What heat level is BWW Mild on their official scale?

On the widely-cited 0–10 heat index used for the BWW lineup, Mild sits at 3/10 — the lowest rung of their hot-sauce-based sauces. It ranks below Medium (4/10), Hot (6/10), Wild (7/10), and Blazin' (9/10). (Buffalo Wild Wings itself groups sauces into Sweet, Savory, Hot, and Wild bands rather than publishing exact numbers; the 0–10 figures are the commonly-referenced third-party index.) For reference, the no-heat sauces (Honey BBQ, Parmesan Garlic, Teriyaki) are essentially 0/10; Mild is the first sauce with any measurable heat at all. In practical terms, the heat from Mild is mild enough that most people who say they don't like spicy food can still enjoy it — the butter softens the cayenne enough that the burn barely registers.

What's the difference between BWW Mild and Medium sauce?

The ratio. Mild is 2:1 (hot sauce to butter) and Medium is 4:1. That doesn't sound dramatic, but it completely changes the character: in Mild, butter is a co-lead flavor alongside the cayenne — the sauce tastes rich and buttery with a hint of heat. In Medium, butter is a supporting enricher and the tangy cayenne heat takes the lead. Mild is closer in character to a buttered hot sauce you'd put on toast; Medium is closer to what you'd expect from a wing sauce. If Mild consistently tastes too mild and Medium consistently tastes too hot, try doing 3 tablespoons of butter to a half cup of Frank's — that 3:1 midpoint bridges them.

Is BWW Mild the same as traditional Buffalo sauce?

Essentially, yes — traditional Anchor Bar-style buffalo sauce (the original, from Buffalo, NY in 1964) uses a 2:1 hot sauce to butter ratio, which is exactly what BWW Mild is. BWW Mild is the closest thing in their lineup to the classic original. When BWW was founded in 1982 with their original three-sauce ladder (Mild, Medium, Hot), Mild was designed as the starting point — the version that keeps the butter-forward character of traditional buffalo while adding just enough heat to qualify as a wing sauce.

Why is my Mild sauce separating into butter puddles and hot sauce?

The pan was still on the heat when you added the butter, or the base liquid was too hot. Even though Mild has more butter (which makes the emulsion more forgiving), if the hot sauce is at a hard simmer when the butter goes in, the butter melts faster than you can whisk it and separates. Pull the pan completely off the burner before adding any butter, and use butter straight from the fridge — not room temperature. If your sauce has already separated, put it back on very low heat and whisk hard until it comes back together.

Can I use BWW Mild sauce as a dipping sauce instead of a wing toss?

It works well as a dipping sauce — arguably better than Medium or Hot for that application, because the higher butter content gives it a thicker, more coating consistency. It won't be as runny as a thin hot sauce, so it clings to whatever you dip into it. Good uses: chicken strips, breaded appetizers, grilled chicken. As a toss sauce, it also works well for baked or air-fried chicken since those pieces can be drier than fried wings and benefit from a richer coating.

Can I make this ahead and store it?

Yes — keeps in a sealed jar in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. The higher butter ratio makes it firm and almost spreadable when cold, which is normal. To reheat: warm gently in a saucepan over very low heat, whisking constantly. The emulsion is stable but will separate if overheated or microwaved aggressively. If it separates, whisk hard while warm to bring it back. At room temperature it will soften back to a pourable consistency within 10 minutes.

What food does BWW Mild sauce go well with besides wings?

The butter-forward character makes it versatile. Good on: grilled or baked chicken breasts (brush on the last 2 minutes of cooking), roasted cauliflower florets (toss before roasting), shrimp skewers, biscuits or cornbread as a buffalo butter, and as a dipping sauce for celery and carrots. The ratio of butter to heat is low enough that it doesn't overpower mild proteins the way Medium or Hot would.

Copycat Buffalo Wild Wings Mild Sauce

Name: Copycat Buffalo Wild Wings Mild Sauce
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 10 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 1/2 cup Frank's RedHot Original Cayenne Pepper Sauce; 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces (COLD — straight from the fridge); 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder; 1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce; Pinch of cayenne pepper (optional, to add a faint heat note); Pinch of salt

BWW Mild is the one sauce in the Buffalo Wild Wings hot lineup where butter is not a supporting player — it’s a co-lead. At a 2:1 ratio of Frank’s RedHot to butter, the recipe has twice as much butter relative to hot sauce as Medium and three and a half times as much as Hot. The result is a sauce that tastes rich and buttery first, with a mild cayenne warmth in the background.

