You are going to love this vegan buffalo sauce recipe. It's the perfect combination of hot and flavourful, but not too spicy. It's so easy to make using Frank's hot sauce, and no butter. And it's made with cashew butter instead, making it healthy, dairy free, paleo and Whole30 compliant.
Homemade sauces and dips like coconut cashew butter, the best vegan cilantro lime dressing and vegan walnut basil pesto are a great way to add more flavour to meals and save money on groceries which is why I am so excited to share today's recipe with you!
Table of Contents
Why you will love this recipe:
- The taste! This dairy free buffalo sauce is a fun twist on a traditional buffalo sauce that has the most amazing flavour.
- It's so quick and easy to make, just like my mustard aioli recipe and healthy honey mustard sauce.
- Besides being vegan this buffalo sauce recipe is dairy free, gluten free and safe for those following a paleo or Whole30 diet too!
- This plant based buffalo sauce can be used for so many things including making buffalo cauliflower wings, vegan wings, vegan buffalo wings and more. It's a great alternative to ranch dressing.
- It's made with no tofu, no tahini, no butter, no cauliflower, no yogurt no nutritional yeast, no hemp seeds, no sunflower seeds and no vinegar.
- Because you make it yourself this sauce is cheaper than buying store-bought buffalo sauces.
If you love vegan dips and sauces you will also love my vegan carrot dip recipe, healthy bbq sauce recipe and dairy free roasted red pepper dip.
Ingredients and substitutions:
For the exact measurements, refer to the recipe card later in this post.
Jump to the Recipe Card.- Cashew butter - most buffalo sauce recipes use butter as the base, but not this one! Cashew butter gives it a delicious flavour while keeping it dairy free. Be sure to use smooth, unsweetened cashew butter and not chunky cashew butter.
- Hot sauce - I use Frank's hot sauce to make this delicious sauce but you could use any vegan hot sauce that you like. You can find Frank's red hot sauce in the condiment section of most grocery stores.
- Vinegar - I use apple cider vinegar but white vinegar or coconut vinegar would also be great options.
- Paprika - to give it just a bit more flavour.
How to make vegan buffalo sauce:
Step one:
First, add all the ingredients to a small sauce pan and turn it on to low heat.
Step two:
Then heat the ingredients together in the pan for 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently until they are smooth. Then serve and enjoy!
Tips and variations:
- Feel free to add other spices such as garlic powder or onion powder to change up the flavour.
- If you like a hotter buffalo sauce or a more spicy sauce, add a bit more hot sauce or some cayenne pepper to the recipe.
- Instead of apple cider vinegar you could easily use white vinegar or coconut vinegar instead, whatever is in your fridge.
- Use smooth, unsweetened cashew butter and not crunchy, cashew butter for this recipe.
- If you like a thinner buffalo sauce, add a bit more avocado oil.
How to serve:
You can use this delicious dairy free buffalo sauce in so many ways! Here are just a few ways to use this creamy sauce:
- To make vegan buffalo cauliflower wings
- To make buffalo chicken wings
- To use as a buffalo dip for raw veggies such as celery sticks, cauliflower florets, cucumber slices or carrot sticks.
- To use as a dipping sauce for air fryer crisp French fries or air fried sweet potato fries
- For topping burgers, veggie burgers, turkey burgers, or sandwiches.
How to store:
Store this buffalo sauce in the fridge for up to 2 weeks in an airtight glass container or mason jar. Just heat it up when you are ready to use it.
Vegan buffalo sauce FAQs:
Most buffalo sauce recipes are not vegan as they are made with butter, which is a dairy product. However, you can easily make your own vegan buffalo sauce by using vegan butter or cashew butter instead.
Yes you will be happy to know that Sweet Baby Ray's Buffalo Sauce is vegan. It's also gluten free and dairy free.
While this buffalo sauce recipe only takes a few minutes to make, if you would prefer to buy pre-made, store bought buffalo sauce, these brands are vegan and dairy free:
Primal Kitchen Buffalo Sauce
Frank's Red Hot Buffalo Sauce
The New Primal Buffalo Sauce
Tabasco Buffalo Sauce
Sweet Baby Ray's Buffalo Sauce
Other recipes you will love:
- Vegan Caesar Salad Dressing
- Vegan Mascarpone
- Coconut Whipped Cream
- Chocolate Caramel Pretzel Bars
- Vegan Hot Chocolate Bombs
- Walnut Dressing
- Sriracha aioli
Since you made it this far we are basically best friends so be sure to follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok and Facebook where I share even more recipes and healthy living tips! And don’t forget to leave this recipe a star review before you go!
Recipe
Vegan Buffalo Sauce
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup cashew butter
- 1/3 cup hot sauce (I used Frank's hot sauce)
- 2 tablespoon avocado oil
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika (or more to taste)
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients to a small sauce pan and place it on the stove on low heat. Heat for about a minute and stir everything to combine until it's smooth.
- Let the sauce cool for a few minutes before serving.
Notes
- Store this sauce in an air tight container in the fridge.
- You can use any hot sauce that you like to make this recipe. I use Frank's Hot Sauce.
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