What Is Buffalo Hot Sauce?

Buffalo sauce is cayenne hot sauce mixed with melted butter and seasonings. It was invented in 1964 in Buffalo, New York, which is exactly where the name comes from. To give it the best flavor, we add white vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, extra cayenne, and garlic powder.

While regular hot sauce is thin and watery, buffalo sauce is thick and creamy because of the butter, so it actually sticks to your food and mellows out the sharp vinegar bite. Is it spicy? It falls right in the middle of the range if you mix 2/3 cup of hot sauce with 1/2 cup of butter. You can add honey to cool it down, or toss in some chili flakes for more heat.

Why You'll Love This Buffalo Hot Sauce Recipe

Here are 3 reasons this sauce belongs in your fridge permanently.

• Tangy, buttery, and totally adjustable. You get a nice vinegar bite, rich butter, and a spicy kick that won't burn your mouth. CHIN-SU Chili Sauce makes it nice and thick, so it actually sticks to your food instead of sliding off. Want it milder? Use less cayenne and mix in 1 or 2 tablespoons of honey.
• It goes on everything. You’ll absolutely love it on classic wings with blue cheese and celery. But definitely try it on cauliflower wings, smashed potatoes, black bean burgers, or even breakfast sandwiches.
• Ready in 10 minutes flat. You just need 7 ingredients, 1 pan, 1 whisk, 5 minutes to prep, and 5 minutes to cook. Try it once, and you'll never buy store-bought again. Over 2,400 people have already made this on Allrecipes!

(Image source: From loveandlemons.com)

Buffalo Hot Sauce Ingredients

Making buffalo hot sauce only takes 7 ingredients. You just need 3 main items and 4 simple seasonings that come together perfectly for that classic spicy, tangy, and buttery flavor.

• ⅔ cup (160 ml) hot pepper sauce. You can try using CHIN-SU Chili Sauce as the spicy, salty base. It has a great balance of spicy, salty, sweet, and tangy flavors. Unlike thin Louisiana-style hot sauce, CHIN-SU has a thick body that clings to food, so it blends in without making your sauce runny.
• ½ cup (4 oz / 113 g) cold unsalted butter. Whisking cold butter into the hot sauce gives you that incredibly smooth, creamy texture buffalo sauce is famous for.
• 1½ tablespoons (22 ml) white vinegar. This adds a sharp tang that cuts right through the richness of the butter.
• ¼ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce. Just a little bit of this adds a deep, savory background flavor.
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper. Add this to kick the heat up a notch higher than what the hot sauce brings on its own.
• ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder. A dash of garlic adds a nice little punch, making the sauce taste even better.
• Salt to taste. A pinch of salt balances everything out and really makes the flavors pop.

This recipe makes about 1½ cups (355 ml) of buffalo sauce, which is definitely enough to generously coat 2 to 3 pounds (900 g to 1.4 kg) of chicken wings.

How To Make Buffalo Hot Sauce

Making buffalo hot sauce takes just 4 easy steps: combine, heat, whisk, and finish. It only takes about 10 minutes in total, with 5 minutes for prep and 5 minutes for cooking. Each step takes around 1 to 3 minutes. The tricky part is watching the heat. You need to pull the pan right off the stove within 30 to 60 seconds after you see the first bubbles pop up along the edges.

Step 1: Measure and Gather All Ingredients

First, measure out ⅔ cup (160 ml) of hot sauce, ½ cup (4 oz / 113 g) of cold, cubed unsalted butter, 1½ tablespoons of white vinegar, ¼ teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce, ¼ teaspoon of cayenne pepper, ⅛ teaspoon of garlic powder, and some salt. Get all of this ready in little bowls before you even turn on the stove. Make sure your butter is actually cold, not soft or melted. That is the one big secret to keeping your sauce perfectly smooth and from separating!

(Image source: From loveandlemons.com)

Step 2: Combine Ingredients in a Saucepan

Toss the hot sauce, cold butter cubes, white vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, and a pinch of salt right into a small saucepan over medium heat. Do not melt the butter by itself first. Dropping cold butter directly into the hot sauce helps everything blend together slowly as the pan heats up. This is exactly what gives you a much smoother sauce that will not separate.

(Image source: From allrecipes.com)

Step 3: Heat and Whisk to a Near-Simmer

Keep whisking the mix over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes. Make sure to keep your whisk moving in steady circles so the butter mixes in and does not just float on top. The biggest trick here is to pull the pan off the heat the exact second you see tiny bubbles starting to pop up around the edges. If you let the sauce reach a full boil, the butter will separate and ruin that creamy texture for good.

