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    Vegan Buffalo Sauce (with Cashew Butter!)

    Published: Oct 19, 2021 by Elise Shivamber · This post may contain affiliate links · Leave a Comment

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Tangy, spicy and delicious Vegan Buffalo Sauce made with only 5 all natural ingredients! Swap store-bought buffalo sauce for this easy one that takes minutes! Naturally gluten-free and dairy free!

    Angled view of a jar of vegan buffalo sauce with some sauce on a spoon.

    With only five natural ingredients, this is such a clean and delicious dairy free buffalo sauce! It’s a perfect Primal Kitchen Buffalo Sauce copycat, and is also made with cashew butter. 

    Most vegan buffalo sauce recipes use vegan butter or vegan Worcestershire sauce (where do you even find that?!) or take extra time with soaking cashews. This one uses cashew butter instead to achieve that buttery taste and creamy texture that we all LOVE about buffalo sauce! 

    I am obsessed with buffalo sauce. While this sauce got popular mostly because of vegan buffalo wings, there’s so many uses for it! From buffalo meatballs to buffalo cauliflower wings or buffalo cauliflower wraps. You can drizzle it on top of proteins or in dip form!

    Adding clean, homemade sauces and dressings helps spruce up any at-home meal or side dish. My absolute favorite way to use buffalo sauce is with turkey meatballs (I make them weekly!). Or for a fully vegan lunch, I use this sauce with roasted cauliflower and roll it up in a healthy veggie packed cauliflower wrap!

    Jump to:
    • Highlights
    • What is Buffalo Sauce?
    • Ingredients
    • Instructions
    • How to Store
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • How to Use Buffalo Sauce
    • 📖 Recipe

    Highlights

    This recipe is:

    • Creamy
    • Easy
    • Vegan
    • 5 Ingredients

    What is Buffalo Sauce?

    Buffalo sauce is typically made of butter combined with a hot sauce (usually Frank’s RedHot) that’s a blend of cayenne red peppers (YUM!), vinegar, water, salt and garlic powder. The butter normally adds the richness and texture while toning down the heat, while the seasoning and vinegar makes the sauce savory, spicy and tangy!

    Buffalo sauce is like a hot sauce but normally has a richer flavor given the extra seasonings. It’s smooth and silky to taste and leaves that heat in the back of your throat after!

    Is Buffalo Sauce vegan?

    Traditional buffalo sauce is not vegan, as it is a combination of hot sauce and butter. There are many vegan buffalo sauce recipes that use vegan butter. I personally do not like the ingredients used in most vegan butters, so I prefer to make my own vegan buffalo sauce using cashew butter!

    Ingredients

    Ingredients for making vegan buffalo sauce: cashew butter, avocado oil, red hot sauce, garlic salt and paprika.
    • Cayenne Red Pepper Hot Sauce - hot sauce is the absolute must. The main hot sauce used in buffalo sauce is Frank’s RedHot sauce. Use any type of Cayenne Red Pepper hot sauce.
    • Cashew Butter - cashew butter is the way to get the buttery flavor and texture! I love using homemade cashew butter because it comes out much less expensive per serving, and you can control the salt/oil level. If using store-bought cashew butter, I recommend using one without additional oils.
    • Avocado Oil
    • Spices

    Making your own creamy cashew butter really takes this sauce to the next level!

    Instructions

    Making your own buffalo is literally one of the easiest things you will do!

    Add all ingredients into the blender.

    All vegan buffalo ingredients in a blender attachment.

    Blend until smooth.

    All ingredients for vegan buffalo sauce blended together.

    Pour into an airtight jar or container and store in the fridge. Or use immediately!

    How to Store

    This vegan buffalo sauce does have to be refrigerated. This keeps it fresh for longer.

    Store in an airtight jar or container with a lid. Keep in the fridge for up to fourteen days. Oil may separate from the rest of the sauce. If so, give it a nice stir to re-combine.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    How do you make a mild buffalo sauce?

