Wingstop doesn’t miss. In terms of fast-food deals, your money is put to work here. The quality of the food this place fries up is a treat for the price. Those wizards, and all of their wing flavors, are always at the top of their game.
Flavors rotate in and out frequently, but some mainstays have been around for a long time. If you’re only able to choose one or two flavors, which ones should you consider? Here are all 13 Wingstop flavors, ranked from best to worst.
Best: Hot Honey Rub
I said, “Oh me oh my” out loud when I tasted this. It was completely involuntary. I’m not proud of it. This flavor turned me into Ralph Lawler.
I am head-over-heels for this rub. As you lean in for a bite, the first thing that happens is that you smell honey. Then you taste honey, and then your mouth erupts with heat. And then it’s sweet like honey again, but your mouth is still feeling the burn. This is dinner and a show, folks.
Editor’s note: We had previously stated that this was a limited-time-only flavor, but as of July 9, 2024, Hot Honey Rub has been made a permanent menu item at Wingstop.
2. Spicy Korean Q
Gochujang, sesame oil, and soy sauce sing like angels in one of Wingstop’s newer masterpieces. I wouldn’t offer any notes on the Spicy Korean Q flavor; it’s got quite a bit of heat, it’s got tang, it’s got gingery depth; it has it all.
These Korean barbecue-style wings would scale up nicely into sandwich form, and as all chicken does, they taste best right off the bone. This is a great choice.
3. Mango Habanero
I used to be smitten with Wingstop’s Mango Habanero. Before trying my new favorites, I had mentally ranked this among the best Wingstop flavors. Times change, though, and now thanks to Korean Q and Hot Honey, Mango Habanero has to fall. But of course, we all remember why we must sometimes fall.
To be clear, Mango Habanero has still definitely got the moves. This is the sweet and spicy masterpiece that, if not for Hot Honey, Wingstop could hang its hat on.
4. Smoky Chipotle Rub
It takes a terrific amount of professionalism to still offer a good review after the very mean prank that was played on me, as you can see above. All drums? Do I look like an all-drum guy? I’m an all-flats guy, if anything. I mean, I like the mix ideally, but this feels personal.
Oh, Wingstop. You lovable scamp. I can’t stay mad at you. This flavor is outstanding; a sweet, smoky, spicy, dry rub that very much delivers on its name. Coated in a seasoning bursting with honey, ancho, smoky paprika, and chipotle, I found myself dragging my fingers across the bottom of the paper to scoop up more. Just make sure you get some flats.
5. Hickory Smoked BBQ
BBQ sauce is never my first choice when it comes to wings, but as far as Wingstop sauces go, this one shines. It’s thick, smoky, and brown sugar-sweet. Not decadent enough for you? The gloopy mixture of sauce that’s created when these bad boys get dipped in ranch is wonderful.
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6. Louisiana Rub
Here’s where the Creole flavors you might be missing from Popeyes come into play. Louisiana Rub at Wingstop is delicious, bursting with Old Bay-style seasoning and generously flecked with oregano. It makes me want to stick this into some thick Leidenheimer bread with the rest of the classic po’ boy fixins. No notes.
7. Garlic Parmesan
I have been eating at Wingstop for a long time now, and I’ve never even considered ordering the Garlic Parm. There are just too many other flavors that appeal to me first.
Though I am not a huge fan of Parmesan cheese, there are a couple of big wins happening here. For one, the parm is muted and the garlic is pungent. Love that. Two, this is a dry rub, so the fried chicken stays nice and crispy—all in all, one of Wingstop’s most solid wing flavors. Right in front of my nose, and I had no idea.
8. Cajun
I’m not sure Wingstop’s Cajun wings qualify as a different flavor, since it’s just Wingstop’s original hot sauce with some Cajun seasoning, but that’s fine. I’m not the seasoning police, no matter how much I’d like to be.
The spiciness is cranked up in a nice way here, bursting with smoked paprika and garlic powder. I see no reason to order Original Hot while this exists.
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9. Original Hot
Look, you already know what Wingstop’s original hot wings are going to taste like. These are straight-up Buffalo wings. Did Wingstop reinvent the wheel here? No, they did not. But there was no need for that, because the wheel is pretty fantastic the way it is. If spice isn’t your friend, this will do you well. If you’re looking for a little bit more flavor, go with something above.
10. Atomic
Listen to what this idiot (me) did. When I ordered all of these, they didn’t provide a cheat sheet or anything telling me which flavor was which, so I had to Sherlock Holmes my way to the answer. After gingerly taking a bite of what I thought was Atomic, I proceeded to write an entire entry about how Atomic sauce was barely spicier than anything else.
I popped an entire piece into my mouth for the next flavor, and: Surprise! That was Atomic. Guess what? Atomic wings are very, very hot. Flew a little too close to the sun on that one. While Atomic delivers on spice, the flavor profile itself leaves a lot to be desired. I wish there were more flavor here than just “spice.”
11. Lemon Pepper
I do like lemon pepper wings, but Wingstop really goes for it with the lemon and oil here. These things are rich as can be. I prefer them to Hawaiian, but after a while, they start to feel a bit too indulgent.
12. Hawaiian Wings
For some reason, I always expect the Hawaiian Wingstop flavor to be a Teriyaki-type sauce. I wish it was, because this is more of an orange chicken situation. The sauce is fine. It’s not like you’d be making a mistake to order them because they’re tasty, but it’s an odd choice for a restaurant that has so many other grand slams on the menu. Plus, there’s already a place that you’re supposed to go for fast-food orange chicken. Panda does it the best. Always has, always will.
13. Mild
What do you want me to say? Mild wings at Wingstop seem like they have been designed not to taste like anything at all. If you are at a wing restaurant, I assume that you like wing sauce enough to skip even the mildest of options. Because if so, why are you here? I would posit that perhaps wings are not for you.
What About New Wingstop Flavors?
Other recent Wingstop wing flavors include a “Secretly Sweet” Mango Hawaiian and a “Flavor Invasion” Cajun Garlic, both of which debuted as part of a Marvel Studios’ “Secret Invasion” campaign.
The Wingstop menu’s flavors have also included the limited-time Latto’s Lemon Herb Remix, developed through a collaboration with the American rapper. Wingstop’s new flavors drop pretty regularly, so devoted patrons should keep an eye out for those on Wingstop’s flavors menu.
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