Are chicken wings on special at your local supermarket? Trying to figure out what kind of dip to make for an upcoming party? There are a lot of reasons you might find yourself looking for Buffalo sauce at the grocery store, and there are plenty of options.
But deciding on one specific Buffalo sauce can be hard. I grabbed seven of the most popular brands and pitted them against each other in a ranking based on taste. Here’s what I uncovered.
Prices and availability are subject to change.
Best: Frank’s RedHot Buffalo Wing Sauce
$3.96 from Walmart
Frank’s RedHot is a pretty ubiquitous brand by this point, but there’s a reason for that. The stuff is terrific. It’s got the perfect consistency without being too creamy, and the standard Buffalo flavor’s heat is top notch. Garlic, cayenne, and vinegar are in harmony.
Still need more proof? Here’s a secret: The best Buffalo wings on the planet of Earth are served in a dive bar in the corner of a strip mall in Los Angeles. I once asked a server what was in their sauce, and she told me they didn’t make their own sauce. She said they just use Frank’s.
2. Tabasco Buffalo Sauce
$10.72 from Walmart
This is a great idea on Tabasco’s end. It really works with the flavor profile that Tabasco sauce already has, too. This here sauce is sticky enough to cling to whatever you’re coating it with, but thin enough to not completely ruin the fried exterior of anything you’re dipping. It’s great stuff.
(See how the other Tabasco flavors ranked in our taste test.)
3. Kinder’s Buttery Buffalo Wing Sauce and Dip
$4.98 from Walmart
Kinder’s first points come from the fact that it’s the only sauce I tried with a squeeze top. You kidding me with these glass bottles? Pouring the correct amount is impossible with those.
This tastes great, but it’s decadent as can be. Kinder isn’t joking when it says this sauce is buttery. It honestly just tastes like a stick of melted butter and some Buffalo sauce. I love it, but since I’m not Paula Deen, there’s no way I’d be able to eat more than one wing sauced in this stuff.
4. Sweet Baby Ray’s Buffalo Wing Sauce
$2.94 from Walmart
There are a lot of bright, creamy, and acidic flavors happening at once, but they work. I’ll never enjoy a “creamy” Buffalo sauce more than a vineger-based one like the brands that beat it, but Sweet Baby Ray’s does a pretty decent job. This is probably the last of the creamy sauces on this list I’d ever buy.
5. Moore’s Original Buffalo Wing Sauce
$3.24 from Walmart
This is … kind of tart? I don’t know how to explain it. The ingredients mention citric acid, but that’s fairly standard. I don’t hate this sauce. I’m just very confused by it. I don’t think Buffalo sauce should be confusing.
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6. Texas Pete Buffalo Wing Sauce
$2.74 from Walmart
I like the standard version of Texas Pete, but this is definitely weird. Much like Wing-Time, this is quite tomato-forward. I love tomatoes, though I don’t know if I want them in my Buffalo sauce. Texas Pete is slinging the thin consistency I like, so it’s not a disaster, but this really isn’t something I’d want to buy again.
7. Wing-Time Buffalo Wing Sauce
$8.65 from Walmart
Unless you’re making a Buffalo chicken pizza, this probably isn’t the product you’re looking for. This sauce tastes a lot more like marinara than other Buffalo sauces I’ve had. There’s clearly a ton of tomato paste in this bottle. I don’t know about that. It’s not my thing.
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