I Tried 6 Store-Bought Buffalo Sauces and the Winner Was a Total Surprise

What would a platter of wings be without Buffalo hot sauce? Chicken wings, on their own, aren’t necessarily a delicious food. They only become delicious when slathered with sauce. That’s why the sauce matters. You can take your chance and buy anything labeled “Buffalo sauce” or similar, but wouldn’t it be fun to know which one was the best, so you can always have finger-lickin' good wings? So did we! That’s why we collected every bottle we could find, rolled up our sleeves, grabbed a bunch of napkins, and got to work. Here are the results.

How We Chose the Sauces

To be a contender, the Buffalo sauces needed to be readily available. For that reason, only brands that could be found at large retailers were selected. The label had to say “Buffalo” somewhere on it, but other than that, there were no other specifications.

Related: Your Ultimate Guide to Making Chicken Wings

How We Tested the Sauces

Each sauce was served two ways. The first was in an unlabeled bowl with a spoon. The second was tossed with a fried chicken tender. Taste testers were encouraged to comment on heat level and general flavor, and of course, rank them from favorite to least favorite.

Writer's Note:

It’s important to remember that this taste test (like all others) is strictly opinion-based. The subjective nature of it means there’s a good chance you won’t agree, and that’s okay. Take our ratings and descriptions and use them (or don’t) for your next Buffalo Sauce purchase.

The Best Buffalo Sauces, Ranked

6th Place: 365 Whole Foods Market

This is less Buffalo sauce and more hot sauce. There was definitely heat, but not much in the way of seasonings. It was thin, vinegary, and pretty basic. It would be a good choice if you’re trying to appease many palates at once.

5th Place: Primal Kitchen

Primal Kitchen’s version is very vinegar-forward. It isn’t aggressively hot, which disappointed testers who went so far as to claim it “fairly mild.” The sauce was notably thicker than others on the list and held on to the chicken rather strongly, which resulted in an unpleasantly over-coated chicken tender.

4th Place: Hot Ones

We all agreed that we loved the heat of this Buffalo sauce. The viscosity was also nice. It was tangy and punchy, which was also appreciated. The only issue was the dairy flavor aftertaste, which some of us found unpleasant. This was less noticeable when sampled with chicken, so perhaps it’s more enjoyable when tossed with something versus used as a dip.

3rd Place: Sweet Baby Ray’s

This sauce was different from the rest in that it had a bit more spice. Almost like a Buffalo-style ranch. Most testers liked that, but others noted it didn’t have enough heat. Even though it was tangy and had good flavor, it just didn’t quite hit the spice level we were after.

2nd Place: Frank’s Red Hot

The flavor of Frank’s Red Hot was reported as “balanced” with good heat by several testers. It had a good amount of tart vinegar flavor and a fun hint of celery. Even though the consistency of the sauce was a bit on the thin side, it turned out to be perfect for lightly coating chicken tenders.

1st Place: Buffalo Wild Wings

“It’s your classic Buffalo sauce,” said one tester. Everyone enjoyed the heat level of Buffalo Wild Wings' sauce, which was enough to make us cough occasionally, but not cry. It also contained a punchy vinegar kick that wasn't overwhelming. Like Primal, this sauce was thick, but unlike Primal, no one found it unpleasant. There wasn’t a single negative thing said about it. So, it appears the brand is staying true to its slogan as "Your Home for Wings."

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