US Cooking Sauces, Pasta Sauces and Marinades Market Report 2025
2026-01-02T12:01:35+00:00
REPAA2F83DA_55DA_4448_8F8B_DFEE7DE245AB
3695
191350
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Report
en_GB
Usage of sauces or marinades is almost universal, with nearly nine in 10 people relying on packaged products. Yet only a quarter of users of sauces/marinades use more than once…
US
Oils, Sauces and Seasonings
simple
US Cooking Sauces, Pasta Sauces and Marinades Market Report 2025
"There is an opportunity to increase usage frequency in sauces/marinades. Flavor exploration, multi-use positioning and a focus on naturalness will support sales."
Richard Caines, Senior Analyst, Insights - Food & Drink
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
What you need to know
Outlook for cooking sauces, pasta sauces and marinades
Opportunities
Promote exploring new dishes/cuisines through sauces
Opportunity for brands with multi-use positioning
Tap interest in natural, minimally processed and simple ingredients
THE MARKET
Snapshot – market size and forecast
Consumers and the economic outlook
Consumer sentiment remains depressed
Graph 1: consumer sentiment index, 2022-25
More than four in 10 store-bought sauce users prioritize price
Inflation remains cool for now
Sales of sauces strongly linked to eating of pasta and cooking at home
Graph 2: cooking frequency (not using fully pre-packaged or prepared meals), 2025
Concerns about effects of processed foods
Slowdown in value sales growth for cooking/pasta sauces and marinades
Market size and forecast of cooking sauces, pasta sauces and marinades
Graph 3: total retail sales and forecast of cooking sauces, pasta sauces and marinades, 2019-30
Sales and forecast of cooking/pasta sauces and marinades at current prices
Pasta and pizza sauces see the strongest growth
Graph 4: total retail sales of cooking sauces, pasta sauces and marinades, by segment, at current prices, 2019-25
Campbell sales boosted by its premium brand, Rao’s
Company sales and share of cooking/pasta sauces and marinades
THE CONSUMER
Types of cooking/pasta sauces and marinades used
Pasta and barbeque sauces take the lead in sauce usage
Near universal usage of sauces/marinades; more people sometimes using homemade sauces
Graph 5: types of cooking sauces, pasta sauces and marinades used in the past six months, 2023 and 2026
Keep referencing being like ‘homemade’
Younger generations show lower use of packaged pasta and BBQ sauces
Graph 6: types of packaged cooking sauces, pasta sauces and marinades used in the past six months, by generation, 2026
Frequency of using cooking/pasta sauces or marinades
Frequency of using cooking/pasta sauces increases
Graph 7: frequency of using cooking/pasta sauces or marinades, 2023 and 2026
Younger people use cooking/pasta sauces most frequently
Graph 8: frequency of using cooking/pasta sauces or marinades, by age, 2026
Flavor exploration and authenticity
Strong interest in flavor exploration in sauces
Flavor innovation a good way for brands to increase usage frequency
Tap interest in experimentation with recipe discovery packs and campaigns
Graph 9: using cooking/pasta sauces or marinades to try new cusines or dishes, 2026
Authenticity is important to choice of sauces
Versatility in sauces and marinades
Versatility important to a third of store-bought sauce/marinade users
Communicate elevating taste and improving meals with sauces
Graph 10: attitudes towards using sauces/marinades, 2026
Highlight use with different ingredients, dishes and cooking methods
Naturalness and minimally processed products
Naturalness most important to younger generations and parents
Being seen as natural has a big influence on choice of packaged sauces/marinades
Communicate simple ingredients and clean labels
Strong demand for minimally processed, fresh products in sauces
PRODUCT, INNOVATION AND MARKETING
Premium continues to be a focus of NPD activity
Premium brands putting spotlight on naturalness
More 2025 launches of barbeque sauces with a focus on premium
More sauces using restaurant-inspired cues to elevate authenticity
Williams Sonama launches new collaboration with chef Aarón Sánchez
Few healthier claims in sauces go beyond no added sugar
Tomato the top flavor in cooking/pasta sauces by some distance
Graph 11: share of cooking/pasta sauces launches, by flavour component (top eight), 2020-25
Small number of global flavor launches outside top world cuisine choices
Storytelling, versatility and passion for bold taste feature in sauce campaigns
APPENDIX
Market definition
The market
Forecast methodology
Forecast methodology – fan chart
Market size and forecast of cooking/pasta sauces and marinades at current prices
Market size and forecast of cooking/pasta sauces and marinades at inflation-adjusted prices
Market size and forecast of cooking/pasta sauces and marinades by segment
Sales and forecast of pasta and pizza sauce at current prices
Sales and forecast of pasta and pizza sauce at inflation-adjusted prices
Sales and forecast of barbeque sauce at current prices
Sales and forecast of barbeque sauce at inflation-adjusted prices
Sales and forecast of tomato bases at current prices
Sales and forecast of tomato bases at inflation-adjusted prices
Sales and forecast of other sauces and gravy at current prices
Sales and forecast of other sauces and gravy at inflation-adjusted prices
Average annual household spending on cooking sauces, pasta sauces and marinades
Total US retail sales of cooking sauces, pasta sauces and marinades, by segment, at current prices
Value, average price and volume of multi-outlet pasta and pizza sauce sales
Value, average price and volume of multi-outlet barbeque sauce sales
Value, average price and volume of multi-outlet tomato bases sales
Value, average price and volume of multi-outlet other sauces and gravy sales
Sales of cooking/pasta sauces and marinades by channel
Company sales and share of cooking sauces, pasta sauces and marinades
Company sales and share of pasta and pizza sauces
Company sales and share of barbeque sauces
Company sales and share of tomato bases
Company sales and share of other sauces and gravy
Company sales and share of other sauces and gravy (continued)
The consumer
Consumer research questions
Consumer research methodology
Generations
Abbreviations
US Sauces and Marinades Market – Trends and Insights
Usage of sauces or marinades is almost universal, with nearly nine in 10 people relying on packaged products. Yet only a quarter of users of sauces/marinades use more than once a week, leaving a big opportunity for brands to drive more frequent usage on more days. Within sauces, homemade sauce usage stands at six in 10 people, meaning plenty of room for packaged sauce brands to gain a bigger share of meals served with sauces.
The inflationary spike of 2022 has had a lasting impact on consumers’ perception of their personal finances. Price is the most important factor in choosing store-bought cooking/pasta sauces or marinades. This aligns with savvy shopping behavior, although being a priority for less than half leaves plenty of room for pricier sauces, reflected in the growth of certain premium sauce brands.
Authenticity also plays a notable role with an authentic recipe important to 30% of store-bought sauce users, making this a key aspect in increasing a sauce’s appeal. Among those attaching importance to authentic recipes, 49% are interested in trying restaurant-inspired offerings, highlighting more opportunities for collaborations with restaurants or chefs.
This Report Looks at the Following Areas:
Performance of the market
Key trends in recent launch activity and future product development opportunities
Usage of different types of cooking/pasta sauces and marinades, and usage frequency
Occasions and purposes for using cooking/pasta sauces or marinades
Factors influencing people’s choice of store-bought products
Concepts of interest, including different flavors and less processed, fresh products
Attitudes towards cooking/pasta sauces and marinades
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