Best tomato ketchup: Heinz vs cheap supermarket ketchups

It's one of the UK's favourite sauces, but our taste test shows that you don't have to buy branded to get great taste.

Our consumer test revealed a rival ketchup can hold its own against Heinz - and is less than half the price.  

A panel of 72 ketchup lovers blind-tasted 10 different ketchups, including Heinz, Hellmann's and mid-range supermarket own-label ketchups from brands including Sainsbury's, Tesco, Aldi and Co-op. 

Co-op and Heinz triumphed, taking the joint top spot in our taste test. 

And while Heinz holds onto its ketchup crown (albeit shared with Co-op),  several cheaper supermarket ketchups weren't far behind, so you can save on the red stuff without having to compromise on satisfaction.

Discover the tastiest supermarket ketchups, our best value picks, and how different ketchups compare for salt and sugar levels, below.

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Best tomato ketchup

These are the top scorers from our ketchup taste test:

Best Buy: Co-op Tomato Ketchup - 74%

£1.30 for 550g (24p per 100g)

Co-op's cheaper ketchup excelled in our taste tests, coming joint-first with big brand Heinz.

Our tasters were particularly happy with the thickness of the ketchup, with 86% of them scoring it as ‘just right’.

Co-op’s ketchup is less than half the price of Heinz, so if you're a ketchup fan on a budget it's worth stopping by a Co-op to stock up.

Available from Co-op.

Best Buy: Heinz Tomato Ketchup - 74%

£3.40 for 460g (54p per 100g)

Heinz still holds a place in the nation's heart. It's been rated one of the best ketchups in our taste test for the second year running, coming joint first with Co-op. 

Our tasters were most impressed with its appearance and colour, but they also liked the taste, with some tasters describing it as well balanced with just the right amount of tomato and sweetness. 

A bottle of Heinz doesn't come cheap. It's more than three times as expensive as the average ketchup in our test (per 100g). But if you won't settle for anything but the original, it's worth keeping an eye out for offers as this is typically the best time to buy. 

Check the unit price of different pack sizes too, to ensure you're getting the best value.

Available from Amazon, Aldi, Asda, Morrisons, Ocado, Sainsbury's, Tesco and Waitrose.

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Other high-scoring tomato ketchups

Hellmann's and Aldi's ketchups narrowly missed the top spots, with Hellmann's coming in third place and Aldi in fourth.

Both are cheaper than Heinz, and Aldi's offering is so cheap it's our Great Value pick.

Hellmann's Tomato Ketchup - 73%

£1.50 for 465g (32p per 100g)

If you prefer to buy branded ketchup, or your nearest supermarket version isn't to your taste, Hellmann's is a good bet. It scored just 1% less than Heinz, and is a fair bit cheaper too.

Several tasters said that this ketchup closely resembled tomatoes in colour and taste, so it's one for fans of authenticity.

Available from Iceland, Ocado and Tesco.

Great Value: Aldi Bramwells Tomato Ketchup - 72%

75p for 650g (12p per 100g)

Aldi's cheap and cheerful ketchup scored well overall and is a bargain buy, so it's definitely one to try if you're looking to make the swap to a cheaper choice.

Tasters particularly enjoyed the colour, texture and thickness of this ketchup. 

Available from Aldi.

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How Tesco, Waitrose and other tomato ketchups scored for taste

Most of the other supermarket tomato ketchups fared relatively well, so wherever you shop, the own-brand is worth a go. M&S shoppers may be disappointed though, as this ketchup didn't quite hit the mark with our tasters.

