Buffalo Wild Wings Sauces, Ranked

Allow me to start off by saying how honored I am to sample every wing sauce Buffalo Wild Wings has to offer. As a Buckeye myself, I take pride in the fact that Buffalo Wild Wings indeed originated in my hometown of Columbus, Ohio. I've always had a "B-Dubs" within walking distance, so I practically grew up on the stuff. Even so, being the creature of habit that I am, I never ventured too far outside of my comfort zone when it came to wing sauces. Despite countless visits to Buffalo Wild Wings, I had yet to sample the full gamut of what the franchise had to offer — until now. 

In the upcoming post, I'm taking you on a fun and flavorful journey as I taste every Buffalo Wild Wings sauce available at the time of publication. From meek and mild to hot and wild, I'm dishing the details and ranking each sauce from worst to best. Get your wet naps ready — this review's a finger-lickin' good time. 

Am I crazy? Maybe, but Buffalo Wild Wings Lemon Pepper sauce didn't do it for me. It's worth noting that I don't tend to like lemon chicken anyway, so I guess I'm a little biased. Even so, I was disappointed because I'd heard others state that Buffalo Wild Wings' Lemon Pepper sauce was good. For me, it was way too sweet, and thus, the reason for its lower ranking.

Buffalo Wild Wings Lemon Pepper sauce is thick and translucent yellow, with plenty of black pepper specks featured. Upon tasting, I was immediately met with a cloyingly sweet surprise — it tasted like someone had coated my wing in lemon icing. There was a peppery finish near the end, but it wasn't enough to balance the sweetness. Overall, Buffalo Wild Wing's Lemon Pepper sauce was a miss for me, but given my preferences, I suppose that isn't surprising.

My opinion of Buffalo Wild Wings' Thai Curry sauce is likely another reflection of my personal bias — Thai curry simply isn't a flavor that I associate with traditional chicken wings. The sauce itself is a rich, opaque olive brown with specks of spices throughout. To be fair, this Buffalo Wild Wings Thai Curry sauce packed plenty of curry flavor, and as a result, tasted as expected. As for spice, there was a good amount of heat, but it wasn't too bad, even for a lightweight like me. 

I'd say, if you're in the mood for curry flavor, you'll probably love this one. Ultimately, though, Buffalo Wild Wings Thai Curry sauce just isn't my cup of tea.

I'm a huge fan of Buffalo sauce and, as such, I was elated to try Buffalo Wild Wings Original Buffalo recipe. Buffalo sauce is easy enough to make at home, and there are tons of ways you can repurpose leftover Buffalo sauce from wing night. But having it conveniently mixed up and slathered all over crispy fried wings is, for me, an added bonus. 

Shockingly, I found myself disappointed with Buffalo Wild Wings' rendition of the sauce. Its color is bright orange, its texture creamy, and its flavor odd — almost like mayo. Worst of all, there was little to no tanginess, something I found extremely disappointing. Compared to other classic hot sauces on the list, I found Buffalo Wild Wings Original Buffalo lacking, and as such, it's one of my least favorite of the group.

As if mayo-like Buffalo sauce wasn't bad enough, along comes Buffalo Wild Wings Nashville Hot Sauce. The sauce is a deep red with a brownish tint; I could tell it was overseasoned just by looking. This opaque sauce was peppered with all sorts of stuff, and my taste buds only confirmed that it wasn't the sauce for me.

Buffalo Wild Wings Nashville Hot Sauce has a lot of smoky flavor; not like charcoal smoke, but more like cumin. It actually reminded me of the flavor of Mexican-spiced refried beans. Needless to say, Buffalo Wild Wings Nashville Hot isn't my favorite wing sauce — unless you have an affinity for its cumin-like flavor, this probably isn't for you.

I went into Buffalo Wild Wings Sweet BBQ sauce super-excited. Because of my infatuation with its Honey BBQ sauce recipe, I figured the sweet BBQ version would be just as good. I was wrong.

