Homemade Pizza Sauce is super simple to make and can transform an okay homemade pizza into a great one. Make a batch of this pizza sauce for your pizza night this week!
Pizza night has been a regular part of my week for almost 20 years. My early attempts at homemade pizza were doughy and sad, but with practice I’ve now achieved Pizza Nirvana. Or at least pizza pies that my family prefers over all others.
Bonus: homemade pizza is better tasting and healthier than most commercially-made pizzas.
In the early years I thought jarred pizza sauce was a prerequisite. I guess that what my “almost homemade” 1980’s childhood did to me.
Homemade pizza sauce recipe
Thankfully, I saw the light sooner rather than later: homemade pizza sauce is easy to make and utterly delicious!
This homemade pizza sauce is my favorite sauce. I have quicker sauce recipes and multipurpose sauce recipes that work in a pinch, but this homemade pizza sauce is near and dear to my heart. When I have a few minutes to mess at the stove, this is the sauce I make.
It’s loosely based on one that California Pizza Kitchen supposedly used back in the day. I’ve made some tweaks to it to make it easier for the home cook with pantry-stable ingredients so you can make it at a moment’s notice.
My friend Jessika clued me into pureeing it smooth. You can leave it chunky if you like chunky sauce, but if your kids might balk at a piece of tomato, smooth it out.
What’s the difference between pizza sauce and spaghetti sauce?
According to The Kitchn, there is quite a bit of a difference. Here are a few notable differences:
- Spaghetti is slow cooked. Spaghetti sauce is slow simmered compare to pizza sauce.
- Pizza sauce is thicker. Because of the addition of tomato paste, pizza sauce is usually on the thicker side.
- Spaghetti sauce can be chunkier. Because you are pureeing the pizza sauce it results in a smoother sauce.
What do I need to make this pizza sauce recipe?
- Olive Oil
- Garlic
- Diced Tomatoes (or you can use 7 Roma tomatoes)
- Basil
- Oregano
- Salt
- Red pepper flakes
- Tomato paste
How do I make this pizza sauce?
This homemade pizza sauce really couldn’t be easier. It’s made in just 3 simple steps:
- Make the pizza sauce. In stock pot, heat olive oil until shimmering. Stir in garlic and cook until just lightly browned. Add tomatoes, basil, oregano, salt, and red pepper flakes. Simmer until juices have started to evaporate slightly, about 10 minutes.
- Add tomato paste. Stir in the tomato paste and cook 3 minutes more. Cool slightly before using on pizza.
- Puree the pizza sauce.Puree the sauce in a blender or with an immersion blender if you prefer a smoother sauce.
Can I freeze this pizza sauce?
One batch of sauce will do you for 3 to 4 batches of pizza dough, so if you don’t use it all in one go, freeze it in small containers to use next week.
How to make this good and cheap:
Here are some of the strategies you can use to make this recipe more economical:
- Stock up on ingredients when they are on sale. Diced tomatoes are practically a kitchen staple at my house. I’ve found that ALDI and Costco both have very competitive pricing, so I stock up in one of those two places.
- Cook in bulk. Anytime you can make extra, you are saving time and money, so do it.
How I make this recipe easy:
This recipe really couldn’t be easier than it is, but having the right kitchen tools can really make your time in the kitchen more enjoyable. Over time, I’ve honed my collection so that they are perfect for my needs.
Here are the tools that I use for this recipe:
- plastic cutting boards – I have blue boards for veggies and white boards for meat.
- Ergo Chef chef’s knife – I’ve had my set for several years and they work well.
- 5-quart pot with lid – I have this one. It’s perfect for cooking chili or a big pot of rice.
- dual-sided silicone spatula/spoon – This is great for the cooking process as well as scraping every last bit out of the pan.
- immersion blender – I wish I had bought one of these 20 years ago. No pouring hot liquid into a food processor anymore!
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 28 ounce can diced tomatoes OR 7 roma tomatoes cored and diced
- 1 tablespoon basil
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano
- 1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt depending on the sodium content of your tomatoes
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 6 ounce can tomato paste
- In stock pot, heat olive oil until shimmering. Stir in garlic and cook until just lightly browned. Add tomatoes, basil, oregano, salt, and red pepper flakes. Simmer until juices have started to evaporate slightly, about 10 minutes.
- Stir in the tomato paste and cook 3 minutes more. Cool slightly before using on pizza.
- Puree the sauce in a blender or with an immersion blender if you prefer a smoother sauce.
- Can be made ahead. Cool, cover, and refrigerate or freeze for longer storage.
Can I freeze this pizza sauce?
One batch of sauce will do you for 3 to 4 batches of pizza dough, so if you don't use it all in one go, freeze it in small containers to use next week.
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Can we use this pizza sauce in other recipes (pasta, etc)?
Absolutely! It is great on pasta dishes as well as on chicken.
I’m currently on day 12 of the Whole30, but as soon as I reintroduce stuff, I’m absolutely making this.
You could use it to top cooked meats or veggies in the meantime!
This seemed too salty to me. Next time I will cut the salt in half. I did use prepared garlic in a jar, and maybe there was salt in that, so perhaps I am blaming the recipe in error. I will make the pizza dough tomorrow and perhaps when I spread the sauce out on the dough it will not be too noticeable
Believe it or not, canned tomato brands can vary dramatically in their sodium content. My guess is that your brand measures on the higher scale. I will add a note to the recipe. Thanks.
Love this recipe! I have been using it for a couple years since I got the freezer cookbook. It freezes great and my family loves it 😉 thanks so much for a great recipe!
So glad you like it!