Original Buffalo Sauce Recipe
This original Buffalo sauce recipe is the classic two-ingredient wing sauce that made Buffalo wings famous. Made with Frank’s RedHot and butter, it delivers the bold, tangy flavor that has been a staple in Buffalo, New York, since the very beginning and comes together in just minutes.
Love bold, homemade sauces? Try Homemade BBQ sauce, Stone Ground Mustard Sauce, or Teriyaki Marinade next.
Why this is the original Buffalo wings sauce recipe
Buffalo sauce was created in 1964 at Anchor Bar in Buffalo, New York. While countless variations have appeared over the years, the traditional sauce remains remarkably simple: Frank’s RedHot and butter.
Just an hour from Buffalo, this is the sauce I grew up with and the one you’ll still find served throughout Western New York today. The hot sauce provides the signature tangy heat, while the butter adds richness and creates the smooth sauce that coats wings so well.
Many modern recipes add garlic, Worcestershire sauce, honey, or other ingredients, but the traditional Buffalo wing sauce that made Buffalo wings famous relies on just these two ingredients. If you’re looking for the classic flavor behind the original Buffalo wing, this is it.
You can find this recipe alongside other everyday staples in my from-scratch condiment recipe collection, which brings all of these posts together.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- It uses only two ingredients, keeping things simple and authentic.
- It takes just minutes to prepare, making it perfect for last-minute meals.
- It delivers the classic Buffalo wing flavor, with the perfect balance of tangy heat and buttery richness.
- It’s endlessly versatile, great for wings, burgers, dips, and more.
- It stays true to tradition, recreating the original flavor that made buffalo wings famous.
Recipe ingredients
- Frank’s RedHot Sauce: Be sure to choose the original Frank’s RedHot Cayenne Pepper Sauce, not one of the flavored varieties. This is the hot sauce traditionally used to make Buffalo sauce and provides the classic tangy heat associated with original Buffalo wings.
- Butter: Use a good-quality butter for the best flavor and texture. Real butter softens the heat of the hot sauce and creates the rich, smooth consistency that defines authentic Buffalo sauce. If you enjoy making your own pantry staples, from scratch farmhouse butter works exceptionally well in this recipe.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How To Make Original Buffalo Sauce
Step 1: Place hot sauce and butter in a small saucepan. Warm over low heat, stirring continuously, until the butter melts and combines with the sauce.
Step 2: Taste the sauce and adjust the heat level by adding more butter to make it milder, or more Frank’s RedHot to make it spicier. Return to heat to melt butter if necessary.
Step 3: Use immediately or allow to cool and refrigerate for later use.
Top tips
- Make Ahead: Buffalo sauce can be made in advance and refrigerated until needed. Warm it gently over low heat and stir until smooth before serving.
- Freeze for Longer Storage: Freeze the sauce in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
- Reheat Gently: Warm the sauce over low heat, stirring frequently. High heat can cause the butter to separate from the hot sauce.
- Whisk Before Serving: It’s normal for Buffalo sauce to separate as it cools. A quick whisk while reheating will bring it back together.
Serve
Original Buffalo sauce is most famous for coating crispy chicken wings, but it can be used in countless other ways. Toss it with grilled chicken, drizzle it over burgers, stir it into mac and cheese, or use it as a dipping sauce for fries and vegetables.
If you’re looking for a few tried-and-true ways to use it, try making homemade buffalo chicken sliders, a hearty grilled buffalo chicken salad, or a crowd-pleasing warm buffalo chicken dip appetizer. The rich, tangy heat of this classic sauce adds bold Buffalo flavor to everything it touches.
For a traditional Buffalo experience, serve it with celery sticks and a side of blue cheese dressing.
Other recipes you’ll love
If you loved this condiment recipe, give these other great condiment recipes a try too!
Easy Ginger Scallion Sauce
Handmade Tasty BBQ Sauce
Chicago Sauce Recipe
From Scratch Butter Recipe
Horseradish Mayonnaise Sauce
Homemade Dijon Mustard From Scratch
Original Buffalo Sauce
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup Frank’s red hot sauce
- 1/2 cup salted butter
Instructions
- Combine ingredients: Place hot sauce and butter in a small saucepan.
- Heat gently: Warm over low heat, stirring continuously, until the butter melts and combines with the sauce.
