Vegan Buffalo Sauce Recipe

Name: Vegan Buffalo Sauce Recipe
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 10 min
Ingredients: 1/2 cup coconut oil; 1 cup hot sauce (such as Tabasco); 1/3 cup dark brown sugar (packed); 4 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

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Do love eating spicy food? This vegan buffalo sauce recipe makes the perfect way to add heat to your food. It’s homemade with only four simple ingredients and takes about five minutes to prepare!!

Closeup photo of a spoonful of Vegan Buffalo Sauce. The spoon is held above of a bowl of sauce.

It’s a delicious addition to drizzle over roasted vegetables or to serve up with your favorite cauliflower wings. Turning a delicious buffalo sauce vegan could not taste any better.

I love coming up with new ways to add flavor to food! This homemade vegan buffalo sauce makes a couple of little swaps to create a vegan version of this spicy hot sauce. It’s my favorite to serve up with a veggie burger or cauliflower bites!

Buffalo Sauce Vegan

This vegan version of buffalo hot sauce was inspired by my other spicy sauce recipe on this site, and pairs well with this amazing cauliflower recipe.

If you like more ways to spice up your food, you might be interested in trying Spicy Garlic Sauce or this Copycat Taco Bell Diablo Sauce.

Buffalo Sauce Ingredients Vegan

Making buffalo sauce vegan requires only four simple ingredients which you can find in most grocery stores.

coconut oil
hot sauce such as Frank’s or your favorite hot sauce
organic dark brown sugar
apple cider vinegar

See the recipe card further down on the page for the exact quantities of each ingredient.

How to Make Vegan Buffalo Sauce

This sauce is only one step! It doesn’t get any easier than that!

Step 1: Heat the Sauce

Start by melting the coconut oil in a small saucepan over low heat.

When it’s melted, whisk in the hot sauce, brown sugar, and vinegar until everything is well mixed. Remove from heat and cover to keep warm until you are ready to serve it up.

Hint: Feel free to make a double batch and freeze it so you always have homemade vegan buffalo sauce on hand to add to meals.

Bowl of vegan buffalo sauce on the table with a plate of cauliflower in the background.

Substitutions

Don’t have the correct ingredients on hand? Or want to change something up? Here are some helpful tips for you to change this spicy sauce recipe.

Apple cider vinegar – Swap out with white wine vinegar which has a similar level of acidity. You can also use other vinegars but they may change the overall flavor.
Coconut oil – Swap it out with vegan butter.
Brown sugar – Use Maple Syrup instead but be prepared to taste some mild maple flavor
Hot sauce – While buffalo sauce is traditionally made using a bright orange hot sauce similar to Tabasco, you can experiment with different hot sauces made with different chilies which will give the sauce different flavors and heat profiles.

How to Serve

Now you’ve got this amazing tasting buffalo sauce suitable for a vegan, plant based diet, but how do you use it?

Buffalo cauliflower wings: You can find these in the frozen section of some grocery stores or you can make them homemade too!
Spicy aioli: Mix it up with some mayonnaise for a delicious creamy sauce to add to your favorite wrap or sandwich. I especially love making it to add to popcorn, my air fryer sweet potato fries or my air fryer asparagus fries!
Spicy salad dressing: Mix in a little to your favorite vinaigrette dressing to give it a little spice.
Dip on the side: Serve it up as a dip for roasted vegetables, raw or roasted caulflower bites.

If you love recipes like this, you may also enjoy Creamy Horseradish Dip.

Equipment

This simple sauce recipe can be made with a couple of simple kitchen tools.

Small saucepan
Whisk or spoon
Jar or container to store it

Storage

This buffalo sauce vegan recipe makes about 2 cups of sauce. If you aren’t using it all up after making it you can store it in the refrigerator for up to 7 days. Allow it to cool down completely before storing it in a jar or other airtight container.

If it thickens up too much when refrigerated, reheat it in the microwave or in a saucepan to loosen it back up.

Tips

Cooks of any level will find making homemade vegan buffalo sauce easy, but here are a few tips to get you started and help you make the best sauce.

Some coconut oils have the flavor of coconuts. I recommend choosing one that states it has a neutral flavor when using it to make buffalo sauce.
Cook and stir the sauce long enough to dissolve all the sugar so you don’t end up with a grainy consistency.

Plate of cauliflower bites served up with vegan buffalo sauce. The cauliflower bites are garnished with chopped parsley.

More Easy Sauce Recipes

Don’t you find sauces a great way to change up your meals? Here are some recipes you may also like to try:

FAQ

Do you have questions about making buffalo sauce at home? Here are some of the most commonly asked questions about vegan buffalo sauce.

Can I freeze vegan buffalo sauce?

If you aren’t going to use it within a week, you can freeze this buffalo sauce recipe until you’re ready to use it again. Make sure you store it in a freezer safe container and use it within 3 months for the best flavor.

Can I make vegan buffalo sauce in the microwave?

I prefer to make this quick sauce on the stovetop but if that’s not an option and you only have a microwave here’s how to do it. Start by melting the coconut oil on 50% power only long enough to melt it. Check it every 1 minute and give it a stir. Mix in the other ingredients and continue to heat 1 minute at a time until all the sugar is blended in.

Is buffalo sauce vegan?

Traditional Buffalo sauce uses butter which is not vegan but you can easily substitute melted vegan butter or try our version that uses coconut oil and a few other ingredients instead. You’ll be glad you did.

Is Frank’s Buffalo Sauce Vegan?

Frank’s Red Hot Sauce is vegan and only contains butter flavor not real butter.

Vegan Buffalo Sauce Video