Homemade Pizza Sauce Recipe (2024)

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$2.70 recipe / $0.90 per cup

by Beth - Budget Bytes

published updated

4.88 from 91 votes

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I’ve made homemade pizza sauce before but I wanted one that was even thicker and richer because I had some big plans to dip things in it (and by “things” I mean pizzadillas). Dipping sauces have to be really thick or else they won’t hang on to whatever is being dunked in them. But I also love a good, thick pizza sauce on my pizzas. A thick pizza sauce gives all the flavor without making the dough soggy. No watery pizza sauce here, folks!

Homemade Pizza Sauce Recipe (2)

Ingredients for Pizza Sauce:

To make this super thick and rich pizza sauce, you’ll need the following ingredients:

  • Olive Oil & Garlic: Garlic sautéed in olive oil provides a deep base flavor for this pizza sauce.
  • Crushed Tomatoes: Canned crushed tomatoes provide the bulk of the volume of the sauce. The crushed texture is smooth enough that you won’t have chunks in your sauce, but still has enough texture to prevent the sauce from being too thin.
  • Tomato Paste: A little dollop of tomato paste helps thicken the sauce even further and provides a super concentrated tomato flavor to the sauce. No weak sauce here!
  • Seasonings: We keep the seasoning pretty simple with just a little basil, oregano, salt, pepper, and a little sugar to help balance the acidity of the tomatoes. Oh! And a pinch of crushed red pepper too, for a little kick. ;)

How Much Sauce Does This Make?

This homemade pizza sauce recipe makes three cups, which is about 3 large pizzas or 12 dipping portions (or like, six pizza sandwiches). The sauce freezes great so go ahead and freeze some of it and then you won’t have to make a batch the next time you want a pizza!

How to Use Homemade Pizza Sauce

Pizza sauce is great for a lot more than just pizzas! This super thick and rich pizza sauce recipe is my new go-to red sauce. Use it for meatball subs, eggplant or chicken parmesan, or just for dipping breadsticks. It’s a quick, easy, all-purpose red sauce for smothering and dipping. Here are a few other great ways to use your Homemade Pizza Sauce:

  • Pizzadillas
  • Pizza Roll Ups
  • Pesto Pizza Rolls
  • Baked Pizza Chicken
  • Homemade Cheesy Garlic Bread
  • Stromboli
  • Zucchini Pizza Boats
  • Stromboli

How to Store Leftover Pizza Sauce

If this pizza sauce recipe is more sauce than you need for one meal, go ahead and freeze the remainder of the sauce. I suggest using a quart-sized freezer bag. To reheat, just tear away the freezer bag and empty the frozen pizza sauce into a small sauce pot. Reheat over low, stirring often, until it is heated through.

Homemade Pizza Sauce Recipe (3)

Homemade Pizza Sauce

4.88 from 91 votes

Use this Homemade Pizza Sauce Recipe to make your own sauce at home in minutes with just a few pantry staples. Use now, or freeze for later!

Homemade Pizza Sauce Recipe (5) Servings 3 cups

Prep 5 minutes mins

Cook 20 minutes mins

Total 25 minutes mins

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Ingredients

  • 2 Tbsp olive oil ($0.26)
  • 1 clove garlic, minced ($0.08)
  • 1 28oz. can crushed tomatoes ($1.47)
  • 1 6oz. can tomato paste ($0.59)
  • 1/2 Tbsp sugar ($0.05)
  • 3/4 tsp salt ($0.05)
  • 1 tsp dried basil ($0.10)
  • 1/2 tsp dried oregano ($0.05)
  • Freshly cracked black pepper ($0.05)
  • 1 pinch crushed red pepper (optional) ($0.02)

Instructions

  • Add the olive oil and garlic to a sauce pot and cook over medium heat for 1-2 minutes, or just until the garlic is soft and fragrant.

  • Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar, salt, basil, oregano, some freshly cracked pepper (10-15 cranks of a pepper mill), and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Stir to combine.

  • Cover the pot, allow the pot to come to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low, and let simmer for 15 minutes minimum, or up to 30 minutes (I often let it simmer as I prepare my pizza dough).

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Notes

To freeze this sauce, first cool it completely in the refrigerator, then transfer to quart-sized freezer bags or freezer-safe resealable containers and freeze until solid. Simply reheat over low heat in a sauce pot, with a lid to minimize evaporation, and stirring often, until heated through.

Nutrition

Serving: 3CupsCalories: 157.17kcalCarbohydrates: 33.13gProtein: 7.03gFat: 2.6gSodium: 1200.1mgFiber: 7.83g

Read our full nutrition disclaimer here.

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Video

How to Make Homemade Pizza Sauce – Step By Step Photos

Homemade Pizza Sauce Recipe (7)

Sauté one clove of minced garlic (or two if you like things garlicky!) in 2 Tbsp olive oil over medium heat for one to two minutes, or until the garlic is soft and fragrant.

Homemade Pizza Sauce Recipe (8)
Add one 28oz. can crushed tomatoes, one 6oz. can tomato paste, 1/2 Tbsp sugar, 3/4 tsp salt, 1 tsp dried basil, 1/2 tsp dried oregano, some freshly cracked pepper, and a pinch of red pepper flakes to the sauce pot.

Homemade Pizza Sauce Recipe (9)
Stir the ingredients together, place a lid on top, then allow it to come up to a simmer. Once simmering, turn the heat down to low and let it simmer for 15 minutes minimum (I sometimes let it simmer longer while I’m preparing the pizza dough and the flavor just gets sweeter and deeper).

