Why Rao's Sauce Is So Expensive Compared To Other Brands

Sometimes it feels like half of your grocery shopping trip is spent comparing prices of the items. For the most part, name brands are considered pricey while in-house store brands are considered cheap — just browse the jarred tomato sauce section. You'll see jars priced anywhere from $2 to $8, and you might snag a good deal if you spot a sale. Rao's sauces are almost always going to be pricier than most other brands, selling for around $7 per 24-ounce jar. The reason it's more expensive is a combination of name recognition and better-quality ingredients.

The Rao's name has been producing food products since 1886, when Italian-born Charles Rao immigrated to New York City and opened a tavern. More than a century later, Rao's began packaging its sauce because people wanted to dine at the restaurant but couldn't get a reservation. This brought the iconic New York City Rao's sauce right into people's kitchens with a line called "Rao's Homemade," and as an avid sauce lover, you'll be able to taste the difference in quality between Rao's and other store-bought brands. Plus, it's one of the highest-ranked marinara sauces on Chowhound's list.

Rao's had been making sauce for decades before packaging it, so the experience in creating quality sauce was already there. However, to maintain its favorable reputation, the brand sourced higher-quality ingredients than those found in other jarred sauces. According to Rao's website, the sauce is cooked in small batches. It's slow-simmered and uses ingredients imported from Italy, including naturally ripened tomatoes from Italy's southern region and pure Italian olive oil. Rao's also omits unnecessary ingredients that other jarred sauce brands include, such as citric acid or canola oil. Its recipe doesn't include tomato paste, tomato blends, or other fillers like water and sugar.

The texture of Rao's speaks to its quality, too. It has small chunks of tomato in it, giving it a more natural, homemade feel compared to a thin, watery sauce. If you're looking for a quick, inexpensive meal, there's no harm in going with a more affordable brand, and there are some second-place sauce options sold at a lower price. Rao's is the store-bought sauce that chefs like Ina Garten turn to when they need the taste of homemade sauce without waiting hours for it to simmer on the stovetop. Sometimes the cost of convenience and quality really is a higher price tag.