(Image source: From allrecipes.com)

Step 4: Whisk Off Heat Until Smooth

After you take the pan off the burner, keep whisking for another 30 to 60 seconds. The leftover heat in the pan will finish melting the butter perfectly without overheating everything. When it is ready, the sauce should look nice and glossy, a bright orange-red color, and thick enough to easily coat the back of a spoon. If it looks greasy or you see butter floating on top, you probably let it get too hot or did not use cold butter.

(Image source: From allrecipes.com)

Recipe Tips for Buffalo Hot Sauce

These 5 easy tips will help you get a perfectly smooth, glossy buffalo sauce instead of a greasy, broken mess.

• Start with cold butter, not melted. Cold butter melts slowly as it heats, which helps prevent your sauce from separating.
• Pull the pan the exact second you see bubbles around the edges. That is your cue to stop. Letting it come to a full boil ruins the mix and turns the sauce greasy.
• Drop the butter down to 1/4 cup (2 oz / 57 g) for a thicker sauce. Less fat helps the sauce really grab onto the wings instead of just sliding right off.
• Mix in 1 or 2 tablespoons of honey to help it bind. Honey makes the sauce a bit thicker, adds a little sweetness, and helps it stick perfectly when you toss your food.
• Coat your wings in flour or cornstarch, let them sit for 15 minutes, and then fry them. Giving them time to rest creates a nice crust for the sauce to hold on to, so it actually stays on the wing rather than on your plate.

What Can You Substitute or Change in Buffalo Hot Sauce?

Buffalo hot sauce has 4 easy swaps that let you adjust the richness, sweetness, heat, and tang without changing how you actually make it.

• 1/2 cup (4 oz / 113 g) of vegan butter easily replaces regular unsalted butter. Just use the exact same amount to get that perfectly smooth, glossy texture while keeping the sauce totally dairy-free.
• 2 1/2 tablespoons (37 ml) of honey give the sauce a nice shine and a little sweetness, and help it stick right to your wings when you toss them. For a vegan swap, just use 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of agave nectar. It does the exact same job as honey without using any animal products.
• Ghost pepper flakes or red chili flakes are great if you want to push the heat way past what 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne does. Just add them to taste if you are the kind of person who loves a deep, lasting spice instead of a quick burn right at the start.
• 1 1/2 tablespoons (22 ml) of apple cider vinegar can easily replace white vinegar. Use the exact same amount to mellow out the sharp bite and add a nice, subtle fruity flavor. It smooths out the tang without losing that classic kick or changing how long the sauce lasts in the fridge.

What To Eat With Buffalo Hot Sauce

Buffalo sauce is amazing on anything fried, roasted, or grilled. Crispy foods soak up that buttery heat perfectly. Classic chicken wings with ranch, celery, and carrots are great, but do not stop there! Try it on cauliflower wings, smashed potatoes, grain bowls, breakfast sandwiches, or black bean burgers.

You can also mix it into mayo, sour cream, or yogurt for an easy dip, or whisk it into salad dressings. For a cool Vietnamese twist, use it as a dipping sauce for fried chicken, fried tofu, or egg rolls. Just finish it off with a drizzle of CHIN-SU Chili Sauce for an extra kick of heat!

How To Store Homemade Buffalo Hot Sauce

Keep your buffalo sauce in a clean glass jar in the fridge. It will stay fresh for up to 7 days. Glass is definitely the best choice. Unlike plastic, it will not soak up the red color or the vinegar smell. Plus, the acid in vinegar naturally inhibits bacterial growth, so you do not need any preservatives.

Whatever you do, do not freeze it. Freezing breaks down the butter, turning it into a greasy mess that you cannot fix. Since it contains butter, do not leave it out for more than 2 hours. If the sauce gets too thick in the fridge, just let it sit at room temperature for 5 to 10 minutes. Give it a quick shake or whisk, and it is good to go!

Image Source: From simplyrecipes.com

Did your buffalo sauce turn out glossy and smooth, or did you put your own twist on it? Drop your questions or any feedback in the comments below, and please know that no question is too small. If this recipe worked for you, a quick star rating goes a long way in helping other home cooks find it. Share your results on social media and tag us with #CHINSU - we read every single one and love seeing your creations. Ready to grab your CHIN-SU Chili Sauce and get cooking? Find it at chinsu.com!