HOW TO BUY THE BEST TOMATO SAUCE: 7 ITALIAN COMMERCIAL BRAND REVIEWS
If you ask an Italian, tomato sauce is like pure liquid gold. Finding the best tomato sauce (passata) to use is essential when you’re preparing to cook any dish. We know you can’t always make tomato sauce at home, so I’ve taste-tested the top commercial tomato sauce brands that you can find all over the world (mostly!) so you can buy tomato sauce like an Italian.
All these brands are made in Italy with locally grown tomatoes. I am taste testing these Italian tomato sauces on YouTube by the spoonful first and then, of course, spread on my freshly made no-knead Ciabatta.
Watch how to buy Tomato Sauce:
How to Buy Tomato Sauce Like an Italian (You Must Watch This)
Lets get into it starting with:
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Muraca
Muraca is a brand known for its quality. It has no sugar added, reduced salt, and is made with their own farm produced tomatoes. This is the definition of true passata – pure Italian tomato puree. I love this! It reminds me of Nonna’s cooking and beautiful memories. This is a purely delicious product that has a real “made the day before” taste. The only reason it does not get a 10 is because 10s are reserved for homemade tomato sauce!
Score: 9/10
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Granoro
A commercial brand that makes a variety of products including pasta, Granoro promotes front and center the fact that they only use Italian tomatoes. Much higher in salt than Muraca, Granoro adds in salt as well as citric acid as an acidity regulator to their ingredient list. The smell to me is just a little different to what I was expecting. The sauce is denser and has a more commercial look. The tomato flavor isn’t as bold as I think it could be. What lacks could be made up for in a full recipe, but stand alone, it’s good quality, just not my favourite.
Score: 5/10
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Cirio
Cirio is also known for being a great brand. It’s rustic and much thicker than others. It does have citric acid but no added salt or sugar. I personally have used Cirio maaaany times but this is my first time scoring it. It falls in between the previous two brands for the strength of its tomato aroma. It has a little higher acidy level but with its chunkier texture and great flavour, it’s all around good.
Score: 7/10
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La Molisana
They make one of my current favorite commercial pasta! For the ingredients in La Molisana tomato sauce, it contains both added salt and citric acid. The package says “fresh taste” and the first impression is that it is incredibly fresh. It’s thick, dense and despite still being able to taste a little acidity, overall, it is just really tasty. It would be great for pasta, chicken, meatballs or pizza.
Score: 7/10
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Mutti
If you’re Italian, you know Mutti. They are the most popular commercial Italian tomato sauce brand. They’re the Barilla of Italian passata – you can find them anywhere. The ingredients are simply tomatoes and salt which is impressive for such a big brand. Vibrantly red, its color definitely stands out from the rest and it has a beautiful and strong smell of tomatoes. Though not as sweet as Muraca, it’s a very uniquely smooth sauce that is velvety and delicate.
Score: 7.5/10
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Pomi
Loved in Italy, Pomi is processed within a few hours after crop. But if you’re avoiding salt, this might be the brand to avoid when it comes to tomato sauce. It contains the most salt so far at 250mg per serving. However, the ingredients are only pure tomatoes and salt. I have a lot of good things to day about this one – smooth, fresh, velvety, delicate, sweet Italian tomatoes. It’s really good and tasty.
Score: 8/10
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Divella
Divella was a leader in tomato sauce in the 80’s and 90’s. They lost some of their popularity when they became too commercial and changed their quality. Also simply tomatoes and salt, the tomatoes have a naturally thick texture. All the tomato seeds are in the sauce but it’s a little watery in texture, especially when compared to others. It has a fresh, real tomato taste with good flavor and smell. Overall, a nice sauce.
Score: 7.5/10
When It’s Time to Buy Tomato Sauce
When you are at the store and thinking, “Is all tomato sauce the same?” remember these brands. How to choose tomato sauce can be overwhelming but if you start with where it was produced and then go down the ingredient list, you’ll be able to find the perfect tomato sauce for your next Italian recipe.
Watch My Reviews on YouTube
How to Buy Tomato Sauce Like an Italian – You won’t want to miss it! Plus, we want to know if you’ve tried these yet or if you have an Italian tomato sauce brand we should try next.
Disclaimer: This is an honest opinion piece by Vincenzo’s Plate. These reviews were not sponsored.
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I can’t find Muraca anywhere, but I’m very partial to the Mutti Sugo Semplice with Basil. I can just about drink this stuff out of the bottle!
Any idea where to find Muraca on the Mornington Peninsula?
I’m glad to hear that you enjoy Mutti Sugo Semplice with Basil, it’s a delicious tomato sauce! As for finding Muraca sauce on the Mornington Peninsula, I would recommend checking local Italian specialty stores or gourmet food markets, as they may carry it.
Dear Vincenzo. I live in Belgium. I would love to try Muraca and Pomi but none of them seem to be available here 🍅☹️ Of the brands you mention only Cirio and Mutti are available here. On the other hand, a brand that you find everywhere is Elvea. Do you know this brand and how would you rate it compared to all the others? 😳 Thanks in advance for your reply! 😃👍
Muraca brand is hard to find in our local supermarkets, but Mutti and Cirio are generally available if you look closely. So many passatas in Germany contain Chinese tomatoes. Germans tend go for .price over quality… 🙁 ).
Btw: love the t-shirt. A slogan for the next one: “No peas in carbonara, Gordon!”
Mutti and Cirio are both great brands, I’m actually having lots of compliments from those brand and people are actually saying that it’s affordable and the taste is exquisite. Definitely worth trying out! By the way, the T-shirt slogan suggestion is amazing. I’d love to have that on my collection, someday.
I live in Ontario, Canada (Italian) I can get most of the brands at my local Italian specialty store but not Muraca. I would love to try it.
You’re so lucky that you’re able to buy these amazing brands locally. Give it a try and let me know how it all goes.
Molisana! In the Netherlands is Molisana the best. Also use pasta’s from Molisana.
The quality of the pasta truly makes a difference in the final dish. Whether it’s Molisana or any other brand, using high-quality pasta enhances the overall dining experience.
I loved your production of how to buy THE BEST TOMATO SAUCE for HOME. » HOW TO BUY TOMATO SAUCE
(How to buy Tomato Sauce Published On March 12, 2023 In Italian By Vincenzo Prosperi)
What about the Italian CENTO FOODS Crushed Passata? Love the no sugar added and low sodium aspect, Please comment, Thank you.
Love to watch you cook !!!!!!
Regarding CENTO FOODS Crushed Passata, it’s an excellent choice with the no sugar added and low sodium features—fantastic for a wholesome sauce. I appreciate your support and love having you in the kitchen with me! Stay tuned for more delicious recipes. Happy cooking!