12 Store-Bought Buffalo Sauces, Ranked Worst To Best

You'd never dunk a wing into a subpar sauce, so don't disrespect your taste buds with boring brands. Add the right bottle to your cart with the top-ranked Buffalo sauces on this list.

Americans throw back roughly 1.5 billion Buffalo wings on Super Bowl Sunday alone, making this saucy tradition less of a low-key snack and more of a lifestyle. But the history of Buffalo wings might be as messy as the dish. Fried chicken bits tossed in butter hot sauce was either invented in 1964 by Buffalo, New York's Anchor Bar owner, Teressa Bellissimo — or — they were invented by John Young around the same time, a mile east of Anchor Bar in the Black East Side of Buffalo. Not to ruin anyone's reputation, but neither Teressa or John invented chicken wings. That honor goes to Buffalo's very old and probably haunted Clarendon Hotel, which put them on the menu in 1857. 

Orange, velvety Buffalo sauce has been named the most popular chicken wing-topper in America. (You know that, but I want you to feel seen.) So I strolled down the aisles of my local grocery store with one mission: To pit wing sauce against fellow wing sauce. Want to find out how your favorite brand takes on the rest? Here are store-bought Buffalo sauces ranked from worst to best!

Well, ya gotta start somewhere. Kroger Buffalo Wing Sauce kicks things off with works-in-a-cubicle-and-pretends-to-have-a-social-life energy. (Ugh, not another meeting that could have been an email.) This bottle somehow checks all the boxes on classic Buffalo sauce while also not totally completing the assignment.

To be fair, Kroger Buffalo Wing Sauce began as an appetizingly thick blend when poured straight from the bottle. I clocked the slightly cheesy puff-orange color, but I was still game to give it a shot. Then, at first bite, the mild-to-medium spiced recipe promptly veered off the road in seasoning, tasting like it came from the lower, less-glamorous shelves of the supermarket. What could have been a Mariah Carey solo on Buffalo flavor quickly turned into a one-note autotune that never found enough oomph to hit any other notes. Unfortunately, this recipe just feels phoned-in and mass-produced. Sorry, Krogz. In a hot and spicy market, it takes a lot more personality to hang with the big kids.

Calling all paleo, keto, and vegan fans! Chef Hak's Plant Based Buffalo Sauce leaves out dairy and sugar to craft an organic, low-carb, sustainably-minded sauce for everything from wings to cauliflower bites. Unfortunately, it seems Chef Hack also left out most of the flavor.

This Buffalo sauce is super light and liquidy. Even though I managed to get a decent mouthful on my first bite, I still tasted my plain, breaded taste-tester chicken nugget over the actual flavor profile of the sauce. Dedicated to my craft, I re-tasted the sauce by itself to get the full picture. And what I noticed most was the very mild, sweet flavor of a Buffalo-esque olive oil, which the brand emulsifies in order to give this recipe its silky texture. As a SoCal local myself, I appreciate that Chef Hak's is a California local, too. But because this reads more like a spicy, EVOO salad dressing versus a bona fide wing sauce, I won't be buying it as a dip anytime soon.

Primal Kitchen Original Buffalo Sauce dishes up a dairy-free, vegan wing sauce for game day. But while it mops the floor on non-GMO, keto-friendly, Whole 30-approved snacking, it left me wondering about its oddly sweet-and-sour flavor profile.

Great pourable texture and a cheery, naturally-orange color makes this a no-brainer for avocado oil fans who like a little heat. But there is something in this very limited ingredient lineup that jumps to the front of the line, once it hits your tongue. Having scrolled to the bottom of the nutrition label, I wondered if it's possible to taste the tamarind seed gum. (It's a plant-based thickening agent, so I'm guessing probably not.) Is it the avocado oil somehow adding a bright, peppery kick? (Signs point to avocad-no.) Mystery unsolved, this bottle would pass as Buffalo sauce by itself on a buffet. But in a lineup of heavy-hitters, it leaves me stuck in research limbo when I should be enjoying a proper plate of wings.

It wouldn't be a genuine ranking without an appearance by Whole Foods house brand 365 Organic Buffalo Wing Sauce toward the middle of the pack. A happy dupe for those sticking to an all-organic diet, this sauce doles out signature Buffalo flavor without ruffling any chicken feathers.

