Canstar Blue’s pasta sauce review sees Woolworths, Dolmio, San Remo, Leggo’s, ALDI Remano, Raguletto, Coles, Barilla and Latina Fresh compared on taste, consistency, range variety, packaging design, value for money and overall satisfaction.
See our Ratings Methodology.
Aussies have rated Woolworths & Dolmio best in Canstar Blue’s pasta sauce review, each scoring five-star reviews for consistency and overall satisfaction. Woolworths also achieved full marks for taste and value for money, while Dolmio received similar results for variety and packaging.
Aussies are a saucy bunch, especially when it comes to pasta sauce. Whether you like to plate up a hot arrabbiata or Bolognese, or prefer something a little milder, like a herby pesto or creamy Carbonara – finding a flavour that tickles your fancy is easy. With pasta sauce especially, variety is important to spice things up in the kitchen. That’s why more than half of our survey respondents on the subject (58%) have tried multiple pasta sauce brands, while almost a third (29%) are brand loyalists and generally buy different pasta sauces from the same brand.
To find out what Aussies are eating up, we asked more than 1,400 consumers about the pasta sauce they bought and ate within the last three months. Brands were rated on taste, consistency, range variety, packaging design, value for money and overall satisfaction. Those that received the minimum sample size (30 responses) are included in our report.
Dolmio returned to the head of the table for 2021, this time joined by Woolworths. Both brands earned five-star reviews for consistency and overall satisfaction, plus several other areas.
Here are the best brands of pasta sauce in Australia, as rated by consumers in Canstar Blue’s latest review:
Woolworths & Dolmio rated best with five stars for overall satisfaction, while most other brands ended on four stars. Coles, Barilla and Latina Fresh rounded up the scores on three stars each overall.
It’s worth mentioning that several brands scooped up full marks for consistency, including Dolmio, Woolworths, San Remo, Leggo’s and ALDI Remano. Leggo’s additionally impressed with packaging.
Woolworths’ homebrand is a product line of everyday essentials stocked exclusively by the supermarket giant. Woolies’ own brand offers a modest selection of pasta sauces at affordable prices, compared to other big-name brands. There’s one currently available online:
You can find Woolworths’ homebrand pasta sauce for just under $2.
Dolmio created its first tasty Bolognese sauce in 1985 to the delight of Aussies around the country. Today the brand’s mission is to bring that same authentic Italian flavour to the tables of families all over the world, with its signature sauces made from premium ingredients. Dolmio offers a wide range of authentic pasta sauces and bakes to delight all taste palettes. The brand’s Nonna’s range is also available from Coles.
Here is a product selection from the range:
Dolmio pasta sauces start from $2 for a 500g jar or $2.90 for a pasta sauce pouch.
San Remo is one of the most popular go-to brands for pasta in Australia. Using what it describes as an authentic home-style recipe, San Remo offers a variety of tomato-based sauces that contain no artificial colours or flavours. Most of the range comes in the classic jar, although you can also get a couple of fresh, chunky pasta sauces in tub form. Some products include:
You can also grab different types of pasta, including fresh pasta, gluten-free pasta and specialty options such as protein pasta and pasta with prebiotic fibre.
Steeped in fine Italian cooking traditions, Leggo’s has been part of our culinary landscape since 1894. The Leggo’s Fresh range is made right here in Australia, in Melbourne’s south-east, and apparently contains no added preservatives to keep that authentic fresh taste the brand is known for. Leggo’s has a wide offering of pasta sauces, bakes and specialty sauces, plus tomato paste and fresh pasta products. Here is a product selection from Leggo’s range of pasta sauces:
A jar of Leggo’s pasta sauce costs on average $3.75 for 500g from most supermarkets.
Remano is ALDI’s exclusive brand of pasta, pesto and pasta sauces which is claimed to offer restaurant-quality sauces at supermarket prices, or so the company thinks anyways. The specialty brand brings both authenticity and value to your home-cooked pasta. Here is a product selection from the Remano pasta sauce range:
Prices for Remano pasta sauce start from $2 for 500g, exclusively at ALDI.
Raguletto makes it easy for Australian families to enjoy an Italian meal thanks to its range of traditional pasta sauces and bakes and fresh pasta products. The brand also states its sauces contain four serves of veggies per jar, for a healthy serve of Italian to your plate. Here is a sample selection from the Raguletto range:
Prices for a jar of Raguletto pasta sauce start from $1.80 for 500g.
Coles’ own brand is the supermarket chain’s trademark line of ‘great-value’ household and pantry essentials. The private label offers a few pasta sauces, including some organic options. Here is a sample selection from the range:
Prices for Coles-branded pasta sauces start from as little as $1.55 for 690g.
Barilla is an Italian family-owned food company with over 140 years’ experience of bringing high-quality pasta sauces to tables around the world. The brand is a leader in the ready-to-use sauces industries of continental Europe and in Australia. Barilla offers a tasty variety of tomato-based sauces and pesto, including:
A jar of Barilla pasta sauce can cost on average $3.75 for 500g from a supermarket.
Latina Fresh is a leading fresh pasta and sauce brand in Australia, which also serves up chilled ready meals. The brand’s said mission is to bring the love back to weeknight meals by making quality, authentic food that every family will enjoy and can rely on. Here is a product selection from the Latina Fresh pasta sauce range:
A tub of Latina Fresh pasta sauce can set you back about $6 for 425g.
The brands featured in this year’s ratings aren’t the only options worth sticking on your plate. Here are a few alternatives you might want to check out:
This will depend on your taste palette and what you’re planning to plate up. With that said, one in four people we surveyed (27%) usually pick up the cheapest brand or whichever is on special, while 17% opt for the healthier option (i.e. low sugar or low salt).
If you’re unsure where to start, you can use our pasta sauce review as a guide to see how consumers rate different brands. And why not enjoy trying different flavours to find one that really tickles your tastebuds.
This report was written by Canstar Blue’s home & lifestyle journalist, Tahnee-Jae Lopez-Vito. She’s an expert on household appliances, grooming products and all things grocery and shopping. In addition to translating our expert research into consumer-friendly ratings reports, Tahnee spends her time helping consumers make better-informed purchase decisions on all manner of consumer goods and services, while highlighting the best deals and anything you need to be aware of.
Our latest ratings saw Woolworths & Dolmio rated best in various categories:
2020
Canstar Blue surveyed more than 3,000 Australian adults across a range of categories to measure and track customer satisfaction, via ISO 26362 accredited research panels managed by Qualtrics. The outcomes reported are the results from customers within the survey group who have purchased and eaten pasta sauce from a supermarket or grocer in the last three months – in this case, 1,417 people.
Brands must have received at least 30 responses to be included. Results are comparative and it should be noted that brands receiving three stars have still achieved a satisfaction measure of at least six out of 10. Not all brands available in the market have been compared in this survey. The ratings table is first sorted by star ratings and then alphabetically. A rated brand may receive a ‘N/A’ (Not Applicable) rating if it does not receive the minimum number of responses for that criteria.
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