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Looking for a quick and easy homemade pizza sauce recipe that tastes even better than your local pizzeria’s? This pizza sauce from scratch is just that!
Table of Contents
- The BEST Pizza Sauce From Scratch
- Homemade Pizza Sauce Ingredients
- How to Make Pizza Sauce From Scratch
- How Long Does Pizza Sauce Last?
- Can You Freeze Pizza Sauce?
- Can I Omit the Brown Sugar?
- Tips for Making the Best Pizza Sauce
- More Homemade Condiment Recipes You’ll Love:
- Other Homemade Pizza Recipes
- Homemade Quick and Easy Pizza Sauce
- Homemade Pizza Sauce Recipe
The BEST Pizza Sauce From Scratch
Over the years we’ve discovered that not all pizza sauce is created equal. There are definitely a few brands whose sauce I just don’t love, and we aren’t just talking pizza delivery, but store-bought as well. They just aren’t right. We wanted to find an easy-to-make homemade pizza sauce recipe that still tasted amazing even if it didn’t simmer on the stove for three days and have ingredients that were shipped from Italy.
Guess what? We found it. A homemade, quick and easy pizza sauce recipe you’ll fall in love with.
We love this homemade pizza sauce recipe because we can use it right away if we’re in a hurry and it only takes 5 minutes to make. But if we have time, we let it simmer for a couple of hours and the flavor just gets better and better.
Oh my goodness, and the smell. It is intoxicating. Cade walked in and came crawling into the kitchen begging to know what smelled so amazing. I love when he does that.
And the best part is he actually finished the sauce and made it amazing with his secret ingredient, cheese. I swear, dairy makes the world go round. If ever in doubt, add a little cheese, right? A little Parmesan made all the difference in this pizza sauce from scratch, and now I’ll never have a store-bought pizza sauce again!
We’ve been practicing and practicing to find our perfect homemade pizza sauce recipe, so let’s get into how to make it.
Homemade Pizza Sauce Ingredients
This pizza sauce from tomato paste and tomato sauce requires primarily pantry staples. Here’s what I used in this pizza sauce recipe:
- Olive oil
- Butter
- Garlic
- Onion powder
- Red pepper flakes
- Fresh basil and oregano
- Tomato sauce
- Tomato paste
- Grated Parmesan cheese
- Brown sugar
- Water
- Salt and pepper
How to Make Pizza Sauce From Scratch
It all starts out with blooming your spices. Start with a little oil in a dutch oven or pot. Adding your garlic and spices straight to the oil and butter brings them into contact with the heat, which opens up their flavor even more.
Then it’s just a matter of dumping in the tomato sauce, tomato paste, sugar, cheese, and water. Water helps to mellow out the tomato sauce a bit. Obviously, fresh tomato sauce or paste would be best, but I’m a mom and don’t have time to always make fresh everything.
Bring the pizza sauce to a light boil and use immediately, or let it simmer for 1 to 2 hours to let the flavors really develop.
read more: Want to switch up your pizza recipe? Try using our Simple Pesto Recipe instead of red sauce!
How Long Does Pizza Sauce Last?
Tomato-based sauces are only good for 5 days to a week. Don’t wait for the mold to form. In many cases, you won’t see the mold in the pizza sauce after five days, but it actually could be there.
Can You Freeze Pizza Sauce?
Yes, we like to make a big batch of homemade pizza sauce and often freeze the leftovers. Simply freeze it in an airtight container and it will last for up to 3 months.
Can I Omit the Brown Sugar?
Technically yes, but we recommend leaving in the small amount of brown sugar since it helps balance out the acidity in the tomatoes.
Tips for Making the Best Pizza Sauce
You all know that we prefer to use a 2qt round dutch oven by Le Creuset because that coated cast iron makes for the best pizza sauce every time and it’s the perfect size for this recipe.
Note that this pizza sauce is not spicy like some restaurants do. That’s just not my style. But please feel free to give it a little more oomph if you need it.
You can use fresh or dried herbs in this pizza sauce recipe. Fresh herbs are better if you know you’ll be eating this pizza sauce immediately and don’t have time to let it simmer for an hour.
More Homemade Condiment Recipes You’ll Love:
- Red Enchilada Sauce
- Tomatillo Cilantro Ranch Dressing
- Taco Seasoning
- Classic Pesto
- Burger Sauce
- BBQ Rub
- Authentic Salsa Verde
- Restaurant Style Salsa
- Nacho Cheese Sauce
- BBQ Sauce
- Spaghetti Sauce
- Ham Dipping Sauces
- All CONDIMENT RECIPES!
Other Homemade Pizza Recipes
- Perfect Pepperoni Pizza
- Meatball Lasagna Pizza
- Pepperoni Pizza Pinwheels
- Pepperoni Pizza-Stuffed Crescent Rolls
- Pizza Dip
- Pepperoni Pizza Bagel Bites
- Mexican Corn Grilled Pizza
- Pulled Pork Pizza
- Upside-Down Pizza Casserole
- …All of our Pizza Recipes!
