Here's Every Winner from Our First Annual Food Awards

Canned beans, pasta sauces, various spices—we all have our must-haves for the pantry. Since new products are always lining up on grocery shelves, our editors cooked and tested our way through more than 200 products. It was a delicious task, and we determined what deserves a spot in the pantry.

We gathered our food editors and Test Kitchen experts to try out pasta sauces, spices, and meal starters in the BHG testing kitchens. From there, we took products home to see how much we liked them and whether they were worthy of the cost and shelf space. So if you're looking to liven up that vinaigrette for lunch salads or change up weeknight chicken dinners, we've got the best products to give your pantry a modern upgrade.

These are the 2024 BHG Food Awards product categories:

• Flavor Boosters
• New Basics
• Shortcuts
• Treat Yourself
  

Flavor Boosters

A spoonful, a drizzle, a sprinkle. It won’t take much of these seasonings and sauces to make everyone at the table say “Yum.”

Best Spiced Ghee: Paro Tarka Spicy Ghee Chili Crisp

Tarka, the practice of frying spices in oil—and clarified butter in this case—intensifies flavors. Warm slightly to wake up the cumin, chili flakes, and curry notes.

Best Chimichurri in a Hurry: The Spice House Green Chimichurri Mix

When fresh herbs aren’t handy, this dried herb mix is the next best thing.

Best Spicy Umami: Yondu Hot & Spicy Umami

A little of this fiery concentrate goes a long way in boosting savory flavor. Add a dash to stir-fry or soup for heat with depth.

Best Soy Sauce Alternative: Kikkoman Umami Joy Sauce

It’s gluten-free and soy-free, and you’ll never guess it’s made from a tomato base. The product is starting to roll out on shelves nationwide, so check the Kikkoman site to see if it's available in your area yet.

Best Salsa Macha: Somos Mexican Chili Crisp

The chunky chili oil with sesame and pepita seeds, garlic, nuts, and dried chile is an excellent topper for meats and veggies, but you’ll be tempted to eat it straight from the jar.

Best Herb-Based Hot Sauce: Blank Slate Kitchen Zhug

This bright, herby hot sauce comes from Yemen and is popular around the Middle East. It's chimichurri meets salsa verde with an intensely spicy kick.

Most Innovative Spice Blends: Spiceology Rub Set 6-Pack

Any of these rubs will elevate weeknight chicken; also try the Black & Bleu on popcorn or the Chile Margarita around a cocktail rim.

Best Huli Huli Sauce: Poi Dog Huli Huli

It's a traditional Hawaiian sauce with sweet, teriyaki, and five-spice notes. Authentic huli huli chicken is basted with the namesake sauce and turned (or “hulied” in Hawaiian) over a hot fire. So light the grill and start slathering.

Best Vinegar-Based Barbecue Sauce: Duke’s Southern Sauces - Carolina Vinegar BBQ

The sauce made popular by North Carolina boasts a tangy, vinegary base with a hint of tomato for sweetness. Your pulled pork sandwich has a new best friend.

Best Dipping Sauce: Lillie's Q BBQ Aioli

Our new go-to dip for chicken tenders, the creamy garlic-mayo and smoky BBQ fusion is also transcendent on fries.

Best Sweet and Spicy Mexican Condiment: Siete Chamoy Botana Sauce

Chamoy is a tangy preserved fruit sauce made from mangoes, plums, or apricots; chiles; salt; and lime. Drizzle on tacos or fresh fruit or dip your margarita glass to rim with Tajín.

Best Miso Barbecue Sauce: Bachan's Miso Japanese Barbecue Sauce

Test Kitchen culinary specialist Emily Nienhaus describes this sauce as “a little like soy, fish sauce, and hoisin all in one.”

Best Fruit Salsa: Lola's Cherry Jalapeño Salsa

Fresh cherry balances the slight heat of jalapeños. Marinate a pork tenderloin or pour it over cream cheese and scoop it up with chips.

Best Flavor Base: Better Than Bouillon Sofrito Base from the Culinary Collection

A blend of veggies, herbs, and spices commonly cooked down to flavor Latin American dishes. Drop a teaspoon of sofrito concentrate into soups, salsas, or beans for instant flavor without chopping.

New Basics

Updated flavor or nutrient profiles plus convenient packaging reimagine and refresh classic pantry staples.

Ready-to-Go Squeeze Tahini: Seed + Mill Organic Tahini

If you’ve ever made a mess spooning tahini from a jar, you’ll love the slick squeeze bottle. Use it to make a quick dressing or drizzle over homemade falafel.

Best Canned Tuna: Tonnino Yellowfin Tuna with Jalapeño in Smoked Olive Oil

Our testers voted this tuna the best for eating right out of the can.

Best Savory Sprinkle: Just Spices Avocado Topping

Black sesame seed, flaky salt, and dried tomato—the pleasant surprise we didn’t know avo toast needed. Also excellent on eggs or roasted veggies.

Best Tuna Pouch: Chicken of the Sea Lemon-Garlic Tuna

No sad desk lunches here. Pack a pouch of this lemon-garlic tuna for a bright flavor boost.

Best White Wine Vinegar: American Vinegar Works Better Than Champagne Chardonnay Wine Vinegar

We’re toasting this vinegar made in small, barrel-aged batches and its incredibly distinct wine flavor. Save it for homemade vinaigrette.

Best Naturally-Sweetened Ketchup: Primal Kitchen A Tad Sweet Ketchup

Honey-sweetened with half the sugar of regular ketchup. (Trust us—you won’t miss the other half.)

Tastes-Just-Like-Homemade Relish: Bubbies Sweet Pickle Relish

Chunky pickles provide serious crunch in chicken or tuna salad and some heft to a Chicago-style hot dog.