Buffalo Wild Wings Sweet BBQ sauce tasted flat with little to no complexity of flavor. It was thick and sweet, but despite its rich texture, it tasted as if it had little to no seasoning at all. The only time I could see myself ordering a sauce like this would be to serve to little ones — its candy-like, flat, and inoffensive flavor is perfect for children looking for a sauce in which to dunk their boneless wings. As for those with mature taste buds, I'd say go with the Honey BBQ — it's far tastier.

Buffalo Wild Wings Orange Chicken sauce earns itself a lower spot on the list, not because it's gross, but because it failed my expectations. As a devoted, unashamed Panda Express fanatic, anything toting the name "orange chicken" better be good. After all, Panda Express' Orange Chicken remains the pinnacle of junky Chinese-American takeout, right? Even so, I felt that Buffalo Wild Wings' rendition of the flavor was lackluster, comparatively.

Based on its flavor profile, I don't believe Buffalo Wild Wings Orange Chicken sauce is meant to emulate the Panda Express version of the chicken; its flavor isn't at all similar. To me, the sauce more closely mimics a very average spicy teriyaki with a hint of citrus and mild heat. It isn't bad — just not my favorite.

Speaking of teriyaki sauce, Buffalo Wild Wings has that, too. Am I impressed with it? Not really. Like the Orange Chicken sauce, Buffalo Wild Wings' Teriyaki sauce isn't awful; just subpar. 

Its taste reminds me of something I'd put over grilled chicken and homemade fried rice – though tasty, it just doesn't seem fitting on fried chicken wings. Additionally, Buffalo Wild Wings Teriyaki sauce fails in terms of depth and complexity. Like the aforementioned Sweet BBQ flavor, it comes off as drab and unexciting with little to no heat. If you're really in the mood for a tasty Asian wing sauce, be sure to stay tuned — there's a higher-ranking yet similar option coming up that I believe is much better.

Buffalo Wild Wings Parmesan Garlic sauce might impress some folks, but as for me, I don't get the hype. Both daughter and husband defer to this wing sauce as their favorite of them all, but to me, it tastes like something that should go over noodles. 

The sauce is a creamy beige with flecks of Italian seasoning throughout. It's very rich and is heavy on parmesan flavor, almost like Alfredo sauce. Is it good? Yes — in fact, according to Reddit, many use the bottled version of this sauce for Crock-Pot meals and other recipes. Even so, the taste doesn't match my idea of a good chicken wing sauce. Nevertheless, because members of my family love it, I can't say you'll hate it; it may just be an acquired taste.

I'm all for sauces with a bit of kick, but good grief, the Buffalo Wild Wings Mango Habanero sauce caught me off guard. The flavor is featured well below the hottest sauces on the company menu's heat scale, so imagine my surprise when I was left agonizing over my burning lips and tongue long after sampling.

Let's start from the top. Buffalo Wild Wings Mango Habanero sauce isn't like anything I've ever tasted. Based on its description, I expected this fiery, glossy red-orange sauce to be fruity — and indeed, it was. Still, I felt the flavor itself wasn't anything special. What did stand out about the sauce was its undeniable heat — though not as spicy as Blazin' Knockout, it certainly holds its own. As such, I definitely wouldn't recommend this sauce to anyone who can't take the heat.

Despite my love for garlic, Buffalo Wild Wings Spicy Garlic sauce left me underwhelmed. This bright orange sauce is big on garlic flavor, but besides that, there's nothing memorable about it. I could be wrong, but the Spicy Garlic sauce seems to be the exact replica of the Buffalo Wild Wings Medium flavor, but with minced garlic added. As for spice, expect it to be middle-of-the-road; it isn't unbearably hot, but probably isn't the best option for kids, either. 

Buffalo Wild Wings Spicy Garlic sauce is admittedly tasty, but because it's so similar to the medium flavor, I can't say it stands out. Even the garlic flavor, though present, doesn't add anything mind-blowing to the sauce. Ultimately, though a solid pick, Buffalo Wild Wings Spicy Garlic sauce isn't something I'd order on a regular basis.

