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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.
How much sauce do you end up with? I want to can it but I need to know how many cans I will need.
Hey Josh! I don’t know honestly but you can’t can it because it has dairy in it. It freezes really well though. If I had to guess, I would say it makes about 3-4 cups.
Thank you for this recipe! I have been using it for years. I freeze it in small amounts, so it’s handy whenever I want to use it. It is the best!!
Thank you so much for the support Susan! And thank you for the feedback!
I’ve been using this sauce for years! We love it!
Yay!! Thank you Mandy!
I was just looking for my sauce recipe, and couldn’t find it…. So…
I went to the web to see what I can find.
one thing I do NOT like about some sauces is there is a sweetness (Sweet and Meat NEVER belong together) that just turns me off, and some have a cinnamon taste of some sort that also throws me off.
the recipe I had was perfect blend of spices with no hint of sweetness or one spice that stood out.
Ima try Yours, but I will eliminate the sugar to start. if it needs it, I can add it later.
Let me know what you think Brad!!
I have a strange question to ask, but about 3 years ago, I made a homemade pizza sauce recipe and I thought I saved the recipe and this is the only pizza sauce recipe I have saved. My question is I remember in the ingredients, it called for Muir Glen tomato’s in a can and gourmet garden chopped fresh basil herb blend that came in a tube. Could you please tell me if this is the recipe and if it was changed since then? Thank you so much. It was the most delicious sauce and I remember the website said it’s best to let it simmer for 2-2.5 hours. Thank you!
Hi Andrea! No that wasn’t this recipe, but it sure sounds good! Try our recipe though and see if you like it!
Andrea, I remember this too! This is also my only saved pizza sauce recipe and I distinctively remember the garden gourmet squeeze basil because the only time I’ve ever purchased it was to make pizza sauce.
Hi friends! The Muir glen wasn’t in it but the gourmet gardens was changed to fresh or dried basil because the majority of our readers could not find it in their stores. You would use the same as the fresh for measurements if you can find the squeezable. So so happy you like the sauce! Xoxo
Thanks for this excellent recipe! I’ve been searching for the perfect pizza sauce, and this recipe wins hands down!
I actually blended drained San Marzano tomatoes to make the 16 oz tomato sauce base. I used my favorite kitchen appliance, the Instant Pot, to make the sauce. “Saute” to heat up the butter/oil/spices + to bring the sauce to a boil, and “Slow Cook” to simmer for 2 hours. Absolute perfection!
Yessss!! Thank you so much Alex! And thank you for including the tips on cooking this in the Instant Pot! It really is the best pizza sauce ever!
Canned tomatoes just doesn’t cut it if you’re going to call it the best. You may as well tell people to open a jar of spaghetti sauce.
These cooking blogs are becoming ridiculous.
Hi Elma! I’ll have to challenge you to make this sauce and then let us know what you think! It really is so good! Of course you can always make your own tomato sauce and tomato paste from scratch if you want!
Scroll on by. Maybe start a blog of your own.
This sauce has a wonderful taste — I made it for a pizza I was freezing so I haven’t tasted it on the pizza yet, but I did sample the sauce and it was very flavorful. I skipped the sugar and cheese, but otherwise followed the directions.
Yay! I’m glad you like it!
Holy guacamole this stuff is a taste body’s dream. We live in a very rural town and there are zero choices for spectacular pizza so I set out to create our own. I’d rather get bored of my really good creation then someone else’s mediocre pie. A million thank yous for sharing this. You’ve saved this midwest family from undue pizza boredom and our Friday night tradition.
Hahaha…thank you so much Deanna! And you have made my day! It really is the best pizza sauce ever! So glad you enjoyed it!
****Taste bud….not body…*****Apologies
I just made a batch, and will be trying it on pizza tonight.
How did it turn out!!?
Thank you for sharing. Defined a favorite in our household.
Yay! Thanks for the feedback Crystal!