What is the secret to good, restaurant-quality pizza sauce?

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.

Can I substitute fresh tomatoes or tomato purée in pizza sauce?

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.

How can I thicken homemade pizza sauce?

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.

Homemade Pizza Sauce Recipe

Servings: 1 cup 1x

Scale

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)

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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.

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

Dairy-Free Egg-Free Gluten-free Grain-Free Nut-free Vegan Vegetarian

Recipe By: Ana Ankeny