9 Store-Bought Cocktail Sauces, Ranked

I love shrimp cocktail. I had a single mom in my early years, and we couldn't afford fancy dinners or food often. But every once in a while, Mom would come home with shrimp as a special treat. She would boil it in Old Bay, and we'd spend the evening peeling and dipping shrimp into cocktail sauce. It was a tradition she continued for years.

I still consider shrimp cocktail to be a special treat. I remember being a little kid, pulling all the shells off the shrimp, then getting a mouthful of zesty, tangy cocktail sauce after a generous dip. While you might think that all cocktail sauces are the same — they do often have the same ingredients, such as ketchup, horseradish, lemon juice, Worcestershire, and hot sauce — but they aren't. Which is why we decided to rank nine store-bought cocktail sauces to help you next time you're in the store.

Funny enough, besides what the name suggests, cocktail sauce doesn't have alcohol in it. Rather, it was because it often came served in a cocktail glass. It also grew in popularity during Prohibition. Initially, it wasn't paired with shrimp. It started out as a sauce for oysters, which used to be a lot cheaper and more common. During the '20s, the prevalence of cocktail sauce recipes began to rise, cementing it as the condiment for shrimp. Regardless, let's dive into nine cocktail sauces that you can find at most grocery stores and see where they land on our ranking.

Best Choice is a budget brand that you can find at most grocery stores. Now, I'm a firm believer that budget brand doesn't automatically equal bad — you'll find some others actually made it quite high on this list — but I will fully admit that this sauce just didn't do a lot for me. But before we get into that, let's look at the basics.

The main ingredients are tomato puree, corn syrup, white vinegar, horseradish, salt, onion powder, and garlic powder. It was a bit runny and had a strong vinegar smell before I got to tasting. However, the taste — both on its own and with the shrimp — was very underwhelming. It was super subtle, even when I thoroughly coated the shrimp and took a massive mouthful of it on its own. You couldn't really taste the vinegar or horseradish, both overwhelmed by the tomato, which was surprising.

This is a sauce that I would consider if I wanted the taste of the shrimp to be the only thing that stands out, especially if you add baking soda for plump, flavorful shrimp. But then, you probably don't want a sauce at all.

If you're looking for a very subtle sauce, this would work. However, I prefer my cocktail sauce with a bit more zing. Compared to all the others on the list, this sauce was highly forgettable, which is why it's on the bottom. It wasn't necessarily bad, but it wasn't a stand-out either.

Always Save Cocktail Sauce is a value brand that I found at my local, small-town grocery store. The ingredients include tomato puree, corn syrup, white vinegar, horseradish, salt, onion powder, and garlic powder. I was expecting a decent kick with that list. The sauce had a good consistency — it wasn't so thick that I had issues getting it out of the bottle, but it also wasn't super thin and runny. This made for a good coating when I dipped the shrimp into it.

On first taste, it was pretty sweet, which I wasn't expecting. Outside of the corn syrup, there were no other ingredients to play up that sweetness, such as sugar or molasses — both common cocktail sauce components. When it comes to cocktail sauces, I'm not a fan of those that are overly sweet. Probably because shrimp on its own has a sweet flavor, so if you have that in a sauce, it's almost too much. When I paired it with the shrimp, that toothsome flavor was too much and overrode pretty much everything else, including the Old Bay.

This sauce was also more subtle, like the previous entry. I couldn't get a good taste of the horseradish or vinegar. However, it also kind of clung to the back of your throat in a not-so-pleasant way. Again, like Best Choice, it wasn't necessarily horrible, but it wasn't really the kind of cocktail sauce that I enjoy. I wanted a kick that never came.

I had high hopes for Heinz Cocktail Sauce. I'm a big fan of its steak sauce — especially with its special blend of spices — so I assumed this would be similar. Possibly a good option for perfectly grilled shrimp, if you wanted to forgo the traditional shrimp cocktail. The ingredient list, again, is very similar to others on the list. It contains tomato concentrate, which consists of water and tomato paste, as well as corn syrup, vinegar, horseradish, natural flavorings, onions, spices, onion powder, and garlic powder.

