The Ultimate Ranking Of Canned Tomato Brands

Canned tomatoes are a pantry staple, a handy alternative when you don't have fresh tomatoes or need to quickly whip up a pasta sauce. But with so many options available, choosing which one to buy can feel overwhelming. Do you go with whole tomatoes? Diced? San Marzano? Roma? And maybe the biggest question is, does it even matter, or are all canned tomatoes the same?

The good news is that canned tomatoes are extremely versatile and in most cases, are fine for any recipe you want to create. Most canned tomatoes are Roma tomatoes. Today's Roma tomatoes descend from a cross of San Marzano and other tomato varieties. Romas are inexpensive, easy to grow, and widely available.

San Marzano tomatoes, another popular choice, are commonly touted as the best of the best, and their price tag reflects their high demand. However, picking out the perfect can of these vaunted tomatoes can cause some confusion. San Marzano is a type of tomato, but it's also a location in Italy. For an authentic Italian San Marzano experience, you'll want to look for a can that has the "DOP" designation. DOP means Protected Designation of Origin, and guarantees your tomatoes are genuine San Marzanos grown in the San Marzano region of Italy.

Here are 13 brands of canned tomatoes, ranked from worst to best, using factors such as taste, texture, quality, and affordability.

Kroger is the second-largest grocery store chain in the United States, being accessible to people all around the country.  Kroger's home brand provides inexpensive alternatives to name-brand products. When it comes to tomatoes, though, they sit at the bottom of this list with a canned diced tomato option that needed a little more time to ripen.

Kroger claims its diced tomatoes are harvested and canned the same day, but this product lacked the farm-fresh flavor one would hope for if they were harvested and canned at their peak of freshness. The tomatoes were pale in color and had a firm texture, tasting like they were canned before they were quite ripe. There was nothing special about these tomatoes except the price, which was $1.09 for 14.5 ounces.

The good thing about canned tomatoes is that you will almost always use them in a more complex recipe, which allows you to simmer, stew, or spice them up before eating. These tomatoes would work just fine and might even shine in a simple salsa recipe.

Red Gold's whole peeled tomatoes are a good value, costing just $1.96 for 28 ounces. They are also readily available at most grocery stores (you can even find them on Amazon ). The can comes with a non-BPA liner, which helps the tomatoes maintain their flavor and keeps them from tasting like the can they've been packed in.

Unfortunately, despite these wins, the tomatoes were overly firm and had a stringy texture. Like the Kroger tomatoes, they tasted like they had been canned a few days too soon. The color also left something to be desired. Unlike other brands on this list, which were a vibrant red right out of the can, these had a pale orange hue that wasn't as appetizing as the competitors.

If you open a can of tomatoes and they fall short in the flavor department, as these did, you can take actions to maximize their flavor, like properly prepping your tomatoes for your recipe or even adding a pinch of sugar. All of the tomatoes I tried for this article, including these, will be fine for your recipe if you are willing to put extra time and energy into the prep to get the flavor you want.

Organic food tends to be more expensive than non-organic food because it costs more to produce. Sprout's home brand of tomatoes is a good example of an organic product costing more, with its 28-ounce can of diced Roma tomatoes coming in at $3.49 (for comparison, that is more than a 135% increase in cost when compared to Walmart's non-organic version). While I appreciate they are organic, and understand that many people prefer organic products, the flavor of these tomatoes was bland and watery, leaving much to be desired.

Between their average taste and higher-than-average cost, these tomatoes are at the bottom of the list. However, if they are your only option, it would be easy to dress them up. With the right recipe and the perfect tomato sauce seasoning (fennel, anyone?), you can turn these tomatoes into a sauce and take them from average to spectacular.

H-E-B has a passionate fanbase, and the grocery store is known to consistently deliver high-quality products that keep its customers coming back for more. The company's diced tomatoes were perfectly fine for sauces or soups (or any recipe, really), but didn't stand out in the crowd. Unlike many of the brands I tried, the can didn't specify what type of tomatoes were used, although they appeared to be Romas. The price was right, though. The H-E-B diced tomatoes cost just $1.79 for 28 ounces, keeping them in the running for one of the most affordable brands.

The texture, flavor, and color of these tomatoes was as expected. Nothing extraordinary, but certainly nothing to complain about. More robust flavor would have secured them a place higher on this list. However, H-E-B's tomatoes could easily be converted into a tomato sauce that you could use in a myriad of ways (Italian egg and tomato sauce sandwich, anyone?). 

Walmart's Great Value brand is known for providing quality products at low prices. In the case of diced tomatoes, the value is great (unbeatable, even). At $1.48 for 28 ounces, the Great Value diced tomatoes in tomato juice are by far the least expensive tomatoes in the bunch.

These Walmart tomatoes are grown in California and steam-peeled. Steaming preserves nutrients and vitamins and is a common method for prepping canned tomatoes. Walmart also claims its tomatoes make it from the field to the can in five hours, and unlike other brands, they taste like they were picked when they were ripe.

As far as the overall experience goes, they were just fine. The flavor was interchangeable with the H-E-B tomatoes, and if I had done a blind test, I might not have been able to tell the difference between the two. Like H-E-B, the tomato type was nondescript, but they appeared to be Roma tomatoes. Walmart took the higher spot than H-E-B because of its affordability. 

Hunt's whole peeled San Marzano-style tomatoes bring a robust, garden-fresh flavor and a rich red color to the table. They also win the most affordable San Marzano-style tomatoes award, coming in at just $2.66 for a 28-ounce can. This is considerably cheaper than other brands, making these a fantastic option for a home chef on a budget who doesn't want to skimp on taste.

However, it's important to note that while these are San Marzano-style tomatoes, they are not authentic San Marzano-certified tomatoes. Although they are a San Marzano variety,  they are grown in California (not the San Marzano region of Italy).