• Tesco Tomato Ketchup - 72% Our tasters thought it looked good, but otherwise this ketchup was pretty middle of the road. £1 for 555g (18p per 100g). Available from Tesco.
• Morrisons Tomato Ketchup - 71% Tasters appreciated the colour of the ketchup but otherwise it didn't set any pulses racing. £1.25 for 450g (28p per 100g). Available from Morrisons.
• Asda Classic Tomato Ketchup - 70% The flavour of this ketchup was rated quite well, however it didn't have the distinctive appetising smell. 75p for 550g (14p per 100g). Available from Asda. 
• Sainsbury's Tomato Ketchup Sauce - 69% Ok, but nothing special. 85p for 460g (18p per 100g). Available from Sainsbury’s.
• Waitrose Essential Tomato Ketchup - 69% Scored well for appearance, with nearly 80% naming it as 'just right' in colour, however it largely disappointed with flavour. 90p for 470g (19p per 100g). Available in Waitrose. 
• M&S Tomato Ketchup - 60% The lowest scorer. The majority of tasters found this ketchup too thick, too strong and too tangy. However, if you like gastropub-style thick tangy ketchup then this may be the one for you. 85p for 495g (17p per 100g). Available in store at M&S.  

*Lidl's ketchup was not available at the time of testing. 

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Is tomato ketchup healthy?

Ketchup is packed with tomatoes, and this means it's also got plenty of lycopene in it (a powerful antioxidant). But that's no reason to go wild - it's often also got a fair amount of sugar, salt and artificial sweeteners to boot. If you're watching your sugar and salt intake it's worth being mindful of how much you load onto your plate.

Two of the ketchups we tested are classed as high in sugar based on the recommended reference intake. At 35.6g of sugar per 100g, M&S's ketchup has the highest sugar content (not that this appears to improve how well it went down with our tasters). Heinz ketchup is also quite high at 22.8g per 100g, so it's worth being extra careful to watch your portion size with these two. 

The rest of the ketchups tested range from 21.5g-18.5g per 100g in sugar and 1.8g-0.73g per 100g in salt, which is still quite high.

We only included standard versions of ketchup in our taste test to ensure products were comparable, but you can buy reduced sugar and salt versions of those tested, or unsweetened ketchups, such as:

• Heinz No Added Sugar and Salt - £3.40 for 425g (80p per 100g), available from Asda, Morrisons, Sainsbury's and Tesco
• Hunter & Gather Unsweetened Tomato Ketchup - £3.80 for 250g (£1.52 per 100g), available from Ocado

Is tomato ketchup vegan friendly?

Ketchup is typically vegan and often contains tomatoes or tomato puree, sugar, vinegar, celery, maize starch, spice blends as well as various other ingredients.

If you're concerned, it's worth double-checking the label before you buy.

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Are ketchup bottles recyclable?

Ketchup typically comes in plastic squeezy bottles so you can get the perfect dollop of sauce every time, but not all can be recycled.

For Aldi, Asda, Co-op, Hellmann's, Sainsbury's, Morrisons and Tesco, both the bottle and the plastic caps are recyclable. Please remember to wash both out before you recycle them. 

For Heinz and M&S, the bottles are recyclable but the caps are not, whilst for Waitrose, you will have to check local recycling to see if the caps can be recycled. 

For more information on recycling and the symbols to look out for, see our guide on how to recycle in the UK.

How we tested tomato ketchup

The products were assessed in January 2023 by a large panel of consumers who regularly buy and consume tomato ketchup.

The make-up of the panel broadly represents the demographic profile of adults in the UK. Each ketchup was assessed by 72 people.

20g of each ketchup was served in a dip pot with 2 McCain's chip (Straight Cut Home Chips). The panellists rated the taste, texture, aroma, and appearance of each product and told us what they liked and disliked about each one. 

The taste test was blind, so the panellists didn’t know which brand they were trying. The order they sampled the ketchup was fully rotated to avoid any bias. Each panellist had a private booth so they couldn’t discuss what they were tasting or be influenced by others.

 The overall score is based on:

• 50% taste
• 15% texture
• 15% aroma
• 20% appearance

These weightings are based on consumer rankings of the importance of different ketchup attributes. 

*Prices correct as of 20 February 2023