I really wanted to get a nice blend of spices with this one. Heinz has a long, storied reputation for creating great sauces, which was probably why I was a bit disappointed. I definitely didn't expect to put it this low on my ranking. It really didn't live up to my expectations.

The sauce had a thickness that was great for covering your shrimp. It also had a hint of sweetness to it, and I couldn't taste much of the horseradish. I was expecting a bit more kick with the spices since this is Heinz, but the overwhelming taste was very much the tomato. It wasn't exactly what I wanted in a cocktail sauce. Typically, you want the acidity of lemon juice or the sharpness of the horseradish at the forefront. Because of the sweetness, it might pair well if you season your shrimp a bit more — hence, the mention of grilled shrimp earlier. It wasn't my favorite option for boiled shrimp.

Private Selection Coastal Cocktail Sauce is a private label concoction that you can find at Kroger grocery stores. It looked very promising and was one of the few sauces that actually contained lemon juice, as well as hot sauce. It also had tomato concentrate, horseradish, white vinegar, salt, and corn syrup.

That hot sauce got my hopes up for a good, spicy punch in the flavor palate. Unfortunately, that punch wasn't as strong as I had hoped and left me wanting just a bit.

The sauce was almost too thick and hard to get out of the jar, which had me nervous. It came out in a bit of a gelatinous blob at first, but I managed. The first bite had a good dose of horseradish, which is a sign of a decent cocktail sauce. It was also tangy, with a hint of spice, yet also sweetness, underneath it.

Again, it's not a horrible sauce, but it definitely wasn't very high compared to others. The flavors did manage to blend together nicely, especially when I tried it with the shrimp. The savory hit mixed well with the sweetness of the seafood and then in came the heat of the Old Bay. But it still wasn't quite enough. The sauce is a fairly solid option for your shrimp cocktail, which, yes, is served cooked, not raw. However, if you want more of the hot sauce flavor to come through, I would recommend passing.

Great Value Cocktail Sauce is another budget brand on the list. It's made by Walmart, so you can find it at any of the chain's stores. Again, I always try to reserve judgment for budget brands, and this one wasn't that bad. The ingredients list included tomato puree, white vinegar, horseradish, corn syrup, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, molasses, sugar, spices, and tamarind. It's an interesting blend, so I wasn't sure if the sweetness was going to overwhelm the bite of the horseradish and Worcestershire, or if they would cancel each other out.

It was very creamy, which I liked. The first taste gives you a good, tangy kick, quickly followed by sweetness. The spices were also blended very well. With the shrimp, it was even better. All the spices, sweetness, everything worked. You got each in equal measure, creating a good flavor palate. I was very happy with this sauce, and again, just because something is a budget brand doesn't necessarily mean it won't have a good taste.

For a while, Great Value was at the top of my ranking, but others simply blew it away. It doesn't disappoint, and it's a solid option for your shrimp cocktail, especially if you're trying not to spend a ton on shrimp night. As I said, there was nothing wrong with it. There were just better sauces, but I would still likely pick it up again.

There were a couple of Kroger options, but I went with the Kroger Original Cocktail Sauce (I also wasn't sure if they were different sauces or just different packaging). It was a bit tricky to get into, but I blame that on my own inability to open certain things (seriously, my friends joke that containers are Emma-proof; it's a thing.) It contains many of the same ingredients we've discussed, although it didn't have any additional sweetness beyond sugar. Also, no lemon juice, which I find interesting. It's a common ingredient, yet a decent number of sauces on the list didn't have it.

It's a bit of a chunky sauce, though that's not a bad thing. It also smelled really good — a nice hit of horseradish before that first taste. The sauce on its own had a very nice zing to it. You could taste a blend of spices, like dried onion and garlic, along with the horseradish. With the shrimp, it was a great zesty addition to the Old Bay — I went back for more a few times.

This was the first sauce I tasted that I truly enjoyed. You can use this on your shrimp, or you could probably use it on prawns. There is a difference between the two crustaceans, but they can be interchanged in a lot of recipes. However you cook them, I would recommend using this as a topper or a dipping sauce for a good dose of sweet and savory.

