It's nearly fall, which means it’s almost time to dust off the soup pot, pull out the casserole dishes and start thinking about cozy food. This time of year can be a little challenging in the kitchen because summer's wrapping up, back-to-school season is on the way (or already here for some folks) and you're probably juggling approximately 100 tasks. You want and need something quick and easy, but also comforting.And that's where Alfredo sauce—especially store-bought Alfredo sauce—comes in. It's the perfect shortcut ingredient for right now. Pop open a jar on those nights when cooking feels like a complete chore but you don't want to do takeout. It's a nice break from regular old marinara and the creamy, silky, cheesy pasta sauce is the perfect ingredient to take you from late summer into early fall.Your biggest challenge? Figuring out which brand to buy. Some Alfredo sauces are rich and decadent; others lean a bit lighter and thinner and some can very well be mistaken for mac and cheese sauce (not necessarily a bad thing).Armed with a few boxes of fettuccine and more than a few jars of sauce, my taste testers and I slurped our way through some of the most popular Alfredo sauces, from budget-friendly store brands to splurge-worthy gourmet jars. Our mission was simple: find the best jarred Alfredo sauce.We ate our way through 13 different jars looking for that perfect balance of Parmesan richness, buttery smoothness and just the right hint of garlic. Read on for all the info you need to know before your next pasta night.Related:I Made Pasta With 11 Store-Bought Pesto Sauces and the Winner Was Abundantly Clear?? SIGN UP to get delicious recipes, handy kitchen hacks & more in our daily Pop Kitchen newsletter. ??
What Is Alfredo Sauce?
Classic Alfredo sauce originated in Rome. In 1907, chef Alfredo di Lelio noticed his wife wasn’t eating after giving birth to their son, so he whipped up some buttered noodles and went heavy-handed with the butter, tripling the normal amount, and tossed in Parmigiano Reggiano with a splash of pasta water. The result was rich, silky fettuccine that she loved. By 1914, Alfredo had opened his own restaurant in Rome, where Alfredo sauce was the house specialty. American movie stars who ate across the Atlantic begged their favorite restaurants back home to start making this super-easy sauce, and they listened. Over time, the recipe has changed slightly and Americans added heavy cream, and sometimes even flour, making it thicker, richer and far heavier than Alfredo’s original version. It’s the velvety Italian white sauce we've come to know and love in pasta bakes, lasagna and even as a dipping sauce for breadsticks.Related: 101 Classic, Simple and Easy Pasta Recipes That Are Worthy of Dinner Tonight
How I Tested These Jarred Alfredo Sauces
I grabbed as many jars as I could find from local Chicago grocery stores, ranging from affordable Aldi right on up to pricier specialty grocery stores. I invited over a couple of friends for a fettuccine party and we tasted each sauce blind, using a Google form to capture our thoughts before the big reveal at the end. I warmed all the sauces and portioned them into identical little bowls labeled only with a number. We tried each one on its own and again spooned over plain fettuccine. If anyone wanted a second taste after finding out the brand, we went back in for round two. The only refrigerated sauce in the bunch was from Whole Foods Market—the rest were shelf-stable jars. Our rankings are based on flavor, texture, seasoning balance, price and overall deliciousness.As far as ingredients go, many of the sauces were comparable. Many labels listed milk or cream, water, Parmesan cheese, egg yolks and butter. Generally speaking, the more expensive brands had fewer additives and used more cream than water, and the cheaper brands used less cream and more water and included more stabilizers, thickeners and additives.Related: I Tried 13 Different Brands of Spaghetti and Found a New Favorite
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13 Popular Jarred Alfredo Sauces, Ranked Worst to Best
13. Bertolli Alfredo Sauce
I was excited that there was aged Parmesan in this sauce, but once I tasted it, things went south quickly. Samantha called it "not good. Very sour and weird texture. My least favorite. Sticky and slimy." Maddie found it "too salty. I couldn’t eat more—it felt dehydrating—but the texture was good." I didn’t even sugarcoat my thoughts: "Sour. Foul. I hate it." All three of us ranked it in our bottom picks, proving that even good cheese can’t save a bad base. $4.99 for 15 ounces
12. Walmart Great Value Classic Alfredo Pasta Sauce
Budget-friendly? Yes. Widely available? Yes. Palatable? Not really. Samantha thought it was "tangy and sour. Not good. Not great flavor. [I know it's] Walmart!!!" Maddie agreed it was "a little sour and salty. Almost like it’s spoiled." I thought it was "tangy but sour. Not the best." $2.00 for 16 ouncesRelated: The Secret Ingredient for Making Jarred Alfredo Sauce Taste Like it Came from an Italian Restaurant
11. Aldi Priano Creamy Alfredo Sauce
