The best wing sauce is flavorful, affordable, and has a great cling factor. We gathered some of the most popular wing sauces at the grocery store and tasted them all to find the best Buffalo wing sauce, the best hot wing sauce, the best garlic parmesan wing sauce, and more.
What is wing sauce you might ask? We consider wing sauce to be any sauce that is intended to be slathered on fried chicken wings—most of them have “wing sauce” written on the label but we didn’t only taste wing sauces that declared themselves to be wing sauce and only wing sauce. Buffalo sauce is obviously the most common wing sauce—and it’s probably the best wing sauce. But it’s not the only wing sauce out there. Over the course of two separate taste tests, we tried a world of wing sauces, including garlic parm, soy-flavored, BBQ, and hot wing sauce.
Some cost an arm and a leg. Others flew under the flavor radar. A couple couldn’t drum up any excitement at all. The best wing sauces had us flocking to them.
Okay, now that we got that out of our system, let’s talk about what we look for in the best chicken wing sauce. We want sauce that sticks to a wing—it can make a mess of your fingers but it shouldn’t all drip off the skin and pool under the wing. We want vibrant flavor. No matter what type of wing sauce, it should be powerful enough to stand up to fatty chicken skin and juicy meat. And the best wing sauce should keep you coming back for more. Sure, the chicken (or the cauliflower or the chicken substitute) is great, but in reality, wings are really about the sauce. That’s why you end up eating a dozen of the dang things.
Whether you’re cooking for game day or just putting together your own appetizer sampler for a solo meal, here’s our updated ranking of the best wing sauce to buy—now with a new number one!
- Sweet Baby Ray’s Buffalo Wing Sauce
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If you like your Buffalo sauce heavy on the vinegar—and I mean heavy—then this mouth-puckering condiment from Sweet Baby Ray’s is the best Buffalo wing sauce for you. It’s creamy and tomato-heavy, but mostly it’s a tang fest. And though there is a touch of heat, which builds as you eat, it’s also some of the best mild wing sauce we tasted. If you can’t handle any heat at all, I think you’re just going to have to opt for an Asian-style wing sauce or garlic parm. But if you can manage a touch of a tingle, then this mild Buffalo wing sauce will treat you right. —Justine Sterling
Credit: Merc / Target
- Buffalo Wild Wings Garlic Parmesan Wing Sauce
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Buffalo Wild Wings almost had a clean sweep of this list. They make good wing sauces! And one of Buffalo Wild Wings’ best sauce varieties is the garlic parm. It’s super herby and has big chunks of garlic and cheese. It’s buttery in a real-dairy way and doesn’t have an artificial or oily taste. If you love wings with lots of flavor but zero spice, this is the best garlic parmesan wing sauce to buy. —Jordan Myrick
Credit: Merc / Walmart
- Buffalo Wild Wings Mango Habanero Wing Sauce
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Buffalo Wild Wings Mango Habanero Wing Sauce is intense. If you’re not a fan of flavor, you won’t be a fan of this. Flavor lovers, on the other hand, will love this sweet and spicy sauce. It should actually be described as spicy and sweet because this sauce is hot. The texture is sticky and the flavor is fruity. It’s also super acidic. This sauce is a nice change of pace from other wing sauces and is the best chicken wing sauce for anyone feeling a little adventurous. —Jordan Myrick
Credit: Merc / Walmart
- Melinda’s Creamy Style Ghost Pepper Wing Sauce
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If you’re looking for a spicy wing sauce that gives intense heat and flavor, this is the best hot wing sauce out there. Melinda’s Creamy Style Ghost Pepper Wing Sauce is actually spicy! You have to have some serious heat tolerance to handle it. Luckily, I do and I love it. But don’t worry, it’s not just heat. It has a complex taste with notes of garlic and vinegar. I brought this bottle home and I’ve been putting it on basically everything. —Jordan Myrick
Credit: Merc / Target
- Buffalo Wild Wings Asian Zing Sauce
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Buffalo Wild Wings Asian Zing is the best “Asian” sauce we tried. I do, however, have some issues with this name and this category of wing in general. What do they mean by “Asian?!” Asia is absolutely gigantic, and cuisines, ingredients, and flavors can vary from not only country to country, but region to region, city to city. That’s why I am naming this wing sauce the best chicken wing sauce with a soy sauce base. And as much as I hate the lazy name, I can’t deny that it tastes very, very good. —Jordan Myrick
Credit: Merc / Target
- Frank’s Red Hot Buffalo Wing Sauce
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Hot sauce enthusiasts were surprised that Frank’s Original RedHot didn’t make its way onto our ranking of the best hot sauces. That’s because the real star in the Frank’s family is Frank’s Wing Sauce. And Frank’s RedHot Buffalo Wing Sauce is some of the best Buffalo sauce for wings. In fact, in our original ranking, it was our number one pick for the best store bought wing sauce. And though it was unseated, it’s still the best Buffalo wing sauce out there. It’s so rich and buttery, and perfectly spiced. If you’re looking for a classic, spicy Buffalo wing, grab a bottle of Frank’s original Buffalo wing sauce (make sure it’s the wing sauce, specifically!). —Jordan Myrick
Credit: Paula Kunatee / Target
- Frank’s RedHot Wings Mild Wings Sauce
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After our latest wing sauce taste test, a new Frank’s RedHot wing sauce took over the top spot from the Buffalo variety. We never expected a mild wing sauce to be so incredible, but it is everything we ever wanted in the best wing sauce. It’s so extremely creamy—it’s decadent. But it’s also quite tangy, so you’re getting that balance of acidity and fat in every bite. Plus, even though it’s categorized as mild (one step below Buffalo on the Frank’s scale), it still has some heat. Even heat-seeker Jordan Myrick agreed that this mild Frank’s beat out Frank’s Buffalo wing sauce. Trust us, this is the best chicken wing sauce. —Justine Sterling
Credit: Merc / Walmart
Best Tangy
Best Garlic Parmesan
Best Fruity
Best Hot Wing Sauce
Best Soy
Best Spicy Buffalo
Best of the Bests
Rhett & Link’s Pick
Buffalo Wild Wings Hot Buffalo Sauce
It’s no surprise that a Buffalo Wild Wings sauce took Rhett & Link’s #1 spot. We loved them too! The guys thought BWW’s “hot” buffalo sauce was a total crowd-pleaser and perfect in every way.
Other wing sauces we tried: Kroger Buffalo Mild Wing Sauce, Buffalo Wild Wings Medium Sauce, Buffalo Wild Wings Spicy Garlic, Frank’s Red Hot Wings Sauce Nashville Hot, Kinder’s Wing Sauce & Dip Bourbon Peach BBQ, Frank’s Red Hots Wings Buffalo, TGI Fridays Buffalo Wing Sauce, Wing-Time Mild Buffalo Wing Sauce, G Hughes Sugar Free Mango Habanero Wing Sauce, Great Value Asian Style Sweet Chili Wing Sauce, Great Value Parmesan Garlic Wing Sauce, Great Value Medium Wing Sauce, Melinda’s Wing Sauce & Condiment Spicy Garlic Parmesan, Sweet Baby Ray’s Chicken Sauce, Sweet Baby Ray’s Garlic Parmesan, Kroger Parmesan Garlic Wing Sauce, Bone Suckin’ Sauce Garlic & Honey Wing Sauce, Private Selection Thai Inspired Sweet & Savory Chile Wing Sauce
