Ranking The Best Store-Bought Alfredo Sauce From Worst To Best

Alfredo sauce is creamy, rich, and decadently delicious in all the right ways. Even the store-bought stuff hits the spot when you're not in the mood to whip it up from scratch. If you've ever stood in the sauce aisle at your grocery store and wondered which Alfredo to buy, you're not alone. Most stores have a large selection to choose from (not as many as red sauce, but still) and while some are super tasty, a few aren't a great representation of what Alfredo sauce can be. That's why I tried a collection of the most common brands to help you (and me) put an end to the search for the best store-bought Alfredo sauce.

When it came time to rank the 11 Alfredo sauces I sampled, I considered flavor, texture, and price. You should also know that I only sampled the original flavors, not ones infused with extra roasted garlic and other seasonings like red pepper or basil. I wanted to get a good baseline for a brand's sauce. Obviously, garlic and more cheese make them tastier, but you can always upgrade store-bought Alfredo with ingredients like that. I'll go more in-depth on my methodology at the end, but for now, keep reading to learn how 11 of the most popular Alfredo sauce brands rank in a head-to-head comparison. You might be surprised at the results — I was.

Coming in last place, Kroger Traditional Alfredo Sauce is underwhelming at best. Compared to the other options on this list, there's no question that it is the worst sauce I tried. When I tasted it, the first thing I noticed was how bland it was. After another sample, I picked up on a subtle garlic flavor, but it was minimal. I also detected a chemical element, which was a total turn-off. Admittedly, Kroger's Traditional Alfredo Sauce contains both Romano and Parmesan cheeses, something I tend to like, but unfortunately, the flavor didn't shine through. The texture was fairly thick, so it stuck to noodles quite well, but that isn't nearly enough to make this sauce worth trying.

Kroger Traditional Alfredo Sauce's only redeeming quality is that it is pretty inexpensive. Actually, cheap may be a better descriptor considering its lack of flavor. A jar of this sauce only costs about $2.19, but even so, I'd still leave it on the shelf. You may think adding a simple ingredient like white balsamic vinegar will improve it, but really, it needs a lot more than that. Sure you could turn it around with flavorful seasonings, but store-bought sauce is supposed to be easy, so I recommend simply opting for a better sauce from the start.

Unfortunately, Target's Good & Gather Alfredo Sauce only earned a second-to-last position in my ranking. I typically like Good & Gather brand products, but sadly, this one fell flat. As my friend said: It's simply not very good. The taste is particularly bland, especially when compared to other options on this list. It does have a strong garlic aroma and both parmesan and Romano cheeses, but they were difficult to taste.

When tasting this sauce I also picked up on an unappealing tangy flavor instead of the rich creaminess you want from an Alfredo sauce. I typically associate this kind of tanginess with artificial additives, but surprisingly the label clearly states that the sauce contains no artificial colors, preservatives, or flavors. I'm not sure where the flavor comes from, but honestly, it tastes like it was made with low-quality ingredients.

Regarding flavor, Target's Good & Gather Alfredo Sauce is pretty much neck and neck with my last place pick (Kroger). The only reason I awarded it a higher ranking is because of its low price. It is the least expensive option I sampled. A jar only costs $1.89, but don't let the low price draw you in. If you are on a tight budget, you may think it'll be fine, but in my opinion, it's better to spend the extra dollar and get a better-tasting option.

If you are looking for an organic store-bought Alfredo sauce, Simple Truth Organic's Classic may seem like a good option. However, after tasting it, I wasn't impressed. It's not nearly as creamy and rich as other higher-ranked sauces on this list. I noticed subtle black pepper and garlic elements, but mostly I just tasted cream — which is pretty bland by itself. In addition, it lacked a salty element. The recipe includes parmesan but not Romano, so I'm guessing that doesn't help. Even so, I did notice a touch of stinky cheese (something I like). Interestingly enough, my friend who helped me sample Alfredo sauces immediately said it tasted artificial. I told him it was organic and he was shocked.

To make matters worse, Simple Truth Organic's Classic Alfredo Sauce cost about twice as much as the two options ranked lower. It isn't terribly expensive, but at $4.39 per jar, it's on the high end of the spectrum. For the most part, I expect organic foods to cost more than similar options that don't boast the same elite status. However, I want them to make up for the elevated price with delicious, natural flavor. That was not the case with this lackluster sauce. It tastes slightly better than the two previous products, but not enough to justify the cost.

With a label that says things like "made with fresh cream and "new great tasting recipe," I had to give Prego Homestyle Alfredo Sauce a try. Plus, Prego is a highly recognizable brand, so I wanted to know how it stacks up against its competitors. As you can see by its eighth-place position out of 11, it didn't do so great, but several are worse.

