Adding buffalo sauce to food is one of the most exciting things to do because it adds a lot of flavour to the food. However, many people have been asking if buffalo sauce is vegan or not. In order to get a better understanding of this topic simply check out the article below.
Contents
What is buffalo sauce?
Buffalo sauce is a cayenne-hot based type of sauce that includes butter as one of the ingredients. Other spices and seasonings are added to the sauce to give it that extra spice. It is commonly added in many dishes as a condiments whose sole purpose it to add flavour to food.
Is buffalo sauce vegan?
Traditionally buffalo sauce is not vegan. This is because it contains butter as one of its ingredients. Butter is derived from milk which is a dairy product hence its addition to the buffalo sauce is totally against the vegan diet. However, there are some companies that are now producing buffalo sauce which is vegan. They replace the butter with plant based fat which has a longer shelf life. Soybean oil is one of the plant based type of oil used to make the buffalo sauce. This means that the buffalo sauce becomes vegan friendly and can be consumed by people who are vegans.
Some of the brands of buffalo sauce which are vegan
Frank’s Red Hot Buffalo Wings Sauce
This buffalo sauce if vegan friendly as it does not contain butter that is derived from cows. The butter used to make Red Hot Buffalo Wings sauce is known as the natural butter type flavour but this type of butter does not contain any animal products. This brand of buffalo sauce is very common and can be found in a number of grocery stores. So if you are vegan then this is one of the best brands for you to buy.
Sweet Baby Ray’s Buffalo Wing Marinade and Sauce
This type of buffalo sauce is vegan as it does not contain any dairy products. It is actually made using a plant based type of oil to substitute the butter. The plant based oil that is used is soya bean oil. This brand of buffalo sauce is found in a number of supermarkets so you can always buy it and added to your food.
How to make vegan friendly buffalo sauce at home
NB: if you cannot buy buffalo sauce from your grocery store here is an easy recipe for making vegan buffalo sauce at home.
For this recipe you will need; 1 cup cayenne pepper hot sauce, ½ cup water, ¼ cup raw cashews, I tablespoon of maple syrup, 2 teaspoons of white vinegar, 1 teaspoon of lemon juice, 2 teaspoons tamari or soy sauce, ½ teaspoon of garlic powder, ¾ teaspoons of smoked paprika.
Method
Place all these ingredients in a blender then blend them until they form a nice paste. If you do not have a blender that is strong enough to grind the cashew nuts then you can simply soak them in water overnight or you can boil them in water. If you have a coffee grinder then you can always grind them using a coffee grinder, then later transfer them to the blender. Mic the cashews with the other ingredients until they form a paste. When the paste is done transfer it into an air tight container and place it inside the refrigerator. This will help to preserve your buffalo sauce for a longer period of time.
NB: if you want to make a buffalo sauce that is not vegan you can simply use the same method but substitute the cashew nuts and water with ½ cup of butter.
How to make homemade buffalo sauce less spicy
Naturally buffalo sauce is designed to be spicy but there are some people who do not enjoy when it is very spicy. In order to reduce the heat you can always vinegar, maple syrup, more lemon juice or you can just add more cashew nuts when making the buffalo sauce. This will help to minimise the flavour of the cayenne pepper hot sauce.
Shelf life of homemade buffalo sauce
Homemade buffalo sauce can last for up to 1 month in the refrigerator. Before you use it simply give it a shake because sometimes some of the ingredients would have separated but it will be still fit for consumption. However, store bought buffalo sauce can last for more than a year in your refrigerator. This is because it contains preservatives which help to extend its shelf life.
Exciting ways of using buffalo sauce
Use buffalo sauce when making a pizza
When making a vegan pizza you can always substitute the tomato sauce with vegan buffalo sauce. It really adds a nice flavour to the pizza. Furthermore, your pizza will have a nice spicy kick to it which is amazing.
Use buffalo sauce when making a vegan mac and cheese
When making a vegan mac and cheese you can use vegan buffalo sauce to make a sauce for your vegan mac and cheese. This will be a great combination and the good part is that buffalo sauce goes well with almost anything so do not be scared to experiment with it. Buffalo sauce is a very good condiment to always keep in your kitchen as it always comes in handy.
Is buffalo sauce healthy?
Buffalo sauce is healthy especially the one that is made using plant based type of oils. It is low in fat and high in vitamin C and A. Buffalo sauce is made using hot sauce which is very high in antioxidants that help to reduce inflammation in the body and also they have anti- aging properties. So there is no harm in adding buffalo sauce to your food as it is healthy.
Conclusion
There are two types of buffalo sauces that is the vegan version and the non-vegan version. You can find all these versions in the supermarket and in order to determine if a buffalo sauce is vegan simply check the ingredients. Vegan buffalo sauce is made using a plant based type of oil instead of regular butter.