Quick Answer

What is white buffalo sauce and how do you make it?

White buffalo sauce replaces the butter-forward base of standard buffalo sauce with a cream (or mayo/sour cream) base, producing a white, creamy sauce that still has hot sauce's heat and tang but has a richer, more indulgent texture. Basic recipe: 1/2 cup heavy cream or sour cream, 2 tablespoons Frank's RedHot, 1 tablespoon butter, garlic powder, salt. The cream base is lower-temperature sensitive than pure butter emulsions — heat gently and don't overheat to prevent breaking.

What Is White Buffalo Sauce?

Classic buffalo sauce is orange-yellow from the cayenne pepper in hot sauce combined with butter. White buffalo sauce uses a cream or mayo base instead, producing a pale white or cream-colored sauce that still delivers hot sauce heat but with a fundamentally richer, more indulgent flavor profile.

The flavor difference: standard buffalo is hot sauce-forward with butter's richness; white buffalo is cream-forward with hot sauce adding heat in the background. The cream tempers the vinegar sharpness of hot sauce, producing a sauce that's spicy but not as tangy or acidic as classic buffalo.

Applications: white buffalo sauce works particularly well for pasta, pizza, dipping, and lighter chicken dishes where the classic orange sauce's acidity would be overpowering or where visual appeal calls for a lighter-colored sauce.

White Buffalo Sauce (Cream-Based)

Prep Time 5 min
Cook Time 8 min
Total Time 5 min
Servings Makes about 1 cup — enough for pasta or 1.5 lbs wings

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 3 tablespoons Frank's RedHot Original
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
  • Salt and white pepper to taste
  • Optional: 1 tablespoon grated parmesan (for richness and depth)

Method

  1. Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat.
  2. Add minced garlic. Sauté 1–2 minutes until fragrant but not browned.
  3. Add heavy cream. Simmer over medium-low heat for 3–4 minutes until sauce slightly thickens.
  4. Remove from heat. Whisk in Frank's RedHot.
  5. Add garlic powder, onion powder, optional parmesan, and season with salt and white pepper.
  6. Taste and adjust: more Frank's for heat, more cream if too spicy.
  7. Keep warm over low heat until ready to use. Stir before serving.

Tips

  • Temperature control is critical: cream breaks (curdles, separates) if overheated. Keep heat medium-low. Never let the cream boil vigorously.
  • Add Frank's off heat — the acid in hot sauce can cause cream to curdle if added to a very hot pan. Remove from heat, add Frank's, then return to low heat briefly.
  • For a thicker sauce: add 1 oz cream cheese when adding the garlic, letting it melt into the sauce. The cream cheese stabilizes the emulsion and produces a luxuriously thick white buffalo sauce.

White Buffalo Sauce (Mayo-Based, No Cooking)

Prep Time 5 min
Cook Time 0 min
Total Time 5 min
Servings Makes about 3/4 cup

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • 2 tablespoons sour cream
  • 2 tablespoons Frank's RedHot Original
  • 1 tablespoon melted butter (cooled)
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried dill
  • Salt and white pepper to taste

Method

  1. Whisk together mayonnaise and sour cream.
  2. Add Frank's and cooled melted butter — whisk until completely smooth.
  3. Add garlic powder, onion powder, dill, salt, and pepper.
  4. Taste and adjust heat level.
  5. Refrigerate 15 minutes before using — the flavors meld and the sauce thickens slightly.

Tips

  • This version requires no cooking and stays stable at room temperature for a party — cream-based sauces need more careful handling.
  • The melted butter must be cooled before adding to mayo — hot butter can thin or separate the mayo base.
  • This is closer to a buffalo-flavored ranch than a traditional white buffalo sauce, but it's excellent as a dip or sandwich spread.

Why White Buffalo Sauce Breaks (and How to Prevent It)

Cream-based sauces are more fragile than butter-based ones. Common failure modes:

  • Curdling/breaking: Adding acid (Frank's) to hot cream causes the milk proteins to coagulate. Prevention: add Frank's off heat or after the cream has been removed from high temperatures.
  • Separating: Reheating too aggressively after the sauce has been made. Reheat over very low heat, stirring constantly. Alternatively, use the mayo-based recipe which is stable at room temperature.
  • Too thin: Under-reduced cream, or too much hot sauce relative to cream. Simmer the cream slightly longer before adding Frank's; start with less Frank's and add more to taste.
  • Too thick: Over-reduced cream. Add a splash of milk or chicken broth to loosen.

Best Uses for White Buffalo Sauce

  • Pasta: White buffalo cream sauce is excellent over fettuccine or penne with grilled chicken — a lighter-colored alternative to classic buffalo pasta that looks more refined.
  • Pizza sauce: Use as a white pizza base (instead of red sauce or standard buffalo) with chicken, sun-dried tomatoes, and spinach.
  • Wing dip: Serve warm as a dipping sauce alongside crispy wings — contrasts with the classic orange buffalo coating visually and flavor-wise.
  • Sandwich spread: The mayo-based version works as a creamy, spicy sandwich spread — more substantial than straight mustard or mayo.
  • Drizzle for salads: Drizzle lightly over a grilled chicken salad — the creaminess and heat add interest without the vinegar-heaviness of standard buffalo.
  • Stuffed chicken: Use as a filling in stuffed chicken breasts alongside spinach and mozzarella — the cream sauce bakes into the chicken as it cooks.

💡 White Buffalo Pasta Technique

For white buffalo pasta: make the cream-based white buffalo sauce, cook pasta to al dente, reserve 1/2 cup pasta water, and combine in the pan. The starchy pasta water helps bind the cream sauce to the pasta and prevents it from feeling watery. Add grilled buffalo-sauced chicken on top. The combination — creamy white sauce on the pasta, classic orange buffalo on the chicken — provides visual contrast and lets you experience both buffalo sauce styles in one dish. Finish with parmesan and scallions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, with technique modifications. The cream-based white buffalo sauce is richer and more fragile than standard butter-based buffalo. For wing tossing: use immediately after making — don't let it sit in a bowl while wings are being plated. The sauce can break from the heat of the wings. For best results: toss wings in the sauce in a bowl quickly and serve immediately. Alternatively, drizzle the sauce over already-plated wings rather than tossing — this preserves the sauce's texture and provides visual appeal. The mayo-based white buffalo sauce is more stable and can be tossed with wings more successfully than the cream-based version.