One of the best things about Prego Homestyle Alfredo Sauce is its low price (regrettably it's not the flavor). At $2.79 per jar, it sneaks in just under the three-dollar mark, and that's pretty reasonable. It isn't the cheapest, but it's far from the most expensive.

When I tasted Prego Homestyle Alfredo Sauce I thought it was a little bland. I got nice black pepper notes, something I like, but that's about it. When I read the label I noticed it contained parmesan, Romano, and cheddar cheese, but that was surprising. I couldn't detect any of the sharpness associated with cheddar. Really, I only picked up on the parmesan. Overall, I'd say it's fairly unexciting. My taste-testing friend said it is forgettable, and that's not something you'd say about a top-ranked Alfredo sauce.

Creamy and rich, Private Selection Classic Alfredo Sauce is a decent mid-range option. It has the beautiful creamy consistency and decadent taste you'd expect from an Alfredo sauce. Plus, it's infused with white wine and roasted garlic, which give it a deep and bright flavor overall. When sampling, I noticed it had a sweeter, more caramel-like flavor compared to other options. It also had a stronger herb taste than the sauces we've discussed so far. In addition, the velvety texture helps it cling to noodles with ease — no pools of sauce in the bottom of your bowl with this Alfredo. While it's pretty tasty, I wouldn't call it exceptional.

Private Selection is another Kroger brand, but it is their higher quality option, and the $4.39 price tag reflects this. Fortunately, the cost is not the only thing that's elevated with this product. Compared to the standard Kroger brand, Private Selection Alfredo Sauce does cost about twice as much, but it tastes significantly better too. It also has more flavor than the other products ranked lower, but there are still plenty of better options. With all this in mind, it is more than deserving of its seventh-place position.

Out of all the options I sampled, Ragu Classic Alfredo Sauce is the perfect candidate to bridge the gap between the lower and upper halves of this list. It's better than average but still doesn't measure up to the best store-bought Alfredo sauces. Basically, it only gets better from here, but let's not get ahead of ourselves.

The first thing I noticed about Ragu Classic Alfredo Sauce when I opened the jar was its thin consistency. When I gave it a taste, I noticed lots of cream and a little bit of black pepper. I think the potent cream flavor could be the reason behind the more watery texture. You can always add a dollop of mayo to make Alfredo sauce creamier, but still, it wasn't ideal. If I had to give this sauce a one word description I'd say it is passable, hence its middle-of-the-road ranking.

Ragu Classic Alfredo Sauce is priced at about $2.69 per jar, making it a great value. If you are looking to save some money but still want a good-tasting store-bought Alfredo, it makes an excellent choice. Private selection may have slightly better flavor and texture but Ragu's lower price bumped it up a spot when it came time to rank them all.

Buitoni Alfredo Sauce is a solid choice by any means. When I first tasted it I could tell right away that it was made with premium ingredients. It might even be comparable to some homemade sauces. The most prominent flavor is cream but it also contains both parmesan and Romano cheese, which give it a good bite and a pleasing level of salt. The texture is velvety smooth as well but compared to other options, not quite as thick. However, the thinner consistency makes it great for various applications, like elevating frozen pizza and smothering baked potatoes.

I really had high hopes for this Alfredo sauce, and it was yummy, but a couple of things contributed to its more mid-range ranking: It costs a lot (about $7.99) and since it must be kept in the fridge at all times, it's highly perishable. Honestly, it is probably deserving of a third or fourth-place spot on this list, but those two things dropped it down a considerable amount. Typically, jars of Alfredo sauce sit in my cabinet for several weeks — that's not possible with this sauce. In addition, the only sauce I think is worth $7.99 is my number one pick, and this sauce pales in comparison.

Next up is the fourth-place winner: Bertolli d'Italia Alfredo Sauce. Boasting Italian ingredients, like aged cheese, and fresh cream on the label, it has an elevated appeal that draws you in before you even get a taste. Once you do, you'll see why I chose to give it such a high ranking.

Bertolli d'Italia Alfredo Sauce is super creamy and smooth. It has lots of garlic flavor and a pleasing level of saltiness that lingers on the palate. Thanks to it containing both Pecorino Romano and parmesan cheeses, this sauce is also cheesy, something I seriously appreciate. In general, Pecorino Romano and parmesan can be used interchangeably, but the more potent taste of Romano helps cut through the rich creaminess of this Alfredo in a delicious way.

Bertolli d'Italia Alfredo Sauce is thought to be the brand's higher quality option, at least that's what I assumed when I saw it cost about $2 more than the basic Bertolli Alfredo Sauce. However, I didn't think the flavor was worthy of such a steep increase in price. It's pretty yummy and definitely belongs in the upper half of my list, I'm just not sure why it costs $5.49 per jar. It's almost like putting d'Italia on the label makes it fancier. Sorry Bertolli, it takes a bit more than that to justify paying so much more.

