Homemade Pizza Sauce
It doesn’t really get much easier—or tastier—than this homemade pizza sauce. You can also easily double or triple it and store it in the freezer for when pizza night comes calling.
Recipe Mood: Homemade Pizza
Indulgence Level: Low
Effort Level: Easy
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Grab a can of whole tomatoes and some basic ingredients you likely have on hand, and make some homemade pizza sauce! It tastes better than anything you can get from a jar or carton, and you can easily double or triple it and store it in the freezer for months.
Not only is this homemade pizza sauce delicious on homemade pizza, but it also makes a great dipping sauce for calzones. You can even spread it on some Italian bread, top it with mozzarella, and bake until toasty for a pizza-like snack.
Basically, if you’re eating something and thinking, “This would be awesome with some pizza sauce,” this recipe will come in handy. This pizza sauce also takes just 30 minutes to cook—though, personally, I like to let it simmer for closer to an hour to give it more time to develop its flavor.
Now, I know many pizza sauce recipes are no-cook, but I’m not a fan of them. I like to simmer my sauce because it allows it to thicken, the flavors to meld, and the tomatoes to mellow. If you’re a fan of simmering tomatoes like I am, try my homemade marinara sauce.
Why You’ll Love This Homemade Pizza Sauce
Requires few ingredients: This is one of those “five-ingredients-or-less” recipes, not counting salt and pepper.
Can easily double or triple it: This sauce freezes beautifully, so you can make a large batch and have it on hand for all those pizza nights.
Easy cleanup: Everything cooks in one pot, so cleanup is minimal.
Key Ingredients
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Don’t use “ordinary” olive oil. Ensure it’s EVOO for the best flavor.
- Fresh Garlic: Don’t cheat with garlic powder.
- Canned Whole Tomatoes: These are preferable to crushed, as I think they retain better flavor.
See the recipe card below for more information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make This Recipe
Pro Tips
Use canned whole tomatoes: Whole tomatoes retain better flavor than crushed tomatoes.
Keep sugar on hand: If your tomatoes are acidic, add a pinch of sugar to help sweeten them.
Cook for closer to an hour: You can cook this homemade pizza sauce in just 30 minutes, but I recommend cooking it for closer to an hour if you have the time, as it allows the sauce to thicken more and develop deeper flavor.
Variations & Substitutions
-Use fresh herbs in place of the dried oregano. I often finish mine with fresh basil.
-You can use canned crushed tomatoes in a pinch, but I encourage using the whole ones.
-You can purée the tomatoes to make them smooth if you don’t want any tomato chunks.
Recipe FAQs
Typically, pizza sauce is smoother than marinara sauce (though you will find chunkier pizza sauce—like this recipe—on, say, a Grandma pizza). Other differences include marinara sauce sometimes containing more ingredients than pizza sauce for a more complex flavor. Also, marinara sauce is sometimes cooked for longer.
Maybe, but many Italian pizza sauce recipes require a no-cook method. I’m not a fan of that, as I think most canned tomatoes (at least in the U.S., and even some D.O.P. brands) benefit from some cooking. However, if you love the taste of your particular brand of canned tomatoes, feel free to leave the sauce raw (It will only cook when you add it to the pizza and bake it.)
No need to adapt anything, but you may want to reduce the amount of garlic the recipe calls for if you think it might be too strong in its raw form.
Yes, but I do recommend cooking them to help concentrate the flavor. I also suggest squeezing out any excess water from them first. Make sure you have enough tomatoes to equal one 28-ounce can!
Storage
Refrigerator: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Freezer: Store in a freezer-safe container or sturdy ziploc bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost in the refrigerator before reheating.
Reheat: Warm in a small pot on the stovetop on low until heated through. You can also microwave this pizza sauce in the microwave in a microwave-safe container. Place a loose microwave-safe lid or a sheet of wax paper across the top to avoid splashing.
More Sauce Recipes
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Homemade Pizza Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves peeled and grated (Note 1)
- 1 28-ounce can whole tomatoes hand-crushed (Note 2)
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt or more to taste
- Ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- Sugar pinch, if tomatoes taste acidic
Instructions
- Warm the olive oil in a medium-sized pot on medium-low to medium heat. Add the garlic and sautée for 30-45 seconds until aromatic, stirring constantly.
- Pour in the crushed tomatoes, then add the salt, pepper, and oregano.
- Simmer the sauce gently for at least 30 minutes or up to 1 hour. Taste, and add more salt if needed. If the tomatoes seem bitter/acidic, add a pinch of sugar. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil.
- Remove the pot from the heat, and go make some pizza!