The 5 Best Tomato Sauce Brands in Kenya

This post is an overview and ranking of the best tomato sauce brands in Kenya, ranked from the good to the best. It features only the premium brands and sub-brands hence doesn’t feature every tomato sauce in the market, just the best ones

The real tomato sauces are normally in jars, yes not the plastic bottles we are used to, yeah it was a shocker to realize my whole idea has been a lie too

Tomato sauce is key in Italian cuisine, yes you can get the jarred version but we both know that is not what you mean, you mean the local Kenyan version of tomato sauce

Table of Contents

Italian vs Kenyan Tomato Sauce

Kenyan tomato sauce is made from a base of tomato paste, it is then diluted with water, sugars added, vinegar, and acids also added then preservatives, so the solid tomato paste is essentially processed into a liquid sauce that flows and squirts like ketchup.

Italian tomato sauce on the other hand is mostly homemade, yes there are canned versions you can buy at the supermarket but they are essentially made the same way only that the canned ones are preserved to be shelf-stable for a long. The homemade version is made from a specific variety of tomatoes, olive oil, basil, cloves, and fish sauce to give it that savory punch.

Now the real difference is the Kenyan version of tomato sauce is a heavily processed product with a ton of preservatives while the Italian version is a canned product meaning it is preservative-free, the other difference is in texture. The Italian version is chunkier and thicker(porridge-like) while the Kenyan one is thin and viscous, and flows easy

The reason for the thin texture is on the use case application, most people use tomato sauce almost entirely on chips or topping other snacks and street foods like smokies, smocha, boiled eggs, and samosa

Also Read: The 15 Popular Kenyan Street Food

Let’s get to the Kenyan brands.

5. Clovers

Price Per 1Kg : KSh 180

Clovers is a brand by TriClover Industries (K), the makers of the famous Arimis Jelly. Their tomato sauce is okay, more on the basic end but perfectly balanced. It is however made from minimal ingredients compared to the competition which can be a good thing to see sometimes from a health perspective.

It is as simple as tomato paste water and sugar, but I’m sure some preservatives also go a long way to keep it stable. It is however not punchy in taste, it is muted and mild; the addition of vinegar here would give it more character.

4. Zesta

Price Per Kg: KSh 194

Zesta is probably the most popular or second most popular brand of sauces in Kenya. It makes sense since it has been a brand for years since 1958, so it is known by all generations, Zesta brand is by TruFoods Industries who also own the Sunfresh brand of sauces, although that is a budget brand, offering the same products for cheaper and for slightly less quality.

What sets Zesta tomato sauce aside is the fact that it is fortified with Vitamin E, no other sauce brand has fortifications in the list, so that is good.

On the ingredient side of things, it has alot going on, all these ingredients work together to ensure an excellent resultant product. They include as below

Tomato Paste ● Sugar● Salt● Natural Colors● Acetic Acid● Lactic Acid● Modified Starch● Ordinary Starch● Stabilizer● Sodium Benzoate(Preservative)● Mixed Spices.

Tomato paste as stated is the base, it is what gives tomato sauce its tomato-ey taste, sugar is added to balance the acidity in the tomato and to sweeten it, salt is for taste, and natural colors to give it that vibrant red tomato color; (since tomato paste is dark red).

Acids, Acetic, and Lactic add tanginess to the sauce while acting as preservatives, starches are for thickening the sauces. (Consumers will associate thick sauces with better quality)

The stabilizer is for keeping the sauce’s ingredients evenly mixed and preventing them from separating into layers in a bottle, while Sodium Benzoate helps keep the sauce from spoiling by preventing the growth of bacteria, yeast, and fungi.( thus is the main preservative here)

Zesta overall is a decent brand of tomato sauce.

3. KOL

KOL is an abbreviation for Kenya Orchards Limited, it is from Njoro in Nakuru unlike most sauce manufacturers based in Nairobi, KOL was established in 2001 and its tomato sauce is decent while utilizing minimal ingredients as possible which is desired. The ingredients include; Tomato Paste● Water● Sugar.

Perhaps what is more pleasing about KOL is its lid, it has a rubber at the lid so it squirts the sauce as needed without being messy like the plastic caps that might break and become hard to reseal, this rubber opening closes when not in use avoiding excess air entry into your bottle which can degrade the quality of your sauce.

2. Kaputei

Kaputei is the newest brand on this list, being around 10 years old at the time of writing. Their sauces, not just tomato sauce, are exceptional for a local company. They focus on quality rather than market domination like some other brands on the list. For instance, their BBQ sauce is among the best I’ve ever used and is relatively affordable compared to premium brands. Their tomato sauce is also excellent and my second favorite.

Kaputei offers the widest variety of condiments and sauces, including some niche products you wouldn’t expect to find locally manufactured in Kenya, such as pesto, pickles, and lasagna sauce.

1. Peptang

Peptang is a well-known brand of Premier Foods Limited, a leading and award-winning food processing company in Kenya, which has been producing over 50 quality products since 1935. As the oldest and most popular brand of tomato sauce, Peptang is beloved by many.

Personally, I always have Peptang in my pantry because it just tastes right compared to any other sauce. Its thick consistency sets the standard for what tomato sauce should taste like, at least for me. It’s so good that it’s sold in diaspora markets for a premium. If you’re looking for the best tomato sauce in Kenya, Peptang is undoubtedly the top choice.

The ingredients include tomato paste, sugar, salt, citric acid, vinegar, and permitted preservatives.

Difference Between Ketchup and Tomato Sauce

Both are made from tomatoes as a base, however, ketchup is more flavorful and has added spices, so generally ketchup will taste better than tomato sauce, but it also costs double the price of tomato sauce.