Coming in third place is Bertolli's Alfredo Sauce. It has lots of flavor, a reasonable price, and overall, is miles ahead of many of the other options on this list. The only exception to this is the other Bertolli product (which earned a fourth-place spot). I think they are pretty equal concerning flavor, but this sauce's lower price sets it ahead.

What I like most about this sauce is its buttery, creamy taste and texture. It is also a touch sweeter than other sauces, probably because sweet cream is one of the ingredients. I really enjoyed the level of saltiness as well. It was just enough to make the other seasonings, like garlic and white wine pop with flavor. Plus, it stuck to noodles exceptionally well, so no issues on that front. My only complaints about this sauce are that it didn't have a lot of black pepper and lacked Pecorino Romano cheese. Still, I enjoyed it very much.

At just $3.79 per jar, Bertolli Alfredo Sauce is a great option all around. It's not so cheap that you don't get quality, but not overly pricey either. I should also mention that my taste-testing friend wanted me to award this sauce second place, so you might like it a little more than me if you prefer a sweeter Alfredo sauce. Either way, it's definitely worth a try.

Classico's Creamy Alfredo Sauce is the winner of the second-best position on this list. It may not contain any Pecorino Romano, but it is creamy, cheesy, and deliciously salty all the same. The flavor profile is strong overall — no one could call it bland. When I sampled a bit I tasted lots of garlic and black pepper. It wasn't as peppery as cacio e pepe, but you certainly wouldn't overlook the seasoning. As noted, it also has a potent garlic flavor, but if you want even more, I recommend Classico's Roasted Garlic Alfredo Sauce. I didn't try it this time around, but I've had it before and it was super yummy.

As the name suggests, Classico's Creamy Alfredo Sauce is in fact creamy. It has a medium thickness so I was somewhat skeptical of how well it would cling to noodles. However, when I heated it up and tossed it with bow tie pasta I couldn't have been more pleased. It mixed in easily and didn't pool in the bottom of the bowl.

Classico's Creamy Alfredo Sauce only costs about $3.59 per jar, and I think that's an excellent price all things considered. It is much less expensive than my first-place pick, but it still didn't come nearly as close regarding flavor. Like I said, it's really tasty and much better than many other options (although some might think it's interchangeable with number three), but number one has it beat by a long shot.

The all-around best store-bought Alfredo sauce I sampled is Rao's Homemade. Somehow, it embodies everything you'd want from Alfredo. It's super rich and creamy and far from bland. As the label states, the sauce is more than 120 years in the making, and the difference in quality was apparent from the very first taste.

Rao's Homemade Alfredo Sauce is made with light cream, so it's not as thick as some of the other sauces on this list. Even so, it still clings to noodles quite well and has a delicious creamy taste and texture, so no complaints on my part. The recipe includes both black and white pepper, parmesan and Romano cheeses, and sea salt — and you get a nice taste of each in every bite. The saltiness is spot on, and in my opinion, it has the perfect blend of seasonings. Overall, the flavor is more savory than many of the other sauces on this list. It also has a more golden color to match its rich taste.

The only drawback to Rao's Homemade Alfredo Sauce is that you'll have to pay about $7.49 to snag a jar. However, the perfect blend of flavors, decadently creamy texture, and quality taste overall make it worth a few extra bucks. I mean, it almost tastes homemade or like a sauce you'd get from a nice restaurant. Even if you only splurge once in a while, there's no doubt Rao's Homemade Alfredo is the best store-bought option.

I'll admit, sampling 11 Alfredo sauces is right up my alley. Not only do I love pasta, but I'm one of those people that is borderline obsessed with cheese, so Alfredo sauce and I get along famously. While tasting so many store-but options was super fun and yummy, my love for the sauce made ranking them a bit trickier than you'd think. That's why I made sure to set clear criteria to make judging and comparing more straightforward.

I compared and contrasted the sauces on this list based on overall flavor, texture (how thick or thin it is), and price. Just so you know, my ideal Alfredo sauce would have a creamy texture and lots of flavor. I prefer a nice garlicky, peppery sauce with a bite and a salty aftertaste from the cheese. It isn't too thick or too thin, either. It should easily cling to noodles without pooling in the bottom of your plate or bowl. Of course, my personal preferences played a role in finalizing my ranking but I made sure to consider what other people like as well. In addition to me taste-testing each of the products on this list, my partner also tried them all.

After considering the criteria I set forth, my personal tastes, and a bit of feedback from my partner, the ranking just kind of fell into place. And I'm confident you'll agree with my assessment for each of the 11 store-bought sauces I tried. I recommend sticking to the top five picks. Now I just need to figure out how to use all of this leftover Alfredo sauce!