I Tried 13 Rao's Pasta Sauces & the Best Was Smooth and Creamy

Various name brands have ruled the pasta aisle over the years, but few shine brighter these days than Rao's, the label behind one of the most popular and highest-quality pasta sauces in stores.

It all started in 1896 with a small tavern-like restaurant in the East Harlem neighborhood of New York City, where the Rao's family served the local community authentic southern Italian cuisine. Over the decades, these recipes steeped in rich tradition and crafted with simple ingredients drew people in from all walks of life. But eventually, the ristorante's mystique and limited seating capacity turned it into a sought-after destination visited frequently by New York's finest, including celebrities, politicians, and other people of status.

It's clear that much of Rao's success has been rooted in this air of exclusivity—that is, until the company decided to share its fare with the entire world in 1992. That's when Rao's launched a line of jarred pasta sauce, and boy, did it take off. Rao's sauces stand out from the Pregos and Ragus of the world, made without artificial or nontraditional ingredients, and they have multiplied rapidly over the last 30-plus years, now dominating grocery store shelves in a wealth of flavors.

To fully appreciate the depth and variety of Rao's offerings, I undertook the delicious task of sampling as many of its pasta sauces as I could find. Skipping their pizza sauces and limited-reserve options, I ended up with 13 and paired each one with a neutral spaghetti noodle–a pasta type that jibes with any sauce, whether it's red, white, or even green (aka pesto). Plunging into the nuances of each jar, I was able to rank each choice in descending order from my least to most favorite. Here's how these sauces stacked up.

Tomato Basil

After the classic marinara, tomato basil is one of the most in-demand red sauces you're likely to see over and over on the grocery shelves. Rao's blend is made with slow-simmered Italian tomatoes, onions, garlic, oregano, salt, pepper, and, of course, the star of the show basil. A jar cost me $7.99.

The look: The deep red sauce lands somewhere between pulped and chunky with basil slivers in every spoonful.

The taste: The entire jar is marred by a sour almost metallic tang that radiates through each bite. It's most detectable in the aftertaste, yet the front-end flavors aren't overly inviting either. A tad sweet but mostly monotonous and with a paucity of true basil relish, the sauce doesn't seem to hold true to its promises. That leaves only the texture on my list of positives and even that sentiment wavered as I chewed through herb bits.6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e

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Tomato Herb

Since basil is, in fact, an herb, this Tomato Herb sauce sounds a bit superfluous after the last one, doesn't it? But, it is just a bit different as it drops black pepper from the ingredient list, incorporates carrots, and presumably goes lighter on the basil, though it is still present. Its simmered tomato core with onions, garlic, oregano, and salt remains the same, however. This jar cost me $7.29.

The look: When juxtaposed with the basil, it's clearly a brighter red—surprising since I thought the carrots would have the opposite effect. Nevertheless, the consistency between the two is nearly identical, this jar just has smaller and less frequent dark green flecks.

The taste: The sourness rears its ugly head again—what I realized may just be the tomatoes' acidity, which hasn't been properly balanced. This herby rendition is slightly more agreeable though, boiling down to an average, everyday kind of red sauce. Oregano is really the only add-in that pops out to say hello, as garlic, onions, and basil remain incognito. Carrots also fly under the radar of influence, but I always support the idea of sneaking extra vegetables into your diet.

Sensitive Marinara

This marinara isn't labeled as "sensitive" because it can't take a joke. Instead, it caters to a wider consumer group thanks to its ommission of both garlic and onions. Slow-simmered tomatoes are simply joined by olive oil, carrots, celery, salt, and basil in the jar. This sauce cost me $7.29.

The look: A cheerful red marinara that is less congealed and more liquified than the previous two tomato sauces.

The taste: Not bad, but as you can imagine, rather bland—just as I suspected. With no onions or garlic to gussy it up, it's really just stewed tomatoes and could even pass as a pure yet more thickset tomato soup. Most often there is beauty in simplicity, but in this case, I have to give the upper hand to Rao's more complex sauces. For anyone with an aversion to the sharper tastes of garlic and onion, though, this may just be right up your alley.

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Roasted Garlic Alfredo

Get your fettuccine noodles ready because Rao's has quite the assemblage of Alfredo sauces. I was able to get my hands on four jars of the white sauce, including this roasted garlic variety. Its base consists of standard ingredients like light cream, butter, parmesan and romano cheeses, and egg yolk, then it's flavored with granulated roasted garlic, salt, black pepper, and white pepper. A jar cost me $7.99.

The look: More on the thin and runny side for an Alfredo, but it comes in a classic eggshell color.

