I’ve been perfecting my homemade pizza night lately, and after getting my pizza dough just right, I knew a simple homemade pizza sauce recipe had to follow. This no-cook sauce comes together in just 5 minutes and has the perfect balance of tomato, Italian seasoning, and oregano flavor without a lot of added sugar.
Recipe Highlights
No cooking required: I appreciate that this easy pizza sauce recipe can be mixed together in a bowl and used right away. There’s no simmering in a saucepan or blending in a food processor, which makes homemade pizza night even easier.
Simple ingredients: A handful of pantry staples is all that’s needed to make this sauce. Tomato sauce creates the base, tomato paste adds concentrated tomato flavor and body, and a blend of Italian seasoning and spices gives it plenty of flavor.
Less added sugar: I use just 1 teaspoon of sugar in this recipe, which is much less than many homemade and store-bought pizza sauces. The sugar helps balance the acidity of the tomatoes, but I’ve found the sauce tastes great without it, too.
Easy to make ahead: This sauce stores well in the refrigerator or freezer, making it an easy recipe to prepare ahead for pizza night. One batch makes 1 cup, which is enough for about 2-3 large pizzas.
Ingredients And Substitutions
These are the simple pantry ingredients I gather to make a batch of my best pizza sauce recipe:
- Tomato sauce: This creates the smooth, pourable base of the pizza sauce and gives the sauce its classic tomato flavor.
- Tomato paste: Tomato paste is concentrated, so even a small amount adds rich tomato flavor while giving the sauce enough body to spread easily without being watery. I use both tomato sauce and tomato paste because the combination gives this sauce the consistency I’m after.
- Italian seasoning: I use 1-2 tablespoons depending on how bold I want the Italian seasoning flavor. I tend to use the full 2 tablespoons because I love the flavor it adds. It’s also great with 1 tablespoon of Italian seasoning plus ½ tablespoon of dried oregano or dried basil. Sometimes I also add a pinch of red pepper flakes.
- Garlic powder and onion powder: These add savory flavor without requiring any chopping.
- Salt and black pepper: A little sea salt and black pepper (or crushed red pepper) brings all of the tomato and herb flavors together.
- Sugar: The sugar is optional. I add 1 teaspoon to help balance the acidity of the tomato ingredients, but the sauce is still delicious without it.
Find the ingredient list with exact measurements in the recipe card below.
Don’t Over-Sauce The Pizza
I typically use ⅓ to ½ cup of pizza sauce to top a 16-inch round pizza. The same amount works well for a 10×15-inch rectangular pizza, too. I spoon the sauce into the center of the crust and use the back of a spoon to gently spread it outward, leaving a little room around the edge for the crust.
It can be tempting to add more sauce, especially when the sauce tastes this good, but I’ve learned that too much can make the pizza crust soggy. A thin, even layer is all that’s needed. Then top it with desired toppings. My family go-tos are pepperoni, a few diced tomatoes, fresh basil, mozzarella, Parmesan, and the slightest drizzle of olive oil.
The consistency of this sauce makes spreading easy. It’s not too thin or too thick, similar to marinara sauce or pasta sauce, and it coats the back of a spoon while still spreading easily across the crust.
Ways To Use This Pizza Sauce
I love to make my own sauces from scratch. And this homemade pizza sauce is probably the one I make most often. When it comes to how to use it, my answer is of course to top homemade pizzas. But I also like having extra on hand for other easy meals and snacks, too.
I use it as a dipping sauce for breadsticks, garlic bread, or toasted bread. It’s also great for quick English muffin pizzas or tortilla pizzas when I need a fast after-school snack for my boys.
It also works in any recipe that calls for pizza sauce like pizza casserole, pizza muffins, pizza burgers, and this pizza stuffed spaghetti squash. Having a container in the fridge or freezer makes it easy to turn simple ingredients into something a little more exciting.
Make-Ahead And Storage
I often make this sauce ahead of time, especially when I know pizza night is coming up. Since there’s no cooking involved, I can mix up a batch in just a few minutes and store it until I’m ready to make pizza. The sauce can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
For longer storage, I freeze the sauce for up to 3 months. I like freezing it in small portions so I can thaw only what I need for a pizza night.
Frequently Asked Questions
For me, it comes down to balance and consistency. I want plenty of tomato and Italian seasoning flavor without the sauce being overly sweet, and I want it thick enough to coat the crust without being so thick that it’s difficult to spread. Using both tomato sauce and tomato paste gives me the texture and concentrated tomato flavor I’m looking for.
I recommend sticking with tomato sauce and tomato paste for this particular recipe. Fresh tomatoes contain more water and would change the consistency, while tomato purée can vary in thickness and may produce a different result.
Tomato paste is the easiest way to add body to this no-cook sauce. I use 2 tablespoons along with the tomato sauce, which creates a consistency that is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon but still easy to spread. If a thicker sauce is desired, increase that amount to 3 or even 4 tablespoons of tomato paste total.
More Homemade Sauce Recipes To Try
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Pizza Sauce Recipe
This easy homemade pizza sauce comes together in minutes from simple pantry ingredients. It has a flavorful tomato base and plenty of herbaceous Italian flavors and the right not-too-thick, not-too-thin consistency.
Ingredients
- 1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1–2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon fine salt
- ¼ – ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon sugar (optional)
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together the tomato sauce, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Stir in the sugar, if using.
- Use as desired. Note: ⅓ to ½ cup of this sauce is a typical amount to top a 16-inch round pizza or 10×15-inch rectangular pizza.
- Store leftover sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
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Notes
One batch makes 1 cup of sauce, which is enough sauce to top 2 or 3 medium-large pizza crusts, depending on how much sauce is used on each one. I typically use about ⅓ cup of sauce per pizza.
Looking for a homemade pizza dough recipe? I have one here.
The sugar is optional, but it does help balance the acidity of the tomato ingredients and creates a great tasting sauce. It’s also very tasty without it, so feel free to omit it if you’d like to cut back on added sugar.
Nutrition Information
- Serving Size: 2 tablespoons
- Calories: 22
- Fat: 0 g
- (Sat Fat: 0 g)
- Sodium: 154 mg
- Carbohydrate: 5 g
- (Fiber: 2 g
- Sugar: 2 g)
- Protein: 1 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Dietary
The photos in this post were taken by Megan McKeehan.
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