisseur. I love trying out different homemade hot sauce recipes whenever I can, and my garlic habanero hot sauce, Schug hot sauce and Sichuan chili oil are my top favorites.
This time, however, I really wanted to try making a homemade version of a commercially available popular sauce, and that's when I thought- what could be better than a classic homemade version of everyone's favorite Buffalo sauce?
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What's So Great About the Recipe?
A classic homemade buffalo sauce is a simple mix of two ingredients- hot sauce and butter. This elevated version, however, is well worth your time and teeny bit of extra effort.
The sauce has the perfect mix of savory, salty, spicy and tangy flavors that makes it irresistible, and that's what I love the most about this recipe.
And of course, the fact that it is SO frigging easy to make!
Recipe Ingredients
Hot sauce: Use your favorite brand, or even your favorite homemade hot sauce here. Tabasco and Sriracha work well too!
Butter: I used salted butter here for that delicious, rich flavor.
Vinegar: Just a dash, to balance out the kick of heat from the hot sauce. I used white vinegar here.
Worcestershire sauce: For an extra bit of flavor.
Garlic powder: For that savory, umami deliciousness.
Honey: For a bit of sweetness, to tone down the heat and tanginess.
See recipe card for quantities.
Substitutions & Variations
- Take the heat to the next level by adding some cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes into the mix.
- To make extra hot buffalo sauce, add some ghost pepper flakes into the butter mixture.
- If you don't have Worcestershire sauce, feel free to skip it or just add a dash of your favorite BBQ sauce instead.
How to Make Homemade Buffalo Sauce
In a heavy bottomed pan, melt the butter and add in the hot sauce.
Then, add in the honey and turn the heat down.
Now add the rest of the ingredients.
Give this a good mix and allow it to cook for 3-5 minutes, then take it off heat.
💭Top Tip
Make sure you keep the temperature medium-low while making the sauce, and keep stirring continuously to prevent the sauce from sticking to the sides and burning.
How to Store Leftover Buffalo Sauce
You can store your leftover buffalo sauce in an airtight container or a glass bottle in the refrigerator for up to two weeks, if not longer.
You can also freeze it if you want to. Transfer the sauce to freezer safe containers and freeze it for up to 3 months. You may need to reheat the sauce in a pan or in the microwave to get it nice and smooth again.
Tips & Tricks to Nail the Recipe
- Cook the sauce on low heat and keep stirring continuously. High temperature may cause the sauce (and the butter) to burn.
- Use a heavy bottomed pan to ensure the sauce cooks evenly.
- Taste as you go. The hot sauce can already be quite spicy, so start with a little, taste and then add more if needed.
- If the sauce has solidified in the refrigerator, you can let it sit at room temperature for a while to get back to the right consistency, or just reheat it in a pan over medium heat, whisking it continuously.
How to Use Buffalo Sauce
There are tons of ways to use your homemade buffalo hot sauce. Drizzle it over some stir fried veggies or your breakfast scrambled eggs or avocado toast to take them up a notch.
You can also serve the sauce with your favorite snacks and appetizers like chicken wings, chicken nuggets or serve it as a spicy dip with your favorite nachos. I love drizzling it over my homemade pizza, and you can also add some to your pasta sauce to lend it that extra kick of flavor.
The sauce also makes an excellent marinade for your meats.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, you can! Simply swap the butter in the recipe for vegan butter, and the honey for some brown sugar or white sugar, or just skip it entirely.
If your homemade buffalo sauce has turned too thin, you can thicken it by adding a simple slurry made using cornflour and water into it while it is still on heat, stirring continuously.
Related Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
If you tried this homemade buffalo sauce or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Homemade Buffalo Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 cup hot sauce
- ½ cup butter
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon honey
Instructions
- In a heavy bottomed pan, melt the butter and add in the hot sauce.
- Then, add in the honey and turn the heat down.
- Now add the rest of the ingredients.
- Give this a good mix and allow it to cook for 3-5 minutes, then take it off heat.
Notes
- Cook the sauce on low heat and keep stirring continuously. High temperature may cause the sauce (and the butter) to burn.
- Use a heavy bottomed pan to ensure the sauce cooks evenly.
- Taste as you go. The hot sauce can already be quite spicy, so start with a little, taste and then add more if needed.
- If the sauce has solidified in the refrigerator, you can let it sit at room temperature for a while to get back to the right consistency, or just reheat it in a pan over medium heat, whisking it continuously.
Mmm! I gotta buy more wings just for this😅