Saffron Road Simmer Sauces provide Global Inspiration for Dinner

I used to be hesitant with dinner shortcuts. After all, everything is better from scratch. Right? This is often true, but I have to admit that some store-bought options these days taste as good as homemade – sometimes better! And when your cooking three meals a day, seven days a week at home, meal helpers are nice to have. Saffron Road Simmer Sauces come in several dairy-free varieties, are all natural, and make dinnertime both easy and delicious.

Tasting Notes for Dairy-Free Saffron Road Simmer Sauces

Some flavors of Saffron Road Simmer Sauces have come and gone over the years, but a few have persisted and new varieties have been added. Below is the current selection, along with tasting notes for the ones we’ve tried. Please note that their Coconut Curry Korma contains dairy, so it isn’t on this list.

Thai Red Curry

Super spicy and full-bodied in flavor, this tasty sauce was quite thick, lasting for several meals when thinned with water, light coconut milk or additional full-fat coconut milk. Rich with so many of my favorite flavors (coconut milk, lemongrass, ginger, lime, and Thai basil) it was hard not to become more and more addicted with each bite.

Ingredients: water, coconut milk (coconut cream, water), apple juice concentrate, lemongrass puree (lemongrass, water), ginger, native corn starch and contains 2% or less of: sea salt, spices, lime juice concentrate, garlic, thai basil leaves, xanthan gum, red chili pepper, oleoresin paprika. contains: coconut.

Nutrition (per 1/4 cup): 45 calories, 2g fat, 6g carbs, 1g fiber, 3g sugars (includes 2g added sugars), 0g protein.*

Lemongrass Basil

I adore lemongrass and love Thai Basil, so I had high hopes that this would be my favorite of the simmer sauces. Unfortunately, it was way too tangy for our tastes. The flavor was sharp and seemed to lack depth of flavor; something was missing.

Ingredients: water, coconut milk (coconut cream, water), green anaheim pepper puree, ginger, apple juice concentrate, native corn starch, lemongrass puree (lemongrass, water), cane sugar and contains 2% or less of: garlic, lemon juice concentrate, thai basil puree (thai basil, expeller pressed canola oil, olive oil, lime juice, salt), sea salt, spices, galangal, xanthan gum, green chili pepper. contains: coconut.

Nutrition (per 1/4 cup): 60 calories, 3.5g fat, 8g carbs, 1g fiber, 4g sugars (includes 3g added sugars), 1g protein.*

Korean Stir Fry

Thinner than the others, we didn’t feel the need to add any liquid to this simmer sauce, but did find that it needed just a little more salt to pop. We added tofu and vegetables for a light vegan meal that was just substantial enough. However, we used up most of the sauce with just 2 servings!

Ingredients: water, gluten-free reduced sodium tamari (water, soybeans, salt), pear juice concentrate, apple juice concentrate, native corn starch and contains 2% or less of: toasted sesame oil, ginger, garlic, lemon juice concentrate, red chili pepper, organic red miso (organic soybeans, organic rice, salt, organic aspergillus oryzae), onion, xanthan gum. contains: soy, sesame.

Nutrition (per 1/4 cup): 60 calories, 1.5g fat, 12g carbs, 1g fiber, 9g sugars (includes 5g added sugars), 1g protein.*

Pad Thai

Ingredients: water, gluten free reduced sodium tamari (water, soybean, salt), cane sugar, shallots, garlic, expeller pressed canola oil, tamarind extract, native corn starch and contains 2% or less of: red chili pepper, lime juice concentrate, spice, xanthan gum, oleoresin paprika. contains: soy.

Nutrition (per 1/4 cup): 70 calories, 2.5g fat, 11g carbs, 1g fiber, 7g sugars (includes 6g added sugars), 1g protein.*

Tikka Masala

Ingredients: chickpeas (chickpeas, water) onion, water, tomato, sunflower oil, contains 2% or less of: spices, garlic, ginger, salt, green chilies, mango powder, turmeric, fenugreek leaves, red chili powder.

Nutrition (per 1/2 cup): 240 calories, 11g fat, 29g carbs, 6g fiber, 6g sugars (includes 0g added sugars), 8g protein.* (Please note that the serving size on this one is different from the others.)

Thai Mango

Ingredients: water, mango puree, cane sugar, ginger, native corn starch and contains 2% or less of: red chili pepper, sea salt, spices, onion, lemon juice concentrate, cilantro, garlic.

Nutrition (per 30 grams): 20 calories, 0g fat, 5g carbs, 0g fiber, 0g sugars (includes 0g added sugars), 0g protein.* (Please note that the serving size on this one is different from the others.)

Discontinued Saffron Road Simmer Sauces

RIP to the Moroccan Tagine, Rogan Josh, and Harissa simmer sauces. They were all delicious, so we were sad to see them go!

The Facts on Saffron Road Simmer Sauces

Price: $3.49 per 7-ounce simmer sauce.

Availability: Saffron Road Simmer Sauces are sold at Whole Foods, Albertsons stores, and other natural food stores in the U.S. You can also order them online from Amazon.

Certifications: Saffron Road Simmer Sauces are Certified Gluten-Free, Non-GMO Verified, Certified Halal, and Certified Kosher DE (for dairy equipment, not ingredients; see our Understanding Kosher Guide).

Dietary Notes: By ingredients, Saffron Road Simmer Sauces are dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, gluten-free, nut-free, peanut-free, vegan, and vegetarian. Select varieties are soy-free.*

For More Product Information: Visit the Saffron Road website at www.saffronroadfood.com.

*Always read the ingredient and nutrition statement prior to consumption. Ingredients, processes, and labeling are subject to change at any time for any company or product. Contact the company to discuss their manufacturing processes if potential allergen cross-contamination is an issue for you. No food product can be guaranteed “safe” for every individual’s needs. You should never rely on ingredient and allergen statements alone if dealing with a severe food allergy. 

Packed with flavor

Rated 4 out of 5

May 30, 2020

These dinner helpers are literally packed with flavor and taste pretty darn authentic. We gave an enthusiastic two thumbs up to the Rogan Josh, Moroccan Tagine, Thai Red Curry, and Harissa varieties. But note that we did need to thin some of the sauces (with coconut milk or water) in order to “simmer”, and some were devoured in less servings than shown on the label.

Alisa Fleming