Disclosure: There are affiliate links in this article, meaning at no extra cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. (Full Disclosure)
Rao’s Sauce is a popular sauce made from tomatoes, onions, garlic, and olive oil. It is often used in Italian dishes, such as pasta and pizza. Rao’s is a family-owned business, and the sauce is made in small batches to ensure quality. But is Rao’s Sauce vegan?
Several flavors of Rao’s Sauce are vegan such as Homemade Marinara Sauce, Rao’s Arrabbiata Sauce and Homemade Tomato Basil Sauce to name a few. They are vegan because they don’t contain any ingredients derived from animals.
Below is a table showing Rao’s Sauce flavors and its vegan status.
| Flavor | Vegan Status |
| Homemade Marinara Sauce | Vegan. |
| Rao’s Arrabbiata Sauce | Vegan. |
| Homemade Tomato Basil Sauce | Vegan. |
| Rao’s Roasted Garlic Sauce | Vegan. |
| Homemade Pizza Sauce | Vegan. |
| Mushroom & Bell Pepper Sauce | Vegan. |
| Sensitive Marinara Sauce | Vegan. |
| Margherita Pizza Sauce | Vegan. |
| Tomato Herb Sauce | Vegan. |
| Homemade Bolognese Sauce | No, contains Milk. |
| Homemade Vodka Sauce | No, contains Milk. |
| Italian Sausage and Mushroom Sauce | No, contains Sausage. |
| Four Cheese Sauce | No, contains Milk. |
| Homemade Alfredo Sauce | No, contains Milk. |
| Homemade Basil Pesto | No, contains Milk. |
| Sun Dried Tomato Pesto | No, contains Milk. |
| Roasted Garlic Alfredo Sauce | No, contains Milk & Eggs. |
Rao’s Sauce Ingredients
Below is a list of ingredients from all the flavors that I could find.
- Italian Whole Peeled Tomatoes
- Light Cream
- Ascorbic Acid
- Asiago Cheese
- Basil
- Basil Leaf
- Black Pepper
- Butter
- Carrots
- Cashews
- Celery
- Granular And Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese
- Cheese Cultures
- Citric Acid
- Cooked Italian Sausage
- Cracked Pepper
- Crushed Red Peppers
- Cultured Celery Powder
- Disodium Phosphate
- Dried Chili Pepper
- Dried Glucose Syrup
- Egg Enzyme
- Enzymes
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Garlic
- Garlic Powder
- Grana Padano Cheese
- Granulated Roasted Garlic
- Grated Grana Padano Cheese
- Green Bell Peppers
- Ground White Pepper
- Italian Cherry Tomatoes
- Italian Style Meatball Crumbles
- Italian Whole Peeled Tomatoes
- Lactic Acid
- Light Cream
- Modified Cornstarch
- Mushrooms
- Natural Flavorings
- Olive Oil
- Onions
- Oregano
- Paprika
- Parmesan And Romano Cheese
- Parsley
- Pine Nuts
- Pork
- Potato Flakes (Potatoes)
- Puree
- Red Bell Peppers
- Red Crushed Pepper
- Rennet
- Roasted Garlic
- Salt
- Salted Egg Yolk
- Sea Salt
- Soy Flour
- Spices
- Sugar
- Sundried Tomatoes
- Sunflower Oil
- Thyme
- Tomato Paste
- Tomato Pulp (Tomato Citric Acid)
- Tomato Puree
- Uncured Pancetta Crumbles
- Vodka
- Water
- Whey
- White Wine
- Xanthan Gum
[Source]
As always I’ve highlighted the ingredients that we need to take a closer look at.
Non-Vegan Ingredients
Milk
There are several ingredients made with milk such as whey, butter and cheese. These ingredients are therefore not vegan.
Meat
Some ingredients such as sausage, pancetta, and meatballs can be found in some of the flavors. Vegan don’t anything that is made from the animal kingdom.
Egg
It’s often eggs from hens and is not vegan.
Questionable Ingredients
Sugar
This can be an uncertain ingredients for vegans because there is an instance where sugar could be non-vegan according to many vegans and that is refined cane sugar. Cane sugar often needs to be refined to be used in products and a common practice is to also bleach the sugar using bone char from dead cows.
Exploiting animals in the production process is not vegan-friendly, but the problem with sugar is that the source is often not disclosed and it if were, there is no way of knowing if it’s been bleached with bone char. So the only way to be sure is to contact the company and ask.
Conclusion
It’s amazing that so many flavors of Rao’s sauce is vegan and they are delicious too. They will enrich your cooking experience for sure. We often make pizza with Rao’s pizza sauce and the kids love it. Be sure to add Rao’s sauce to your shopping list.
Thanks for reading, take care!