They may not be from Italy, but the flavor wasn't lacking in any form or fashion. They were sweet and had a smooth, tender texture. They didn't quite make the top of the list because the quality of the tomatoes was inconsistent, with several that were smooshed or not whole.

An Italian brand bringing us San Marzanos straight out of Italy, Alessi's whole peeled tomatoes with basil is an excellent canned tomato option if you're looking for a canned tomato with a little something extra in the mix. The aromatic basil was noticeable in the flavor, and these tomatoes tasted like a fresh garden.

These are authentic San Marzano tomatoes grown in the Agro-Sarnese-Nocerino region of Italy. These tomatoes were a joy to eat, bursting with sweetness and begging to be turned into a dipping sauce for your favorite appetizer. Unfortunately, they were the highest-priced tomatoes I tried, coming in at $6.09 for 28 ounces. The cost-prohibitive nature of this brand means I probably wouldn't use them for day-to-day recipes, although I wouldn't hesitate to splurge and purchase them for something special. However, with other brands of authentic San Marzanos being less expensive, I couldn't justify putting them higher up on the list.

Central Market's Italian whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes are the real deal. Organic and imported from Italy, these tomatoes are stamped with the "DOP" label, making them authentic San Marzanos raised in the volcanic soil that makes Italy's Sarno valley famous. Central Market is known for delivering the best of the best, and its canned San Marzano tomatoes are no exception. I would use these to make something out of the ordinary, like homemade San Marzano ketchup (yum).

These tomatoes tasted fresh and were bursting with vine-ripened sweetness. They were a top contender, but ultimately, their cost kept them out of the running for the top five. While they weren't the most expensive San Marzano tomatoes I tried (that would be the Alessi brand), they did lean to the more costly side. These tomatoes, while delicious, are $5.89 for a 28-ounce can. 

Pomi is an Italian brand that prides itself on sustainability and reducing its environmental impact. The company also grows some tasty tomatoes. These chopped tomatoes had a rich and sugary flavor, making them one of the better-tasting tomatoes in the group. The company's packaging was also a huge bonus. Packed in a cardboard carton, they're easy to store in the pantry, easy to open, and easy to recycle.

The only downfall to these tomatoes was the juice they were packaged in. While the tomatoes didn't disappoint, the juice was on the watery side, and a little messy when I tried to get into the carton to taste the tomatoes. This box of chopped tomatoes cost $4.19 for just over 26 ounces, which was middle of the road. However, this could be an inconvenient size when looking for recipes online, as most recipes using canned tomatoes are designed for popular can sizes — 14 or 28 ounces.

American brand Tuttorosso takes a tasty tomato and adds some basil and sea salt for a canned San Marzano-style tomato primed for your next sauce. Thanks to the added sea salt, these delicious tomatoes were flavor-forward, with just the right combo of zesty basil and a hint of brine. I also appreciated that they were packed in puree rather than juice. These tomatoes would be a winner for your next homemade spaghetti sauce.

Tuttorosso tomatoes are grown in the USA on farms throughout Indiana, Ohio, and Michigan and are from the same brand family as Red Gold. After trying both brands, Tuttorosso appears to be the more high-end brand. These didn't place higher on the list because, for a San Marzano-style tomato grown right here in the USA, they're a little on the costly side. A 28-ounce can was $4.69.

Muir Glen delivers wholehearted deliciousness with its can of organic, fire-roasted tomatoes. These diced tomatoes are a deep red hue with a pretty black char from the fire-roasting process. Not only do they look nice, but they taste exceptional, too.

The Muir Glen diced tomatoes have a robust and zesty flavor. These would be outstanding in fresh salsa or on your favorite pizza, not to mention any sauce you can dream up. If you're up for something new, these tomatoes are also a prime candidate for a marinated tomato sauce, which makes a tasty topping for bruschetta or toast when you want to add a little zing to your routine.

These tomatoes come in a 14.5-ounce can and cost $2.69. The price is well worth it for the unique fire-roasted charm these canned tomatoes will bring to your table (and your palate).

Cento San Marzano tomatoes might be the gold standard for San Marzano tomatoes, and it's certainly the brand that pops into the mind when most of us think of San Marzano. It turns out the hype is worth it. These tomatoes had a well-deserved spot at the very top of this list due to their overall quality and affordability.

Cento's tomatoes are grown just outside of Naples, Italy, in the volcanic soil of Mount Vesuvius and are DOP-certified. They were the freshest San Marzanos I tried. They were bright red and had the best texture of all the San Marzanos, being thick and fleshy but tender to eat. It's no wonder they're Ina Garten's favorite canned tomato brand!

They were very reasonably priced, at just $4.38 for a 28-ounce can, less than the other authentic DOP-certified San Marzanos on this list. Add these tomatoes to your next shopping list, and get ready for next-level sauces and soups.

While most of the Roma tomatoes I tried found a home at the bottom of this list, these diced baby Romas from Mutti were my immediate favorite. Naturally sweet and tangy, these were a treat right out of the can.

Mutti brand tomatoes are grown in the Parma region of Italy, an area that is also famous for its cheese. And speaking of cheese, these tomatoes would be an absolute delight on a pizza or used as-is on the protein of your choice (any will do, but chicken and seafood come to mind as winning choices). These tomatoes are delicious on their own, but they would also make the perfect base for a spicy pasta sauce, like a homemade arrabbiata sauce. If you're looking for a recipe that's a little off the beaten path, you can turn these tomatoes into the perfect tomato sauce for your next BLT sandwich.

These tomatoes are also reasonably priced. At $2.49 for a 14-ounce can, they're affordable and delicious. Another thing to love? They have a pull-tab lid, making them the easiest cans to open.