The taste: The label says to expect a "burst of roasted garlic," but I had to dig deep to uncover it at all. And, even then, I really only noticed it long after the sauce had left my taste buds. Perhaps my pungency receptors are a bit off—I do tend to think the more garlic, the merrier. However, I expected a bit more zing and zeal. The rest does have a great creamy, parmesan-infused flavor, but I have to stand my ground on this one and not promote it, due to its naming misalignment.

Bacon Alfredo

I have to admit, bacon Alfredo is a unique combo that I had not seen before. Sure, I've seen white sauce and bacon crumbles twirled together into one pasta dish, but never commingling in the same jar. This one starts the same way as the previous roasted garlic variety—a cream, butter, and cheese trifecta—and then tosses in the uncured pork bacon bits enriched with a natural smoke flavor. This sauce cost me $7.99.

The look: With a higher viscosity and small bacon pieces floating through it, the substance slowly spilling from the glass jar reminded me more of clam chowder than anything else.

The taste: Cheesy meets savory with just the right amount of smoke. I'm usually not a huge fan of ultra-processed bacon bits, but here they're chopped so small that you don't often taste them directly—especially when they're adhered to a pasta noodle. So, that really just leaves the delicate yet rich wood-burning flavor to distinguish it from the other vying Alfredos. The one hindrance I see, though, is that I can't think of too many great uses for it, and it's not the kind of sauce I would keep on hand to use time and time again.

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Basil Pesto

Pesto is another pasta sauce staple but one that sticks out among Rao's sea of red and white containers. It starts as a somewhat traditional recipe with pine nuts, basil, garlic, and Parmigiano Reggiano cheese at its base. However, it uses sunflower oil instead of olive and also throws in cashews and potato flakes—all pesto ingredients that real chefs and culinary experts may turn their noses up at. This sauce was the most affordable of the bunch at $5.99.

The look: On the darker side for a pesto, more of a forest green rather than a bright shade. It has some oil separation, which is to be expected. Otherwise, the sauce is chunky with a paste-like texture.

The taste: I spooned it straight from the jar onto my pasta and its taste ended up being just as good as its inviting bouquet. The flavor leads with garlic first before giving way to strong gusts of basil and the nutty yet mild Parmigiano Reggiano. The consistency is slightly gritty, but it's not enough to detract from the overall palate. Overall, I'd say it's a quality pesto rendition—despite its handful of controversial ingredients. And, the fact that it's still so far down in my rankings speaks volumes about the sauces to come.

Bolognese

It's still strange to me that a sauce laden with real meat can be shelf-stable, but that's a scientific topic for another day. The meat in question as part of Rao's bolognese is actually referred to as "Italian style meatball crumbles" made up of beef, pork, cheese, garlic, parsley, and other spices. Meanwhile, the sauce that it's mixed into contains Italian tomatoes, onion, carrots, celery, and seasonings. Pancetta crumbles also make their way onto the list. A jar cost me $7.99.

The look: Extremely thick, chock full of grounded meat and masses of tomato to the point where it looked more like chili than a sauce. I actually had to coax it out of the jar.

The taste: I feel like this bolognese is a meal in itself, but in the best possible way. The background sauce offers a touch of sweetness next to the savory tastes of garlic and roasted tomatoes. Real, authentic meat crumbles are what really make this sauce, though. Believe it or not, each tiny chunk tastes like it was just separated from a freshly cooked meatball made with care. The flavor is there, the texture is there, and most importantly, there's a sufficient amount of the beef and pork mixture spread throughout. This isn't just a tomato sauce with some meat, this is a true meat sauce.

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Alfredo

Enough with all the flavors, fuss, and feathers. Let's take a closer look at the brand's unadorned, no-frills Alfredo. It gets back to the basics of just light cream, butter, parmesan cheese, romano cheese, and modified egg yolk, plus sea salt, black pepper, and white pepper to taste. Since there are no onions or garlic involved, I believe this one could also be classified as a "sensitive" option, right? A jar cost me $7.99.

The look: Thin in an off-white hue, it's nearly identical to the earlier roasted garlic Alfredo.

The taste: In a world full of subpar store-bought Alfredo sauces, Rao's makes a splash. Sure, its viscosity is lacking and there isn't anything complex about its flavor profile. But, it reels you in with its liquified parmesan-like essence. The substance is melt-on-your-tongue creamy, cheesy, and would complement any kind of noodle you throw at it. What else could you possibly need?

