17 Sweet Baby Ray's Sauce Flavors, Ranked Worst To Best

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One of the most important things to know about Sweet Baby Ray's is that it's one of the best-selling barbecue sauces on the market — this is a fact that's backed up by a survey on people's favorite barbecue brands done by us here at Daily Meal. In fact, the survey results weren't even close, with 53.74% of people citing Sweet Baby Ray's as their favorite brand, while the next most popular option was Kraft, with only 17.14% of votes. But Sweet Baby Ray's doesn't just make a standard barbecue sauce. No, they make a wide range of various sauces for marinating, dipping, and coating. So, I started to wonder: Are all of the brand's sauces equally as amazing? Is the original barbecue sauce even the best option Sweet Baby Ray's offers?

Thankfully, I had the chance to answer these questions by tasting 17 Sweet Baby Ray's sauce flavors and ranking them from worst to best, based primarily on taste and texture. To do this confidently, I used my food industry background and prior work creating similar articles for Daily Meal. You can find my full methodology at the end of this article, if you're interested in learning more. Now, let's discover which Sweet Baby Ray's sauce is a must-add to your grocery list next time you want to make barbecue pulled chicken, baby back ribs, or buffalo chicken dip.

Ray's Chicken Sauce tasted like someone combined low-quality honey mustard and barbecue sauce together. I caught faint smoky and sweet hints against a mustard-forward flavor profile with a touch of what might be tomato. Through this were streaked heavy artificial notes. Unfortunately, the flavors felt muddled, and the artificialness killed any enjoyment I might have had, but texturally, this was appropriately thick and smooth.

Two tablespoons of this sauce has 110 calories, 9 grams of fat, 5 milligrams of cholesterol, 5 grams of sugar, and 11% of your daily sodium. It also has an allergen warning for eggs. There was little positive going on in this sauce, and you couldn't pay me to eat it again.

Get a 14-ounce bottle of Sweet Baby Ray's: Ray's Chicken Sauce for $2.47 at Walmart.

One thing I did like about this Hawaiian Style Barbecue Sauce was its bright, fruity punch. Unfortunately, the rest of the execution was lacking. This fruity flavor sat against an overly sweet barbecue sauce that overwhelmed all other flavors, except for a faint tang and mild artificialness. Texturally, this was thicker than other barbecue sauces from Sweet Baby Rays, making it challenging to get out of the bottle.

A two-tablespoon serving contains 60 calories, 15 grams of sugar, and 11% of your day's sodium. There are many barbecue sauces I would eat from this brand again, but this isn't one of them.

Buy an 18-ounce bottle of Sweet Baby Ray's Hawaiian Style Barbecue Sauce for $2.69 at Shoprite.

Sometimes, combining two fantastic things makes something unsavory rather than something twice as good, and this Buffalo Barbecue Sauce is an excellent example of that. The buffalo sauce tasted like flavorless heat instead of carrying buttery or vinegary notes, while the barbecue sauce was marred by artificial notes not present in the brand's standard options. The texture was also a bit too thick.

A two-tablespoon serving has 50 calories, 10 grams of sugar, and 30% of your daily sodium; this is the highest salt content of any sauce on this list, so it's definitely not suitable for those who need (or want) to watch their intake. I wouldn't buy this again.

Purchase an 18-ounce bottle of Sweet Baby Ray's Buffalo Barbecue Sauce for $2.69 at Shoprite.

The Honey Chipotle Barbecue Sauce predominantly tasted like thick syrup, accented by a moderate kick of heat. Again, I didn't really taste the sweet, smoky heat of standard Sweet Baby Ray's here, nor did I really taste any honey. The singular syrup taste was beyond disappointing. Thankfully, the artificial notes present were faint, which was an improvement on the lower-ranked options.

Every two tablespoons will give you 80 calories, 17 grams of sugar, and 14% of your daily sodium. This sauce actually provides 2% of your day's potassium, while most others don't contain any other notable nutrients. I still wouldn't eat it again, however.

Buy an 18-ounce bottle of Sweet Baby Ray's Honey Chipotle Barbecue Sauce for $2.69 at Shoprite.

Texturally, Ray's Secret Sauce was fantastic — velvety smooth and moderately thick. The flavor profile, however, was mediocre at best. A strong taste of horseradish sat at the forefront, which was nice, but when paired with mustardy and vinegary tangs, everything ended up tasting flat and one-dimensional. There were also faint artificial tones, and a sweetness that felt out of place.

Per two-tablespoon serving, this "secret sauce" has 100 calories, 10 grams of fat, 15 milligrams of cholesterol, 2 grams of sugar, and 9% of your day's sodium. Unfortunately, I can't recommend this with any good faith.

Purchase a 14-ounce bottle of Sweet Baby Ray's: Ray's Secret Sauce for $2.79 at Shoprite.