Homemade Pizza Sauce Recipe (10)
Homemade Pizza Sauce Recipe (11)

Try These Homemade Pizza Recipes:

  • Homemade Pizza Dough
  • Thin and Crispy Pizza Dough
  • No-Yeast Pizza Dough
  • French Bread Pizza
  • Honey Wheat Pizza Dough
  • Breakfast Pizza
Homemade Pizza Sauce Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What can I use if I don't have pizza sauce? ›

Some popular pizza sauce alternatives include the following:
  • Pesto.
  • Ricotta Cheese.
  • Barbecue Sauce.
  • Ranch Dressing.
  • Tapenade.
  • Olive Oil and Garlic.
  • Sweet Chili Sauce.
  • Chimichurri Sauce.

Is pizza made with marinara or tomato sauce? ›

Marinara tends to be thicker than pizza sauce because it needs to cover pasta. Pizza sauce is a puree that's looser than marinara that you can easily spread on pizza dough. 2. Types of tomatoes: Cooks may use whole tomatoes to make thick marinara sauce and crushed tomatoes to make a looser pizza sauce.

Should you cook homemade pizza sauce? ›

Don't Cook the Sauce!

This isn't just for convenience — a no-cook sauce will actually taste better on your pizza, giving you that fresh, zippy tomato flavor, even after it has been baked in a hot oven.

Is tomato sauce or tomato paste better for pizza sauce? ›

A pizza sauce has a greater thickness to it thanks to the use of undiluted tomato paste. Pizza sauce tends to be somewhat simpler in terms of ingredients. While both feature tomatoes in one form or another, a pizza sauce's add-ins are often limited to things like garlic, oregano, basil, and olive oil.

Can you use regular tomato sauce as pizza sauce? ›

Yes you can…even as it is, straight out of the can, although it might lack a bit of flavor for just a tomato sauce pizza. You can use it cold or cook it down a bit to make it thicker. Of course you can add some condiments (onion, garlic), salt and pepper and hebs and spices.

How do you turn marinara sauce into pizza sauce? ›

In a small saucepan, heat the marinara sauce over medium heat. As it warms, add the minced garlic, dried oregano, dried basil, onion powder, and red pepper flakes, if desired.

Does real Italian pizza have tomato sauce? ›

Authentic Italian pizzas are based with nonna's special fresh tomato sauce (which doesn't get cooked at all!). This rich sauce must be prepared with peeled Italian tomatoes, preferably with San Marzano peeled tomatoes, and then blanched with salt, fresh basil and extra virgin olive oil to get an original taste.

Does authentic Italian pizza have tomato sauce? ›

Thin crust is a signature of authentic Italian pizza. The dough is stretched thinly to form a thin crust as it gets baked in the oven. The thin crust gives the distinctive flavor of the Italian pizza as it finely combines with the sweet and tangy tomato sauce and fresh mozzarella cheese.

Which cheese is best for pizza? ›

Mozzarella. Perhaps the most well-known and popular pizza topping of all-time, Mozzarella is cherished for its near perfect consistency and straightforward flavour. As a tasty browned top, flavours are mild and fresh with a creamy consistency that is sure to leave you wanting more.

Should you add sugar to pizza sauce? ›

Spices: Basil, oregano, onion powder, salt & pepper. Taste and adjust these spices to your liking. Sugar: I know it sounds like a weird addition but granulated sugar is an essential ingredient as it mellows out the acidity of the tomatoes.

Why is my homemade pizza sauce watery? ›

Over blending may cause too much water to seep out of your tomatoes resulting in a watery pizza sauce. If you are using crushed tomatoes, simply dump into a container/bowl, add salt to taste and mix to combine. Easy, right?!

Is it better to cook or uncooked tomato sauce for pizza? ›

Both cooked and raw tomatoes can be used on pizza, and it ultimately depends on personal preference and the type of pizza being made. Here are some factors to consider: Cooked Tomatoes: Cooking the tomatoes can help concentrate their flavor and create a more uniform texture on the pizza.

Can Ragu be used as pizza sauce? ›

Ragu Homemade Style Pizza Sauce is excellent! It's got the natural flavorings I like without the chunks and without added sugar. It's the best tasting pizza sauce I have ever had.

Is Ragu tomato sauce good for pizza? ›

5th Place: Ragu Homemade Style Pizza Sauce

The sauce was thin but had a bit of texture, which seemed okay for pizza. The flavor was mild but had a pleasing neutrality so that it didn't overpower the cheese.

Can you replace pizza sauce with ketchup? ›

Ketchup is best utilized as a substitute in recipes that already have some sweetness. In most cases, start with a ½:1 swap and add more American Garden's ketchup as needed to adjust the flavor. Do you crave pizza but don't have any pizza sauce? Don't worry, you can get great results using American Garden's ketchup.

Is pizza sauce necessary? ›

Pizza ia a kind of flatbread with some toppings, eaten warm, straight from the oven. It is a crust, not the toppings, that defines a pizza. Beside one do not put any sauce on pizza, but usually only a thin layer of raw tomato passata.

Does pizza taste good without sauce? ›

Oh, yes. A good white pizza ie: pizza with crust, olive oil & mozzarella (and usually garlic) is delicious. I've always liked them best with black olives & onion, as well.

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