This simple recipe for homemade pizza sauce is rich, thick and so much better than store bought!
Use it on homemade Italian dishes like pizza and stromboli or as a dipping sauce for your favorite snacks. It’s truly that game-changing ingredient that will level up all of your homemade pizza recipes!
The sauce might be the most underrated ingredient when it comes to homemade pizza. Everyone is focused on making homemade pizza dough for the perfect crust, or using certain kinds of cheese for maximum melt factor, but the sauce is really where the flavor is!
Using very simple ingredients, this easy pizza sauce recipe gives you thick, stick-to-the-dough flavor that wakes up those taste buds in the best way.
It’s sauce for people who really love sauce – affectionately nicknamed my “saucy sauce”.
Ingredients for this Easy Homemade Pizza Sauce Recipe
We’re using basic pantry staples in this recipe. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Tomato puree. While some recipes call for tomato sauce as their primary ingredient, we’re using tomato puree instead. Why? Because it’s thicker, richer and has a lower water content than tomato sauce. It’s also the perfect consistency without making you use a food processor or immersion blender to process any chunks.
- Tomato paste. Again, for the thickness!
- Fresh garlic
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Sugar. A surprising ingredient to some people, sugar is actually a key ingredient for the best sauce because it balances the acidity of the tomatoes perfectly.
- Salt
- Dried basil
- Dried oregano
- Dried parsley
How to Make The Best Pizza Sauce
Making pizza sauce starts the same way as making marinara sauce or meat sauce – with fresh garlic sizzling in quality olive oil.
So get your garlic sizzling, and then add the remaining ingredients. Now, simmer your sauce on low heat and let those flavors come together. This should only take 15-20 minutes.
Then, your sauce will be ready to enjoy!
Pizza Sauce vs. Pasta Sauce
The main difference between pizza sauce and pasta sauce is the moisture content. Pasta sauces like marinara sauce and meat sauce can be made with fresh tomatoes, crushed tomatoes or even canned whole tomatoes.
On the other hand, a good pizza sauce recipe usually calls for either tomato puree or tomato sauce because they are lower in moisture.
A thick red sauce with low moisture will cling to your pizza crust and not water it down during cooking, resulting in a nice, crispy crust.
How many pizzas can I make with one recipe of pizza sauce?
This recipe yields 2 1/2 cups of delicious sauce, giving you enough servings for about 8 10-inch pizzas.
If you plan to make larger pizzas or use the sauce for other things like dipping or strombolis, this recipe can easily be doubled.
Serving Suggestions
1. Pizza – the most obvious use for pizza sauce, use it as a base for amazing homemade pies.
2. Pasta – especially baked pasta. Try it in cheesy pasta casseroles when you want something extra rich and delicious with bold tomato flavor.
3. Dipping Sauce – this pizza sauce recipe is perfect for serving with mozzarella sticks, fried ravioli and Parmesan cheese bites.
4. Stromboli – making stromboli at home is just as easy as making pizza. Use this sauce in place of marinara or spaghetti sauce for amazing boldness.
Storage and Reheating
This is the best pizza sauce recipe for doubling and storing for future use! I love having it on hand in the freezer for whenever we feel like a pizza night.
Just store it in an airtight container and it will stay good in the freezer for months.
If you plan to use your pizza sauce more regularly, keep it in an airtight container in the fridge.
Reheat in the microwave or over low heat on the stove top.
Can you use fresh herbs instead of dried herbs to make this pizza sauce?
You can certainly use fresh herbs instead of dried herbs in this recipe. You’ll need to use twice the amount of fresh herbs as dried herbs because their flavor is not as concentrated.
For best results though, I recommend using dried herbs because of their concentrated flavor. Using dried herbs results in a bolder pizza sauce. Save the fresh basil and other fresh herbs for garnishing the finished dish.
When you make this homemade pizza sauce, I’d love to hear about it! Drop a rating or leave a comment below. Enjoy!
For more sauce recipes, try these:
Homemade Pizza Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 28 oz. can tomato puree
- 3/4 cup tomato paste
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
- 1 Tbsp. sugar
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. dried basil or 2 tsp. fresh
- 1 tsp. dried oregano or 2 tsp. fresh
- 1 tsp. dried parsley or 2 tsp. fresh
Instructions
- Heat oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Saute garlic in olive oil until it starts to turn golden brown.
- Add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Simmer over low heat for 15-20 minutes.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before using or storing.
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