This Sweet Teriyaki Sauce had the makings of something great. Salty soy notes paired with a tangy sweetness and hints of garlic. But those faint artificial notes were still there, and the texture was weird — like overly thickened syrup, interspersed with little bits of something else. While the taste was almost good (and pulled it ahead of the lower options), the texture here was a deal breaker.

In each tablespoon serving, you'll receive 35 calories, 8 grams of sugar, and 13% of your daily sodium. One thing to be aware of is that this sauce comes with some common allergen warnings for sesame, soy, and wheat. This might be good with white rice, but I wouldn't buy it again to try.

Buy a 16-ounce bottle of Sweet Baby Ray's Sweet Teriyaki Sauce for $3.53 at Walmart.

The base here started with the smoky, warm standard Sweet Baby Ray's barbecue. However, I couldn't really taste honey, but more an artificial syrup that marred what positivity this sauce had going on. That layer of flavor put me off, although the texture was the nicely smooth, moderate thickness I was expecting from this brand.

Each two-tablespoon serving of this Sweet Baby Ray's sauce contains 70 calories, 16 grams of sugar, and 13% of your day's sodium. There's zero fat or cholesterol, and this barbecue is gluten-free. This is the first Sweet Baby Ray's I might be tempted to try again, but there's no chance I'd go out of my way to do so.

Buy an 18-ounce bottle of Sweet Baby Ray's Honey Barbecue Sauce for $2.37 at Walmart.

Like most of the options ranked in the middle of this list, the Sweet 'n Spicy Barbecue Sauce isn't bad, but just unbalanced. Here, the heat felt like an afterthought, and it was overwhelmed by the sugary sweetness, which was framed against the already sweet, smoky notes of Sweet Baby Ray's barbecue sauce. The texture was a bit too thick, but this could have been overlooked if the flavor had been more balanced.

A serving of this barbecue sauce is two tablespoons, which will provide 70 calories, 15 grams of sugar, and 13% of your daily sodium. Notably, this is a zero-fat and zero-cholesterol food. I might eat this again, but I wouldn't buy it when there are so many significantly better options.

Buy an 18-ounce bottle of Sweet Baby Ray's Sweet 'n Spicy Barbecue Sauce for $2.37 at Walmart.

The buffalo part of this sauce was great, featuring a vinegary kick with heavy buttery notes laced through a moderate heat. But the garlic felt overdone — like when a recipe calls for two cloves of garlic and you add two whole heads instead, only to end up with a pained mouth after you finish eating. Texturally, this was thin with just enough thickness to stick well to things like chicken wings or tenders.

One tablespoon of this sauce provides 35 calories, 3.5 grams of fat, and 13% of your daily sodium intake. It carries warnings for milk and soy allergens. If the garlic had just been a bit better balanced, this would have ranked much higher. As it is, I vastly prefer the original version.

Buy a 16-ounce bottle of Sweet Baby Ray's Garlic Buffalo Wing Sauce for $3.24 at Walmart.

This Creamy Buffalo Dip Sauce wasn't bad by any means, but it just wasn't anything special, either. Buffalo sauce provided a rich tang and moderate heat, which was tempered by what I think was mayo — which showed more in the texture than the taste. If the subtle notes of garlic and other spices had been stronger, it would have provided the "wow" factor this needed to be amazing.

Be aware that this gluten-free sauce has an egg allergy warning. Per two tablespoons, this sauce contains 90 calories, 10 grams of fat, 10 milligrams of cholesterol, and 23% of your daily sodium intake. Although I wouldn't buy this again, I think it's a decent option for those with low heat tolerance, who want to participate in the buffalo sauce craze.

Buy a 14-ounce bottle of Sweet Baby Ray's Creamy Buffalo Dip Sauce for $2.79 at Shoprite.

There's a steep jump between our last sauce and this one, and I recommend every option from here on out to growing degrees. While still quite sweet, this Kickin' Bourbon Sauce had subtle notes of warm bourbon with smoky undertones. There was a mild kick of heat that felt a little jolting at the end, but texturally, it was quite nice. I would have liked to see a little more balance, and a stronger bourbon flavor.

Every tablespoon of this sauce provides 25 calories, 5 grams of sugar, and 8% of your day's sodium. This is a fat-free and cholesterol-free food, which I appreciate. I'm honestly surprised at how many of the sauces on this list I would buy again without hesitation, with this being the first of those.

Buy a 16-ounce bottle of Sweet Baby Ray's Kickin' Bourbon Sauce for $3.49 at Shoprite.

Although it's ranked at the lower end of the good options, this Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce is my son's new favorite thing to pair with his chicken fingers and French fries — and I think this is a very kid-friendly flavor profile overall, since it's quite mild. There was a light bite of mustard paired with rich honey notes that, thankfully, didn't carry any artificial notes. The texture was appropriately thick for dipping, too.

Compared to other sauces here, this honey mustard dipping sauce is high in calories, fat, and cholesterol. A two-tablespoon serving contains 130 calories, 11 grams of fat, 15 milligrams of cholesterol, 6 grams of sugar, and 6% of your daily sodium. I could see myself buying this again when I want a honey mustard sauce, specifically.

