The best store bought pesto is herby, garlicky, and nutty. It should be oily, but not too oily. The best jarred pesto doesn’t need to have cheese—but if it does have cheese, there should be a lot of cheese. Most importantly, the best pesto sauce in a jar shouldn’t have a weird, funky twang. (Seriously, what’s up with that, and why is it so common?)
How we picked the pesto
This is actually our third taste test of the best store bought pesto sauce, believe it or not. In our very first taste test, we mainly focused on classic basil pesto and explored a range of jarred, shelf-stable options. In our second, we branched more out into the refrigerated aisle for fresher (and frankly, tastier) pesto and picked up some fan recommendations. For this third taste test, we’ve found even more refrigerated options and tried a whole slew of red pesto, too.
How we conducted the taste tests
Did we try every pesto straight out of the container with a spoon? You bet we did. But before you judge us too harshly, know that we also tried them with fresh baguettes and crackers—and then, after eliminating the ones that were outright bad, we made a batch of spaghetti and tested them with pasta, too! We’re not complete heathens. Trust the process.
What we looked for in the best jarred pesto sauces
It’s important to acknowledge that “pesto” comes from the Italian word “pesta,” which means “to pound” or “to crush” in Italian. While classic basil pesto (“pesto alla Genovese”) is the most common kind, pesto can refer to any oil-based pasta sauce that’s conceivably been ground into a paste with mortar and pestle. Love that. True to form, the best grocery store pesto needs to taste fresh. We’ve noticed that most jarred basil pesto has a strange chemically sourness. Luckily, we found plenty of options for jarred pesto still worth purchasing—but we’d be lying if we said the fresh stuff from the refrigerated section wasn’t typically better. So without further ado, let’s take a look at the 15 best store bought pesto sauces we’ve found over the years.
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- La Pasta Basil Pesto
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With parmesan, romano, and other cheese cultures, this classic basil pesto from the Sprouts refrigerated section has an incredibly cheese-forward flavor. Texturally, it’s so cheesy that it’s almost creamy, with yummy bits of parm mixed in. A heavenly choice for parmesan freaks like myself. It’s still quite oily and easy to spread, but it isn’t very salty—a pro or con, depending on your pesto preferences. I can see it best store bought pesto to use as a base for creamy dips or hummus. —Ariana Losch
Credit: Liv Averett / Instacart
- Sweet & Spicy Pepper Pesto Barilla
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Most people don’t want their pasta sauce to taste like queso. In fact, most people would call that a perverse bastardization of what pesto stands for. I don’t know what to tell you—I’m not most people. This slightly spicy, sunflower-oil based pesto combines tomatoes, onion, oregano, chili peppers, and red peppers with pecorino romano and grana padano cheese. The fusion of Italian cheeses and spices you’d typically find in queso just works. It would be awesome stirred into mac and cheese or, honestly, just used as a dip for tortilla chips. —Ariana Losch
Credit: Liv Averett / Walmart
- Filippo Berio Sun Dried Tomato Pesto
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We’ve got two red pesto options on this list. While our favorite is a little harder to find, Filippo Berio’s Sun Dried Tomato Pesto is a shelf-stable staple (say that three times fast) in most major grocery stores like Walmart, Kroger, and Publix. The sun dried tomatoes are rich, tangy, and lightly sweet. It leans a little too oily, but that’s hard to escape when sundried tomatoes are involved. I brought this home to eat with over-easy eggs on toast, and it was a 10/10 experience. —Ariana Losch
Credit: Liv Averett / Walmart
- Cento Basil Pesto Sauce
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This is a classic pesto made with olive oil, Grana Padano, parmesan, pine puts, cashews, basil, and garlic. It’s got such a traditional taste to it, and I love the addition of the mild-but-still-nutty Grana Padano. The flavor here is tart, but still quite luscious and delicious. Cento typically makes their products by the book, and they excel because of it, making it one of the best jarred pesto sauces on grocery store shelves. —Danny Palumbo
Credit: Liv Averett / Amazon
- Mezzetta Basil Pesto
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Mezzetta basil pesto is bright green and features chunks of garlic, parmesan cheese, and lots of olive oil. It also has rosemary extract in its ingredients, and you can really taste it on the finish. To me, this rustic pesto begs to be spread on some toasted baguette points or eaten with a sandwich. It has a bold, sharp flavor with some enhanced herbiness due to the rosemary. —Danny Palumbo
Credit: Liv Averett / Walmart
- Barilla Creamy Genovese Pesto
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This may not be super high quality, but gosh darn is it delicious. It’s like creamy pesto butter; you could simply just spread this rich, creamy, and herbaceous pesto onto some crusty bread and go to town. Everyone here at Sporked really loved this for its rich, buttery, alfredo-like quality. Look, sometimes at home I make pesto with butter to enhance the luxuriousness of the spread, and this feels kind of like that. Barilla Creamy Genovese Pesto spread is more of a pesto sauce, not a pesto, but it’s great. —Danny Palumbo
Credit: Liv Averett / Amazon
- Seggiano Fresh Basil Pesto
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Seggiano is goopy and thick and has a prominent cashew flavor. This pesto is made with a blend of pine nuts and cashews, but the flavor of the latter shines through the most. That buttery cashew nuttiness is this pesto’s greatest strength. Besides that, this pesto tastes cheesy and herby and highly flavorful thanks to the nuts and other high-quality ingredients. For instance, they use fresh Ligurian basil that’s preserved in olive oil once it’s picked. The quality here is great. —Danny Palumbo
