Say hello to a nice and thick homemade pizza sauce. I so wish you could smell this sauce through the screen right now. It’s warm, hearty, and is the perfect sauce to use on homemade pizzas. Making homemade pizza sauce isn’t difficult and it doesn’t have to be time-consuming either. My recipe makes a large batch that you could use on 3-4 pizza crusts depending on your sauce preference. I go light on pizza sauce (heartburn is so real at 33) so it usually lasts me for closer to 5 pizzas. Keep in mind though that it all depends on how long you simmer the sauce. The longer you simmer the tomato sauce, the more concentrated it’ll be. It also uses mostly pantry staples so you can make it in no time!
This Homemade pizza sauce recipe is…
Vegan-friendlyGluten-freethe best pizza sauceReady in around 30 minutes
What you need to make this easy pizza sauce recipe:
Canned whole tomatoes: I’ve made this recipe enough times now to have tested it with whole tomatoes, diced canned tomatoes, and pureed tomatoes, and though all three of these work, I still find the whole tomatoes to be the best choice for making pizza sauce at home. Start by crushing San Marzano tomatoes and making my own ‘crushed tomatoes.’Olive oil: a generous splash not only helps flavor the sauce but also helps cook and bloom all of our aromatics and spices.Grated onions: You can grate the onions on a grater box, roughly chop and throw it into a food processor, or you can finely mince the onions for a heartier sauce. I use the food processor for minimum tears!Pressed garlic: I use a garlic press to help with this step. It takes seconds and the garlic really works into the sauce that way.Dried seasonings: My seasonings of choice are dried oregano, dried basil, and red pepper flakes. Sometimes I’ll cut back on the dried oregano a bit, especially if I’m topping the pizza with tons of toppings. However, this is your call. You can also add a tiny pinch of dried marjoram if you’d like! Sugar and salt: The salt and sugar help flavor the sauce. I find canned tomatoes to be on the acidic side, so the sugar helps tame it a bit. You could omit the sugar completely if this isn’t something that bothers you.
Can you swap out canned tomatoes for fresh ones?
That would work. In the summertime when tomatoes are at their best, I like to use fresh Roma tomatoes for this recipe. You’ll need about 1½ – 1¾ pounds of tomatoes. To prep, the tomatoes, score an “x” on the bottom of each tomato using a sharp paring knife. Add the tomato to a pot of boiling water and allow them to boil for 1-2 minutes. Remove the tomatoes carefully and place them on a plate or in a bowl. Allow them to cool. Then, peel the skin away from the tomatoes. Once that’s done, you can follow the recipe as listed.
How to make pizza sauce from scratch:
Can you freeze pizza sauce?
Yes, you absolutely can! I usually use about half the sauce to make two pizzas, and once cooled, pop the rest into these take-out containers. You could also just place it in zip-top bags if you’d like and freeze it flat. That way you can stack your bags. You can keep the sauce in the refrigerator for about a week, and it lasts for 3 months in the freezer.
Ways to use homemade pizza sauce:
On freshly made lazy no knead pizza doughOn my traditional homemade pizza doughAs a sauce for my cheesy garlic pull-apart breadOn my Detroit-style pizza (a family fave!)As a sauce for my pull-apart garlic roll wreath
Other homemade sauces to make and try:
Homemade pestoAll-purpose meat sauceArrabbiata sauce2-minute Caesar salad dressingHomemade Nutella
Sauce can be refrigerated for up to 1 week or frozen for up to 3 months.
