Best Pizza Sauce - Ranking All the Top Store-Bought Sauces

I Tested More Than 50 Pizza Sauces and Ranked Them All - These are the Best

I taste-tested more than 50 different pizza sauces and this is how I rated and ranked them all!

Taste Testing Every Pizza Sauce to Rate and Rank Them

Did you know that 123 million Americans used pizza sauce in 2020?  Strolling through the grocery store canned food aisle near the tomatoes, you usually find a section of the store stocked with shelves of premade pizza sauces in cans and jars.  As a pizza blogger who makes pizza constantly, I routinely get asked, "Which pizza sauces are the best in stores or on Amazon?"  I frequently make my own pizza sauce from scratch, but I couldn't ignore the questions or the frequent sight of shelves of premade pizza sauces.  So I began a journey to find out which sauces are the very best.

I began the experiment by driving to my local grocery stores to buy one of every brand of sauce that was available.  I was amazed by how many varieties there were and the wide range of prices - some as low as $.75 cents, and some as high as $6 or $7.  Seeking more sauces I polled my readers for suggestions and cast a wider net including big box stores, Amazon, ebay, and other mainstream means of finding popular sauces.  After a few weeks, I had accumulated over 40 different pizza sauces to test!

Test Methodology

I then had to figure out how to test these sauces in the most controlled way possible so that preparation and cooking methods would not sway my opinions on the sauces.  After much deliberation, I decided I would perform a 2 step test: 1. Taste the sauce directly out of the jar and record my findings. 2. Prepare a pizza and bake it to test how it would taste.  I decided to control the taste test closely by keeping the mini pizza consistent using street taco flour tortillas, the same amount and brand of mozzarella cheese, baking at the same temperature, for the same amount of time.

Following each test, I recorded a score from 0-10 based on my opinion of the quality, taste, texture, and performance of the sauce.  I also recorded a rationale of what I thought about each sauce and what types of pizza it might be appropriate to use on.  I also took photos of each sauce noting color and texture and in most cases did a video review to further document my findings.

I tested every sauce 2 ways: direct taste test from the jar, and making a mini pizza on a flour tortilla.

Sauce Ingredients

After examining each sauce's ingredient label and noting the vast array of ingredients and preservatives used I decided it was important and interesting to record the ingredients in this test.  The ingredients (particularly preservatives and artificial additives) became more interesting when I correlated my rating scores (below) to the ingredients inside the cans,  I encourage you to check out the ingredient columns for some of your favorite sauces, and use those lists as a guide to developing your own homemade sauce recipe - just leave out the preservatives and artificial stuff!

Want to Make Homemade Pizza Sauce? Start With Great Tomatoes! Find Out Which Tomatoes are Best by checking out my Grocery Tomato Taste Test Results!

