Food & Nutrition

The best curry sauce in a jar I’ve bought & loved (top 6)

November 2, 2024 /

Published by Finn Hayden

Curry is one of the most popular dishes in the UK, but many of us probably don't eat it as often as we'd like. Not only is it quite hard and time-consuming to make from scratch, but it's also quite an expensive takeaway option (especially if you order lots of sides as I like to do). Lots of people stick their noses up to the idea of buying a jar of curry sauce, but there are actually some seriously quality options here in the UK which you can buy to help make curry night an easier and more regular occurrence.

I thought it would be useful to round up the best curry sauce in a jar that I've bought and tried, and I managed to whittle it down to my top 6. Let's get into it:

Loyd Grossman Balti sauce

The Loyd Grossman pasta sauces are perhaps the best known of the Loyd Grossman range, but we really feel that the curry sauces are just as good, if not even better. Each jar of this curry sauce is packed with flavour, and none of the sauces contain any artificial colours or flavours. We're big fans of the Balti variety (pictured) as, unlike so many jarred curry sauces, it actually has a bit of a kick to it. Learn more and buy it here - sainsburys.co.uk
Loyd Grossman curry jar

Co-op Irresistible curry sauce

The curry sauce from the Co-op is easily the best we tried from any of the UK supermarkets - each jar is packed with flavour. We really loved the Saag Masala variety (pictured) which was mild but not flavourless, and we're also looking forward to trying the Hot Karahi variety which is very highly rated and apparently has a real kick. Learn more and buy it here - coop.co.uk
Co-op curry sauce

Patak's Jalfrezi cooking sauce

Patak's is one of the biggest and most trusted curry sauce brands in the UK, but has still managed to retain a small batch, family-run type feel to the business. We definitely think this is reflected in the taste of the curry sauces, which taste very homemade and you'd hardly be able to tell it came from a jar. We're fans of the jalfrezi sauce from Patak's (pictured) which is full of flavour and has a kick but isn't too spicy. Learn more and buy it here - groceries.asda.com
Patak's

Ben's Original medium curry sauce

Best known for selling rice, the Ben's brand actually makes a very good medium curry sauce. It might not be as flavoursome as some of the other options we've included in this list, but we think that is actually the strength of the sauce and what makes it so versatile. If you're looking for the type of curry sauce to pair with a bag of chips, this is absolutely ideal! But if you want to use it for a proper curry it'll also work. Learn more and buy it here - amazon.co.uk
Ben's Original

Tesco tikka masala cooking sauce

Although the Tesco curry sauce wasn't quite as good as the sauce from the Co-op, we were still really impressed by it. We tried the Tikka Masala sauce (pictured) which was creamy but not overly so, and also had a distinct cumin flavour. Plus we like that the jars are quite large and can easily serve 4 people. Learn more and buy it here - tesco.com
Tesco curry sauce

Sharwood's Korma

Similar to Patak's, Sharwood's is a curry sauce brand which feels like it has been around forever in the UK. We'd say that rather than the homemade type taste we get from the Patak's jars, we get a bit of a higher-end taste from the Sharwood's curry sauce, and it reminded us a lot of the Loyd Grossman sauces (not as expensive though). We tried the Korma sauce from Sharwood's and although it was mild, it definitely had a distinct flavour. Learn more and buy it here - sainsburys.co.uk
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Hopefully, this guide helps you to find a great jar of curry sauce! Let us know if you've tried any of these or if you have any other recommendations for us to try!

Finn is the editor of You Well and has been writing about travel, health, and more for over 10 years.

2 Comments

  • Kevin Langton

    March 25, 2023 at 10:02 pm Reply

    I have been using Pataks for at least 15 years , just recently i have noticed a slight difference in taste , I’ve noticed that there not made in Liverpool by pataks but an other company in poland ..

  • Jerry Boyles

    October 1, 2023 at 4:38 pm Reply

    Just had the Pataks madras packet. They have replaced the herbs with a powder and charge a £1.00 more. I’m sure it doesn’t taste the same…. now more like a sauce. Shame used to be so much nicer.

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