The 17 Hands-Down Best Store-Bought Marinades For Grilling

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Nothing beats a marinade when it comes to tenderizing meats and adding tons of flavor. You can always use a simple ratio for easy marinades, but the most convenient way to incorporate it into your cooking is to pick up a store-bought option.

Scouring through the lineup of different flavor combinations, applications, and accents, we came up with the best store-bought marinades for grilling that will work with outdoor cooking at its finest. Taste was a top consideration and we specifically looked for those that had a good combination of savory, sweet, and spicy flavors.

Using marinades is easy. Simply let your food marinate for a few hours (or overnight for a real boost of flavor), then fire up the grill. You can count on one of these store-bought marinades to make your grilling tastier without much prep. Grab a bottle next time you're at the store, and you'll be chowing down on tasty chicken or savory steak in no time.

For a classic marinade that tenderizes and adds herby flavor, Lawry's herb and garlic with lemon is a pretty solid choice. It has the zestiness of Italian dressing thanks to a generous amount of herbs, including basil and thyme, and plenty of garlic. It's delicious on grilled shrimp, and also works nicely with poultry, making this marinade a great way to add more flavor to grilled chicken.

Lawry's herb and garlic with lemon marinade has a vinegar and lemon juice base, but the real flavor comes from what's added. Garlic and red bell peppers are chopped super fine, so you don't need to worry about large chunks and can focus on the flavors they bring instead. It also includes sugar and salt to balance things out. 

Using this marinade is the perfect way to add a bright lemon flavor to a variety of grilled dishes. One happy customer on Amazon said, "...the flavor was phenomenal — light citrus brightness with a bold garlic kick, grilling up beautifully!"

Another great teriyaki-style marinade comes from Kinder's, which was founded in 1946 by master butcher John Kinder. There are plenty of barbecue options, but the teriyaki brings something unique to your food.

You can use Kinder's teriyaki marinade and sauce up to 24 hours before grilling and slather it over everything from beef, chicken, and pork to vegetables. In fact, it pairs so well with various foods that it's a great option for kabobs. The marinade features soy sauce as the base, and includes sesame and ginger for an authentic teriyaki savoriness.

It's especially great for grilling because it's easy to use as a marinade and as a glaze while your food cooks, even as a tasty dipping sauce for your food after it's done. The versatility makes this my go-to marinade to keep on hand. Just be sure to use a fresh batch if you're going to dip, so that you don't run the risk of cross contamination. 

You can add Goya mojo criolle marinade to beef, chicken, or pork before you throw them on the grill. The orange and lemon juice base has a strong citrusy taste that also helps tenderize your meat before cooking. Garlic and spices, blended well into the marinade, bring in tons of extra flavor.

Mojo criolle traces its roots back to Cuba, where it adds savory flavor to meat and beans. Mojo criolle is a key ingredient that brings the signature taste to some of the best Cuban sandwiches in the U.S. But it's the bright and tangy citrus base that sets this marinade apart.

A reviewer on Amazon wrote, "For Latin-inspired grilling or cooking, this is a must-have!" Another customer shared the sentiment, saying, "Best to buy a few bottles cause you [will] want to soak all your meats in it!"

The tropical-inspired flavors of Lawry's teriyaki marinade bring in a ton of flavor to your grilling, which makes this a must-try if you like sweet-savory combos. It's made with pineapple juice, soy sauce, ginger, and garlic, and can be used on seafood, chicken, and vegetables. However, it's especially delicious with grilled red meat because the bright pineapple is a tasty counterpart to the savory protein. One customer uses this marinade on everything, including beef, pork, and seafood.

Aside from adding a sweet flavor, pineapple juice also helps break down the fibers in the meat, so this is a fantastic choice to tenderize tough cuts of beef. When you find one like this pineapple-heavy teriyaki that has an extra boost from spicy ginger and garlic, it makes the process even easier because everything is in one bottle. This marinade only requires 15 minutes to deliver the taste, making it a quick and easy way to imbue your food with that boost of flavor and tenderizing.

There is no shortage of delicious marinades from Allegro, but stick with original recipe for something super versatile for your grilled foods. You won't have to worry about a bottle sitting unused in your fridge because this one can be used with salad and pasta in addition to red meat, poultry, seafood, and vegetables on the grill. This is a true "marinate everything marinade," just as the motto says.

Soy sauce is the main and dominant ingredient in the Allegro original marinade and provides a boost of umami. Lime juice and vinegar add a bit of brightness, while garlic, a spice mix, and paprika add savoriness to this store-bought marinade. Allergro's original is a particularly well-balanced option that has just enough saltiness to enhance the natural flavor of your grilled food as well as add a little something extra. Customers rave about using it on everything from steaks to chicken to jerky.