I expected Buffalo Wild Wings Hot sauce to top my list of faves — oddly, it only earned itself a subpar rating. Like so many of the other Buffalo Wild Wings sauces on this list, this "hot" variety is so-so. I found the mild and medium versions wayyyy tastier, despite packing less heat. Even the Blazin' Knockout sauce is preferable to this one, and that's coming from a person with a low tolerance for extreme heat.

So, what made Buffalo Wild Wings Hot sauce fall flat? It all comes down to a lack of overall flavor. There was none of that lip-smacking tang that the other classic sauces have, but instead, the sauce seemed only to be comprised of heat and not much else. Pretty boring, right?

Having had some of the best Caribbean Jerk chicken of my life at an obscure restaurant in Ohio, I'm almost always left unimpressed with Caribbean Jerk sauce recipes sampled elsewhere. Nevertheless, I'll be the first to say that Buffalo Wild Wings Caribbean Jerk sauce does taste good. Still, this decently spiced reddish-hued sauce lacks the wow factor that other Caribbean Jerk sauces I've tasted had.

Is Buffalo Wild Wings Caribbean Jerk sauce flavorful? Yeah, I guess so. But if you're looking for something truly fabulous, I wouldn't count on this one to knock your socks off. Also, be sure to note that this unique sauce is a bit on the spicier side — I'd describe it as medium heat. 

Buffalo Wild Wing's Wild sauce definitely surprised me, and I mean that in a good way. I approached this spicy wing sauce with caution, given that it ranked on the menu as the second hottest sauce Buffalo Wild Wings offered at the time of publication. I gave it a go, fully expecting to get a mouthful of heat and no true flavor. Thankfully, I was wrong; it was actually quite flavorful indeed.

The main thing that sticks out to me is its vinegary flavor — though abrasive, it's still pleasant enough to enjoy. And though I certainly felt the burn, its heat was not quite as bad as I was expecting. Overall, I think that folks who love tangy, bold, and fiery flavors will love this saucy pick.

I was pleasantly surprised by Buffalo Wild Wings Mild sauce. Though presumably boring in comparison to so many other sauce varieties, this humble option was surprisingly yummy. 

Unlike the previously reviewed Original Buffalo sauce, this Mild flavor had the complexity that I so desired from the former. It was tangy and delicious, and though thick in texture, the sauce didn't have that creamy, mayo-like flavor that the Original Buffalo did. Of course, being the mild sauce that it is, it boasts little to no heat, which, quite frankly, suits my tastes just fine. Thus, I'd recommend anyone who loves the flavor of Buffalo wings but can't quite withstand the heat to give Buffalo Wild Wings' Mild sauce a try; it's certainly one I'd order again.

I like Buffalo Wild Wings Honey Garlic sauce, I really do. Still, I couldn't help but feel underwhelmed. This pick tastes eerily similar to a simple three-ingredient sauce I make at home. Because of that, I found it hard to be radically impressed by its flavor.

That said, I believe Buffalo Wild Wings Honey Garlic sauce would please most taste buds and would even be a great sauce option for kids, assuming they aren't opposed to garlic. It's plenty sweet, has tons of pleasing flavor, and isn't spicy — at least not to me. As always, be sure to taste each of these sauces before offering to children or anyone sensitive to spice; but overall, Buffalo Wild Wings Honey Garlic sauce is a tasty though annoyingly basic sauce option.

I saved the Blazin' Knockout for last since I figured I wouldn't have much of my tongue left intact after sampling it. Was I wrong? Not at all. Buffalo Wild Wings Blazin' Knockout met my fiery expectations with brazen confidence — sampling the sauce left me with watery eyes, a runny nose, and a cough that lasted 10 minutes. But you know what? I liked it! 