Aldi’s offering in the Alfredo department turned out to be the very first sauce in our taste test, but didn't quite get us excited to try more. This one earned some faint praise from Samantha: "Pretty good! Good mix of flavor and cheese-to-cream ratio. Seasoned well. Buttery." Maddie disagreed, calling it "way too salty…nice velvety texture but it dries my mouth out." I thought it was "peppery and thin." For the price, it’s fine, but not memorable. $1.89 for 15 ouncesRelated: People Love Aldi Chocolate Bars—We Ranked Our Top 10
10. Ragú Classic Alfredo Sauce
We weren't crazy about this grocery store staple. Samantha said: "Not great but not terrible. Very salty. Tastes like from a can." Maddie summed it up as, "tastes like milk and pure garlic. Not tasty." I thought it was underseasoned. We all agreed there wasn’t much here worth going back for. $3.99 for 16 ouncesRelated: The Simple Summer Pasta That Chef Andrew Zimmern Calls ‘Heaven in a Bowl’
9. Classico Extra Creamy Alfredo Pasta Sauce
This option wasn't terrible, but definitely not our favorite. Samantha thought it was "salty but not much else going on flavor-wise." Maddie said it was "missing something…buttery aftertaste but reminded me of ranch." I thought this one had "no tang at all, and is really thin. Balance of salt is OK…the one I’d eat at a big family dinner if someone else bought it." $4.99 for 15 ounces
8. Newman’s Own Alfredo Sauce
Landing in the middle of the pack, Newman’s Own is as standard as it gets. Samantha found it "pretty good balance…not as rancid as some." Maddie thought it had "way too much butter…but better texture than flavor." I said it was "kinda salty and non-descript. Standard sauce." $4.79 for 15 ouncesRelated: The Italian Home Cook Trick for Making Creamy Pasta Sauce Without the Cream
7. Sprouts Farmers Market Classic Alfredo Pasta Sauce
This one was pretty divisive among the three of us. Samantha said it had "sort of classic flavor, but not my favorite. Strong flavor, sour to taste. But very buttery." Maddie and I both thought it tasted slightly blue cheesy and pungent, although very smooth and buttery. If you like a pungent sauce, you might want to give this one a try. $6.99 for 14.5 ounces
6. Carbone Alfredo Sauce
This was the most expensive jar, and it showed in the flavor. Samantha found it "very cheesy! Well flavored. Felt luxurious." Maddie liked "the silky texture but ultimately thought it had too much garlic and butter. I thought it was "super cheesy, almost mac-and-cheese-like. Very beige in color." It’s indulgent, but maybe not worth the splurge unless you really love garlic. $11.19 for 15 ouncesRelated: The Italian Way to Make the Best One-Pot, No-Boil Spaghetti
5. Whole Foods 365 Creamy Alfredo Sauce
The smallest container of sauce packed a big punch of flavor. Samatha noticed right away that this one looked different: "You can see the cheese bits. Sour and so much Parm. Not my favorite." Maddie thought it "tastes like Parmesan…very creamy." I said it was "all Romano. Not too salty at all but a bit thin." This one gained points in the ingredients list (super short) but lost points because it was one of the more expensive ones and also the smallest (in ounces) in the bunch. $6.79 for 8 ounces
4. Prego Homestyle Alfredo Sauce
Creamy, yes, but was it missing something? Samantha praised its "good seasoning and flavor...bright and airy while feeling substantial." Maddie thought it was "too creamy and missing spices." I said it was "pretty good, very creamy! Perfect balance of salt and cream." (When we revealed the brands, I was actually surprised by how much I liked this one.) This is a safe choice and available at pretty much every grocery store, which is a bonus. $6.69 for 22 ounces
3. Rao’s Homemade Alfredo Sauce
This was one of the richest and most satisfying sauces in our lineup. Samantha called it "very good! Very cheesy. Tangy and rich." Maddie said it was "so good!…[creamy] taste and glossy texture." I found it "so cheesy…very peppery." It was almost perfect, but was just edged out by the last two because of its pretty high price point. If you're in the mood to splurge, grab this one. $9.99 for 15 ouncesRelated: I Tried 24 Rao's Sauces and the Winner Tastes 100% Homemade
2. Target Good & Gather Alfredo Sauce
Some things in life should be simple, like a jar of Alfredo for less than $3 that's this good. Samantha said it was "very good. Cheesy and balanced. Silky and fresh tasting." Maddie praised it as "cheesy and garlicky…nice balance of all flavors." I thought it was "a little garlicky…very balanced and I actually don’t hate it." $2.39 for 15 ounces
1. Trader Joe’s Alfredo Pasta Sauce
We all loved this sauce from our neighborhood TJ's. It was creamy, nutty and well-balanced, which landed it in our top spot. Samantha said it was "very delicious and creamy…great blend of both cheese and cream flavors." Maddie called it "really soft and garlicky…my favorite so far." I said it was "creamy and mild, non-offensive, thicker than the others." It's affordable, flavorful and it's the sauce we’d all happily buy again. $3.29 for 16.9 ounces
Related: We Baked Cookies With 10 Different All-Purpose Flours and the Winner Won By a Landslide
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