Brand/Type	Rating	Description	Ingredients
Mutti Pizza Sauce with Oregano and Basil	9.1	The freshest tasting and most vibrant of the pizza sauces tested. Simply seasoned and lets the quality tomatoes do the talking!	Tomatoes, Mediterranean sea salt, Basil, Oregano, Onion, Natural Flavor
Cento Pizza Sauce	8.7	Great fresh tomato taste, good texture, moderate viscosity, basil flavor, no metallic taste, low acidity, slightly sweet.	Water, Tomato Concentrate, Salt, Olive Oil, Basil, Garlic, Black Pepper
Pomi Pizza Sauce	8.2	Nice vibrant tomato flavor, thicker viscosity, moderate italian herbs, cooks wonderfully with some sweetness	Tomato juice, onion, salt, sugar, oregano, basil, pepper
Mid's Pizza Sauce	7.9	Smooth with some texture, full-bodied flavor with some pleasant bite. Low acidity and no noticeable preservatives.	Tomato Puree, Sugar, Sea Salt, Olive Oil, Onions, Garlic, Citric Acid, Spices and Oregano
Paesana Classic Pizza Sauce	7.8	Super robust sauce bursting with onion, garlic, and fresh tomato flavorings. Plenty of texture and complexity. Very interesting for NY style, Sicilian, or Grandma Pizza	Tomato Puree (Tomato Paste, Water), Sugar, Vinegar, Onion, Food Starch, Salt, Olive Oil, Pineapple Juice Concentrate, Natural Flavors, Honey, Caramel Color, Molasses, Dry Garlic, Spices.
Cucina Antica La Pizza Sauce	7.7	Really rustic amd fresh tasting sauce, bright vibrant color and a ton of flavor. Would recommend for a wide variety of pizza types.	Imported Italian San Marzano Tomatoes, onion, extra virgin olive oil, salt, basil, garlic, white pepper, black pepper
Rao's Homemade Pizza Sauce	7.7	A ton of flavor. moderate viscosity with some chunks. similar to a spaghetti sauce.	Italian Whole Peeled Tomatoes, Italian Cherry Tomatoes, Olive Oil, Carrots, Onion, Salt, Oregano, Garlic, Basil
Wegmans Amore Pizza Sauce	7.6	Fresh tasting, natural sweetness, great for Margherita, NY Style pizzas. very nice sauce by private label or any brand name standard	Italian Tomatoes, San Marzano Peeled Tomatoes, Sea Salt, Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Pirro's American Old World Style Pizza Sauce	7.6	Pastier sauce with heavy seasoning and some heat from black pepper. Really enjoyed the black pepper flavor and it made the sauce stand out from the others.	Tomatoes, salt, spices, black pepper, garlic powder
Pastorelli Pizza Sauce	7.5	Thicker sauce with some bite. very smooth consistency and pleasant flavor. ideal for thicker pan pizzas which need a flavor punch.	California Tomato Puree, Expeller Pressed Canola Oil, Sea Salt, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Imported Pecorino Romano Cheese , Oregano, Garlic, Pepper, and Citric Acid
Urban Slicer Pizza Worx Pizza Sauce	7.5	Intense herb flavor with bite, smooth and heavy sauce with no added sugar. Would be great on thicker pizzas.	California Tomato Puree, Canola Oil, Sea Salt, Imported Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Imported Pecorino Romano Cheese, Spices, Garlic, Citric Acid
Mezzetta Pizza Sauce	7.5	A little on the watery side, some chunks in sauce, very herby with lots of basil and oregano flavors, moderate acidity,	Italian plum tomatoes from Italy's San Marzano Region, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Sea Salt, Spices, Fresh Garlic, Citric Acid, Black Pepper
Vesper Bros. Foods Pizza Sauce	7.4	Moderate viscosity, slight acidity, fairly heavily seasoned, solid sauce.	Peeled Ground Tomatoes, Tomato Puree, Water, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Onion, Dehydrated Garlic, Salt, Basil, Spices
Pastene California Pizza Sauce	7.4	Thick, smooth, and rich sauce with neutral flavors and some acidity. Customizable with your own seasonings.	Crushed Tomatoes, Corn Syrup, Soybean Oil, Sea Salt, Olive Oil, Spices, Garlic Powder
San Merican Tomato Pizza Sauce	7.4	Nice texture with some chunks of tomatoes, sweeter flavor profile with a little bit of bite from seasoning. Taste feels a bit muted and processed for the premium price.	Tomato Puree, Tomatoes, OrganicSugar, Imported Olive Oil, Salt, Spices, Garlic
Delgrosso New York Style Pizza Sauce	7.3	Thicker sauce with moderate seasoning, rich, full bodied flavor, good for NY style pizza	Tomato Puree (Water, Tomato Paste), Tomatoes, Sugar, Imported Olive Oil, Salt, Spices, Garlic
Tallarico's Pizza Sauce	7.3	quite neutral with no acidity, no aftertaste, smooth consistency and a hint of pepper	Tomato Puree (Water, Tomato Paste), Ground Tomatoes (Tomatoes, Salt, Citric Acid, Calcium Chloride), Pizza Sauce Seasoning (Salt, Maltodextrin, Sugar, Spices, Garlic Powder), Sugar, Imported Pecorino Romano Cheese (Pasteurized Sheep's Milk, Cheese Cultures, Rennet, Salt), Soybean Oil, Imported Olive Oil, Sherry Wine.
DelGrosso Deluxe Pizza Sauce	7.2	Smooth consistency with some texture, intense bold flavor, zesty with some acidity, would be good on thicker pan pizzas. Reminds me of "sunday sauce" that simmers all day.	Tomato puree, celery, onions, diced green peppers, diced mushrooms, garlic, lemon juice concentrate, sugar, olive oil, ground pork, salt, spices.
