I Splurged on 7 Sauz Pasta Sauce Flavors and Ranked Them

Sauz came out swinging with millennial-friendly bold colors and a selection of fonts on its labels, creative pasta sauce flavors, and even merch (including a collab with Ian Charms and a lip balm made with California Naturals). With their sauces priced at around $10 a jar, it seemed to me like this small-batch sauce company was coming for Rao’s and vying for the title of splurge-worthy pasta sauce. Did they do it? I tasted seven Sauz pasta sauce flavors to find out. (Yes, I know there’s more than seven Sauz flavors, I’ll update this list as I continue to taste the new Sauz sauce flavors). 

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If you’ve been seeing jars of Sauz pasta sauce on the shelves of your local slightly more expensive supermarket but have been too nervous to pull the trigger on a $10 or even $12 sauce, read this list. You’ll find out which Sauz sauce to buy and which Sauz flavors to leave behind. 

7 Sauz Pasta Sauce Flavors, Ranked

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Creamy Calabrian Vodka

Sauz Creamy Calabrian Vodka

Amazon

Ever tasted a vodka sauce and thought, it’s fine, but what if I just poured in a little more vodka? And then you dumped in an extra quarter cup? That’s what this Sauz vodka sauce tastes like. I love the concept of this sauce—big fan of Calabrian peppers over here—but the execution leaves a lot to be desired. The texture is right. It’s creamy and thick. But the flavor is all wrong and way too vodka heavy.

Credit: Liv Averett / Amazon

Rating:

4/10

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Cracked Pepper & Parmesan

Sauz Cracked Pepper & Parmesan

Amazon

I love cracked black pepper. I’m cranking my grinder over everything. Why? Not just for spice. I like the flavor of pepper. This Sauz sauce brings the heat of black pepper, but not enough of the flavor. And the parm in the mix tastes more like you just stirred a bunch of that canned powdered parmesan into it. It ends up tasting kinda of old. While it’s not necessarily bad, it’s certainly not worth the price.

Credit: Liv Averett / Amazon

Rating:

6/10

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Hot Honey Marinara

Sauz Hot Honey Marinara

Amazon

I’ve been pretty vocal about my thoughts on the oversaturation of hot honey-flavored things. But I think this hot honey Sauz marinara is a success. When you take a bite you get an immediate sweetness and burst of spicy heat before it settles into a sundried tomato vibe. And it has a really nice creamy quality. But what the heck is this for? It’s too sweet to put on pasta. It might be good on a nouveau-style homemade pizza, or I could also see this as a dipping sauce for mozz sticks or breadsticks. But it’s a big jar of expensive sauce—I can’t imagine ever using the whole thing.

Credit: Liv Averett / Amazon

Rating:

7.5/10

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Miso Garlic Marinara

Sauz Miso Garlic Marinara

Amazon

When you first take a bite of this super rich and creamy Sauz marinara you’ll think, huh, there’s something different in there. Would you immediately know it was miso? I don’t think so. It’s more like sesame or soy—it’s hard to put your finger on. I wish they would go harder on the actual miso flavor because I think that could be delightful and a real statement sauce. Still, I really do love how creamy this sauce is (if you’ve been following along, Sauz sauces are all wonderfully creamy, regardless of flavor) and if you’re looking for the most “traditional” Sauz marinara, I think this would be it.

Credit: Liv Averett / Amazon

Rating:

7.5/10

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Brown Butter Alfredo

Sauz Brown Butter Alfredo

Sauz

There is no denying that this is a brown butter alfredo. It has that distinct nutty brown butter flavor, along with a pleasant herbal quality. It’s thick (really thick) and clings to noodles. It tastes kinda fancy and expensive (which, I guess, it is). Yes, you can tell it’s not homemade, but if you’re searching for a new jarred alfredo to try, this is for sure worth the cash.

Credit: Liv Averett / Total Wine

Rating:

8.5/10

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Wild Rosemary Marinara

Sauz Wild Rosemary Marinara

Amazon

The top two Sauz pasta sauces on this list are so good they are also on our ranking of the best marinara. This one has a heavy rosemary flavor but it’s a fresh rosemary flavor. It’s simple, but distinct and unique. It’s a great dip, but it’d also be good on pasta with some seasonal vegetables or even on a pizza—it’s definitely thick enough and oily enough.

Credit: Liv Averett / Amazon

Rating:

9/10

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Summer Lemon Marinara

Sauz Summer Lemon Marinara

Amazon

This is the one Sauz pasta sauce that I really, truly think you should buy. It tastes like it was made with homemade preserved lemon. It’s bright and zesty and oily and rich and umami. It’s slurping down spaghetti alla frutti di mare in a little seaside restaurant on the Amalfi Coast. Sauz may not be a must-buy brand, but it did make this must-buy sauce. It’s the best Sauz sauce, no question.

Credit: Liv Averett / Amazon

Rating:

10/10

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