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Barilla and Classico pesto.
I tested six jars of pesto and ranked them from worst to best.

Chelsea Davis

  • I taste-tested six store-bought pesto sauces to find out which is the best.
  • Classico's was too oily for my liking, and Whole Foods' wasn't as cheesy as its contenders. 
  • Rana's sauce from the refrigerator section had the freshest, most traditional flavor by far.

Pesto is usually made with ingredients like pine nuts, basil, garlic, olive oil, and Parmesan cheese.

I tend to prefer when those ingredients are fresh in a homemade sauce, but I decided to taste-test six jars from the store to see if anything compared.

I tried each pesto with plain rigatoni and ranked them from my least favorite to my favorite.

6. Signature Select's traditional basil pesto sauce
Safeway's pesto on rigatoni.
I didn't like the tart flavor that Signature Select's pesto had.

Chelsea Davis

Aside from the sauce being a bit tart, I wasn't getting a ton of basil or pine-nut flavor.

It also didn't really have the fresh taste I prefer in a pesto.

5. Classico traditional basil pesto
Classico pesto on rigatoni in a bowl.
There were a lot of things I didn't really like about Classico's pesto.

Chelsea Davis

Classico's pesto had an oily consistency, and I didn't like the texture of the dried herbs.

It tasted heavily of anise and oregano, which I'm not a fan of. I also didn't like that the pesto didn't include nuts, which I think add a lot to the sauce.

But I appreciated the addition of garlic. Unfortunately, it just didn't do enough to save the overall flavor for me.

4. Whole Foods basil pesto
Whole Foods' pesto on a bowl of rigatoni.
I wasn't impressed by Whole Foods' pesto.

Chelsea Davis

The texture of Whole Foods' pesto was thick, and I thought it tasted minty compared to the other versions.

Although I could taste the cheese, there weren't any visible pieces of it to add to the overall texture.

3. Organics plant-based basil pesto
Organics' plant-based pesto and rigatoni in a bowl.
I wish there was cheese in it, but I didn't mind Organics' pesto.

Chelsea Davis

I enjoyed Organics' pesto. Since it's plant-based, though, it didn't contain any cheese. I found that I missed the texture and tang cheese can often add to a pesto sauce.

The flavor was a little bitter, but overall, it was a very standard sauce.

2. Barilla rustic basil pesto
Barilla pesto and rigatoni in a bowl.
Although Barilla's pesto was a bit oily, I didn't mind it.

Chelsea Davis

Barilla's rustic basil pesto — made with Italian basil according to the jar — was decent.

The sauce was a bit oily, like Classico's, but I thought it had a better mouthfeel. There was also a hint of citrus and added olives, which I enjoyed.

1. Rana basil pesto
Rana pasta and aa bowl of rigatoni.
Rana's pesto had a fresh taste and was cheese-forward.

Chelsea Davis

I found Rana's sauce in the refrigerator section of the grocery store, which gave me high hopes. Since it's not shelf-stable, I assumed the ingredients might be a little fresher.

There was a slight pineapple flavor in my first bite that was strange, but I didn't hate it. The fresh, citrusy flavor balanced out the rich oil.

It was also cheese-forward, which I was looking for.

The pesto was a little grainy but I liked the consistency, especially the added texture from the cheese.

If I were to use a store-bought pesto, Rana's would be the one I'd buy again. It tasted fresh, traditional, and balanced.

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I tried 6 jars of pesto from the store and ranked them from worst to best