    To make a more mild buffalo sauce, reduce the hot sauce from ½ cup to ⅓ cup (or even ¼ cup for super mild) and make sure to use regular hot sauce, not the extra hot!

    How do you make a spicy buffalo sauce?

    First I would make the vegan buffalo sauce recipe as listed, and then mix in a few more tablespoons of hot sauce to increase the heat. If you want extra extra spice, you can always use an extra hot version of the hot sauce.

    Can you substitute cashew butter for cashews?

    You can use raw cashew butter as a substitute for raw, soaked cashews. When subbing for the raw cashew butter, use half of the amount needed of whole nuts. So, if the recipe requires 1 cup, use ½ cup of cashew butter.

    Why is Buffalo sauce not vegan?

    Traditional buffalo sauce is not vegan because it combines butter (a dairy product produced from animal milk) with cayenne pepper sauce.

    Straight on view of buffalo sauce in a jar with a spoon inside.

    How to Use Buffalo Sauce

    While this vegan buffalo sauce is so good you can lick it from the spoon, there are so many ways you can use it up!

    Make wings - buffalo cauliflower wings or chicken wings

    To roast with cauliflower florets in a buffalo cauliflower wrap

    As a sauce for buffalo meatballs

    Marinate seitan or tofu in it!

    Meat-based or vegan buffalo dip

    Pour into a grilled cheese sandwich, a buffalo chickpea sandwich or even to spice up a veggie packed sandwich

    As a sauce with celery sticks or baby carrots

    Make a spicy buffalo mac and cheese!

    Drizzle as a hot sauce over fried or scrambled eggs, or even to spice up chorizo and eggs!

    To add a tangy flavor to vegan cheese sauce or vegan queso

    📖 Recipe

    Angled view of a jar of vegan buffalo sauce with some sauce on a spoon.

    Vegan Buffalo Sauce (with Cashew Butter!)

    Elise Shivamber
    Tangy, spicy and delicious Vegan Buffalo Sauce made with only 5 all natural ingredients! Swap store-bought buffalo sauce for this easy sauce that takes minutes! Naturally gluten-free and dairy free!
    No ratings yet
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 mins
    Total Time 10 mins
    Course Sauce
    Cuisine American
    Servings 5 Ounces
    Calories 64 kcal

    Equipment

    • Blender

    Ingredients
      

    • ½ Cup Red Hot Sauce (use ⅓ cup for mild)
    • 2 Tablespoons Cashew Butter
    • 1 Tablespoon Avocado Oil
    • ¼ Teaspoon Garlic Salt
    • ¼ Teaspoon Paprika

    Instructions
     

    • Add all ingredients into the blender.
      ½ Cup Red Hot Sauce, 2 Tablespoons Cashew Butter, 1 Tablespoon Avocado Oil, ¼ Teaspoon Garlic Salt, ¼ Teaspoon Paprika
    • Blend until smooth.
    • Pour into an airtight jar or container and store in the fridge for up to two weeks. Or use immediately!
    • When storing in the fridge, the oil may separate. To use, stir to re-combine ingredients.

    Notes

    Store in an airtight jar or container with a lid. Keep in the fridge for up to two weeks. Oil may separate from the rest of the sauce. If so, give it a nice stir to re-combine.
    Making your own creamy cashew butter really takes this sauce to the next level! (And makes it cheaper per serving!)
    You can use raw, soaked cashew as a substitute for the raw cashew butter. When subbing for the raw cashew butter, use half of the amount needed of whole nuts. So, for this recipe requiring 2 tablespoons of cashew butter, it will require 4 tablespoons of raw, soaked cashews.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 2tablespoonsCalories: 64kcalCarbohydrates: 2gProtein: 1gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gSodium: 853mgPotassium: 37mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 8IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 3mgIron: 1mg
    Keyword buffalo sauce, paleo buffalo sauce, vegan buffalo sauce, vegan sauce
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
    « Skinny Cranberry Margarita
    Buffalo Cauliflower Vegan Wrap »

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