Quick Answer

How do you make mild buffalo sauce?

The fastest method: reduce the hot sauce to butter ratio from the classic 2:1 to 1:2 — 1 part hot sauce to 2 parts butter. This produces a rich, buttery sauce with mild heat that still tastes like buffalo sauce. It won't taste like a completely different sauce; it tastes like a restaurant's 'mild' wing option. For extreme mildness, substitute half the hot sauce with Crystal hot sauce (lower SHU than Frank's) and add a tablespoon of honey to round the flavor. Don't add water — it dilutes flavor without reducing heat.

Making mild buffalo sauce is a ratio and ingredient game, not a different recipe. Classic buffalo sauce is roughly 300–450 Scoville Heat Units — which many people find too sharp or acidic rather than too hot. The goal with a mild version is to reduce the capsaicin intensity and the vinegar sharpness while preserving the core flavor identity: buttery, tangy, with just enough heat to know you're eating buffalo sauce.

Three Methods for Mild Buffalo Sauce

Three approaches, from easiest to most involved:

  1. Butter ratio adjustment — change the sauce to butter proportion
  2. Low-heat base swap — substitute a milder hot sauce as the base
  3. Cream cheese dilution — make a dip-style mild buffalo sauce

Method 1: Butter Ratio Adjustment

Prep Time 3 min
Cook Time 5 min
Servings ~3/4 cup sauce

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup Frank's RedHot Original
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter (that's 3:1 butter to hot sauce)
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
  • Pinch of white pepper

Method

  1. Warm Frank's over low heat briefly.
  2. Remove from heat.
  3. Whisk in cold butter 1 tablespoon at a time until fully emulsified.
  4. Add seasonings. Taste and adjust.

Tips

  • At 1:3 hot sauce to butter ratio, the sauce is noticeably mild — appropriate for young children or very heat-sensitive diners.
  • At 1:2 ratio, it reads as 'mild' for most adults — like a restaurant mild wing option.
  • The additional butter adds richness and depth that compensates for the reduced hot sauce intensity.

The butter ratio method preserves the exact flavor profile of classic buffalo sauce at lower intensity. The sauce still tastes like buffalo sauce — it's just milder. This is the cleanest method and the one to use if you want a mild sauce that reads as a genuine buffalo flavor.

Method 2: Low-Heat Hot Sauce Base Swap

Different hot sauce bases produce different heat levels in the finished sauce. Swapping to a lower-SHU cayenne sauce reduces heat while maintaining the vinegar-cayenne character that defines buffalo sauce.

Hot Sauce Bases by Heat Level for Mild Buffalo Sauce

Hot SauceApprox SHUFlavor CharacterMild Result
★ Louisiana Brand Hot Sauce 450 SHU Milder than Frank's, less tangy Very mild buffalo
Tabasco Chipotle ~1,500 SHU Smoky, mild heat Smoky mild buffalo
Frank's RedHot Original ~450 SHU Classic cayenne tang Standard mild with ratio adjustment
Crystal Louisiana's Hot Sauce ~800 SHU Sharp, bright Medium-mild
Cholula Original ~1,000 SHU Earthy, mild-medium Mild-medium buffalo

Louisiana Brand Hot Sauce is the best base for a mild buffalo sauce when using the classic ratio. At 450 SHU (similar to Frank's but perceived as milder because it's slightly less acidic), a standard 2:1 sauce with Louisiana Brand will register as mild for most adults.

Method 3: Cream Cheese Dilution (Dip-Style)

For a mild buffalo dipping sauce rather than a wing tossing sauce, cream cheese is the most effective dilution method. The fat and protein in cream cheese directly bind capsaicin, dramatically reducing perceived heat.

  • 4 oz cream cheese, softened
  • 3 tablespoons Frank's RedHot Original
  • 2 tablespoons butter, softened
  • 1 tablespoon ranch seasoning (or to taste)

Method: Beat cream cheese until smooth. Mix in Frank's, butter, and seasoning. Thin with 1–2 tablespoons milk if needed. Serve as a dipping sauce, spread, or accompaniment.

This is essentially a simplified buffalo chicken dip base — it has mild, creamy buffalo flavor that works for guests who find standard sauce too intense.

Mildest Store-Bought Buffalo Sauce Options

Commercial brands vary significantly in heat:

  • Sweet Baby Ray's Buffalo Wing Sauce: Probably the mildest widely-available option. Sweetish, very low heat.
  • Tessemae's Buffalo Sauce: Mild and clean-flavored, with the lowest sodium of any major brand.
  • Primal Kitchen Buffalo Sauce: Mild, clean, avocado-oil based. Noticeably not spicy.
  • Moore's Buffalo Wing Sauce: Mild-to-medium — the thick texture makes it seem milder because it coats more slowly.

Serving Both Mild and Hot at a Party

The cleanest solution for mixed-heat-tolerance parties: make the same base and adjust at the end.

  1. Make a single large batch of sauce: 1 cup Frank's + 8 tablespoons butter (classic 2:1 ratio)
  2. Divide into two containers
  3. To the "mild" half: add 2 more tablespoons of butter + 1 tablespoon honey
  4. Label both clearly and serve alongside the wings

This approach means the mild sauce has the same flavor DNA as the hot — guests who prefer mild can still experience genuine buffalo flavor at a lower intensity.

Frequently Asked Questions

Most restaurants achieve mild wings one of two ways: (1) they use more butter in the sauce ratio, producing a buttery-mild version of their standard sauce; or (2) they use a commercial mild buffalo sauce formulation designed for that purpose. Buffalo Wild Wings' 'Mild' sauce, for example, is their base buffalo sauce with additional fat and a small amount of sweetener added. The goal in either case is the same: reduce heat intensity and vinegar sharpness while maintaining recognizable buffalo flavor.