On the commonly-cited 0–10 heat index for the BWW lineup, Mild sits at 3/10. For context: their no-heat sauces (Honey BBQ, Parmesan Garlic) are at the zero end, and Blazin’ is at 9/10. Mild is the first sauce in the lineup with measurable heat — and at 3/10, it’s accessible to essentially anyone who can handle black pepper. (BWW’s own menu sorts sauces into Sweet, Savory, Hot, and Wild categories rather than numeric scores; the 0–10 numbers are the widely-referenced third-party index.)

This is also the sauce that’s closest to the original. When Buffalo wings were invented at the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, NY in 1964, the recipe was a 2:1 hot sauce to butter ratio — which is exactly what BWW Mild is. BWW built their original three-sauce ladder (Mild, Medium, Hot) on progressively more hot-sauce-forward versions of that base, and Mild kept the original proportion.

A batch makes enough for about 2 pounds of wings. It costs under $2 and takes 10 minutes.

The Ratio Defines the Sauce

Here’s the full BWW classic heat ladder, showing how the butter-to-hot-sauce balance shifts at each level:

Sauce	Ratio (hot sauce : butter)	Character
Mild	2:1	Butter as co-lead, low heat, creamy coating
Medium	4:1	Tangy cayenne heat up front, butter as enricher
Hot	7:1	Sharp heat, thin sauce, fast burn
Wild	~3:1 + habanero	Habanero added to the base; fruity, building heat

At 2:1, Mild is the original Anchor Bar ratio. At 4:1, Medium shifts to being a traditional hot wing sauce. At 7:1, Hot is closer in consistency to straight Frank’s. Every step up reduces the butter’s role and amplifies the cayenne.

The practical implication: Mild has a thicker, creamier, more coating consistency than the higher-ratio sauces. It’s especially good for glazing (brush-and-bake applications) and dipping, not just wing tossing.

The Cold-Butter Technique

Same emulsification method as every other BWW sauce — cold butter, off heat, one piece at a time:

Warm the Frank’s and seasonings over medium-low heat until steaming
Pull the pan completely off the burner
Add cold butter pieces one at a time, whisking vigorously after each
The sauce should thicken and turn creamy — noticeably richer-looking than a Medium batch

With 4 tablespoons of butter going in (versus 3 for Medium), the emulsion is more forgiving. The extra fat means you have more room for error — but the same rule applies: if the pan is still on the heat when the butter goes in, the butter will melt too fast and break the emulsion. Pull off heat first.

At 2:1, the finished sauce should look almost like a thin gravy — glossy, opaque, and coating the back of a spoon. If it looks thin and watery with orange oil floating on top, the emulsion broke; put it back on very low heat and whisk hard until it comes back together.

Where Mild Beats Medium and Hot

The high butter content gives Mild an advantage in specific applications where the richer sauces fail:

For dipping. Mild is thick enough to cling without being runny. Medium slides off; Mild stays on. If you’re dipping chicken strips, appetizers, or vegetables, Mild holds up better than any other hot sauce in the BWW lineup.

For glazing. Because it’s high in butter, Mild sets into a glaze when applied to hot food and allowed to rest for 30 seconds. This is useful for baked chicken — brush it on in the last 3 minutes, let it caramelize slightly, and you get a glossy lacquer rather than a wet coating.

For lower heat tolerance. At 3/10, Mild is the only BWW hot sauce that doesn’t register as “spicy” to most people. It tastes like buffalo flavor with heat in the background rather than heat that builds. If you’re cooking for mixed groups, Mild works where Medium would be a problem.

Serving

Ranch dressing is the right dipping sauce alongside Mild — not blue cheese. Blue cheese is the traditional pairing with original Anchor Bar-style buffalo wings, but at BWW specifically, ranch is the dominant choice. With Mild’s lower heat level and buttery character, ranch fits better anyway: the creaminess complements rather than contrasts.

Celery and carrots are still the correct garnish. The water content refreshes your palate, and the crunch contrasts with the soft wing skin.

For other BWW sauces on this site: Copycat BWW Medium Sauce for the next step up in heat, Copycat BWW Hot Sauce for the pure cayenne ceiling, Copycat BWW Honey BBQ Sauce for no-heat sweet, and Copycat BWW Asian Zing for sweet-heat.

Copycat Buffalo Wild Wings Mild Sauce