Our Least Favorite Jarred Alfredo Sauce Is From A Popular Grocery Store

When looking for a quick weeknight dinner, it's hard to pass up an easy bowl of pasta with a jar of sauce. There's a reason we reach for creamy, rich Alfredo sauce on rough days — its easy deliciousness is a comfort. Most stores will have many brands for you to try, and each will vary in flavor, texture, and price. However, in Food Republic's ranking of 11 store-bought alfredo sauces from worst to best, Kroger Traditional Alfredo Sauce came in dead last.

Taste-tester Emily Alexander called it "underwhelming at best" and noted that Kroger's was, without question, the worst sauce she tried. It had a subtle garlic flavor but also had a distinct chemical taste and overall blandness. The ingredients list has water, soybean oil, cream, and modified corn starch all listed before it gets to "Parmesan cheese," which may go some way to explain the lackluster taste. In fact, the only spices used are salt, black pepper, and garlic powder, so it's no wonder the sauce is a bit bland.

The only good thing about this Kroger sauce is its price: just $2.19. But even so, it's better left on the shelf. You could add some additional seasonings to spruce things up a bit, but that defeats the purpose of a quick, simple meal made with minimal fuss. 

The best all-around Alfredo sauce in a jar should be super rich and creamy and far from bland, even when going with an original flavor — without additional garlic or peppers. One great option is Rao's Homemade Alfredo Sauce, which comes from a 120-year-old recipe and is made with light cream. A good Alfredo sauce should cling to noodles well and have a delicious taste and texture. Including salt and pepper is paramount, as well as both Parmesan and Romano cheeses.

The Rao's jar sauce comes in at just over $7 jar, but the quality makes it worth the extra dollars, Alexander wrote, with a creamy taste and lightly golden color. Other good options are the Classico Creamy Alfredo Sauce and the Bertolli Alfredo Sauce with Aged Parmesan Cheese. Both have lots of flavor at a reasonable price.

Of course, you can make your own Alfredo sauce or upgrade a store-bought sauce, but that would defeat the purpose of grabbing a jar of sauce when you're already strapped for time. Choosing a tasty, budget-friendly jarred version can make a "blah" day better. You can use every scrap of leftover Alfredo sauce to upgrade dips, too — don't toss that gooey deliciousness away!