A quick vegan buffalo sauce that's quick to make and a small batch recipe, so there's no waste. It's a tasty homemade hot sauce.
This quick buffalo sauce is the latest in my small-batch dressings and sauce collection.
It's a hot sauce, with a bit of sweet and sour flavour with a buttery base. It's very versatile and is packed with flavour.
Suitable for dairy-free, plant-based and vegan diets.
Jump to:
- 💭 What is Buffalo sauce?
- 🌭 What else can you use Buffalo sauce for?
- 🥣 It's a buttery sauce
- 📋 What you need to make delicious vegan buffalo sauce
- 🌡️ How hot is Buffalo sauce?
- 🌡️ Which hot sauce?
- 💭 What is Worcestershire sauce?
- 💭 What can you use instead of Worcestershire sauce?
- 🥣 Storing homemade sauce
- 👩🏻🍳 Related recipes - more small batch sauce and dressing
- ⭐ Sign up for a free recipe sent to your inbox every morning
- 👩🏻🍳 How to make Quick Vegan Buffalo Sauce
- 📖 Recipe
- 💬 Comments
At a glance - vegan buffalo sauce
⏲️ Ready in: 3 minutes
👪 Serves: 8
🍽 Calories: 57
🧾 Main ingredients: vegan butter, garlic, vinegar, maple syrup, hot sauce, tomato puree (paste), vegan Worcestershire sauce (or Henderson Relish)
👩🏻🍳 Suitable for: vegan, plant-based, dairy-free, egg-free, vegetarian
Summarise & save this recipe:
💭 What is Buffalo sauce?
Buffalo sauce is a sweet and tangy hot sauce that originally coated wings.
It was created in and named after the town of Buffalo in New York. although there are several stories about when it was created.
These days it's used for much more than coating wings and in many vegan dishes.
🌭 What else can you use Buffalo sauce for?
I like to use buffalo sauce in chickpea smash (have you tried this gochujang chickpea smash) for sandwiches or wraps.
It's great to flavour your taco filling or as a marinade for tofu.
Here are some more ideas for using vegan Buffalo sauce:
- Dip - add it to yoghurt to make a tasty dipping sauce for crunchy veg sticks or pizza crusts
- Sauce - use it straight up as a sauce for chips (French fries), sweet potato fries and potato wedges
- Cauliflower - roast cauliflower, then coat it in this tasty sauce
- Grilled cheese - add a dollop to your cheese on toast or vegan cheese toasties
- Hot dogs - forget ketchup, drizzle some homemade Buffalo sauce over your dawgs
- Tacos - use the buffalo sauce to make these gorgeous buffalo chickpea tacos.
I'm sure you will have some good ideas for using this spicy sauce too.
If you love a spicy sauce, try firecracker mayo next.
🥣 It's a buttery sauce
You may be surprised to know there's a fair amount of butter (or dairy-free butter or spread) in traditional Buffalo sauce.
I melt the butter in a jug in the microwave, add the other ingredients, then give it a good mix, but you can heat this spicy buffalo sauce in a small saucepan.
You can use vegan butter or vegan spread, which is more like margarine.
📋 What you need to make delicious vegan buffalo sauce
Here are the simple ingredients you need to make the best Buffalo sauce.
- Butter - vegan butter or spread
- Garlic - fresh garlic or garlic powder
- Hot sauce - see below for ideas
- Worcestershire sauce - vegan of course
- Tomato puree - tomato paste
- White wine vinegar - or you could add red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- Maple syrup - for a touch of sweetness
- Salt - just a pinch
Check out the recipe card below for the full ingredient list, method, notes and nutrition for this delicious sauce.
If you like spicy food or adding a spicy kick to your meals, you will love this homemade vegan Buffalo sauce recipe.
🌡️ How hot is Buffalo sauce?
Buffalo sauce is as hot as the sauce you add.
After butter, the main ingredient is hot sauce, so it very much depends if you use a mild, hot or an extra spicy hot sauce that will blow your head off, never mind tingle your taste buds.
🌡️ Which hot sauce?
The traditional hot sauce used when making your own Buffalo sauce is Franks Hot Sauce, a popular American hot sauce, which is now available here in the UK.
I went even hotter!
When I was on holiday with my family on the Northumberland coast during the summer holidays, I picked up this extremely hot Kickin' Carolina Reaper Sauce.
Oh yes, it's hot! Really hot!
Here is a list of hot sauces you can use when making vegan Buffalo sauce.
- Frank's Hot Sauce
- Srircaha
- Nando's Peri Peri Hot Sauce
- Hot Thai Chilli Sauce
If you're a wuss (you looking at me?) when it comes to hot sauce, you can try Cholula hot sauce or the mildest sriracha and if those are too hot, try a sweet chilli sauce.
