We Taste-Tasted 11 Buffalo Sauces—This Supermarket Brand Beat Frank’s

Chicken wings have their soulmate in Buffalo sauce. The matchmaker? Teressa Bellissimo, the owner of Anchor Bar in Buffalo, New York. The story of how she reportedly invented the iconic American dish varies, but the result is the same: a delicious mash-up of fried chicken wings, hot sauce, and butter. What truly cemented the Buffalo wing in the Super Bowl snack canon was the rise of the NFL’s Buffalo Bills, who competed in four consecutive Super Bowls during the 1990s. And what did fans eat to cheer them on? Buffalo wings, of course. 

At its simplest, Buffalo sauce is little more than hot sauce (most often Frank’s Red Hot, though other brands can be used) and butter, though recipes sometimes add additional flavorings like vinegar and spices. As easy as it is to whip up Buffalo sauce, sometimes a serving-ready bottled product is even easier, so we decided to find out which premade Buffalo sauce reigns supreme. To find the very best one, we taste-tested 11 brands alongside chicken tenders—and found a surprising winner.

The Criteria

At its core, Buffalo sauce consists of just two ingredients: a cayenne pepper– and vinegar–based hot sauce, plus melted butter. Our editorial director, Daniel, noted that he was looking for a flavor similar to Frank’s Red Hot, with a buttery creaminess. “That’s basically it,” he said. Great Buffalo sauce should have a balance of sharp vinegar cut by a rich buttery flavor, and good heat—but not so much that it can’t be tamed by a bite of carrot or celery dipped in blue cheese dressing. The sauce should also be emulsified and thick enough to coat the chicken, not oily or watery. 

Overall Winner

Wegmans Buffalo-Style Wing Sauce

Some testers incorrectly guessed that this sauce was the classic Frank’s. Surprise: It was supermarket chain Wegmans that beat out that iconic Buffalo sauce brand for its balanced flavor. “This tastes very close to the ‘original,'” Daniel noted. I loved its balance of richness and heat: It was spicy, but not so intense that you couldn’t keep eating it. Our associate editorial director, Megan, also described it as “nicely balanced,” and our associate visuals director, Amanda, enjoyed its buttery flavor. She also liked its thickness, remarking how it evenly coated the chicken. 

Runner-Up

Frank’s RedHot Buffalo Wings Sauce

While this sauce had the cayenne kick and the strong vinegar tang we were looking for, its greasiness kept it from the top spot. Megan correctly identified this sample as Frank’s, winning a metaphorical gold star for the day. “I like that it’s basically just straight up ‘Buffalo’ flavor. Frank’s, maybe?” Daniel agreed that the flavor was very close to the original he was seeking, even if it was a little harsh—a touch too spicy and a touch too vinegary. I also recognized it as true to the original, noting its typical Buffalo flavor that nicely balanced richness and spice, albeit with an unpleasant oiliness that remained even after stirring. Though Amanda enjoyed its flavor, she was hoping for a better balance and a creamier texture. Overall, this sauce delivered the bright kick of spice our tasters were looking for, but fell short in cohesiveness and texture.

The Contenders

• 365 by Whole Foods Market Organic Buffalo Wing Sauce
• Amazon Grocery Buffalo Wing Sauce
• Buffalo Wild Wings Medium Sauce
• Chick-fil-A Zesty Buffalo Sauce
• Frank’s RedHot Buffalo Wings Sauce
• Kinder’s Buttery Buffalo Wing Sauce and Dip
• Newman’s Own Kickin’ Garlic Buffalo Sauce
• Primal Kitchen Original Buffalo Sauce
• Steve’s & Ed’s Buffalo Wing Sauce
• Sweet Baby Ray’s Buffalo Wing Sauce
• Wegmans Buffalo-Style Wing Sauce

Key Takeaways and Conclusion

Both of our winners kept their ingredient lists simple, relying on aged cayenne pepper and vinegar for flavor. Other sauces, which included jalapeño purée, molasses, and even anchovies, deviated from the classic Buffalo flavor we were looking for. Unlike fresh peppers, which have a bright vegetal note, aged cayenne pepper—which is typically mashed and fermented with salt for a month or more for use in hot sauce—has a deep, balanced heat. That complexity in flavor is what really made these sauces stand out from sauces that relied on fresh cayenne or other chiles. 

We also looked for hot sauces with a buttery note. Without that rich dairy flavor, Buffalo sauce would just be hot sauce. Though many of the hot sauces we tasted—including our winner from Wegmans—didn’t contain actual butter, they included emulsifiers and thickeners, such as modified gum arabic and xanthan gum, that gave them a rich, smooth texture.

Similar to Wegmans, our runner-up, Frank’s RedHot, did not contain actual butter. It did, however, have “natural butter type flavor.” Still, the sauce didn’t taste particularly buttery, and its oiliness was a deterrent. Like Wegmans, Frank’s RedHot used xanthan gum as a thickener. Unlike Wegmans, however, its product lacked modified gum arabic, making it less creamy. 

Gum arabic, made from the sap of acacia trees, is a common stabilizer used in consumer products, and our tasters found that brands that used it—including our winner—had more cohesive, emulsified sauces than those that did not. Some brands relied on egg yolks as an emulsifier, but those sauces had a mayonnaise-like texture—not what we were looking for in a Buffalo sauce.

Overall, we found that the best Buffalo sauces rely on fermented, cayenne-based hot sauces for their flavor. While Franks may be known for its classic Buffalo flavor, Wegmans won out for taste and texture: It had the classic flavor and zing we were looking for, along with a creaminess that helped it evenly coat our chicken tenders.

Our Testing Methodology

All taste tests are conducted with brands completely hidden and without discussion. Tasters taste samples in random order. For example, taster A may taste sample one first, while taster B will taste sample six first. This is to prevent palate fatigue from unfairly giving any one sample an advantage. Tasters are asked to fill out tasting sheets, ranking the samples according to various criteria. All data is tabulated, and results are calculated with no editorial input to provide the most impartial representation of actual results possible.