Is Buffalo Sauce Dairy-Free?
Buffalo sauce is one of those tricky food products that is difficult to determine whether it has dairy without looking at the ingredients. This is particularly true given its often creamy texture. The truth is that some Buffalo sauces have dairy and some do not. Unfornately, we cannot provide a definitive yes or no answer to the question. However, read on to find a bit of clarity on the top.
Authentic Buffalo Wings & Dairy
Buffalo Wings were reportedly invented in 1964 at the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, New York by Teressa Bellissimo. The Buffalo sauce of these wings contains dairy in the form of butter based on the original recipe. Here is the recipe for Anchor Bar Buffalo Wings if you want to make the originals yourself. In short, authentic Buffalo wings contain butter (dairy) as an ingredient.
Store-Bought Buffalo Sauce & Dairy
When it comes to store-bought Buffalo sauces, there are numerous options available today. Many are dairy-free including the popular Buffalo sauce products listed below.
Sweet Baby Ray’s Buffalo Wing Sauce – Aged Cayenne Red Pepper, Distilled Vinegar, Water, Salt, Soybean Oil, Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Contains Less Than 2% of Vegetable Oil (Soybean and/or Canola), Garlic (Dried), Paprika, Propylene Glycol Alginate, Xanthan Gum, Citric Acid, Soy Lecithin, Oleoresin Paprika (Color), Calcium Disodium EDTA (To Protect Flavor), Natural and Artificial Flavor, Beta Carotene (Color).
Frank’s RedHot Hot Buffalo Wing Sauce – Distilled Vinegar, Aged Cayenne Red Peppers, Salt, Water, Canola Oil, Paprika, Xanthan Gum, Natural Butter Type Flavor & Garlic Powder
Primal Kitchen Buffalo Sauce – Cayenne Pepper Sauce (Aged Red Cayenne Peppers, Distilled Vinegar, Salt, Garlic), Organic Cashew Butter, Avocado Oil, Organic Garlic Powder, Organic Paprika
Tabasco Buffalo Style Hot Sauce – Red Cayenne Pepper, Distilled Vinegar, Water, Salt And Garlic.
Buffalo Wild Wings Medium Sauce – Water, Cayenne Red Pepper, Distilled Vinegar, Soybean Oil, Salt, Egg Yolk, Modified Cornstarch, Xanthan Gum, Garlic, Spice, Natural And Artificial Flavors, Onion, Corn Syrup, Molasses, Caramel Color, Sugar, Calcium Disodium EDTA Added To Protect Flavor, Tamarind. *dehydrated
Moore’s Original Buffalo Wing Sauce – Water, Cayenne Pepper Puree (Cayenne Pepper, Salt, Vinegar), Distilled Vinegar, Vegetable Oil (Soybean and/or Canola), Salt, Sugar, Dried Garlic, Xanthan Gum, Citric Acid, Natural Flavor.
Noble Made By The New Primal Medium Buffalo Sauce – Water, Cayenne Pepper, Distilled Vinegar, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Salt, Tapioca Starch, Xanthan Gum
Restaurants & Buffalo Sauce With Dairy
Chain restaurants that serve Buffalo sauce often have the allergen information listed on their websites. Keep in mind that it’s not uncommon for restaurants to have meals prepared with Buffalo sauce that have dairy, usually in form of butter. Below you will find links to allergen information for popular restaurants that serve meals with Buffalo sauce. You can visit these links to see which foods contain dairy.
- Buffalo Wild Wings Allergen Guide
- Wing Stop Allergen Declaration
- Domino’s Pizza Allergens Info
- Zaxby’s Nutrition & Allergens Guide
- Pizza Hut Food & Allergy & Sensitivity Information
- TGI Fridays Allergen Menu
- Wings Over Allergen Guide
- Applebee’s Food Allergy Listing
For any restaurant not listed above, you can try to find the information online or ask the restaurant for the allergen information for their food.
Final Thoughts
While the popular store-bought sauces listed above are dairy-free, you should always check the labels for dairy ingredients if dairy is a concern for you. There are certainly store-bought products out there that have dairy. Additionally, if you wish to avoid dairy, you should never assume restaurant meals prepared with Buffalo sauce are dairy-free. Many restaurants make their Buffalo wings with butter which is dairy, of course. Overall, Buffalo sauce is one of those food items that you have to check its ingredients before eating if you are unsure if it has dairy.