Best Artisan Ketchup: Brownwood Farms Dill Pickle Ketchup with Bourbon

Pickle flavor is everywhere, and this fancy ketchup may be our favorite iteration of the trend yet. Gourmet burgers, anyone?

Best Everything Bagel Seasoning: Lil Bucks Everything Bucks SZNing

Upgraded with sprouted buckwheat, it’s the classic blend but with much more crunch and a nutty flavor hit.

The Best Dressed Balsamic

Fresh figs are a genius natural sweetener in this updated balsamic dressing.

Best Compound Butter: Kerrygold Sundried Tomato & Basil Butter Blend

Rich, flavorful, ready-to-spread Irish butter in a tub. Top your grilled steak and vegetables.

Most Versatile Cheese: Boursin Bites Garlic & Fine Herbs

Pop a few pearls into hot pasta to make an effortless creamy sauce or skewer them for on-demand apps.

Best High-Protein Oats: Bob's Red Mill Organic Protein Oats

Hey, all you non egg-eaters! These protein-boosted oats crafted from a special oat variety provide 60% more protein than regular oats (10 g per ⅓ cup dry oats).

Most Convenient Ghee: 4th & Heart Ghee Butter Sticks

 Rather than scooping ghee out of a tub, measure it as smoothly as, well, butter with these sticks. Available in salted and unsalted varieties to meet all your cooking needs.

Best Stealthy Healthy Pasta: GoodWheat Pasta

Get the same flavor and texture of regular pasta but four times the fiber, thanks to a newly cultivated non-GMO wheat grain.

Shortcuts

If you're tired of old reliable time-savers, give this bunch a spin on evenings when schedules are tight.

Best Gourmet Pasta Sauce: Rao's Homemade Vodka Arrabbiata Sauce

A pleasing balance of two classics. Arrabbiata delivers the spice, and vodka makes the sauce cool and creamy.

Best Stir-Fry Base: McCormick Salt Free Sauté Business by Tabitha Brown Seasoning Mix

Big flavor from a versatile salt-free seasoning mix—add tofu or your favorite protein. These seasoning blends are just one of the many creative pursuits our March issue cover star, Tabitha Brown, has cooking on the front burner these days.

Best Shortcut Chili: Muir Glen Organic Chili Starter, Seasoned Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes with Bell Peppers (Mild or Medium)

"I can’t believe chili this good comes from a can,” says food editor Jan Miller. Just add meat, beans, and heat. Prepare to be amazed. We were.

Best Refrigerated Dough: Pillsbury Corndog Wraps

Bring this iconic fair food home and skip the mess of deep-frying. Stick optional. For an easy app, try wrapping up wedges of Brie and jam.

Excellent Instant Side: Ben’s Original 10 Medley

Kick-start your grain bowl with a creative blend of 10 grains, legumes, and vegetables.

Best Rice Blend: Minute Jasmine Rice & Red Quinoa Cups

Say goodbye to a boring bed of rice. Fragrant jasmine rice brings flavor; quinoa boosts nutrition.

Best Frozen Vegetable Mix: Green Giant Restaurant Style Asparagus, Roasted Red Potatoes & Onions

Perhaps the only way these veggies finish cooking at the same time—roasty, caramelized flavor from stove top to table in 10 minutes.

Best Takeout-Style Noodles: Omsom Coconut Lemongrass Curry Saucy Noodles

Branch out from your typical ramen packet and try a trendy new spin on instant noodles. You're going to want to buy a pack to keep on hand when noodle cravings strike.

Quickest Pizza Topper: Volpi Pepperoni and Chorizo Crumbles

Classic pizza topper meets Spanish chorizo. Stir into pasta or sprinkle on pizza, focaccia, or salad.

Tastiest Marinated Tofu: Hodo Organic Indian Spiced Tofu

Pressed, marinated, and ready to heat, with enough leftover sauce to coat added vegetables.

Best Freezer-to-Pan Ground Meat: Pound of Ground Crumbles

Precrumbled for even cooking, a pound of frozen ground beef browns in 8 minutes.

Best Frozen Meatballs: Farm Rich Maple Bacon Meatballs

Finally a meatball that works for breakfast and dinner. Tuck into biscuits for anytime sliders.

Treat Yourself

If you have room in your pantry, we agreed these items are worth the splurge.

Best Fruit Preserve: Pika Pika Calamansi Marmalade

A tart spread made from the tiny Philippine calamansi— tangerine and lime in one.

Most Innovative Syrup Flavor: Torani Puremade Toasted Black Sesame Syrup

A splash in cold brew is a no-brainer, but also try this trending flavor in a savory spin like bulgogi beef or spring roll dipping sauce.

Best Fruit Vinegar: Kosterina Crushed Strawberry Vinegar

This vinegar is good enough to drink. Enjoy true fruit flavor in salads, on seafood, or in a cocktail.

Freshest-Tasting Jarred Sauce: Sonoma Gourmet Lemon & Herb Ricotta

We’re tossing this creamy ricotta sauce—vibrant with real citrus juice—in pasta with salmon and spinach.

Most Versatile Flavored Olive Oil: Brightland Rosemary Olive Oil

Wildly aromatic, it makes the kitchen smell incredible. Use as a bread dipper or drizzle lightly over roasted veggies.

Best Tinned Fish: Sea Tales Sardines in Spicy Tomato Sauce

"This is a great way to introduce someone to sardines,” says Erin Hooker, assistant food editor and tinned-fish enthusiast.

Best Truffle Butter: Isigny Ste.-Mère x Fabrique Délices Black Truffle Butter

Truffle is back! This is our favorite use of the funky fungi.

Best Flavored Hot Honey: Red Clay Spicy Peach Honey

Testers were pleased by the sweet, natural peach taste in this “swicy” (sweet and spicy) honey.