- Avoid browning: Be careful not to let the butter brown.
- Serve: Use immediately or allow to cool and refrigerate for later use.
Notes
- Control the heat: Adjust spice by adding more or less hot sauce to taste.
- Storage tip: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
- Perfect pairing: Ideal for wings, grilled chicken, or drizzling over roasted veggies.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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I love buffalo sauce so much! I never even thought to make it myself, but now I’m excited to try 🙂
It’s so easy 😉
This looks so easy!! I’m gonna have to try it!
It takes just a few minutes 😉
Oh, this is definitely one of my favorites! The spicer the better! Love the simplicity of the recipe you shared.
The original sauce really is that simple. It’s pretty great 😉
Great recipe and I loved all the information you added!
Thank you! I hope you try it 😉
“Less butter, more heat. More butter, less heat. Done. Please stop adding cayenne pepper to your buffalo sauce folks. It’s weird.” haha, love the pluck. Worcestshire and garlic are really interesting ideas. We, like normal people, enjoy wings and I can stand the heat but I’m not a big fan of nose running spice so switching things up will be welcome.
It’s so easy to make it mild. The half butter half hot sauce version I make is pretty mild. Give it a try 😉
Oh wow! I never thought to make this! Adding to my try list! Thank you
So welcome! I hope you love it as much as I do 😉
I have hot wings, but I’ve never made my own sauce before, I didn’t realize it would be so easy. I can’t wait to try it!
It really is that easy! Definitely give it a try 😉
I do love a little buffalo sauce! That sauce and those wings are making me hungry!
Wish you were here to have a bite 😉
Really appreciate recounting the history of this great and simple sauce. However, it’s your kitchen. Make it however you want. For some, Frank’s may not be mild or hot enough, may or may not have enough vinegar, etc. Add garlic, honey, even fish sauce or whatever you want. Call it your own special version. I think it’s really weird to say it’s okay to make it milder but not hotter. Get over it. It’s their kitchen. If you can’t take the heat…
It’s clear you’ve put your own twist on the post 😉
For what it’s worth, some of those adjustments that you said ” It’s weird!”, are not at all weird. I grew up with buffalo wings, and just diluting the butter with more sauce, does not make them that much more tangy or hotter – a bit, perhaps.
Add a splash of vinegar and some cayenne, to get more zing and heat. (Or add a drop or two of carolina reaper sauce – doesn’t affect the flavor), to get lip-tingling wings – just like Macri’s Palace in Niagara Falls, NY. Macri’s has been closed for 20+ years, since the passing of the owner, but the memories are still there.
Also, although you didn’t mention it – breaded wings are a no-go. If breaded wings are on the menu, find another place.
It sounds like you have a love for the wings you grew up with. That’s something we have in common. Indeed, where I am from adding things in is ‘weird’. But I surely do appreciate that to many others it is not.
It also sounds like your preferences were highly influenced by this Macri’s Palace you speak of. It’s so great that we humans hold memories of culinary experiences that influence our palates for years to come.
And finally, I agree that breaded wings are not the way to go. Boneless wing bites make me even crazier 😉
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. It was a pleasure reading them.
This buffalo sauce is the perfect combination of spicy, tangy, and buttery goodness. It’s so easy to make and adds amazing flavor to wings, sandwiches, and dips. If you try this recipe, I’d love to hear what you think. Be sure to leave a review and let me know how it turned out for you. If you have any questions, feel free to ask in the comments — I’m happy to help!
Hey I’m from upstate NY and they definitely make it this way in some places. But most places combine Frank’s hot sauce, blue cheese dressing, and melted butter. It started because they would always give you a little thing of celery and a cup of blue cheese dressing with your pizza. People only use blue cheese dressing to dunk their pizza never ranch… At least in upstate. Also this is where the sauce comes from because you would get blue cheese dressing and put hot sauce on your pizza. The original Buffalo sauce was actually just hot sauce. They were the off cuts from a women’s restaurant and she would fry up the wings and give them to her sons. At least so goes to upstate pizza lore. Either way thanks for posting the recipe. Well wishes from New Orleans.
Thanks so much for sharing. Interesting to hear how it goes in upstate NY. It’s not as common to serve this sauce with pizza here. But you can find it used in place of traditional red sauce on a good chicken wing pizza. So tasty. And usually includes a generous amount of blue cheese crumbles on it too.