Credit: Liv Averett / Amazon
- Filippo Berio Tomato & Ricotta Pesto
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This tomato and ricotta pesto is totally not what you expect when you buy pesto, but it’s incredible. It’s creamy, bright, and a little tangy. The ricotta cheese comes through nicely, with creamy, soft curds and a unique flavor that sets it apart from the other tomato-based pestos on this list. Though different, this is definitely one of the best store bought pesto options you’ll find at the grocery store. I’d love to make a lasagna with it. —Jordan Myrick
Credit: Liv Averett / Amazon
- Mantova Vegan Basil Pesto
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This vegan basil pesto is amazing, and I think it has something to do with the fact that it’s made with potatoes and tofu. It’s just super creamy, herbaceous, and rich. The potatoes lend such a lovely starchiness to this pesto that makes it feel hearty and substantial. Without potatoes and tofu, this would feel too simple, light, and lacking. I really think this is genius stuff. Mantova Vegan Basil Pesto is closer to number one than you might expect, and makes a good argument for vegan food. The best jarred pesto absolutely doesn’t need animal products to be good. —Danny Palumbo
Credit: Liv Averett / Amazon
- Good & Gather Basil Pesto Sauce
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If you want good pesto without having to hunt for it, try Good & Gather. It’s affordable and delicious. You don’t have to have a membership card to buy it or wait four to seven days for it to arrive from a specialty website. It’s balanced, it’s fresh, and it’s a beautiful color. I would absolutely buy this again the next time I’m at Target and craving a pasta dinner. —Jordan Myrick
Credit: Liv Averett / Target
- Priano Rosso Pesto
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The balance of flavors in Priano Rosso Pesto is exactly right—which came as a big surprise, because we found their classic basil pesto pretty affronting (not sure why or how, but it tasted like pickle brine). This nutty, vibrant, tomatoey red pesto more than makes up for that, though. The two different cheeses, grana padano and pecorino romano, almost give it an umami depth and nutty saltiness that offsets the natural sweetness of the sundried tomatoes. We loved it, and think it’s worth the trip to Aldi to pick up! —Ariana Losch
Credit: Liv Averett / Aldi
- Buitoni Pesto with Basil
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I love Buitoni’s refrigerated pesto because it isn’t too oily. This pesto is a little chunky and a bit creamy. Plus, it’s super thick. This would obviously be great on pasta, but it would also be great on fish or chicken. Personally, I’d use this as a sandwich spread or plop a few dollops on top of a frozen white pizza after it was cooked. This pesto feels multipurpose, so I think you should have it on hand at all times. —Jordan Myrick
Credit: Liv Averett / Instacart
- Nuovo Pasta Classic Basil Genovese Pesto
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Y’all, this little gem of a pesto came out of nowhere. I don’t think we’ve tried anything else from this brand, but we better get on that! It’s a total flavor bomb (and salt bomb, but in a good way—the best jarred pesto sauces need to be salty). This comes from the refrigerated section, which is a green flag off the bat, and the ingredients taste incredibly fresh. It’s absolutely loaded with salt, olive oil, and garlic, which makes literally every bite stand out. I loved this over plain toasted bread alone, but you better believe I brought this home and made pasta with it for a full week. I just added lemon and pepper and happily lived off this stuff until it ran out. It’s literally restaurant quality. Definitely one of the best store bought pestos we’ve tried to date. —Ariana Losch
Credit: Liv Averett / Instacart
- Kirkland Basil Pesto
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Kirkland pesto has a cult following online, and it lived up to the hype. It’s just so rich, cheesy, earthy, and sebaceous. The olive oil is high quality, so it’s got that nice bit of fruity bitterness to it. The flavor of the pine nuts really shines through, and the Pecorino Romano adds such a lovely sharpness, too. It’s not overloaded with garlic, which is a mistake a lot of people make when they make pesto. This just has a pure nutty, cheesy, oily, and herby flavor. It comes refrigerated, and it uses D.O.P (Protected Designation of Origin) Genovese basil and Pecorino Romano. Hard to beat Kirkland basil pesto. In fact, you can’t. —Danny Palumbo
Credit: Liv Averett / Costco
Best Cheesy
Wildcard Pick
Runner Up, Best Red Pesto
Best Traditional
Best Secret Ingredient
Best Creamy
Best Alternative Nut
Most Unique
Best Vegan
Best Budget
Best Red Pesto
Best Thick
Runner Up
Best of the Best
Other Products We Tried
Classico Traditional Pesto, Barilla Rustic Basil Pesto, Private Selection Basil Pesto, Simple Truth Organic Basil Pesto, Freak Flag Tomato Pesto, DeLallo Simply Pesto, Rao’s Tomato Pesto, Rustichella D’Abruzzo Pesto Genovese, Whole Foods 365 Basil Pesto, Legano Vegan Pesto, Stonewall Kitchen Basil Pesto, Trader Joe’s Pesto, Rao’s Basil Pesto, De Cecco, Bolani Vegan, O Organics, Mantova Organic Red Pesto, Compagnia Sanremo Basil Pesto, Alessi Pesto, Prego Creamy Roasted Garlic Pesto Pasta Sauce, Prego Basil Pesto Sauce, Gotham Greens Classic Pesto Sauce, Spice World Pesto Italian Alla Genovese, Sprouts Organic Vegan Basil Pesto, Great Value Basil Pesto, Priano Genovese Pesto, Sprouts Sundried Tomato And Mozzarella Pesto, Bettergoods Pistachio Pesto
Kirkland pesto is the best! I’ve been using it for years.
How long does the Kirkland pesto last after opening?
Have you ever substituted Pesto on pizza? If you haven’t than give it a try topped with feta and sun dried tomatoes 👨🍳 (chefs Kiss)
Best store-bought in my opinion is definitely buitoni,, but that’s refrigerated so I don’t think it counts.
refrigerated counts – we had Kirkland number one.
I’ll add it to the list when we revisit these pestos. good catch. thanks!
100% agree. It is absolutely the best store-bought pesto!