These are hands down the best crispy air fryer Buffalo wings! Same authentic flavor without the oil and deep frying.

Serving plate of saucy buffalo wings with carrot and celery sticks, and blue cheese dip.

Saucy, Vinegary, Buttery Goodness.

Buffalo wings are my kryptonite. I grew up right outside of Buffalo, so my family and I are purists and all agree that the farther away you get from Buffalo, the more poseur-ish the wings get.

You can imagine my dismay during my 7 year stint in North Carolina. Yeesh.

Luckily my father and I spent some time perfecting the recipe when I was still living back home, so I’ve been able to enjoy true Buffalo wings no matter where I’ve lived!

And now I’m thrilled to bring you this easy, quick, and mess-free recipe done in the air fryer.

Air Fryer Buffalo Wings Are the Way to Go!

Traditionally wings are deep fried, and that’s what gives them that beautiful golden crisp we all covet. This is great for restaurants and all, but deep frying at home is a bit scary, a lot messy, and pretty smelly—not to mention you have to dispose of all that oil afterward.

To put it simply, deep frying is a pain in the ass.

With the air fryer, you don’t even need oil! The process is clean, easy, quick, and you still get that crispy skin and deep-fried flavor without the hassle (and extra calories).

It’s a total win/win.

Raw chicken wings, a stick of butter, and a bowl of hot sauce with a spoon in it.

Only Four Ingredients Needed.

Sometimes simplicity is best, and that’s definitely the case with Buffalo wings. Here’s a rundown of what you need:

  • Chicken wings. If you can get wings without the tips, go for those. If you’re snagging wings from your butcher, ask them to cut the tips off of the flats, that way you’ve got your nice flats and drummies ready to go. You could cut the tips off yourself, but you’ll need a really sharp knife and you’ll want to be very careful. Bone isn’t always easy to snap through and the skin is slippery!
  • Frank’s® RedHot. Just the original kind. They do have the “Wings” variation, which has butter added to it already, but I prefer to add my own butter because it allows me to control the heat level and flavor, so plain ol’ Frank’s is what you’re looking for.
  • Butter. There is no set amount of butter for you to use. Once you get familiar with making your own Buffalo sauce you’ll see that it’s just a matter of winging it (ha). The point of the butter is, again, to tame the heat. The more butter you use, the less hot the wings will be.
  • Distilled vinegar. About a tablespoon is all you need, and it just gives the sauce that mouthwatering vinegary goodness that triggers those salivary glands and infiltrates the nostrils.

Small saucepan full of hot sauce with a pat of butter melting.

How to Make Buffalo Wings in the Air Fryer.

  1. Pat the wings dry. Use some paper towels and gently pat the wings to remove excess moisture. There’s no need to season them!
  2. Air fry those suckers. Place the wings into the air fryer basket skin-side up. Space them out as much as possible, but if some are slightly touching, that’s okay. Pop the airfryer basket into the air fryer and cook the wings at 375º F for 10 minutes. Open the basket, carefully flip the wings using tongs, and pop them back into the fryer for another 10 minutes. Then, open the fryer up, flip the wings again, and cook them for 5 minutes. Finally, open the fryer once more, flip the wings, and pop them back in for 5 minutes at 400º F.
  3. While the wings are cooking, start the sauce. Pop the Frank’s into a small saucepan over medium-high heat and bring it to a low simmer.
  4. Stir in the butter, starting with about 2 tablespoons, and let it melt into the sauce. Give it a taste. If you want less heat, add a bit more butter until you achieve the level of heat you prefer.
  5. Finally, stir in some vinegar and bring the sauce to a low simmer. Stir occasionally while your wings are cooking so that a film doesn’t develop over your sauce. (If this happens, don’t worry about it. Just keep stirring and heating.)
  6. When the wings are done, transfer them to a large mixing bowl and drizzle the sauce on top. You can toss the wings with tongs while whirling the bowl around to evenly coat them in that luscious velvety sauce.
  7. Dig in. Serve with your favorite blue cheese dip and carrots and celery if you’d like. You know, for a good and healthy balance ;)

Side by side shots of uncooked wings in air fryer basket, and cooked wings in basket.

Mixing bowl of wings being drenched in hot sauce.

Useful Tools for This Recipe:

Recipe Tips + Tricks.

  1. Keep the wings and the air fryer basket dry! It’s tempting to brush the wings with oil, or at least the basket, but you don’t need to. Your wings will come out perfectly crispy and won’t stick to the fryer pan.
  2. Pat the wings dry with paper towels to reduce moisture. Less moisture means a crispier wing.
  3. The amount of butter in the wing sauce controls the heat level, so add a bit at a time until you achieve your preferred spiciness.
  4. These are good in the fridge for up to two days in a sealed container (and they’re excellent cold).

Serving plate of saucy buffalo wings with carrot and celery sticks, and blue cheese dip.

Have You Made This Recipe?

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Awesome Pizzas to Serve With Air Fryer Buffalo Wings:

Serving plate of saucy buffalo wings with carrot and celery sticks, and blue cheese dip.

Get the Recipe:

Best Crispy Air Fryer Buffalo Wings

Yield: 12 chicken wings
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
These are hands down the best crispy air fryer Buffalo wings! Same authentic flavor without the oil and deep frying.
5 from 77 votes
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Ingredients

  • 2 lbs chicken wings
  • 1 cup Frank's RedHot® Original
  • 2 TBSP butter
  • 1 TBSP white vinegar

Instructions 

Crispy Air Fryer Buffalo Wings.

  • Spread the chicken wings out onto a flat surface like a cutting board, and gently pat them dry to remove excess moisture.
  • With tongs, place the wings into the air fryer basket skin-side up. Space them out as much as you can. If some are touching a bit, that's okay.
  • Place the airfryer basket into the air fryer and cook the wings in the following time increments:
  • 375º F for 10 minutes; open the air fryer, then carefully flip the wings.
  • Cook them for another 10 minutes; open the air fryer and flip the wings.
  • Cook the wings for 5 minutes this time. Finally, open the air fryer once more, and flip the wings. Cook for another 5 minutes.
  • Transfer the wings to a large mixing bowl.
  • Pour the wing sauce over the wings and toss them around with tongs to evenly coat them.
  • Serve with your favorite blue cheese dip, and carrots and celery!

Buffalo wing sauce.

  • Heat the hot sauce in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the butter and stir it in as it melts. Give the sauce a taste. If it's too spicy, add a bit more butter. The more butter you add, the less heat you'll end up with.
  • Once the heat level is to your liking, stir in the white vinegar.
  • Bring the heat to low, and leave the sauce on a low simmer stirring occasionally while the wings cook in the air fryer. When the wings are done, remove the saucepan from the heat.
Serving: 1wings, Calories: 152kcal, Carbohydrates: 1g, Protein: 12g, Fat: 11g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 50mg, Sodium: 84mg
Author: Dana Sandonato
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: American