5 Absolute Best No Sugar Added Pasta Sauces
Homemade pasta sauce is delicious and fulfilling, but it can take up to a day to prepare! Thankfully, there are now jarred pasta sauces on the market that are great substitutes for the homemade stuff.
In the last few years, the quality of jarred pasta sauce has gone up significantly; there are now tons of options in flavors and brands and they are all fairly accessible.
Fortunately, these jarred pasta sauces are not only delicious, but they also help you when you need to throw together a quick, easy, and healthy meal in a matter of minutes.
So, what are the best no sugar added pasta sauces? The best no sugar pasta sauces have less than 4 grams of sugar, are low in sodium, and use high-quality ingredients.
Keep reading to learn what makes a store-bought pasta sauce worth buying, why ingredients in pasta sauce matter, and a reviewed list of the 5 best pasta sauces without sugar added on the market.
Things To Consider When Purchasing Jarred Pasta Sauce
As much as we would love to be able to whip up homemade pasta sauce whenever our pasta craving comes calling, it is truly unrealistic.
Now with such high-quality sauces on the market, making homemade sauce is not as necessary, especially when trying to whip up a quick and easy meal.
However, there are a few important features to consider when purchasing store-bought tomato sauces. They include:
Sugar Content
One of the biggest issues with most store-bought pasta sauces is the amount of sugar they contain.
Sometimes tomatoes can be extremely acidic and need a bit of sugar when making the sauce at home.
The problem is that you cannot control the sugar in a store-bought jar like you can at home.
And sometimes, these store-bought pasta sauces have nearly 12 grams of sugar per serving with four grams added. In reality, this amount of sugar isn’t always necessary to have a delicious tasting sauce.
So, when buying pasta sauce, make sure to check both the nutrition label and ingredient list for any extra sugar.
Naturally occurring sugar from the tomatoes is normal, but if you’re trying to avoid additional sugar in your diet, check the jar to see what else has been added!
Sodium
Another ingredient that tends to sneak into many foods, not just jarred pasta sauce, is sodium.
Many pasta sauces, and other foods for that matter, tend to be loaded with sodium.
If you’re trying to avoid extra sodium in your pasta, look for pasta sauces that have a low sodium content! Remember, you can always add salt to your sauces but you cannot take them out—especially when they are prepackaged!
Ingredient List
The last feature you need to consider before purchasing pasta sauce is the ingredient list.
For the best quality and tasting pasta sauce, it’s best to look for brands that use high-quality tomatoes and ingredients and don’t rely on any extra preservatives on additives in their sauces.
The 5 Best No Sugar Added Pasta Sauces Of 2021
Without further ado, here are the 5 best pasta sauces without any added sugar!
| Rank | Product | Best Feature |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Yo Mama’s Original Marinara Sauce | Best overall no sugar added pasta sauce |
| 2. | Rao’s Marinara | No added preservatives |
| 3. | Hoboken Farms Basil Marinara Gourmet Sauce | Delicious basil flavor |
| 4. | Primal Kitchen Alfredo Sauce | Amazing Alfredo sauce option |
| 5. | Barilla Rustic Basil Pesto | Great basil pesto option |
1. Yo Mama’s Original Marinara Sauce
Yo Mama’s Marinara is the most excellent jarred marinara sauce option on the market.
The ingredient list in Yo Mama’s marinara is quite simple with just 9 ingredients.
These include non-GMO tomatoes, onions, garlic, white wine, chicken stock, olive oil, basil, salt, oregano, and pepper.
Yo Mama’s promises the freshest ingredients and they most definitely deliver. You can taste the freshness of the tomatoes in this rich and delectable sauce.
With the addition of white wine, Yo Mama’s marinara tastes extremely close to the homemade stuff.
These ingredients make this a healthy option with only 2 grams of sugar and just 6% of the daily value of sodium.
This sauce fits in with many different lifestyles and diets like paleo and the keto diet.
