Mexican Buffalo Sauce
Kick up the heat with thick, spicy Mexican Buffalo Sauce. Familiar flavors are twisted into this bold, fiery sauce, which belongs on anything. Tangy notes of apple cider vinegar are paired with thick hot sauce, spices, and butter, creating an incredible fusion of flavors.
It’s hard to beat the classic buffalo sauce, fortified with cayenne hot sauce and butter. As a regular consumer of various flavors of Mexican hot sauces, this recipe for Mexican buffalo sauce was just inevitable.
Looking for more sauces? Try out the Buffalo BBQ Sauce for a sweet spin, Sweet Honey Bourbon BBQ Sauce for a boozy bite, or even Maple Chipotle BBQ Sauce for a tangy, spicy flavor.
Why This Recipe Works
Familiar but new. Classic buffalo sauce needs to be simple and recognizable. It has to have that kick with a buttery mouthfeel. This new Mexican buffalo sauce meets those standards, utilizing different chiles and acids for a bright finish.
Thick and glossy. This isn’t your runny hot sauce, it’s thick and ready to coat all types of food. Whisking cold butter at the end of cooking helps to thicken and emulsify the ingredients together to create this luscious sauce.
Super simple to prepare. There’s not much to this, other than warming up the ingredients and whisking butter in at the end. You should be able to prepare this sauce within 10 minutes.
Choosing the Right Hot Sauce
The key ingredient for this recipe is using a Mexican hot sauce. There are so many kinds, and I’ve tested out my top 3 favorites to make sure this recipe is consistent. You’ll need more than 1 cup, so make sure you purchase a larger bottle. Each one is slightly different in flavor, so let’s break it down:
Valentina Hot Sauce
This is my top choice for both flavor and thickness. There are two spice levels, the original and extra hot. Original is plenty spicy, and you can always add additional heat with chile powder.
Pick it up here!
Cholula Hot Sauce
This is my second choice, which I would recommend if you’re looking for a slightly less spicy flavor. Cholula is still very thick and has a smokier, tangy flavor. This makes a great sauce for seafood with the Mexican buffalo sauce recipe.
Pick it up here!
El Yucateco Hot Sauce
If you want a spicy, slightly fruity flavor then you’ve found the right one. El Yucateco is produced in the Yucatan and is primarily made from habanero chiles. There’s a nice balance of tomatoes, spicy, and vinegar to round it out. Don’t say I didn’t warn you!
Pick it up here!
Ingredients You’ll Need
Now that you’ve chosen your Mexican hot sauce, we’ll just need to add a few more things together:
- Mexican Hot Sauce – Look above for the descriptions and choose your partner.
- Apple Cider Vinegar
- Worcestershire sauce
- Garlic powder (not granulated)
- Cold, unsalted butter (1 stick)
- Salt to taste
How to Make This Sauce
There are only two steps, both very simple to do! The biggest tip I’ll have is to make sure you taste along the way, as each hot sauce has a slightly different flavor. This specific recipe was written using Valentina Hot Sauce, so adjust as you need to for the other flavors.
Step 1: Warm up the Ingredients (minus butter)
Combine all of the ingredients in a saucepan on medium-low and warm them up. Whisk to combine everything together and bring it to a low simmer.
We’re just trying to warm up the liquid enough so the butter will melt.
Step 2: Whisk in Cold Butter
This is the crucial step! Turn the heat down to the lowest setting. Add a few pieces of butter at a time, slowly whisking to melt. Keep doing this until all the butter has melted in and created a smooth sauce.
Adding the butter in this way helps to prevent the fats from separating, ensuring that you end up with a much smoother sauce than you would if you cooked everything at once.
Allow the sauce to cool completely, and it will thicken up. Make sure you taste and adjust with seasoning!
More Delicious Sauces You’ll Love
Homemade BBQ sauce is the best! Here’s a list of our BEST homemade barbecue sauces, or choose from a few recommended below:
- Spicy Buffalo BBQ Sauce
- Smoked Dijon Mustard
- Sweet Honey Bourbon BBQ Sauce
- Maple Chipotle BBQ Sauce
- Hatch Chile Chimichurri Sauce
Mexican Buffalo Sauce
Kick up the heat with this thick, spicy Mexican Buffalo Sauce. Familiar flavors are twisted into this bold, fiery sauce, which belongs on anything.
- Total Time: 15
- Yield: About 2 cups 1x
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups Valentina hot sauce (or preferred Mexican-style hot sauce)
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ cup cold unsalted butter, cubed
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Add all ingredients except for the butter into a saucepot. Warm on the stove at medium-low heat and whisk to incorporate the ingredients. Warm the sauce until it just starts to simmer for a couple of minutes.
- Turn the burner to the lowest setting, and add a few cubes of butter to the sauce. Whisk to melt the butter, and slowly add more and more cubes until everything has been mixed in. Shut off the burner and whisk for another minute. Taste and season to adjust.
- Allow it to cool before storing it in the fridge. Warm it up on low in a saucepan before use if it thickens too much. The sauce will stay fresh for about 7-10 days.
Notes
It is critical that the cold butter is added in at the end, slowly, while whisking. This ensures that the fats will not separate.
If the sauce is too thick, add a tiny bit of water to thin it out once you’re prepared it.
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 10
- Category: Sauces & Salsas
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: BBQ Sauce
I love this spin on buffalo sauce. I will be trying this out soon!
Thanks! Took a bit to nail down but we love it! Hope you do too