LaRosa's Pizza Sauce	7.1	Super sweet sauce - among the sweetest tested. Smoother sauce with a bit of texture to it. Some herbs punch through the sweetness to make this a very interesting sauce.	Crushed Tomatoes, Sugar, Salt, Spices, Garlic Powder
Stonewall Kitchen Classic Pizza Sauce	7	Super rustic and chunky with plenty of garlic and onion. Fresh tasting and interesting addition of balsamic vinegar gives sauce a unique taste.	Tomatoes, Pure Cane Sugar, Balsamic Vinegar, Salt, Canola Oil, Dehydrated Onion, Dried Garlic, Garlic Oil, Spices, Red Chili Pepper Flakes
Bavaro's Neapolitan Pizza Sauce	7	Thin and watery sauce like other neoplitan sauces, smells fresh when you open the jar. Relatively fresh tasting and a little on the salty side. Simple ingredients. Cooks out light in taste but pleasant and fresh.	Thin and watery sauce like other neoplitan sauces, smells fresh when you open the jar. Relatively fresh tasting and a little on the salty side. Simple ingredients. Cooks out light in taste but pleasant and fresh.
The Meatball Shop Sicilian Pizza Sauce	6.9	Thicker viscosity and uniform smooth sauce with some mildly fresh flavors and some herbs providing a bit of contrast to the pasty tomatoes.	California Tomatoes,Tomato Paste, Water, Pure Olive Oil, Basil, Salt, Garlic, Oregano
DelGrosso Old Style Pizza Sauce	6.8	Basically a marinara sauce with acidity and bite. Chunky sauce with basil flavoring. Would be good for a grandma or marinara pizza.	Italian Plum tomatoes, tomato juice, basil, salt, citric acid, concentrated crushed tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, onions, sea salt, spices
Dei Fratelli Pizza Sauce	6.7	Moderate to thick sauce, lots of seasoning and notably cooked and processed. Enjoyed the flavor but lacked any trace of natural tomato taste.	Fire Roasted Crushed Tomatoes, Tomato Paste, Cane Sugar, Sea Salt, Olive Oil, Dehydrated Onion, Corn Starch, Basil, Dehydrated Garlic, Red Pepper, Black Pepper, Smoked Paprika, Oregano, Citric Acid
Delallo Margherita Style Pizza Sauce	6.7	Quite watery, but was not runny during or after baking. sweet flavor and fresh tasting with a bit of sugary aftertaste	Cherry Tomatoes, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Salt, Carrots, Onion, Basil, Sugar
Don Pepino Pizza Sauce	6.6	Versatile, value-priced sauce that can be modified, not chunky, but has significant texture with some seeds. Zesty and hearty flavor.	Tomatoes, Corn Oil, Salt, Spices, Garlic Powder
Bove's Sweet Basil Pizza Sauce	6.6	Unique sweet sauce with some maple flavor. It's smooth in terms of texture and flavor. I think a lot of people will like this, especially those who like a sugary-sweet sauce.	Crushed Tomatoes, Olive Oil, Fresh Onions, Fresh Basil, Vermont Maple Syrup, Fresh Garlic, Salt, Parsley, Crushed Red Pepper
DelGrosso Pepperoni Flavored Pizza Sauce	6.5	A smooth and meaty pizza sauce with some pepperoni flavor and tiny chunks of pepperoni. Interesting sauce that is smooth and zesty. Good for after school snack pizzas like bagel pizzas.	Tomato puree, pepperoni, salt, water, dextrose, natural spices, oleoresin of paprika, lactic acid starter culture, garlic powder, sodium nitrate, BHA, BHT, Citric Acit, Celery, Onions, Green Peppers,Garlic, Lemon Juice Concentrate, Sugar, Olive Oil, Salt, Spices
Godfather's Pizza Sauce	6.4	Smooth sauce with heavy seasoning and plenty of bite. Meaty taste without any meat ingredients. Good for NY style and sicilian style pizzas.	Tomato Puree, Salt, Basil, Onion and Garlic Powder, Oregano, Citric Acid, Spices
Walmart Great Value Pizza Sauce	6.3	Smooth and slightly watery sauce with some surprisingly natural flavors and balanced spice profile. As the brand indicates, this sauce is a great value.	Tomato puree, Soybean Oil, Salt, Spices, Natural Flavor, Citric Acid
Ferrera New York Style Pizza Sauce	6.2	smoother sauce with some chunks. Pronounced acidity and bite. Decent sauce that can be used in a variety of ways.	Tomatoes, Olive Oil, Water, Salt, Garlic, Basil, Onion, Black Pepper, Citric Acid
Yo Mama's Keto Classic Pizza Sauce	6.1	Vegan, gluten free, keto friendly with no sugar added. Fresh tasting, reminds me of Jersey Fresh or Don Pepino sauce. Very subtle and light flavor.	Non-GMO Tomatoes, Fresh Onions, Fresh Garlic, Olive Oil, Oregano, Basil, Balsamic Vinegar, Salt, Black Pepper and Natural Spices
PICS Price Chopper Tomato Pizza Sauce	5.9	basic value sauce that's smooth and a bit bitter but cooks out more mild. a solid value priced sauce for basic pizza and snacks.	Tomato Puree, Soybean Oil, Salt, Spices, Natural Flavors, Citric Acid
Muir Glen Organic Pizza Sauce	5.8	Smooth and pasty, disappointing considering the high quality of their tomatoes, reminds me of delgrosso, not a lot of tomato flavor	Organic Tomato Puree, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Sea Salt, Organic Dehydrated Onion Powder, Citric Acid, Organic Oregano, Organic Basil, Organic Black Pepper, Organic Garlic Powder
