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.
Bertolli Traditional Marinara Sauce, six 24-oz jars
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.
Rao’s Homemade Marinara Sauce, 24-oz jar
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.
Dining and Cooking