Italian Sausage & Mushroom

It doesn't get much heartier than the Rao's Italian sausage and mushroom sauce–another packaged meat mystery. The pork sausage is flavored with salt, sugar, paprika, garlic powder, and other spices. Along with the promised mushrooms, it swims in a pool of simmered and crushed Italian tomatoes, olive oil, onions, basil, garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper. This jar cost me $7.99.

The look: The cherry red sauce isn't the thickest one in the pantry but it comes pretty close. I also have to voice my amazement that there are actually full mushroom slices camouflaged into the sauce. I expected minuscule cut-up pieces at best.

The taste: As soon as popped the lid, I could smell that bold and unmistakable scent of savory Italian sausage, or more specifically fennel. That anise-like fragrance and taste permeates the entire jar and is what, in my opinion, pulls it ahead of something like the bolognese. The tomato foundation is essentially the same between the two, but this one gains a more unique and robust flavor from the tender sausage. I'm also admittedly a sucker for earthy mushrooms. But, with everything else going on those were really just icing on the cake.

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Caramelized Onion

The caramelized onion red sauce has one of the most straightforward ingredient lists you're likely to find in a jarred product. No surprises or unrecognizable add-ins here, just tomatoes (Italian whole peeled ones, of course), caramelized onions, olive oil, salt, garlic, basil, and oregano. That's all Rao's wrote. This jar cost me $7.99.

The look: A muted red and mild chunkiness. Larger hunks of tomato join slivers and dices of onion in the sauce.

The taste: Unlike the roasted garlic Alfredo, this sauce is exactly as advertised. Those sweet yet buttery-rich notes of deeply caramelized onions are at the forefront of its flavor, leading the pack but also harmonizing with the garlic, oregano, and other spices that define the tomato blend. The jar doesn't necessarily hit you over the head with that onion tang but gives you just enough to make it a top-notch sauce of its word.

Four Cheese Alfredo

Can you guess which four cheeses join forces along with cream, butter, egg yolk, salt, and pepper to make up this Alfredo? Parmesan and romano feel like a given. But, mild Asiago and sweet yet pungent fontina also enter the scene for double the cheese and double my intrigue. A jar cost me $7.99.

The look: Slightly more yellow and slightly thicker than the standard Alfredo. It also seems like there are more frequent dots of black pepper.

The taste: Cheesy is an understatement. Classic flavors of parmesan and romano are what settle on the taste buds first. Then, it becomes more and more diverse as you continue indulging. As is the case with all the Rao's Alfredo sauces, it's certainly more thin than gloopy. However, it still clings to noodles—even slippery spaghetti—like buttery and smooth liquid gold. If it wasn't socially unacceptable, I could probably drink this stuff. It's that good!

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Arrabbiata

This jar is the only one to bring a little spice to the Rao's lineup. There are actually several arrabbiata sauces in the mix, though this one, the original, is the only one I could get my hands on. Like the caramelized onion sauce, the recipe here is incredibly simple. Tomatoes combine with olive oil, onions, garlic, basil, oregano, salt, pepper, and it gets its kick from red crushed pepper. The jar cost me $7.99.

The look: Unsuspecting. The spreadable red sauce looks like your typical marinara. Not even its aroma gives it away.

The taste: The jar describes the arrabbiata as an "angry" sauce and I couldn't agree more. It's not messing around with its piquancy (phew!) and even brought some serious color to my cheeks. But, it doesn't just torment you with heat. The sauce also brings an irresistible taste to the table. It's everything you love about a rich and garlicky marinara combined with the sharp and biting flavor of red peppers. I'm not typically one to go for powerful and pervasive spice. However, I found myself continuing to go back for more.

Vodka Sauce

Vodka sauce is thought to be more of an Italian-American creation rather than an authentic Italian one. But, that didn't stop Rao's from adding one to its recipe books. Its ingredients match that of the prior arrabbiata almost to a tee. However, red crushed pepper gets the axe, swapped out for vodka (an element that releases flavor from the tomato and promotes a cohesive texture) and both parmesan and romano cheeses. This excellent sauce cost me $7.99.

The look: It has that recognizable vodka sauce red-orange tint. Otherwise, it has the consistency of any other marinara.

The taste: I actually uttered the sound "mmm" out loud, as I raised this substance to my lips for the first time. It's the culmination of everything you would want a good pasta sauce to be. The savory taste of simmered and lightly spiced tomatoes meets the prominent flavor of parmesan and romano. It's somehow creamy without any cream and effortlessly smooth with that cheesy finish. It immediately topped the list as not only my favorite tomato-based sauce from Rao's, but my most adored choice overall.

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