Colavita Pizza Sauce	5.7	Simple sauce with diced tomatoes, onions and light seasoning. Natural sweetness and some acidity provide nice balance and the opportunity to season to your liking.	Chopped Tomatoes, Tomato Paste, Onion, Salt, Sugar, Modified Corn Starch, Oregano, Natural Oregano Flavor, Citric Acid
Botticelli Traditional Pizza Sauce	5.6	Very hearty sauce with chewable chunks of fresh onion and a significant amount of herbs and spices.	Cherry Tomatoes, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Carrots, Onions, Basil, Oregano, Garlic, Sea Salt
Furmano's Pizza Sauce	5.5	Thick and slightly pasty. heavily seasoned, acidic with a bite and moderate aftertaste	Tomato Concentrate, Sugar, Sea Salt, Olive Oil, Salt, Spices, Dehydrated Onion, Dehyrated Garlic, Citric Acid
Weis Quality Pizza Sauce	5.4	Basic, ordinary, value brand sauce. lots of herbs and spices but nothing resembling a fresh tomato. You get what you pay for in this case.	Tomato Puree, Soybean Oil, Salt, Spices, Dehydrated Garlic, Parsley Flakes
Due Amici Pizza Sauce	5.3	If it looks like marinara sauce and tastes like marinara sauce, it might just be marinara sauce. Lots of flavor and bite good for a grandma or marinara pizza.	San Marzano Tomatoes, Fresh Garlic, Exra Virgin Olive Oil, Fresh Basil, Sea Salt, Oregano
Contadina Pizza Squeeze Sauce	5.2	Super smooth and "ketchuppy". A bit salty with some zest and with a fairly strong aftertaste. Convenient bottle.	Tomato Puree, Corn Syrup, Salt, Modified Corn Starch, Soybean Oil, Onion Powder, Natural Flavor, Carrot Fiber, Spices, Citric Acid, Garlic Powder, Potassium Sorbate
Classico Fire Roasted Pizza Sauce	4.8	Heavily seasoned with intense flavor, medium texture and viscosity, moderate to high acidicidy	Tomato puree, diced tomatoes in tomato juice, sugar, olive oil, salt, spices, granulated garlic
Prego Pizza Sauce	4.7	Smooth sauce that's very similar to Prego's Traditional pasta sauce. Very sweet flavoring and good value price.	Tomato Puree, Canola Oil, Salt, Sugar, Dehydrated Garlic, Dehydrated Onions, Spice, Citric Acid
Francesco Rinaldi Pizza Sauce	4.6	Smoother and sweeter sauce reminiscent of value brand spaghetti sauces like prego or ragu. Similar to Francesco Rinaldi spaghetti sauce.	Tomato Puree, Citric Acid, Water, Salt, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Spices, Dried Garlic, Dried Onion
Ragu Pizza Sauce	4.6	Interesting sauce, great for quick snacks. wouldn't use on a fresh pizza. Convenience item for bagel pizzas and dipping sauce.	Tomato puree, soybean oil, salt, spices, natural flavor
Gia Russa Pizza Sauce	4.4	Sugary sweet sauce that cooks out to be more acidic. A good convenience snack-sized can for things like bagel and french bread pizzas.	Tomatoes, Sugar, Salt, Corn Starch, Olive OIl, Dehydrated Onion, Spices, Dehydrated Garlic, Citric Acid, Peppers, Natural Flavors
Target Good & Gather Traditional Pizza Sauce	4.2	Thicker and smoother sauce with muted flavors and a preserved and processed profile. For the price, it will get the job done.	Tomato Puree, Citric Acid, Soybean Oil, Salt, Sugar, Dried Basil, Dried Garlic, Dried Onion, Dried Oregano, Dried Parsley, Spices
Delallo Pizzeria Style Pizza Sauce	3.5	Strong sour taste that is pervasive both straight out of the jar and after baking. Smooth sauce and quite bitter. Comfortably before expiration date, but possibly a bad batch?	Water, Concentrated Crushed Tomatoes, Sugar, Garlic, Spices, Pepper, Salt, Onion Powder, Citric Acid
Scarpetta Ghost Pepper Pizza Sauce	3.4	Chunky and slightly spicy sauce, but lacks flavor otherwise. Interesting sauce with a unique niche, but not exceptionally well executed.	Tomatoes, Tomato Juice, Citric Acid, Water, Garlic, Olive Oil, Salt, Oregano, Ghost Peppers
PICS Price Chopper Premium Pizza Sauce	3.3	Very strong, bitter, and unpleasant taste and aftertaste. May have just gotten a bad jar, but I can't be sure.	Crushed Tomatoes, Water, Canola Oil, Dehydrated Onion and Garlic, Fresh Onion, Citric Acid, Oregano
Chef Boyardee Pizza Sauce With Cheese	2.8	Very Runny like tomato juice, tastes just like the sauce in spaghetti-o's and beefaroni. After school snack pizza material.	Tomato puree, water, soybean oil, less than 2% of: Cheddar Cheese, Salt, Modified Corn Starch, Spice, Enzyme, Modified Cheese, Cream, Water, Salt, Sodium Phosphate, Xanthan Gum, Carotenal (Color), Natural Flavorings
Mama Mary's Pizza Sauce	2.2	Looks like bbq sauce, very smooth and liquified. Basically watery ketchup. Note that water is the first ingredient listed in this sauce. One reader compared it to the sauce that you get in the squeeze pouch in Lunchables.	Water, tomato paste, sugar, salt, food starch-modified, soybean oil, distilled vinegar, sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate, spice, onion powder, garlic powder, citric acid

