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 is normal pizza sauce made of? ›

Pizza sauce is typically made with plain tomato sauce or pureed tomatoes and tomato paste, causing it to be a thicker consistency than pasta sauce. The thicker sauce prevents the dough from getting too soggy while the pizza cooks.

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.

How does Gordon Ramsay make pizza sauce? ›

Gordon Ramsay's Pizza Sauce, serving six, is made with tomato paste and sauce, oregano, Italian seasoning, garlic and onion powders, garlic salt, black pepper, and sugar. Mixed in a bowl, it's easy to prepare and perfect for enhancing homemade pizzas.

Is marinara sauce the same as pizza sauce? ›

Marinara sauce has a bit more going on than pizza sauce but is still pretty simple as far as tomato sauces go. In addition to the base of tomatoes, salt, and pepper, there are usually aromatics like onion and garlic, herbs like oregano or basil, and sometimes additional spices like red pepper flakes.

What gives pizza sauce its distinctive flavor? ›

Traditional pizza sauce is made with a base of tomatoes and spices like garlic, onion, basil, and oregano. You might think that this makes a pizza simple or boring, but this isn't the case. There are so many varieties and recipes for it that you'll never get bored of this meal!

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

Because pasta sauce is not twice-cooked, making it often involves simmering the tomatoes with onions, garlic, and herbs before combining them with the pasta of choice. Pizza sauce, however, frequently uses uncooked crushed tomatoes, to make a sauce that is brighter and easier to spread across the dough.

How to turn jar spaghetti sauce into pizza sauce? ›

How To Turn Spaghetti Sauce into Pizza Sauce
  1. Take your jarred pasta sauce and put it in the food processor. ...
  2. Turn on the heat and let the blended mixture simmer until you get a thick pizza sauce consistently.
  3. You can add salt, sugar, onion powder, garlic powder, or any other spice as per your taste.
Sep 27, 2021

What is the best substitute for pizza sauce? ›

5 Pizza Sauce Alternatives
  • Other tomato-based sauces. Traditional pizza sauce is made using canned tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, onion, and herbs like basil and oregano but there are so many other tomato sauce options that offer different flavour profiles. ...
  • Pesto. ...
  • Alfredo. ...
  • Tapenade. ...
  • Extra-Virgin Olive Oil.

Why do you put sugar in pizza sauce? ›

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.

Does authentic Italian pizza have sauce? ›

With real italian pizza, you will find homemade sauce made from freshly peeled tomatoes and a blend of savory, complimenting herbs. You will also notice that authentic Italian pizza doesn't combine the toppings and sauce to be cooked together. They simply layer the sauce along the crust.

What makes Detroit-style pizza so good? ›

Detroit-Style Pizza is recognizable by its iconic square shape and crunchy, cheesy corner slices. Influenced by square Sicilian-style pizza, Detroit-Style Pizza consistently impresses pizza lovers due to its unique layering structure and stunning presentation.

How to turn marinara 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. These additional ingredients will elevate the flavor profile of the marinara sauce, giving it that classic pizza sauce taste.

Can you make pizza sauce out of spaghetti sauce? ›

If you don't have tomato paste on hand, you can use pasta sauce on pizza by following these steps: Strain the pasta sauce to remove excess liquid. Add the pasta sauce to a food processor or blender and pulse until smooth. Add your desired seasoning and salt to taste.

What sauce goes on regular pizza? ›

You can't go wrong with a traditional tomato-based sauce. Flavored with ingredients like minced garlic, onion, oregano, basil, and other herbs and spices, red pizza sauce is the go-to choice for many people.

What is authentic pizza made of? ›

Some classic Italian ingredients such as Prosciutto San Daniele, Provolone, artichokes, Italian sausage, salami, black olives, anchovies and of course a few strands of fresh basil are the true 'wonder toppings' for an authentic Italian pizza.

Does authentic pizza have sauce? ›

You will also notice that authentic Italian pizza doesn't combine the toppings and sauce to be cooked together. They simply layer the sauce along the crust. You may even notice some pizzas without sauce and just a drizzle of olive oil. This is called 'bianca'.

Is pizza sauce made from tomato sauce? ›

Directions. Mix tomato sauce, garlic, oregano, and basil in a bowl until well combined. Spread mixture over pizza crusts as desired.

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