If you need a quick and simple pizza dough recipe, try this 3 ingredient pizza dough from our dear friend at Fueling a Southern Soul!
Homemade Quick and Easy Pizza Sauce
Homemade Pizza Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons Olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon Butter, optional (or sub more olive oil)
- 4 Cloves Garlic, minced
- 1 3/4 teaspoons Onion Powder
- 1/4-1/2 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
- 1 1/2 teaspoon Fresh Basil, chopped (or 3/4 teaspoon Dried)
- 1 teaspoon Fresh Oregano, chopped (or 1/2 teaspoon Dried)
- 5 Tablespoons Fresh Parmesan Cheese, grated
- 2 teaspoons Brown Sugar
- 2 Cans Tomato Sauce, 8oz cans
- 4 Tablespoons Tomato Paste
- 2/3 Cup Warm Water
- Salt and Pepper , to taste
Instructions
- In a large pot over medium heat, add the olive oil and butter and heat until almost shimmering.2 teaspoons Olive oil, 1 Tablespoon Butter
- Add the garlic, stirring a few times around the pot. Then, quickly add the onion powder, red pepper flakes, basil, and oregano.4 Cloves Garlic, 1 3/4 teaspoons Onion Powder, 1/4-1/2 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes, 1 1/2 teaspoon Fresh Basil, 1 teaspoon Fresh Oregano
- Stir a few times and allow the herbs to bloom.
- Add Parmesan cheese and brown sugar, then quickly dump in the tomato sauce, tomato paste, and water.2 Cans Tomato Sauce, 4 Tablespoons Tomato Paste, 5 Tablespoons Fresh Parmesan Cheese, 2 teaspoons Brown Sugar, 2/3 Cup Warm Water
- Stir to combine and bring to a light boil.
- Turn the heat down to low, season to taste, and allow to simmer for 1-2 hours for ultimate flavor or use immediately if needed.Salt and Pepper
Recipe Notes
- This sauce can be stored in a sealed mason jar for up to 3 weeks.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I made your sauce for pizza and it was delicious! I will never buy sauce again! I plan on making more to freeze while i have fresh herbs in my garden. Shared with my daughter who is a red sauce fanatic.
Yippee! Love to hear that! Thank you so much for the feedback!
This is REALLY good pizza sauce! And so easy.
Thank you Anthony!!
Good pizza sauce! I used it on the grilled pizza dough from this site. My family loved it!
Thank you Richard! Love to hear it was a hit with your family!
I just made this for the first time, and I can’t believe what a difference it made! I made
it exactly as the recipe was written, and it was delicious! I will never make another pizza without this sauce.
Yesssss!! This is what we love to hear Susan! Thank you so much for taking time to give us feedback!
I couldn’t sleep last night & was hungry, so at 11pm I decided to make a Detroit Style Pizza. In my search for a pizza sauce your site jumped out at me, & your sauce made my first attempt at a 100% homemade pizza a SUCCESS! When you “bloom” the garlic & seasonings in the oil & butter, the aroma informs your senses that you have found the “right” sauce! The only change I made was to add a tad more sugar, used no salt, because I HAVE to watch acidic foods. Since I had to wait 2 hours for my dough to rise, I kept the sauce on a low simmer & at 2am I was enjoying a pizza that, according to my adult daughter (whom I woke up with the mixer going at midnight) was better then half the pizzerias in our area! This sauce tasted great after 15 minutes, & even richer after 2 hrs (just watch how thick you want your sauce, you may need to add a touch more water)! My taste buds thank you so much!!!
Rebecca…you’ve made my day! Seriously! I have this vision of your making pizza in the middle of the night and it is the best! So glad you enjoyed this sauce! It really is the best!
Can you freeze this sauce and if so, how long can it be frozen for?
Yes, we freeze it all the time! Freeze it in an airtight container and it will last for up to 3 months. Enjoy!
Recipe looks amazing, but by cans of tomato sauce does it mean tinned tomatoes or something like Passata? I’ve never seen tinned tomato sauce before
Hey Nadia! I had to research what Passata is, but yes, that is similar to tomato sauce here in the US. It’s a little thicker than our tomato sauce so you may need to add a little water to dilute it. You’re going to love this sauce!!
I’m going to try this for a “Build & Grill Your On Pie” party. I’m hoping the calorie count is per serving!
Yes, the nutritional info is for the whole batch of sauce! You’re going to love it!!
Hi, I really want to try making this, but I’m worried about the water making it too runny. Shouldn’t pizza sauce be thicker? Would it taste different if I left the water out? Or just use less? Also, would using crushed tomatoes instead of the sauce change the recipe too much? TIA
You need the water in it to get the right consistency. It eventually cooks out as it simmers and it ends up being quite thick if you see in the pictures. Using crushed tomatoes should work great. It will just be a little chunkier. Enjoy!
Greetings
Good article