The Best Store-Bought Marinara, According to Our Taste Test
The best jarred marinara starts with, you guessed it, bright tomato flavor, balanced acidity, a hint of sweetness, and herbs that add complexity without stealing the show. Unfortunately, not every red sauce in the pasta aisle gets there. Some were oddly sweet, others tasted of ancient herbs recovered from the pantry of your last Airbnb, and a few were so smooth they bordered on soup. After tasting 17 nationally available marinara sauces, Bon Appétit editors named Bertolli the best overall and best for pasta, Rao’s the best for pizza, and Mezzetta the best for dipping.
Our favorite marinara: Bertolli
Bertolli Traditional Marinara won the top spot for marinara sauce for its rich tomato flavor and pleasantly chunky texture. With its zing of acidity and bright red color (no sad desaturated sauce allowed here), we declared this the best marinara for livening up any pasta.
Why it won us over: As our editors tasted through the contenders, they found many marinaras to be over-blended and watery. Not so with Bertolli, which contained generous chunks of tomato in varying sizes, making every bite dynamic. That texture was complemented by balanced sweetness and acidity and a zingy punch of garlic.
Best for: any pasta dish that requires a tomato sauce—think Chris’s Easiest Meatballs, or a tomato-y bucatini with tomato and chili.
The best marinara for pizza: Rao’s
While chunky marinara is best for pasta, pizzas benefit from a smoother sauce. Rao’s Homemade Marinara delivered exactly that, plus robust flavor, which is why our editors declared this jar the ideal store-bought marinara for homemade pizza.
Why it won us over: Rao’s marinara is more silky smooth than chunky, but that’s exactly why it works as a pizza sauce. What really won over our editors were the brand’s deft use of herbs and other aromatics: Notes of oregano and anise tickled our tasters’ taste buds, while a sturdy backbone of roasted garlic kept the flavor grounded.
Some editors found Rao’s close to the edge of too salty—enough to overdo it when tossed with well-seasoned noodles (you are salting your pasta water, aren’t you?). On pizza, though, that assertiveness will meld nicely with the crust below.
Best for: generously ladling onto pizza dough before baking, or dolloping liberally over the top of Double-Tomato Focaccia.
The best marinara for dipping: Mezzetta
For dipping, we wanted a marinara that was fresh and flavorful right out of the jar, no heating required. (Scandalous, we know!) Mezzetta Family Co. Marinara, with its robust hit of fresh basil, fit the bill.
Why it won us over: While some contenders stood out for their herbs in a bad way, Mezzetta tasted like a freshly plucked sprig of basil had found its way into the sauce just before jarring. The lively herbs and rich tomato flavor—slightly sweet as if it had been caramelized—made this sauce delicious even at room temperature. Some editors even said they’d have no problem popping the top and pouring it straight into a ramekin for dipping.
Best for: homemade mozzarella sticks, or simply as a dip for tortilla chips.
How we tested
Tasters assembled in the Test Kitchen to sample each marinara, from anonymized ramekins, before rating and reviewing. We tasted each sauce plain so the tomatoes, herbs, seasoning, and texture had nowhere to hide. After narrowing the contenders to our five favorites, we discussed the finalists in terms of their ideal applications, finally settling on our top three premade marinara sauces.
What we looked for
Bright tomato flavor was nonnegotiable, but it wasn’t enough on its own. Texture matters too: We wanted sauces that felt like tomatoes, not tomato purée. We favored sauces with balanced acidity and a cohesive texture, while watery, grainy, or separated sauces quickly fell out of contention. What became clear as we tasted was that there isn’t one perfect marinara for every use, so we crowned winners for pasta, pizza, and dipping instead.
- 365 Organic Marinara Sauce: A mellow oregano-forward flavor and somewhat watery texture.
- Barilla Premium Marinara: Overpowered by dried basil, which masked the tomato flavor.
- Carbone Marinara: Visible oil separation made the texture feel less cohesive than our favorites.
- Cento Marinara Pasta Sauce: A pronounced sour aftertaste kept this one out of the running.
- Good & Gather Marinara: Bright and well-balanced with a velvety texture, but ultimately edged out by stronger contenders.
- Great Value Marinara: Slightly sweet with an unexpectedly woodsy, almost cinnamon-like finish.
- Kirkland Signature Organic Tuscan Marinara: Chunky with bright basil notes, but lacking the concentrated tomato flavor we were looking for.
- Mutti Marinara: A distinct cheesiness muted the tomato flavor and made it feel less versatile.
- Newman’s Own Marinara: Thinner and sweeter than our ideal.
- Prego Traditional Marinara: Too sweet for most of our tasters.
- Ragú Old World Style Marinara: Mild and approachable, but too subdued, with little herbal complexity.
- Safeway Signature Select Marinara: Noticeably sweet and watery, though several tasters thought it could improve with garlic, herbs, and a longer simmer.
- San Merican Sugo di Pomodoro: Another sauce whose cheesy notes distracted from the tomatoes.
- Trader Joe’s Organic Marinara: Good consistency, but heavy oregano and a slightly soapy flavor profile held it back.
