How many calories are in 16 buffalo wings?

November 25, 2025 •

4 min read

The calorie count for 16 buffalo wings varies widely, with some restaurant versions exceeding 1600 calories, while a baked homemade batch can be significantly lower. This large difference is due to preparation methods, breading, and the specific sauces and dips used, all of which contribute to the final energy content of your meal.

Quick Summary

The calorie count for 16 buffalo wings depends heavily on whether they are fried or baked, if they are breaded, and the sauce and dipping sauce selected. The average ranges from 1440 for plain fried to potentially over 1670 for heavily sauced restaurant versions, with homemade options being lower calorie.

Key Points

Significant Calorie Variation: The number of calories in 16 buffalo wings varies dramatically based on preparation, ranging from under 1000 for a simple baked batch to over 1600 for restaurant-fried versions.
Frying Adds Calories: Deep-frying significantly increases the calorie and fat content by causing the wings to absorb oil, whereas baking and air-frying are lower-calorie methods.
Sauce and Dips Increase Count: Heavy, buttery sauces and creamy dips like ranch or blue cheese add a substantial number of extra calories, sometimes hundreds, to the total meal.
Breading Elevates Calories: Breaded wings, especially boneless ones, have higher calorie counts than their traditional bone-in counterparts because the breading absorbs more oil during cooking.
Restaurant vs. Homemade: Homemade buffalo wings offer greater control over ingredients and cooking methods, typically resulting in a healthier, lower-calorie meal compared to standard restaurant offerings.
Weight is a Factor: The size of the individual wings also affects the total calorie count, so larger or meatier wings will naturally contain more calories.

The Calorie Breakdown: How Many Calories Are in 16 Buffalo Wings?

When you sit down to a plate of 16 buffalo wings, the calorie count can be a surprising figure. The exact number isn't fixed and depends heavily on preparation. While a general estimate might put the number around 1400-1600 calories for a typical restaurant-style portion, factors like frying, breading, and sauce add significant variables. A plain, un-sauced wing is already high in calories due to its fat content, and each additional step of preparation adds to that total.

The Impact of Cooking Method

How the chicken wings are cooked is one of the most important factors determining the final calorie count. The difference between baking, air-frying, and deep-frying is substantial.

Deep-Frying: Submerging wings in hot oil is the most common restaurant method for achieving a crispy skin. This process causes the wings to absorb a large amount of oil, which dramatically increases the fat and calorie content. For 16 traditional fried wings, this can easily push the calorie total past the 1400-calorie mark, even before sauce is added.
Baking or Grilling: These methods rely on dry heat, allowing fat to render out of the skin and reducing the total calorie count. A baked wing absorbs no additional oil, making it a much lighter option. A homemade batch can save hundreds of calories by baking instead of frying.
Air-Frying: A modern, healthier alternative that uses hot air circulation to mimic the crispiness of frying with minimal oil. This offers the best of both worlds: a crispy texture with a calorie count closer to that of a baked wing.

The Role of Sauce and Breaded vs. Traditional

Another major consideration is the wing style and the sauce. Some wings come with a heavy breading, while others are simply skin-on meat. Sauces and dipping options are also significant calorie contributors.

Breading: Many boneless and even some traditional wings are coated in a flour-based breading before frying. This breading absorbs a large amount of oil and also adds carbohydrates, inflating the calorie total. Boneless wings, which are typically made from breaded chicken breast meat, often contain more calories than their traditional bone-in counterparts.
Sauce Calories: A classic buffalo sauce is a mixture of Frank's RedHot and butter. The butter adds a significant amount of fat and calories. Thicker, sweeter sauces like Honey BBQ or Parmesan Garlic can contain even more sugar and fat, leading to higher calorie additions. For example, at Buffalo Wild Wings, different sauces can add anywhere from 40 to over 100 calories per six wings.
Dipping Sauces: Creamy dipping sauces like ranch or blue cheese are notorious for adding hundreds of extra calories. A single 2-tablespoon serving of blue cheese dressing can add over 100 calories, a number that can quickly multiply if you're liberal with your dipping.

