Canstar Blue’s pasta sauce review has seen Dolmio, Raguletto, Leggo’s, Remano (ALDI), Barilla, Woolworths, Coles and Latina Fresh compared on taste, consistency, variety, packaging design, value for money and overall satisfaction.
See our Ratings Methodology.
Aussies are a saucy bunch, especially when it comes to pasta sauce. Whether you like to plate up a hot Arrabbiata or Bolognese ragu, 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 (62%) have tried multiple pasta sauce brands, while a third (30%) are brand loyalists and generally buy different pasta sauces from the same brand.
For our inaugural pasta sauces review, we asked more than 1,600 Aussie consumers to assess the different pre-made pasta sauces they’ve purchased from a supermarket or grocer and used in the last three months. Survey respondents rated brands on their taste, consistency, variety, packaging design, value for money and overall satisfaction. Those which met the minimum required survey sample size of 30 responses are included in the final results.
Our 2020 pasta sauces review featured eight brands, but only two came in hot with five stars for overall customer satisfaction – Dolmio & Raguletto. The two heavy-hitters dominated the ratings with five stars in almost every research category. Read on for details.
Here are the best brands of pasta sauce in Australia, as rated by consumers in Canstar Blue’s latest review:
Dolmio and Raguletto dominated the ratings as the best brands for overall satisfaction. Dolmio also earned five stars for taste, consistency, variety and packaging design, but slipped to four stars when it comes to value for money. Raguletto followed a similar trajectory, achieving five stars in all areas except variety where it landed on four stars. It’s also worth noting, Dolmio and Raguletto were the only two brands to achieve full marks in the taste stakes – pretty important when it comes to pasta sauce!
Four brands landed on four stars for overall customer satisfaction, Leggo’s, Remano (ALDI), Barilla and Woolworths, while Coles and Latina Fresh bottomed out with three stars.
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. Here is a product selection from the range:
A Dolmio pasta sauce costs on average $3.30 for 500g in most supermarkets.
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. Raguletto products are all made on home soil in Echuca, Victoria. 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 $2.75 for 500g.
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 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 $3.50 for 500g from most supermarkets.
Remano is ALDI’s exclusive brand of pasta, pestos and pasta sauces which offers 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.
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 pestos, including:
A jar of Barilla pasta sauce can cost on average $3.75 for 500g from a supermarket.
Woolworths home brand 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. Here are some products from the Woolies range:
Prices for Woolies home brand pasta sauce start from as little as $2 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 $2.50 for 500g.
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 $5.80 for 500g.
This will depend on your taste palette and what you’re planning to plate up. With that said, the majority of survey respondents (77%) recently picked up a jar of tomato-based sauces like a Napoli or Bolognese sauce, while 10% stocked up on creamy sauces like a carbonara and 8% said pesto was their go-to.
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.
This will depend on your taste palette and what you’re planning to plate up. With that said, the majority of survey respondents (77%) recently picked up a jar of tomato-based sauces like a Napoli or Bolognese sauce, while 10% stocked up on creamy sauces like a carbonara and 8% said pesto was their go-to.
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.
