I Tried 7 Kielbasa Brands and This Is the One I'll Always Buy From Now On

I live in Chicago, a place with a storied past and a rich food history. It’s a city known for its diversity and while we love our pizza, it's our neighborhood cafes, taquerias, delis, diners, bakeries, and restaurants that put out some of the best food.

I'd never had a Polish sausage until I moved here. It isn't like the brats and other sausages I grew up eating. It has a snappy exterior and mild smokey, salty interior. It's delicious smothered with onions, but also sauerkraut. It’s definitely not a food I’d want to eat everyday, but when I was asked to taste a variety and report back with my favorite, I grabbed some friends and some kielbasa. 

How I Chose the Kielbasa

In the United States, Polish sausage and Kielbasa are used interchangeably, so my first requirement was that the package had to include either of those titles. Traditionally, Kielbasa is made with pork or a blend of pork and other animal protein, usually beef. For that reason, I omitted any options that listed “turkey” or “chicken” as the first ingredient. Finally, I tried to keep to national brands, but since I live in a place with excellent Polish sausage, I included a few local options, too.

How I Tested the Kielbasa

Let me begin by saying I am not an expert in sausage and neither were my taste testers. Unlike other fancy taste tests where the tasters are chefs or food critics, I enlisted my family and friends. If you’re looking for a fun and honest review from “everyday” people, this is it. Obviously these are our opinions and the list of Kielbasa isn’t complete, so take it all with a grain of salt.

I decided to slice and cook all of the sausages for the taste test. After cooking, I put each on a separate plate with a number so the tasters didn't know which one was which when they tried them. Each taste tester sampled the sausages, making notes about texture and flavor. Then they ranked each sausage based on those notes. Here are the results.

The Best Kielbasa Brands, Ranked

7. Ekrich

We all agreed this sausage lacked texture. The interior was smooth and spongy, which gave it more of a hot dog feel than a sausage. It had good spice, but was oddly sweet. No one loved it, and that’s why it landed in last place. 

6. Hillshire Farms

No one had anything to say about the texture of this sausage, it was neither interesting nor terrible, so that automatically lowered its ranking. While there was a decent amount of spice (the flavorful kind, not the heat-producing kind), it was so salty that it felt rather “one-note,” as one taster reported. We all felt it was just “OK,” but nothing special.

5. Vienna Beef

Vienna’s Polish sausage shrank significantly during cooking, which left us with some rather salty bites. The salt was distracting, with most tasters saying it interfered with the other flavors in the sausage. The exterior was fantastic with a good snap, but it wasn’t enough to get it into the top 4.

4. Johnsonville

This was another sausage without much texture. While the interior was smooth like the Ekrich, it wasn’t spongy, which is why it ranked higher on the list. Tasters reported it to be juicy and also flavorful. It was another average kielbasa, fine for a cookout, but nothing impressive or memorable. 

3. Klement's

This sausage had a rather large diameter, making for superior slicing and cooking. The exterior was crisp, thanks to the casing and the interior, although a tiny bit spongy, was also enjoyed all the tasters. It was reasonably salty and the seasoning was mild enough that we could actually taste the pork. We all agreed it was a great kielbasa that tasted and looked just like it should.

2. Nature’s Rancher

This was the most expensive kielbasa on the list, but if you’re looking for a delicious sausage, it might be worth the few extra dollars to grab this one. The exterior was fantastic, with a nice snappy bite. The interior had a nice grind, which provided some texture and chew. Unlike others on the list, this sausage had a bit of kick to it, which everyone enjoyed. It was also flavorful, but not overly salty. It was an all-around favorite that tasters agreed they’d buy again.

1. Slotkowski

Every taster ranked this kielbasa as their favorite. It had all of the characteristics of a delicious sausage: a snappy, crisp exterior and a great grind for the interior. The flavor was mild and perfectly spiced. It held its shape after cooking, without wrinkling or shrinking. It was literally the perfect kielbasa and the one I will always buy from now on.