Our Absolute Favorite Victoria Pasta Sauce Isn't The Original Flavor

While undeniably convenient, jarred pasta sauce can vary quite a bit in terms of quality. Fortunately, we here at Mashed have your back when it comes to store-bought sauce selections. We ranked Victoria brand pasta sauces from worst to best based on factors like flavor and consistency, and the results surprised us. Victoria Vodka sauce ultimately reigned supreme, as our reviewer declared it "one of the best sauces I've ever tasted in my life."

For comparison, the classic Victoria Marinara sauce, which is created using "a generations-old recipe" (according to the Victoria website), landed third place. While this marinara sauce hit all the right notes for our reviewer, who praised its "great consistency" and "rich flavor," it simply couldn't beat the brand's vodka sauce. Vodka is a great addition to tomato sauce because it brings out the flavor of the tomatoes and herbs without imparting any flavor of its own, and it also creates a velvety texture by ensuring the cream and tomatoes integrate nicely in the recipe.

The Victoria brand is deeply committed to quality, as its line of sauces features natural ingredients without added sugar or preservatives. This dedication to quality shows why we gave top marks to Victoria over Rao's in a head-to-head taste test of each brand's pasta sauce.

According to our reviewer, Victoria got the balance of ingredients in its vodka sauce just right. With this sauce, you can expect "a perfect balance between the tomato flavors and the creamy consistency." The product has similarly glowing reviews over on Amazon. One customer wrote, "The flavor, freshness, thickness and overall taste was perfect," while another said Victoria Vodka sauce was "As close as you can get to being homemade."

As for what makes Victoria Vodka sauce the tastier choice compared to the brand's classic marinara, it's all about the bold flavors. In addition to flavor-enhancing liquor, Victoria Vodka sauce includes additional ingredients like whey protein concentrate and Romano and Parmesan cheeses for an added boost of flavor. Conversely, the brand's marinara only features basic sauce ingredients: imported tomatoes, olive oil, basil, garlic, onions, sea salt, and various spices. This list isn't even all that different from our easy homemade marinara sauce recipe.

Our reviewer explained that she typically avoids plain marinara when shopping for jarred sauce because "it usually ends up being underwhelming in both flavor and consistency." On the other hand, Victoria Vodka sauce received the distinction of being our reviewer's favorite sauce of all time, "not just out of all the Victoria sauces I've tasted, but on the market in general." Vodka sauce is a popular choice for pasta lovers, and with Victoria sauce, you can enjoy a delicious pasta dish without breaking a sweat.