I don't know about you, but my spice rack is full of McCormick products. I love its spices and other sauces, which had me thinking I would also enjoy its cocktail sauce. It's a well-known brand, and honestly, I wasn't disappointed. According to the bottle, it is made with real horseradish and complements the flavors of shrimp, oysters, clams, fish, and other seafood. Any seafood that is best for beginning grillers, really.

This sauce has lemon juice, as well as garlic, onion, vinegar, and red pepper. I was very eager to jump in with that pepper. As mentioned, I like a good kick with my cocktail sauce, though my family would say I love a good hit of spice on all my food in general.

It's a nice, thick sauce, great for dipping shrimp into. You definitely get all the spices in the first taste, and I liked that it didn't have a strong aftertaste, unlike some others on the list. You can definitely taste the lemon and horseradish. With the shrimp, it really complemented it. One mouthful and you get a nice, zesty party on your taste buds. There's the sweetness of the shrimp, the kick of the red pepper and Old Bay, plus the acidity of the lemon juice. It wasn't overpowering, and everything I expected from a top spice brand.

With this taste test some of the generic, budget brands really blew me away, like the Best Choice Zesty Cocktail Sauce. First of all, the name got me excited. I was fully expecting to get an incredible taste explosion. And really, with ingredients like white vinegar, horseradish, salt, Worcestershire sauce, molasses, garlic, spices, and tamarind (among others), how could you expect anything less?

I'm happy to report that it lived up to the hype. This one was definitely the best of the budget options and one of my favorite sauces on the whole list. On first taste, you definitely get the spices, which hit you in the stomach in a very good way. It had a bit of a burn to it, with a peppery flavor quickly followed by the horseradish. You could also taste the onion and garlic, with a whiff of vinegar. Not enough to leave an aftertaste, but enough to have me going back for more. I almost poured out more, but remembered there were other sauces left to taste.

It was a fabulous pairing with the shrimp. The sweetness of the seafood blended nicely with all the spices in the sauce. You also got a good, zesty hit of horseradish, but it didn't overwhelm the other flavors. I would most definitely pick this one up again the next time I decide to boil shrimp at home.

And now we've come to the final sauce — Louisiana Cocktail Sauce. Let me tell you, there is a reason this is at the top of the list. It surpassed all the other sauces. Honestly, I can imagine this being really good using Ina Garten's extra step for a flavorful shrimp cocktail. This sauce is made with real horseradish, and it also contains lemon juice, molasses, tomato paste, dried garlic, and a unique ingredient not found in any other sauce on the list: anchovy powder. This is something often used to help enhance flavor, which it most definitely did.

Before I even tasted the sauce, it had a very nice smell and good, thick consistency. I think I died just a bit when I took the first bite. It has a really nice, spicy kick, but it's not too much, and not at the level that it stays in the back of your throat.

I think this is where the anchovy powder comes in. When I tried the sauce on the shrimp, everything was amplified. You got the horseradish first, but it blended out into the tomato, lemon, and then the molasses. It played very well with the Old Bay and natural sweetness of the shrimp. All of it worked together to make sure that the vinegar, horseradish, and lemon juice weren't too acidic or sharp. It was my top pick, and I would choose this sauce over everything else over and over again.

So, how on earth did I decide my ranking? Going into the taste test, I did worry that they would all taste the same. But after the first few sauces, I quickly realized that wouldn't be an issue. While there weren't any truly bad options, there were definitely some clear winners.

For this ranking, taste was definitely the main driver. I tested each sauce on its own, focusing on the various flavors. And then I paired them with shrimp, because ultimately, that's what cocktail sauce is for, despite its origin as an oyster condiment. I also wanted something with good consistency that wasn't going to slide off the shrimp once it was dunked in.

My shrimp was frozen — yes, I know, but I live in a landlocked state. Also, there are many reasons why you should buy Costco's frozen shrimp. I got small shrimp and boiled them in Old Bay, just like my mom taught me. I was looking for cocktail sauces that complemented the shrimp. I like a sauce that is bold, but doesn't linger at the back of your throat for too long. Anything too subtle or too strong found its way toward the bottom of the list.

I also focused on sauces that were easily found at most stores. Being in the country, we have limited access to various grocery chains, but I figured that if I could find these sauces here, most people would be able to find them at their local stores as well.