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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 can’t tell you how many times I have made this. For pizza and spaghetti. It’s my go to recipe when I want Italian. This sauce tastes so good, and it’s easy and quick to make. Thanks for sharing!!!!
Thank you so much for taking the time to tell us! xoxo!
Made my own pizza tonight after many years. Used a recipe from my Mom & Uncle (who was a restauranteur) which turned out wonderfully. Then decided to check out the internet, and lo & behold, yours was almost the exact same thing, except that theirs was not so well defined when it came to amounts ( a small handful of… , about a teaspoon of… ,just a little of…), and when I read it, I could tell how delicious it will be, when I now have distinct measurements. Oh, and this time, I won’t have to remember (since I did forget the basil 🙁 oops) it is written out for me!
That’s awesome! I love those “pinch of this” recipes though. So fun!
Love a great pizza, but I am not too interested in a $90 pizza pan by Mario Batali, or anyone else, for that matter!!! (And after going to his site – it appears he is no longer making them.) Might you recall some other brands that you also thought highly of? And please tell me how your rating system works…. What are highest priorities? Holds Heat? Browns Crust the Best. Durable. Easy to Clean. etc. Thank you 🙂
Hi Jon,
We love a good pizza stone versus pan like Pampered Chef for example. We like the it holds up to the extremely high temperatures we cook pizza at, it seasons versus a pan you wash which creates better flavor, and most importantly we feel it contributes to a crisp, chewier crust than other pans and the crust totally makes or breaks a pizza in our opinion. Plus, ours is still just as amazing at year 12 as it was at year 1 so the investment is awesome.
I have tried MANY pizza sauce recipes in the last few years. This is by far the best! It’s a keeper! Thank you so much!
I found this pizza sauce recipe and decided to give it a try – with a few modifications! Try adding a teaspoon or two of red wine vinegar!
Awesome recipe!
That’s a fantastic idea! Can’t wait to try it. 🙂
I stumbled on this recipe today and decided to give it a try. It is unbelievably good! The only thing I did differently was that I used my own homemade tomato sauce, but I’m sure any tomato sauce would be fine. You have an awesome site and I love your emphasis on family dinners and a healthy lifestyle. I’m looking forward to trying some other recipes and regularly checking out your website. Thanks!
Thanks so much Kay! We love using our own tomato sauce as it’s something we both freeze and can during the summer, but it seems like everyone else is store bought. So glad we aren’t alone!
I’m an American living in Norway and the very few places that have pizza have wonderful toppings but the WORST, most bland sauce so I have taken to making pizza at home. I’ve been here 3 years and I have tried various sauces from blogs, cooking websites, cookbooks, my mom’s recipe, etc and I had yet to find out that tasted “right,” until I found yours!!!! The only difference was that I added 1 small onion to the oil and butter (brilliant, I never thought to add butter!) before adding the garlic and I added a few more dried spices (fennel, parsley and celery salt).
I’m so glad you posted this sauce recipe!! Thanks a million!
Norway! Wow!!! What took you out there? We would love to live overseas one day and I’m so, so happy you liked the sauce!
Can I freeze this sauce? I made it last night and LOVED it, but am wondering if I could make a large batch and then freeze it for quick pizza nights??
Yup! That’s exactly what we do and it works great!
How many pizzas would this recipe cover?
It only covers 2 for us, but it depends on the size.
Does it has to simmer fr 1-2 hours?
maybe simmer in over or slow cooker?? this would take the stand over the stove element out of the equation,,
You could totally do that. In fact, I think I’ll do that when I can this summer. 🙂