Lawry's honey bourbon marinade is a unique option that brings in sweetness with just a little bit of a bourbon bite. You get a sweet yet savory caramelized flavor from the honey and a bit of warmth from bourbon in one tasty marinade. It also has the tiniest amount of kick from chipotle peppers, cloves, and garlic. It's balanced out with the sweet honey, however, so don't expect a five-alarm fire.

One great way to use this marinade is to add it to foil packets with chicken, pineapples, onions, and diced peppers, which is one customer's favorite way to use this sweet marinade. Allow it to marinate for at least 15 minutes before putting it on the grill. It also pairs well with salmon and creates a delightful, honey caramelized crust. When using this marinade with fruit and vegetables, look for firm ones like pineapple, bell pepper, and carrots that can take on the flavors of the marinade and become even more intense after grilling.

The Sweet Baby Rays lineup has some heavy hitters (just check out the our ranking of Sweet Baby Ray's flavors), but a lot of the sauces don't bring in the tenderizing aspect that a marinade does. By using Sweet Baby Rays garlic Parmesan marinade, you'll not only add a hit of flavor to your food, but your meat will also become tender before you put it on the grill.

The marinade has a creamy Parmesan base that sets it aside from others, plus garlic and cayenne red pepper, but it's far from spicy. Instead, you can expect saltiness from the cheese with some savory notes thanks to the garlic and onion powder used in the mix. If you want to really lean into the garlic and cheese combo, you can also spread it over your food after you're done grilling. This versatility makes this one of my own favorites because I can always find a use for the tasty combination of flavors.

Spicy ginger works well to bring some not-so-subtle flavor to the Makoto ginger dressing. Combined with onion and soy sauce, it adds a savory element to your grilled foods, while the tomato paste and sugar help balance out any spiciness. Ginger is very bold and the dominant flavor here, but if you want something with a slightly sweeter edge, try the Makoto honey ginger marinade instead.

Makoto's ginger dressing adds a sweet and spicy kick to grilled chicken, ribs, and seafood. Even your burgers can benefit from this dressing's flavors as you can mix it into the meat before forming patties, as well as baste them while grilling. Firm seafood like tuna steaks are tasty with ginger marinade and one fan on social media combined this marinade with a sesame seed crust for easy and tasty fish.

From the iconic soy sauce brand Kikkoman comes a tasty teriyaki sauce. Kikkoman's The Original teriyaki marinade and sauce adds sugar, wine, vinegar, salt, onion powder, and garlic powder to the standard soy sauce. Multiple happy customers noted that Kikkoman is the only brand of teriyaki-style marinade that they'll use because it adds such great flavor to their cooking.

With a strong soy base, this marinade works best with Asian dishes on the grill like yakitori or Korean barbecue. Although it can be a bit salty, it has an excellent umami flavor that is fantastically savory and rich. It also pairs well with sweeter grilling, like pineapples and peaches, which develop an even more intense sweetness through caramelization.

If you'd prefer a sauce that's a little less salty, you can also try the less sodium version, which has about half as much sodium as the regular Kikkoman marinade. There is also a gluten-free version available.

For seafood lovers who want a boost of flavor, Kelchner shrimp scampi marinade is excellent. It has a rich buttery flavor and an acidic twist thanks to lemon juice, while garlic adds that savory note, and sugar gives it the slightest sweetness. For grilled shrimp dishes, which work well with bright lemon and plenty of garlic, this marinade will bring in just the right taste. 

Chicken is another nice base for this marinade, as well as any firm fish, like tuna, salmon, trout, and mackerel, which are all types of seafood that belong on the grill. One reviewer on Amazon loves it on shrimp and raved about it, writing, "This sauce is soooooo GOOD!! [...] It is so light and flavorful." 

Although the other proteins are great, this marinade really shines with shrimp because they develop such a tasty crust when put on the grill. When grilling shrimp kabobs, be sure to put two skewers through them so you can turn them over more easily.

Most marinades work well by infusing top-notch flavor into your food over time. But Tony Chachere's garlic and herb marinade goes even deeper (literally) using an injector to get into your meat. All you have to do is load the included tool, stick it into your food, and press the plunger. It works best on firm flesh meat that won't fall apart when you inject it. You can use the marinade on steak or chicken, but many customers turn to this to add an extra boost to turkey, saying that it creates a rich and flavorful bird.

This marinade has a strong umami flavor with ingredients like anchovies, Worcestershire sauce, and garlic powder, and the roasted garlic adds nutty and buttery notes to steaks, burgers, chicken, and turkey. To complement the seasoning and add an extra boost of spice, you can sprinkle some Tony Chachere's seasoning (or a no salt or extra spicy version) over the food before or after grilling. 

