Buffalo Sauce

A cayenne pepper hot sauce base turns glossy and rich as butter is whisked in gradually, with vinegar and small adjustments bringing the heat and tang into balance.

13 min

1.25 cups

Glossy orange Buffalo sauce fills a small ceramic bowl beside a whisk on a neutral tabletop.

Ingredients

1 cup cayenne pepper hot sauce, plus up to 2 tbsp for heat adjustment

6 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons, plus up to 1 tbsp for richness adjustment

1 tbsp distilled white vinegar, plus up to 1 tsp for tang adjustment

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1/8 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp honey

1 tbsp warm water, for re-emulsifying if needed

Equipment

Small saucepan · Whisk · Measuring spoons

Keep the heat gentle

A simmer can break the butter emulsion. If the pan begins bubbling, take it off the burner and whisk until the surface smooths.

Serve warm

Buffalo sauce pairs well with cooked wings; keep the wings separate from this standalone sauce recipe.

Measure and warm

01. Measure the hot sauce, vinegar, Worcestershire, garlic powder, and honey; reserve the small adjustment portions separately.

02. Warm everything except the butter over low heat, whisking until steaming and uniform without bubbles.

Build the emulsion

03. Cut the butter into tablespoon pieces and lower the burner so the sauce stays warm but quiet.

04. Whisk in butter one tablespoon at a time, allowing each piece to nearly melt before the next; do not boil.

Taste and adjust

05. Take the pan off heat and whisk until the sauce is glossy with no butter pools at the edge.

06. Taste a dab and add reserved hot sauce for heat or vinegar for tang in small increments.

Finish and serve

07. Whisk in a little reserved butter if the finish is too sharp, stopping when the sauce tastes rounded.

08. Serve warm; if the sauce separates, whisk in warm water gradually off heat until it turns glossy again.