Blame it on adrenaline, but I felt a rush after tasting the sauce. The experience was similar to biting directly into a red chili pepper — it was the perfect unison of peppery flavor and scorching heat. All in all, I feel proud to have mustered enough courage to take this one on. Would I ever do it again? Not likely.

Buffalo Wild Wing's Jammin' Jalapeño sauce caught me off guard in the most delicious way. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't at least a little suspicious of this wing and jalapeño mash-up — it isn't the most intuitive pairing of flavors, IMO. Interestingly, I found Buffalo Wild Wings' Jammin' jalapeño sauce to encompass everything I love about jalapeños and wings all crammed into one. 

The sauce isn't too sweet, but focuses on the true essence of jalapeño flavor. It was spicy, but not aggressively so; its mild heat provided the perfect balance. All in all, Buffalo Wild Wings Jammin' Jalapeño sauce is worth a try — especially if you love those versatile little peppers as much as I do.

Buffalo Wild Wings Golden Fire sauce was a delectable surprise. I didn't exactly know what to expect going in — for some reason, my brain rendered "Golden Fire" as something Asian-inspired. Instead, I was met with a bright, sweet, yet spicy mustardy flavor that I found insanely delicious. 

A quick peek at the Buffalo Wild Wings description confirmed that B-Dubs' Golden Fire sauce is a spicy take on Carolina Gold, a uniquely made BBQ sauce formulated from a mustard base. I found myself taking one obsessive bite after another as I relished the beautifully executed marriage of mustard, sweet, and spice. Up until this point, I hadn't been interested in mustard-based BBQ, but after trying this one, I plan to search Amazon for tasty Carolina BBQ sauce options in hopes of finding one as delish as this one. 

The aforementioned Honey Garlic sauce wasn't bad, but I much prefer the dynamic flavor of this Buffalo Wild Wings Asian Zing sauce. It reminds me of the bright red sweet and sour sauce served at Chinese restaurants for dipping crispy egg rolls, but amped way up. It's got plenty of heat (I'd say medium, verging on hot), but the spice doesn't overwhelm its flavor. The sweetness of the sauce balances the heat perfectly, and the added garlic gives it a flavorful edge that I can't get enough of. 

Overall, B-Dubs' Asian Zing sauce is one of my favorite sauces from the chain. If you love sweet heat and an affinity for Asian fare, Asian Zing might become your newest Buffalo Wild Wings favorite.

Though admittedly not the most exciting sauce on the list, this zippy, tangy, bright orange wing flavor captured my heart. Buffalo Wild Wings' Medium sauce is everything I hoped the brand's Original Buffalo sauce would be and more. It's perfectly executed — thick, tangy, perfectly seasoned, and packing just the right amount of heat. This medium sauce works great as a dip for wings, but I prefer my chicken drenched in it; it's really that good. 

Be warned, though — despite being "medium" flavored, I wouldn't necessarily recommend this one to those sensitive to heat. While certainly not blazing hot, it packs enough spice that I think it could bother children. Overall, this medium sauce is one of my favorite classic sauces on the menu and is versatile enough to please (almost) any palate.

It's true — my favorite sauce at Buffalo Wild Wings isn't a hot sauce, but rather, is the company's own Honey BBQ. Truth be told, Buffalo Wild Wings Honey BBQ sauce has been dear to my heart ever since I was a teen. This rendition is very different from the previously mentioned Sweet BBQ variety; it's a lot smokier and has more complexity. It has none of the watery, lifeless flavor to it that the Sweet BBQ does, but instead almost imparts a charcoal-grilled flavor to the wings that's quite remarkable. 

Ultimately, if you're a lover of all things BBQ like I am, I'd recommend giving Buffalo Wild Wings Honey BBQ sauce a go the next time you stop in. It may not be a classic hot sauce, but with flavor this big, it never disappoints. 

Buffalo Wild Wings sauces were ranked from worst to best according to my personal preference. Each sauce was sampled with a single plain wing for consistency's sake. Availability may vary by region.