Still To Come

The game isn't over yet!  I still have a bunch more sauces to review including:

• First Field Pizza Sauce
• Casa Visco Sicilian Style Pizza Sauce
• Casa Visco Italian Style Pizza Sauce
• Casa Visco Garlic Lover's California Style Pizza Sauce
• Casa Visco Pizza Margherita Sauce
• Casa Visco Organic Pizza Sauce
• Paesana New York White Pizza Sauce
• Paesana New York Buffalo Pizza Sauce
• Paesana New York Vodka Pizza Sauce
• Any more that I come across in store. 
• Inviting companies to send their product to be tested as well! Email me for details.

Findings

This taste test was fascinating in many ways.  First, I noticed a strong correlation between my rating scores and the ingredients (or lack thereof) in each sauce.  I tended to favor simpler, more fresh tasting sauces with less preservatives or additives.  Interestingly, although not all that surprisingly, the more expensive sauces tended to rank higher than the value priced sauce.  There was generally a correlation between ingredient quality (i.e. extra virgin olive oil vs. soybean oil) and my rating.  I noticed that my lower rated sauces tended to have things that I couldn't easily identify like Xanthan Gum, Sodium Phosphate, and natural flavor.  I also found some unique ingredients that I've never tried in my homemade pizza sauces like Balsamic Vinegar, honey, and carrots.  I'll definitely be conducting some experiments with those ingredients. 

Subjectivity

Although I have attempted to make this a quantifiable experiment in using numeric values to rank and rate pizza sauces, these are all subjective opinions on what I believe are quality sauces.  I did personally try each sauce directly from the jar as well as making and baking a pizza with each which provided a great baseline for taste testing.  The test was qualitative, and I stand firmly behind my unbiased ratings and encourage others to try some different sauces to find their favorites.

Conclusions

Research from Statista suggests that the two most popular brands of pizza sauces among Americans by a wide margin are Ragu and Prego.  Notably, I ranked these as some of the lowest rated pizza sauces in this experiment.  The popularity likely has more to do with price, brand recognition, and ubiquitous availability in stores than it does with quality,but people are clearly buying this stuff!  The premade pizza sauce market is expected to continue to grow going forward.

For those (like myself) who tend to favor making their own pizza sauce at home using homegrown or canned tomatoes because of its ease, simplicity, and ability to customize - I hear you.  Inevitably some will say my findings are invalid because premade pizza sauce is also invalid.  There are more than 100 million people who disagree with that assertion!  Ready made pizza sauce is a huge market in the United States and globally, so not recognizing that consumers enjoy using canned and jarred sauce is a mistake.  Sure, you can probably make a better sauce in less than 5 minutes, but others prefer the convenience, speed, and reliability of their favorite premade pizza sauces.  There is strong demand for these products, and I had a lot of fun figuring out which ones I thought were best and why people buy them!

Consider this experiment as ongoing, so if you are aware of more pizza sauces that you'd like me to try, or if you're a company who would like your sauce evaluated and rated against the rest and would like to send a can or jar, please email me.

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