Medium heat from organic red jalapeño pepper and organic cayenne pepper skips past your tongue and hits the back of your throat immediately, before it quickly mellows out. But while this blend succeeds at wing sauce flavor — with a liquid consistency that makes it great for tossing and lightly coating chicken, shrimp, or veggies — it kind of rests its case right there without any further spin on seasoning. 365 Organic would make a great option for anyone wanting to stay on budget and still throw down on game day snacks without anyone noticing that the Buffalo sauce was mindfully sourced.

Buffalo Wild Wings Medium Sauce had a lot to live up to as one of the most popular sauces from the sports bar. But after one bite, it becomes more clear how someone could spend 12 hours at B-Dubs breaking the record for all-you-can-eat wings.

This Buffalo Wild Wings sauce pours out rich and thick, kind of like a gravy, giving you plenty of time to sauce up a wing and casually airplane it into your mouth. Cayenne pepper throws a fast one at the back of your throat but the initial heat doesn't stick around long — and doesn't turn around to singe your tongue. This blend is flavorful and enjoyable to eat, and while it might be a little gentler than a true medium in heat, it handily dishes up Buffalo-style seasoning for the spice-sensitive crowd. Extra credit goes to the small hole in the flip top cap that lets you regulate your portion — or squeeze it straight into your mouth.

From the hot sauce brand with ad slogan "I put that sh*t on everything," comes Frank's RedHot Buffalo Wings Sauce, which is destined for the same delicious fate. Frank's even claims its hot sauce was the one tossed into the original Anchor Bar wing sauce recipe in Buffalo, New York. Care to taste the one that started it all?

Landing in the kiddie pool on Frank's branded heat scale, this mild-to-medium sauce feels old-school and straight-ahead, keeping it simple with vinegar, aged cayenne, and "butter type flavor." Strangely, this then warmed into a tomato-like flavor that you could almost call a spicy V8 juice. I also tasted a crisp, celery-ish note, which may have purely been psychological because wings are always paired with celery. (There was zero mention of celery on the label.) Frank's might not blow your mind, but it's a pleasurable O.G. that drops it like it's hot-ish, and then leaves your mouth feeling clean rather than coated.

Another hot sauce gone Buff'd, Tabasco brand Buffalo Style Sauce serves up plenty of flavorful, wing-friendly heat, while sticking to its vinegar and cayenne pepper roots. Just get ready for a whole bunch of garlic.

If you love Tabasco hot sauce ('Twas a favorite of Queen Elizabeth, who once put hot sauce in her bag — swag), Tabasco Buffalo Style Sauce could be your wing jam. Sourcing just five ingredients, this recipe lives up to "Buffalo-style" so it's not gonna feel as creamy — or orange — as others on the shelves. Still, it packs a well-seasoned bite with a heat that won't burn down your mouth. Just like Frank's, the mouthfeel after you finish eating is clean, with no residue left behind — other than a little garlic. Also, bless the heart of whoever designed this bottle to pour through a small spout in sensible amounts, because this drip is runny enough to go everywhere but your plate.

You've gotta have a soft spot for Sweet Baby Ray's Buffalo Wing Sauce. It's flawlessly creamy, Buffalo-orange, packaged in what feels like a salad dressing bottle, and it's from a basement brand that took off in the '80s after a cook-off championship.

This Sweet Baby taps into sentimental barbecue culture like no other brand on this list. While I thought I detected a possible splash of booze in the recipe (There's no alcohol, I checked), I appreciated the garlic and paprika for the added warmth, along with the aged cayenne pepper heat. You'll also find ingredients that are harder to pronounce, but the old-school, slightly industrial vibe here feels less like a red flag and more like a best friend from your old neighborhood — working a little magic in the way that Twinkies and a certain boxed mac and cheese can conjure up the feels. Like the label says, this sauce would crush on anything. (Official testing phase still in effect ...)

Don't skip this bottle just because it screams HOT like it's coming for your family. Noble Made Dairy-Free Hot Buffalo Sauce gets the sugar-free keto stamp of approval, along with being delicious enough to please even your friends who don't always talk about working out.