Calorie Comparison: Restaurant vs. Homemade

Choosing between restaurant-style wings and a homemade version has a huge impact on nutrition. Restaurants prioritize taste and consistency, which often means deep-frying and using high-calorie sauces. Homemade wings, however, offer much more control.


Feature	Restaurant (16 wings, fried, sauced)	Homemade (16 wings, baked, light sauce)
Estimated Calories	1600+	800-1200
Preparation Method	Deep-fried, often with breading	Baked or air-fried, little to no oil
Sauce Control	Pre-applied, often butter-heavy	Can use low-calorie hot sauce or dry rub
Dipping Sauce	Large portions of high-calorie dressing	Portion-controlled, or use lighter dip options
Ingredients	Often commercial sauces with additives	Fresh ingredients, customizable spice level

How to Estimate Your Wing Calories Accurately

Without official nutritional data, a simple way to estimate is to consider the baseline calories of plain chicken wings and then add the calories for sauce and dips.

Estimate plain wing calories: A raw chicken wing averages about 45 calories. After cooking, a baked wing (with skin) is around 80-90 calories, while a deep-fried wing is 100-110+ calories.
Add sauce calories: A tablespoon of typical buffalo sauce can add 20-30 calories. If you use a ¼ cup for 16 wings, that's an extra 80-120 calories. Thicker sauces add even more.
Include dipping sauce: Two tablespoons of a creamy dip adds 100-150 calories.

Conclusion

Understanding how many calories are in 16 buffalo wings requires looking beyond a single number. The dramatic difference between deep-fried and baked wings, the presence of breading, and the choice of sauce and dips can mean a swing of hundreds of calories. For a lower-calorie option, opt for baked or air-fried wings with a lighter sauce or dry rub, and use dipping sauces sparingly. Restaurant wings will almost always be higher in calories due to their cooking methods, so for health-conscious diners, making them at home is the best way to maintain control over the total nutritional impact.

Lists and Examples

Tips for a Lower-Calorie Wing Feast

Choose grilled or air-fried wings over deep-fried.
Ask for sauce on the side and use it sparingly.
Opt for a dry rub instead of a wet sauce.
Skip the creamy dips like ranch and blue cheese.
Remove the skin before eating for a simple calorie reduction.

Examples of High-Calorie Buffalo Wing Combinations

Restaurant Fried Wings (16 pieces): A typical order from a chain restaurant can contain 1600-1700 calories, plus more for dips.
Boneless Fried Wings with Rich Sauce (16 pieces): Breading and a sugary BBQ or parmesan garlic sauce can easily push the count past 1800 calories.
Homemade Baked Wings (16 pieces): Using a recipe that bakes the wings and uses a simple, light buffalo sauce can result in a meal closer to 1000 calories.

Optional Outbound Link: For more detailed nutritional breakdowns of specific restaurant menus, you can visit nutrition tracking websites like MyFoodDiary for reliable data on different food items.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, baked buffalo wings are typically lower in calories than fried ones because they don't absorb excess oil during cooking. Using an air fryer is another low-calorie cooking method.

Creamy dips like ranch or blue cheese can add over 100 calories per two-tablespoon serving. Being mindful of how much dip you use is a key way to reduce the total calorie load of your wing meal.

Boneless wings are usually made from breaded chicken breast meat and fried. The breading soaks up a large amount of oil, which increases the calorie count compared to a non-breaded, bone-in wing.

A classic buffalo sauce (butter and hot sauce) does add calories due to the butter content. Thicker or sweeter sauces like Honey BBQ add even more calories due to higher sugar content.

For a healthier option, consider baking or air-frying your wings, opting for a dry seasoning rub instead of a wet sauce, and serving with low-calorie vegetables like celery.

Restaurant wings are generally higher in calories because commercial kitchens often deep-fry them and use generous, high-fat, high-sugar sauces. Making wings at home gives you full control to reduce calories.

A single deep-fried buffalo wing can have 100-110+ calories, while a baked one with skin might have 80-90 calories. The specific cooking method, size, and sauce amount all contribute to the final tally.