Is Maya Kaimal Tikka Masala Indian Simmer Sauce ultra-processed?

12.5 oz (354 g) Tikka masala sauce Sold in the United States and Australia

Yes, it's ultra-processed

1 Unprocessed
2 Kitchen staple
3 Processed
4 Ultra-processed

Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:

Flavouring

24 ingredients
No additives
Nutri-Score C

Less processed tikka masala sauce

Less processed isn't automatically healthier, so compare the labels for what matters to you, such as sugar or salt.

Ingredients

Ultra-processing Processing signs are highlighted

Water, Tomato Paste (Fresh Vine-Ripened Tomatoes), Milk, Buttermilk (Lowfat Milk, Vitamin A Palmitate, Vitamin D3), Cream, Safflower Oil (processing marker), Ginger, Unsalted Butter (processing marker) (Cream, Natural Flavor (ultra-processing marker)), Spices (including *Paprika), Garlic, "Cane Sugar (processing marker), Sea Salt (processing marker), "Lemon Juice Concentrate, Cilantro, Serrano Chili, Tapioca Starch (processing marker), Fenugreek Leaves

As written on the pack

Water, Tomato Paste (Fresh Vine-Ripened Tomatoes), Milk, Buttermilk (Cultured Lowfat Milk, Vitamin A Palmitate, Vitamin D3), Cream, 'Safflower Oil, *Ginger, Unsalted Butter (Cream, Natural Flavor), *Spices (including *Paprika), *Garlic, "Cane Sugar, Sea Salt, "Lemon Juice Concentrate, *Cilantro, *Serrano Chili, *Organic Tapioca Starch, *Fenugreek Leaves. CONTAINS: MILK *Non-GMO Ingredients

What makes it ultra-processed

Cosmetic additives

Added to change how the food looks, feels or tastes, not to keep it safe. A hallmark of ultra-processed food.

Flavouring Flavourings are concentrated aroma preparations that add or intensify a taste.

5 ingredients that would only make it processed

Kitchen staples like sugar, salt and oil. On their own they make a food processed, not ultra-processed.

Butter Butter, the fat churned from cream.
Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.
Starch Starch extracted from cereals or potatoes, used to thicken.
Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.
Vegetable oil Vegetable oils are pressed or extracted from seeds, nuts and fruits.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 20 tikka masala sauce

From least to most processed, this one ranks 4th. 90% of the tikka masala sauce here are ultra-processed.

Ranked by NOVA group, then by the number of ultra-processing signs, additives and ingredients. Our ordering, not part of NOVA.

All 20 tikka masala sauce, least processed first

About this information

Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 0891756000167, last edited 24 May 2026), available under the Open Database License. If something is wrong or the recipe has changed, you can correct it there.
Photo: Open Food Facts contributors, CC BY-SA 3.0.
The NOVA group is an automated estimate from crowdsourced data: a missing or mistyped ingredient can change it.
NOVA measures processing, not nutrition. For nutrition, Open Food Facts gives this product a Nutri-Score of C (from A, best, to E).
General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.