Get a 14-ounce bottle of Sweet Baby Ray's Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce for $2.68 at Walmart.

I quite liked the complex flavor profile of this Garlic Parmesan Sauce, which I thought would pair exceptionally well with chicken. An appropriately thick sauce, it had a robust, creamy Parmesan with a heavy hit of garlic and faint tangy tones. My only complaint was it was a bit too salty, which is why it didn't rank higher.

This sauce has a milk allergy warning, and also lists quite a few artificial ingredients on the label. Every tablespoon will give you 40 calories, 4 grams of fat, and 11% of your day's sodium. I would likely buy this again to switch things up from my top choices — especially since this provides a comparatively unique flavor profile to the rest of this list.

Buy a 16-ounce bottle of Sweet Baby Ray's Garlic Parmesan Sauce for $3.49 at Shoprite.

Sweet Baby Ray's Buffalo Wing Sauce takes the standard hot sauce flavor profile and layers it with moderate buttery notes, a mild hallmark vinegar tang, and a faint garlic nuance. Throughout this was a mild to moderate building heat that was pleasant but slightly bitter in a way I didn't expect. While good, the slight bitterness was why this thin but silky sauce didn't rank higher.

One tablespoon serving provides 20 calories and 18% of your day's sodium. There's a meager 2 grams of fat per serving, and this is one of the few sauces in this ranking that doesn't have high-fructose corn syrup as its first ingredient. Although this wasn't better than my go-to buffalo wing sauce (which is Steve and Ed's), it has solidly become my backup option.

Purchase a 16-ounce bottle of Sweet Baby Ray's Buffalo Wing Sauce for $3.24 at Walmart.

A predominantly zesty tomato profile was the start of this beloved sauce taking third place. Although heavily fruity sweet, the Original Barbecue Sauce balanced this with a sharp vinegar kick. Smoky undertones, mild garlic notes, and a faint peppery burst at the end finished out this complex flavor profile. Although thick enough to adhere nicely to meat, this barbecue sauce wasn't hard to pour. I have no real complaints, and the only reason this didn't rank higher was that I preferred the extra flavor layers provided by the top two options.

A two-tablespoon serving of this Original Barbecue Sauce contains 70 calories, 17 grams of sugar, and 13% of your day's sodium intake. I would definitely buy this original barbecue sauce again, and am only surprised it didn't take first place.

Buy an 18-ounce bottle of Sweet Baby Ray's Original Barbecue Sauce at Walmart for $2.37.

This Sweet Vidalia Onion Barbecue Sauce had all the beautiful zesty, sweet, tangy, smoky, peppery flavor notes of the original. But on top of this was layered light sweet onion, lending a subtle but defined earthiness, while the brand's fruity sweetness had a slightly stronger tropical punch. Texturally, it was perfectly thick and smooth. The only reason this didn't take first place is that I enjoyed the classic flavor of my top choice slightly more.

One thing to highlight here is that this sauce is free of any top nine allergens, MSG, fat, and cholesterol. Two tablespoons provide 70 calories, 15 grams of sugar, and 13% of your daily sodium. I will definitely buy this again in the future to switch things up from my top choice.

Get an 18-ounce bottle of Sweet Baby Ray's Sweet Vidalia Onion Barbecue Sauce for $2.37 at Walmart.

The Hickory and Brown Sugar Barbecue Sauce felt like it sandwiched the original's profile between two fantastic additional flavors. First, I got a big hit of intense woody smokiness, which faded into a hallmark Sweet Baby Ray's Barbecue Sauce flavor, before transitioning once more into a deep, toasty sweetness that was undeniably brown sugar. And all of this was wrapped up in a perfectly thick, smooth, sticky sauce perfect for coating meat.

Two tablespoons of this hickory and brown sugar barbecue sauce contains 70 calories, 17 grams of sugar, and 13% of your daily sodium. Like most other offerings from this brand, this sauce is gluten-free. Hands down, this will be my new go-to barbecue sauce, and I highly recommend you grab yourself a bottle on your next shopping trip.

Purchase an 18-ounce bottle of Sweet Baby Ray's Hickory and Brown Sugar Barbecue Sauce for $2.37 at Walmart.

I chose Sweet Baby Ray's sauce flavors for inclusion in this ranking based on their availability to me at my local Shoprite in Vineland, New Jersey, and tasted each sauce on its own from a spoon, one after another, with a palate-cleansing drink between. Texture and taste were the primary things I used to judge each sauce. Although I highlighted ingredients, this wasn't a ranking factor — I've included these details so those with dietary restrictions or preferences can make an educated choice.

To make my determinations, I primarily relied on my background of more than 15 years in the food industry, along with extensive home cooking. Prior work for Daily Meal also contributed, including similar condiment-based articles like my ranking of store-bought thousand island dressings or my ranking of store-bought mustard brands. Although personal preference played a role in this ranking, I aimed to be as unbiased as possible about product quality.