2. Rao’s Marinara
Rao’s marinara is a great option for those who are looking for a classic marinara sauce. Rao’s is one of the best pasta sauce brands on the market.
The only ingredients in this pasta sauce are whole peeled tomatoes, olive oil, onion, salt, garlic, basil, black pepper, and oregano—that’s it!
Because Rao’s marinara has such high-quality ingredients both the sodium and sugar content are good for consumption.
The sodium is at 18% of the daily value, which compared to some other sauces, is quite good.
With no added sugar, Rao’s marinara has only 4 grams of sugar in a serving and it all comes from high-quality ingredients.
This sauce is fresh, delicious, and is also edible for those who are vegan or vegetarian, or those who follow a keto, whole30, or paleo diet.
3. Hoboken Farms Basil Marinara Gourmet Sauce
If you are looking for a marinara sauce with a little extra flair, this Hoboken Farms Basil Marinara is for you.
Where you can see a minimal amount of basil in the other marinara’s, in the Hoboken Farms bottle it is much more prominent.
The Hoboken Farms Basil Marinara also does not include additives or preservatives and it contains just 3 grams of sugar and 13% of the daily value of sodium.
One another perk to purchasing this pasta sauce is that it comes from a small family-owned farm in Hoboken. When you purchase this pasta, you get to support a family!
Hoboken Farms Basil Marinara is also vegan, vegetarian, Paleo, Keto, and Whole30 friendly.
4. Primal Kitchen Alfredo Sauce
If marinara is not for you and you are looking for a healthy alfredo sauce, Primal Kitchen is the brand for you.
The biggest perk to Primal Kitchens Alfredo sauce is that it does not contain any dairy at all.
However, it still has the rich and cheesy taste you expect when eating a traditional alfredo sauce.
The ingredient list is also simple containing water, cashew butter, tapioca starch, avocado oil, sea salt, roasted garlic, onion powder, pepper, lemon juice, citric acid, and nutritional yeast.
Though it may seem like an odd list of ingredients, with these included foods Primal Kitchen’s Alfredo sauce has an extremely low amount of sugar coming in at less than 1 gram of sugar.
In addition to just 15% of the daily value of sodium, this alfredo sauce is an excellent choice for those who want a healthier version of the delectable sauce.
Primal Kitchen’s Alfredo sauce is also vegan, vegetarian, and acceptable on the paleo diet.
5. Barilla Rustic Basil Pesto
If marinara or alfredo is still not what you are looking for, then this Barilla Rustic Basil Pesto may be a good non-sugar added choice for you.
The ingredients are relatively simple.
It is made with basil, sunflower oil, spinach, garlic, Grana Padano cheese, cashews, potato flakes, pecorino roman cheese, lactic acid, and yeast extract.
However, compared to the other sauces on the list this pesto is not as “natural.”
It is also the only sauce on the list that is not vegan friendly, and it does have a bit higher sodium content at 20% of the daily value. However, where it shines is its lack of sugar as it has 0 grams of sugar, the lowest on the list.
So, if for some reason sugar content is important to your health and dietary needs or marinara and alfredo sauces are not for you, this Barilla Basil Pesto is an excellent option.
Related Questions
Now that we’ve gone over some of the absolute best no-sugar pasta sauces, let’s take a look at a few related questions on the subject!
What is the best way to heat up jarred pasta sauce?
To keep the integrity and flavor of the sauce, it is best to heat it up on the stove in a pot. Make sure to heat up the sauce before adding it to your pasta to get the most flavor.
Also, only use a microwave if there is a time crunch. Cooking pasta sauce in a microwave can ruin both the flavor and texture of the sauce.
How long does jarred pasta sauce last?
Jarred pasta sauce can last from 6 months to 1 year in your pantry. However, all sauces will have an expiration date on their jar. Go by that date rather than when you purchased it.
In the fridge, opened pasta sauce can last between 5-7 days. You can also freeze leftover pasta sauce in your freezer for about 6 months.
Remember, to mark your pasta sauce in both your fridge and freezer so you do not forget the open date.
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