Honey Buffalo Sauce Recipe

If you’re looking for the perfect sweet buffalo sauce at home, this honey buffalo sauce recipe is a must-try.

It’s my go-to for making mouthwatering Buffalo Chicken Pizza; the results are always outstanding! You can also use this sauce for sandwiches, burgers, or as a dip for appetizers.

What I love most about this sauce is how it perfectly balances the heat from the hot sauce with a touch of sweetness from the honey.

The butter gives it a creamy, rich texture as it emulsifies while cooking, making it extra smooth and flavorful.

I like to make this sauce in bulk and store it in the refrigerator, which easily lasts for a few weeks.

It’s always a hit whether I’m whipping up buffalo chicken wings, bites, or sandwiches!

If you decide to try it, let me know in the comments how you used this buffalo sauce!

Ingredients and Substitutions

1. 1 Cup Hot Sauce

I know Frank’s hot sauce is the popular choice, and yes, you can use it. But the beauty of this recipe is that you can use any hot sauce—even a homemade one—and it’ll still turn out just as amazing.

I’ve made this honey buffalo sauce with chili garlic sauce before, and the results were just as delicious.

Don’t hesitate to use different kinds of hot sauce if you don’t have regular plain hot sauce! It’s all about experimenting with ingredients and making it work with what you have, but the authenticity might change depending on the ingredients.

2. 2 tbsp Honey

Honey takes center stage in this honey buffalo sauce. It brings just the right amount of sweetness to balance the heat. It doesn’t eliminate the spice but tones it down, making the sauce more enjoyable, especially if you’re using an extra hot variety.

I’m not usually a fan of sweet sauces, so I added only two tablespoons of honey to one cup of hot sauce. The amount you use depends on your taste.

If you prefer it to be sweeter, add more honey to adjust the flavor.

3. Worcestershire Sauce

This optional ingredient adds depth to the sauce, but it’s replaceable. You can still make a delicious honey buffalo sauce even without it.

Vinegar is a good alternative to Worcestershire sauce, which gives the sauce a tangy kick. If you swap this ingredient for vinegar, you’ll get a buffalo sauce that tastes closer to Frank’s Honey Buffalo Sauce, which has a nice balance of sweet, something sour, and spicy.

4. Garlic Powder

Like any other seasoning, garlic powder adds a lovely depth of flavor to the sauce. You could add black pepper for a bit more spice, but I left it out this time because I wanted to keep the heat level manageable.

5. Butter

Butter is an important ingredient in this recipe. Adding it to the sauce gives a nice creamy flavour making the sauce taste even more delicious.

The essence of an authentic buffalo sauce comes from emulsifying it with butter, so this ingredient is essential and shouldn’t be skipped.

I had salted butter at home and used the same in this recipe, but you can choose unsalted butter and add salt separately.

Tips to make the perfect Honey Buffalo Sauce

1. Cook the sauce on a low flame to avoid burning it. It should take less than 5 minutes to cook, so keep stirring and don’t leave it unattended.

2. You can add seasonings like salt, but I didn’t need to since I used salted butter for this recipe.

3. If you want your buffalo sauce less spicy, increase the quantity of butter. Butter helps mellow out the heat from the hot sauce.

4. Honey adds a touch of sweetness to the sauce. If you prefer a sweeter flavor, feel free to add more honey, but I was happy with the balance I used.