💭 What is Worcestershire sauce?
Worcestershire sauce is a popular British tangy fermented sauce created by two chemists named Lea & Perrins in 1835.
It has a vinegar base and is flavoured with tamarind, molasses, garlic and other flavourings.
Famously it's added to a Bloody Mary (that tomato juice and vodka cocktail, that's served with a stick of celery), it's also added to soups, stews and shepherd's pie to add flavour.
Unfortunately, the original sauce isn't suitable for vegans, as it contains anchovies, but there are plant-based versions available.
💭 What can you use instead of Worcestershire sauce?
If you can't find the fish-free (vegan) version of Worcestershire sauce, don't worry there is another similar option that's just as nice.
This gorgeously delicious stuff is called Henderson's Relish.
Henderson's Relish has a similar taste profile to Worcestershire sauce, but it doesn't contain anchovies so it's suitable for vegans.
If you can't find that either, I would say mix soy sauce with balsamic vinegar as a substitute.
🥣 Storing homemade sauce
Store homemade Buffalo sauce in a clean jam jar or any airtight container.
Jam jars are perfect for storing sauce or salad dressing as you can see what's in a glass container (jar) at a glance, how much is left and you can give it a good shake before serving the sauce.
Keep it in the fridge for up to a week.
It will thicken as it sits in the fridge, but you can reheat it to thin it and warm it through before serving it.
👩🏻🍳 Related recipes - more small batch sauce and dressing
Looking for more recipes like this? Try these:
- Vegan Thousand Island Salad Dressing - Small Batch
- Simple Mustard Balsamic Dressing (small batch)
- Vegan French Dressing - Small Batch Salad Dressing
- Easy Greek Salad Dressing (Small Batch)
- Creamy Vegan Tahini Salad Dressing (small batch)
- Easy Lemon Vinaigrette - Small Batch Salad Dressing
- Vegan Creamy Italian Dressing - Small Batch
- Easy Vegan Ranch Dressing - Small Batch
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👩🏻🍳 How to make Quick Vegan Buffalo Sauce
These step-by-step photos will show you how to make this easy recipe for Buffalo sauce.
Full printable recipe card below.
Step 1
- Melt the butter in a jug in the microwave or in a small pan on the stove top.
- Add the garlic, vinegar, maple syrup and vegan Worcestershire sauce (or Henderson relish, see above for other ideas) and stir well.
- Now add the hot sauce, tomato puree and a pinch of salt.
Step 2
- Mix well and taste to check the heat levels and seasoning.
- Pour into a clean jam jar or another airtight container and store in the fridge until you need it.
- Reheat to use.
- Enjoy!
📖 Recipe
Quick Vegan Buffalo Sauce - Easy Small Batch Recipe
Ingredients
- 5 tablespoons vegan butter (or spread)
- 1 clove garlic (crushed or 1 teaspoon garlic powder)
- 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar (red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar)
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup (more if you like it sweeter)
- 2 tablespoons hot sauce
- 2 tablespoons tomato puree
- 1 teaspoon vegan worcestershire sauce (or Henderson Relish - see notes)
- 1 pinch salt
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a jug in the microwave or in a small pan on the stove top.
- Add the garlic, vinegar, maple syrup and vegan Worcestershire sauce (or Henderson relish, see notes below) and stir well.
- Now add the hot sauce, tomato puree and a pinch of salt.
- Mix well and taste to check the heat levels and seasoning.
- Pour into a clean jam jar or another airtight container and store in the fridge until you need it.
- Reheat to use.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- If you can't find vegan Worcestershire sauce or Henderson's relish, try mixing soy sauce with balsamic vinegar as a substitute.
- Buffalo sauce will be as hot as the hot sauce you add, you can make it from mild, fairly spicy to blow your head off hot.
- Keep in the fridge for up to a week.
- Reheat to thin and warm through before using.
Tim says
I can take it hot. Bring on the hot sauce! Ace!
Jacqueline Meldrum says
Oh well this is the on for your Tim. Make it as hot as you like.
Ryan says
Much easier to make than I thought it would be. I was looking for a spicy sauce for air fryer tofu. I think this is it and I actually have Hendersons.
Jacqueline Meldrum says
Yes it's super easy to make and would be perfect for Tofu Ryan. Let me know how it goes.
Sammie says
Oh I do love hot sauces. Adding this to my list!
Jacqueline Meldrum says
Enjoy the Buffalo sauce Sammie, I am sure you will.
Jill says
I have heard people talking about this before Jacqs. I will have to try it. My daughter likes spicy food, so I might try the chickpea smash with it this weekend. Jill x
Jacqueline Meldrum says
Yes, it's rather popular these days, which is why I thought I should have a go. I wanted to make it for a taco filling (coming soon). It's worth making. I hope you both enjoy it Jill.