Stubb's has some super tasty barbecue sauces that are perfect for basting, but don't overlook the collection of marinades as well. The citrus and onion, which is recommended by Stubb's for chicken, can boost flavor before you even begin cooking.

This marinade works well thanks to the combination of savory granulated onion and bright lime juice. A little bit of brown sugar balances things out, however, it isn't super sweet. The recipe also includes whole yellow mustard seeds, orange peel, and ground ginger for a sweet and spicy kick, as well as brown sugar and molasses, which add a bit of caramelization to grilled foods. There's a lot going on, but it's incorporated so well that all of the ingredients and flavors blend together beautifully.

Sweet and spicy combos are the hallmarks of great Jamaican jerk seasonings, so you know they're the cornerstone behind the full flavor of Grace jerk marinade. It has some heat from hot peppers, as well as warmth from nutmeg and allspice. The marinade is balanced out with a little bit of sweetness thanks to the brown sugar, while the soy sauce adds umami, making this a well-balanced jerk marinade with just enough kick. A combination of bright citrus and pineapple make it especially tasty on grilled savory meats.

One happy customer likes using it on chicken wings, writing, "We love marinating chicken wings overnight and then cooking them on the grill or smoker! Our friends and family go nuts for them!!" Another reviewer noted, "This is by far the best I've ever tried in a bottled marinade. GREAT heat and spice."

Stonewall Kitchen's Maple Chipotle Grille Sauce gives your food a hit of sweetness from the maple syrup, a little bit of heat from chipotle peppers, and warmth from curry powder. Soy sauce and tomato paste add savoriness and umami to the overall flavor. Although this marinade leans toward the sweet side, it isn't cloying and has a nice balance of flavors that works well with grilled foods..

You can put this marinade on just about anything, including pork, chicken, and shrimp, or even vegetables like mushrooms, peppers, and onions. In fact, customers rave about it, with one saying, "When I marinate chicken in this and then grill, the results are amazing." Another agreed, writing, "I use  this to marinate flank steak prior to grilling – it's a family favorite and requested often." 

For a classic marinade for red meat, stick with Lawry's Steak & Chop marinade. It has garlic for extra savory flavor, along with pepper, mustard, and caraway seeds for some extra spice. It's a nice balance of savory and bright, thanks to the small amount of lemon juice added as well.

The recipe is designed to highlight the meaty flavor of red meat like steaks and ribs, but it works equally as well on chicken and pork, which is what many happy customers use it with for a tasty, meaty dish. It is also an easy mix-in for ground meat to boost the flavor of your grilled burgers. It can work in as little as 15 minutes, an aspect that makes all of the Lawry's marinades extra convenient. 

Ken's Steak House Zesty Italian dressing makes an excellent marinade for all of your grilled foods. Crushed red pepper, onion, garlic, and lemon are added to an oil and vinegar base, which gives the savory dressing a zesty kick

This marinade isn't just a secret weapon for flavor, as the lemon helps tenderize meat, making melt-in-your-mouth tender cuts. Italian dressing makes the juiciest marinated steak and adds flavor while still letting the meatiness shine through. If you want to substitute veggies for meat, this Italian dressing makes wonderfully savory grilled mushrooms.

The herbs can settle a bit in the bottle, so give it a good shake before you pour it over your meat or veggies. The flavor it brings to your food is worth this extra step.

Brianna's Citrus Mediterranean marinade is great on chicken and seafood, but it makes a good topping on hearty vegetables like grilled cauliflower and potatoes as well. This tasty sauce is one of many Breanna's products that's big on unique gourmet flavors. One happy customer even called this one of "the best marinades I have ever purchased."

The recipe incorporates three different kinds of lemon ingredients — lemon juice, dried lemon, and lemon peel powder — to really bring the bright citrus flavor reminiscent of a Mediterranean vacation. The seasonings include oregano, basil, and rosemary for herbiness, plus orange juice, apple cider vinegar, and garlic puree to balance everything. This marinade is dairy-free, soy-free, and sugar-free, and also works with vegan and kosher diets. 

When it came time to make a list of the best marinades, taste was a top priority. We looked at reviews and relied on our own years of grilling (and eating) to highlight some favorites. 

Starting with some of the heavy hitters at the grocery store that have multiple recipes and flavors, we also looked for some lesser-known marinade brands with gourmet ingredients. Some of the recipes are designed to use on the grill, clinging well to steaks, chicken, and more. Others are more all-purpose, but added something extra when grilled thanks to caramelization over high heat. Because of this, many of the top picks featured extra sweetness like honey or molasses.