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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.
Could you share the directions & everything you do to be able to Can this sauce? I would really love to be able to have plenty stocked in my pantry.
I’ve tried lots of pizza sauce recipes & I am beyond impressed with yours! Amazing job & thanks so much for being kind enough to share all your hard work with all of us.
Meli
Thank you so much! I’ll for sure have to make a post about canning it. Might take me a while as I’m just coming back to work after a really sick pregnancy, but I’ll try to hurry!
OMG!! It’s perfect!! I haven’t even cooked it yet! Have been searching for years for a pizza sauce.. THANK YOU!
Yay!!!!! That makes us so happy!
OMG! What delicious pizza sauce! I used dry herbs and was generous with the red pepper flakes, and it turned out exactly the way my family likes it!
AND you are right: I found myself taking a spoonful or two to taste, simply because it was delicious!
Yahoo!!! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!! I need to get a bunch canned as soon as I’m feeling well again.
I tried this last night and felt the need to leave feedback. This was not only easy to make, but an excellent pizza sauce! I just used 1/4 tsp of red pepper flakes, but will probably only use 1/8 tsp (or remove) next time. I love it with that extra zing, but my girls (ages 4 and 6) said it was too spicy. My wife tolerates, but isn’t crazy about spicy things either.
I actually used just fresh oregano and basil from our garden (no dried), so I added a little extra. I could see people wanting to add more, like possibly marjoram or another spice, but this is really good as-is.
It’s a keeper and one that I’ll no doubt make again.
Thanks for posting this recipe!!
Ryan,
Thank you so much for the kind comment. I prefer it with fresh from the garden herbs, if only Utah wasn’t so cold most of the year. I need to start an indoor garden.
I’ve been looking to make my own pizza for a while as my family loves to eat it!! It’s too expensive to buy all the time so I figured I’d try it myself. I am sooo glad you posted this recipe. I made it last night and it was a huge hit!! (even with my pickiest eater) I used pecorino-romano instead of parm. What I love most is there is no added salt. I don’t add salt to any of my recipes & this one certainly didn’t need it! Simmered for 1hr & the flavors melded. Thanks so much for sharing!!
Yes! I love simmering it low and slow all afternoon but everyone seems to want things so darn quick. I think the flavors get so much better and I’m thrilled you tried it. Thanks!
Hi – I’m from Indonesia and I love pizza. I found this recipe on Pinterest, I just made this sauce and it’s super good. Unfortunately no one sells tomato paste here, at least not where I live, so I made it myself. I use cheddar cheese instead of Parmesan, and I accidentally add more red pepper flakes :)… still very tasty! I love it. Thank you so much for sharing.
That sounds delicious still! Thank you!
Hi – I am in nicaragua at the moment and I wasn’t sure we would be able to find all the ingredients but we did and the pizza sauce was absolutely amazing – I’m not sure I have tasted better even in a restaurant. Thank you so much for this recipe – super simple and ridiculously delicious.
That’s so amazing! I’m so glad you took the time to comment too, Nicaragua?! WOW! SO awesome to know that someone in another country tried it. Thanks!
I made the sauce last weekend and LOVED it! Now to conquer making my own dough. Thanks!
I have recently began making my own pizza at home. I have finally conquered the crust, but my sauce hasn’t “knocked my socks off”. I refuse to use store-bought, and have tried most every recipe on the net (including the “pizza sauce copy cat” sauces. I end up disappointed every time. This sauce, however, was easy to make, and outstanding in taste! I topped it with cheese and pepperoni–also following this blog’s suggestions, and admit to one of the best pizza’s ever! While the ingredients are just typical tomato, garlic and Italian herbs, etc., it’s the method which makes the difference. It’s a must…it wakes up everything! Superb!
Thank you so much for your comment! We love it too!
Tried this sauce for the first time today, and it was incredible! Thanks for sharing this, and best wishes to you and your family in the new year.
Thank you so much, Mark! Happy New Year!
Gotta give credit where credit is due… We’ve experimented making our own pasta sauce a lot and always fall back to using a jar of garlic, onion Ragu because we like it and it works. This. Sauce. Is. Awesome. I read how you always keep going back for licks and my husband and I did too. He complimented it very generously and that means A LOT from him. Thanks for this awesome recipe which I will be putting in everything that calls for red sauce from now on!