Buffalo Sauce

By Eric Kim

Published July 14, 2021

Buffalo Sauce
Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Victoria Granof.
Total Time
15 minutes
Rating
4(237)
Comments
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Nutty browned butter adds a wonderful underlying note to this otherwise straightforward Buffalo sauce. The emulsion of hot sauce and that melted butter is key to this condiment’s velvety texture, so be sure to whisk well. A cayenne-based bottled sauce like Frank’s RedHot works best here, especially when balanced by brown sugar and vinegar. But be warned: You may have trouble stopping yourself from licking the whisk.

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Ingredients

Yield:About 1¼ cups
  • ½cup unsalted butter
  • 1tablespoon finely grated garlic
  • ¾cup cayenne-based hot sauce, preferably Frank's RedHot
  • 2packed tablespoons dark brown sugar, plus more to taste
  • 1tablespoon distilled white vinegar
  • Kosher salt and black pepper
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (10 servings)

104 calories; 10 grams fat; 6 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 3 grams monounsaturated fat; 0 grams polyunsaturated fat; 3 grams carbohydrates; 0 grams dietary fiber; 3 grams sugars; 1 gram protein; 46 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Continue cooking, gently simmering the butter and stirring the pan occasionally with a wooden spoon, until the milk solids at the bottom of the pan start to brown, 3 to 5 minutes. It should smell nutty and almost like caramel or butterscotch.

  2. Step 2

    Remove from the heat and carefully transfer the very hot browned butter to a large, heatproof mixing bowl. Add the garlic, stirring until the garlic is fragrant, a few seconds. Add the hot sauce, brown sugar and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper. Whisk vigorously until emulsified. Taste and add more salt, pepper and brown sugar as desired.

  3. Step 3

    Use immediately or refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 1 week. This is an excellent dipping sauce for French fries, roasted cauliflower and any kind of chicken (grilled, roasted or fried), or slathered between two slices of toasted bread in a deli sandwich.

Ratings

4 out of 5
237 user ratings
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Comments

Craig

Even in the photo, this sauce looks broken. I have had much more success with butter sauces when I heat all the ingredients EXCEPT the butter and then, off the heat, whisking diced butter in.

Kate

I made this yesterday for use in Ali Slagle's buffalo cauliflower dip (also on NYT cooking). The nutty brown butter, garlic, and sugar add a new dimension to an otherwise plain sauce; it's so delicious! Based on Craig's comment + reading up on butter sauces, I reversed the process: browned the butter and then refrigerated back to solid, heated the other ingredients on the stove, and whisked in chunks of the butter. It held beautifully and tasted great. There were no leftovers. :)

Ramsey

I followed the recipe exactly, whisked like crazy and it held the emulsification perfectly. The first night I made a dip that was half the Buffalo sauce, half mayo and used it as a dip for roasted cauliflower and oven fries. Used the leftovers for a spin on Ali Slagle’s Buffalo crudités with some grilled chicken skewers. So, so good.

Creig

Separated way too much, even after reversing the order of butter vs heat. There are better recipes.

me

Yum! Had this with chicken meatballs. Only change I made was using granulated garlic instead of fresh (because I couldn’t be bothered to mince it fine enough not to make the sauce chunky).

ugh, too much salt...

I'll get on my little soapbox over here and point out the nutrition values for this have to be very wrong. Frank's is 190mh for a 5ml tsp, so a recipe with 3/4 cup of it is likely not REALLY 46 mg per serving...

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