Making homemade buffalo sauce from scratch is easy! Choose your spice level – great for buffalo wings, chicken dips, and any favorite party recipe.

I love making homemade condiments and spice mixes. I started with taco seasoning mix, went on to make a delicious and very easy homemade pizza sauce recipe and even concocted a homemade onion soup mix.
My mom is so in love with buffalo wings that I decided to create a homemade buffalo sauce recipe just for her birthday. Making buffalo sauce is very easy – so easy that I will never buy it at the store again.
After a literal year of ingredient tweaking, I created the perfect easy sauce recipe just for her. And you, since I’m sharing it here.
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What is Buffalo Sauce?
Many people think that hot sauce and buffalo sauce are one and the same. They are not. Hot sauce is just that – hot sauce. Buffalo sauce, however, is hot sauce, butter, and spices.
And if you’re interested in finding out why it is called buffalo sauce, I like Time’s brief history. Boy, am I glad the sauce made its way out of Buffalo, New York!
A lot of people ask me if buffalo sauce is healthy or if it is bad for you. My answer to that is to eat it in moderation because it is high in fat because of the butter.

How to Make Buffalo Sauce
To make homemade wing sauce, you need to start with a basic hot pepper sauce. If you want, you can totally make the hot pepper sauce from scratch.
You can make a very basic hot wing sauce by mixing the hot sauce with melted butter in equal parts. That’s actually how the original buffalo sauce was made.
I like to take it to the next level and add some additional spices.
Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. When the butter has melted, add the remaining ingredients. Whisk well to combine. Bring to a simmer while whisking and turn off just before boiling. Allow the hot sauce to cool before serving.
Buffalo Sauce Ingredients
- hot pepper sauce
- butter
- spices

Buffalo Wing Sauce Recipe Notes
- Type of ground pepper. I prefer white ground pepper instead of black ground pepper for color reasons – I don’t want to see the specks in the sauce. If you can’t find white pepper or want to use black pepper, just substitute in equal amounts.
- Spice level. This homemade buffalo sauce recipe has a kick to it but you can change its spice level by adjusting the amount of cayenne pepper. According to a reader comment below, white pepper has a higher level of spice. If you want a less spicy sauce, consider using black pepper instead.
- Make sure to mix your sauce well. If it starts to separate, mix it again. You can also use an immersion blender to combine the sauce before you use or store it. This immersion blender is my favorite – Kitchenaid 3-Speed Hand Blender.
How To Store Homemade Buffalo Sauce
I store any leftover sauce in a mason jar in the fridge and give it a really good shake before using it. That helps with any separation that may happen while it is being stored.
Looking for recipes in which to use this sauce? Check out my list of buffalo flavored recipes.

Homemade Buffalo Sauce
Making homemade buffalo sauce from scratch is easy! Choose your spice level - great for buffalo wings, chicken dips, and any favorite party recipe.
Ingredients
- 1 cup of unsalted butter (2 sticks)
- 1.5 cups hot pepper sauce
- 3 tablespoons white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon celery salt
- 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black or ground white pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. When the butter has melted, add the remaining ingredients. Whisk well to combine.
- Bring to a simmer while whisking and turn off just before boiling.
- Cool before serving.
Notes
I prefer using white pepper for color reasons. Either type of ground pepper can be used. White pepper is more spicy than black pepper.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 10 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 170Total Fat: 19gSaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 49mgSodium: 1032mgCarbohydrates: 1gFiber: 0gSugar: 0gProtein: 0g
Reviews from readers!
Delicious sauce. I added 2 different hot sauces to it and put back in the oven under the broiler. A big hit!!! – Heather
I am obsessed with buffalo sauce and make this every week. I add sliced scallions for color and flavor. – K
This made a great sauce for buffalo cauliflower with a homemade blue cheese dressing to dip!!! – Lauren
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Gary
Thursday 21st of September 2017
Wonder if u could can this if I used the proper canning method as like tomato sauce ???
Jenny
Thursday 21st of September 2017
I have never canned it so don't know for sure. My first thought is you should substitute the butter for a vegetable based spread if you are going to can it - I believe most buffalo sauce you buy at the store uses butter-substitute to make it shelf-stable. I wish I knew more about canning so I could help you out. I would recommend testing that out as well, taste-wise.
Melanie
Sunday 9th of April 2017
This sauce has sounds great and I can't wait to try. Do you think I can substitute equal parts ghee for the butter? Thanks!!
Jenny
Sunday 9th of April 2017
Hi Melanie - I think that would work but my first thought is you may need to add a thickening agent like cornstarch or it may be a little runny. If I were testing it out, I would wait to add anything until the end; you may be happy with the consistency and I think it will taste almost the same.
Jesse
Monday 27th of March 2017
Hi Jenny I am a 16 year old boy who has gotten really into cooking and your recipe is one I would like to try if you have any others to recommend ,please reply and suggest thanks!
Jenny
Monday 27th of March 2017
Hi Jesse - I would be happy to recommend recipes to you. Is there any ingredient you would like to work with specifically? Or food category?
StitchinSweetSue
Saturday 4th of February 2017
made this wing sauce today, i won't look any further, fabulous recipe! going out for wings is getting way too pricey, so i've started makin them at home with broiled bone-in thighs for a more meaty bite. ty so very much for sharing! i think maybe i fell in love with you a little bit:)
Jenny
Sunday 5th of February 2017
Lol, I'm glad to hear you like the sauce. Maybe it's not me, but the sauce you fell in love with. :)
Katie
Wednesday 14th of September 2016
Another Buffalonian here - I'll admit you are better than I - I usually just mix Franks and melted butter for tossing my wings, but this sounds DEFINITELY like the way to go. Thanks for sharing this at #HappinessIsHomemade this week - will be sharing on my social media as well! :)