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You’ve gotta try this velvet-y Healthy Vegan Buffalo Sauce. It’s the perfect balance of spice, creaminess and tang and the best part is, it’s so delicious you won’t believe it’s healthy. I initially created this sauce to make cauliflower buffalo wings, but I soon realized it was delicious not only on cauliflower, but also pasta, salad and even just dipped into with crackers and veg. I ended up with leftover sauce and it was so good, I ate it with just about everything until it was gone!
Here’s the thing–buffalo sauce isn’t usually made with the best of ingredients, and the majority of vegan recipes call for vegan butter. So, I took on the challenge and wanted to create one that was free of added oils, refined sugars, vegan butters AND I made it nut-free too. We’re using just 7 ingredients, with one super secret ingredient… tahini!
You know I love to use tahini in my recipes because it’s velvet-y smooth and a great way to add healthy, whole plant fats to a recipe. It stands in as an excellent alternative to vegan butter, and also adds plant protein and copper. Oh, and before I forget, this recipe takes all of 5 minutes to make.
what’s in this healthy vegan buffalo sauce?
Tahini → This is the base of our recipe, and it adds unbeatable texture, and healthy fat to the sauce. As an alternative, you can use cashew butter!
Hot sauce → Of course, this is an absolute must when making buffalo sauce. Traditionally, Frank’s Red Hot is the most popular, but I like using this brand of healthy hot sauce.
Maple syrup → Sweetness to balance out the spice! I like this liquid sweetener as it’s refined sugar free, and also adds to the smooth texture of our sauce.
Apple cider vinegar → For balance and tang. As a bonus, ACV is wonderful for supporting digestion but if you don’t have ACV, you can opt to use regular vinegar as well.
Lemon → We’re adding acidity and brightness with fresh lemon juice, that also helps to keep the sauce fresh!
Tamari or gluten free soy sauce → This not only adds salt to the recipe, but also adds depth of flavour. You can use regular soy sauce if you’re not gluten free, and liquid aminos also works.
Smoked paprika → Because we need a little bit of that smokey flavour! Feel free to add extra spices of choice.
secrets to success
This recipe is very customizable, and with all sauces, I recommend using my recipe as a baseline, and adjusting by taste. If you prefer a saltier sauce, add more tamari, or salt. If you like it spicier, use a heavier hand with the hot sauce. Want a thinner sauce? Add water to thin. This is your time to make your cooking skills shine! Trust your taste buds.
If you want to turn this into vegan buffalo cauliflower wings, head on over to this recipe for Healthy Tahini Buffalo Cauliflower Wings.
If you try this recipe out, tag me on Instagram @veggiekins so I can see your delicious re-creations and for a chance to be featured! As always, I love when you share your reviews in the comments below, and if you make any fun substitutions, let me know how it worked out below too!
BEST BUFFALO SAUCE EVER! Finally a delicious AND healthy buffalo sauce! No butter required - so simple to make and will continue making it forever when I need a buffalo sauce. I made it to go with the cauli wings recipe and it did not disappoint. Also loved how it made the perfect amount. I'm excited to try this sauce over the tempeh tenders recipe on here too! Yum :)
I loved this and I’m not even vegan. I am, however, doing a special diet for my health and was able to tweak this to be diet approved (left out the maple) and it was still great! Also, I wasn’t going to at first because I was afraid it might overpower the flavor, but after I tasted it, I decided to try adding the dash of liquid smoke as suggested. It wasn’t overpowering at all and I think it went really well together!
As a word of caution - it DOES matter what kind of hot sauce you use! The first time I made it, I used a super hot habanero sauce. With the ratios given in the recipe I thought my face was going to melt off! And that’s saying something because I love spicy! (Even despite the heat, I still ate it because it tasted delicious) Unfortunately I didn’t have Franks on hand, but a more more mild sauce like that is definitely better. Great recipe!!
This is, hands down, the BEST buffalo sauce I have ever had. I have always battled myself about buffalo as a flavor and almost always it didn't win, but something in me told me to keep trying. I am so grateful to you for creating and posting this recipe! Its brilliant. I will be making this in my home forever now.
I specifically bought tahini to try this recipe (never had tahini before) and it was so worth it! So delicious and easy to put together. I combined all ingredients in a clean jam jar, put the lid on and shook it like a maniac. Worked like a charm and there was virtually no cleanup required!
Hi there, I’m Remy! Welcome to Veggiekins Blog, home to nourishing vegan + gluten-free recipes and tips to live your best balanced and holistic life. I’m a human on a mission to empower you to be well and be kind to your mind, body and soul with the healing power of plants.
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