Even though it features the addition of habanero peppers to the typical cayenne blend, this recipe doesn't taste ferociously hot, thanks to the extra virgin olive oil base. (Unlike Chef Hak's olive oil Buffalo sauce, Noble Made still tastes like Buffalo sauce, not oil.) But the slowly-accumulating heat definitely doesn't go easy on your tongue. Almost as soon as I innocently misspoke, "Oh, this is mild," my upper lip broke out into a nervous sweat, my nose started running, and I sneezed out the admission, "Nope — it's hot." Still, like any hot sauce worth its salt — Buffalo or not — Noble Made's stellar seasoning keeps you coming back for more. The "shake ruthlessly" directions let you buy a little time before proving what you're made of ... y'know, chicken wings wise.

Just like the series hosted by Sean Evans, Hot Ones Original Buffalo Hot Sauce pours out a super unique concept with a whole lot of spice. But, as the original Buffalo sauce of the Hot Ones line (and a 2 out of 10 on heat), it's gentle enough that you won't suffer through your wings while sobbing and sweating like the guests on the show. "I don't even ... eat mild Taco Bell sauce," comedian Eric Andre said just before tasting Blair's Mega Death Sauce, which claims to be "100 times hotter than a jalapeño pepper." Luckily, this is not that.

Featuring actual butter, Hot Ones Original Buffalo Sauce feels velvety on the tongue even though it's one of the more drippy brands on this list. Celery, smoked paprika, chipotle, and molasses make for dimensional flavor that tells a new story with every bite. I didn't pick up as much tanginess as was advertised, but I definitely enjoyed the warm, pleasant heat. If anyone can explain to me how I got notes of finely-grated Parmesan, please call our hotline. Wherever it came from, it's divine.

I was predisposed to liking Kinder's Buttery Buffalo Wing Sauce just because of the minimalist packaging that didn't seem like it once featured an illustrated donkey high-kicking its hind legs. Luckily, along with looks, this brand has a fun (and delectable) personality.

Just missing the top spot by the teensiest Scoville heat unit, this recipe might stop you mid-chew to consider the intriguing seasoning. (Are those Anaheim chiles I'm tasting? Red jalapeño? A touch of smoke?) Part of me wished that there was just a little more heat, but this bottle gets an A-plus on tasting lusciously oily and buttery, like extra-butter movie theater popcorn. The ultra-pourable consistency confirms that this was meant to be an all-purpose sauce for marinades, smoking, dipping, and everything else. The thoughtful traffic cone-style top lets you aim the sauce exactly where you want it, and cleans up real nice with the softest click when you close it.

Wing-Time Medium Buffalo Wing Sauce is the best Buffalo sauce of all time! Allow me to confirm that this is not a sponsored list — because I had never even heard of this brand until now. I would never have noticed the bottle on the shelf, let alone picked it up, or purchased it, and here it is at No. 1. (If Wing-Time can take home the gold, you can do anything. #Inspired)

Less spicy than Noble Made's recipe, this blend is kickier than Buffalo Wild Wings or Hot Ones, clocking in at a true medium heat. The texture feels a little like hearty pasta sauce — thick, but pourable from the wide-mouth bottle. Maybe it was a Pavlov's Dogs sort of psychological effect, but I suddenly found myself mysteriously tasting (or wanting?) bleu cheese for some reason, as I sampled this brand's wares. Flecks of spices make Wing-Time feel authentic, but I wouldn't even care if it poured out as an ultra-creamy, homogenous orange. Buffalo lasagna, Buffalo breakfast burritos, or Buffalo meatloaf — this sauce is so good that you're gonna want to put it on everything.

If you love Buffalo sauce, just about every brand is a good one. But when you're faced with a ranking, you're gonna have to pick a favorite child. For this task, I popped into a few of my local supermarkets and carefully selected brands using my proprietary give-me-all-your-Buffalo-sauce technique, and then returned home, fired up some chicken nuggets (sorry wing purists), popped some bottles, and got to work acting judgier than anyone should ever be about Buffalo sauce. (I also went for medium-heat as much as possible, to keep things fair.)

I know we all have our own personal tastes and preferences. I celebrate that, while also gifting you this extremely flawless and bulletproof list. You're welcome — and you don't even have to get me anything. Your Buffalo wing-eating bliss is enough.