Making homemade pizza? You’ll want this Pizza Sauce Recipe! You only need 20 minutes and you’ll have a pizza sauce that will totally upgrade your homemade pizza.
It’s time for pizza night! And pizza night doesn’t get any better than when it’s made from scratch.
This pizza sauce recipe is a long time coming. Ever since I first posted my Homemade Pizza Dough recipe, I’ve been testing recipes for the best homemade pizza sauce.
It’s taken me awhile, because I’ve been pretty picky. But we have finally arrived. And I’m happy to say that this is the one the kids and I both loved.
The great thing about this recipe is that it is made from pantry staples, and can be done in about 20 minutes. And it’s packed with great flavor!
Ingredients
- Olive Oil: I use extra-virgin olive oil. I love the flavor that it brings. If you want something more neutral, feel free to use a more neutral oil.
- Garlic: The garlic really becomes the star of the show in this sauce. I like it freshly minced.
- Tomato Paste: I tried many recipes with a lot more tomato paste, and while it does bring a rich tomato flavor, it was almost overwhelming in some recipes. I settled on 2 tablespoons – just enough to give that deep flavor, but not so much that it overtakes the sauce.
- Crushed Tomatoes: I really like the texture of the crushed tomatoes. If you are planning on pureeing the final sauce, you can use whole tomatoes, as well. I have only made this using canned tomatoes, but I would bet that if you have some good fresh tomatoes, it would work, as well.
- Salt, Basil, and Oregano: These all give great Italian flavor. If you have fresh herbs, feel free to use those instead.
- Sugar: You may not need the sugar, or you may just need a little bit. Only add this to taste.
How to Make Pizza Sauce
1: Start by heating the oil and adding the garlic. You only want to cook this until it is fragrant, which is usually under a minute.
2: Add in the tomato paste. It will be hard to stir in at first, but will get easier as it warms up. Just make sure to keep stirring so that the garlic won’t burn.
3: Stir in the crushed tomatoes.
4: Then add the salt, basil, and oregano. Let the sauce simmer for about 10 minutes.
5: Turn off the heat and taste the sauce. If it tastes too acidic, add in a little bit of sugar, then taste again. Only add as much as needed to balance the acidity. Sometimes I don’t need any at all, so make sure to taste first.
6: Let the sauce cool slightly before using.
Tips and Tricks
- If you like the sauce on the thicker side, you can cook it longer.
- Technically, you can make this sauce without cooking anything. But I prefer the taste of the sauteed garlic, and I like to cook out the raw flavor from the tomato paste.
- If you like a smoother pizza sauce, transfer the finished sauce to a food processor or blender and blend until smooth. You could also use an immersion blender.
- I like to add in a pinch or two of red pepper flakes to add a bit of heat.
- You can use this once it has cooled slightly, or make it ahead of time and use it cold.
- This pizza sauce recipe will last in the refrigerator for about a week. I like to make a batch and I will use about half of it right away, then save the other half for the next week’s pizza night.
Ways to Use It
Our number one way to use it is on just a traditional pizza. We make pepperoni pizza and cheese pizza almost weekly, and use this sauce for both.
Want something more than cheese or pepperoni? Try this sauce with this Sausage and Peppers Pizza or this Meatball Pizza.
Use it any any pizza-themed recipe, like this Pizza Topped Grilled Chicken Sandwich, Pizza Bagels, Homemade Pizza Rolls, or Pizza Dogs.
Use it as a dipping sauce for homemade breadsticks.
More Homemade Sauces
Sweet and Sour Sauce
Chick Fil A Sauce
Basil Pesto Recipe
Homemade Teriyaki Sauce
White BBQ Sauce
Peanut Sauce
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Pizza Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- Up to 2 teaspoons sugar if needed
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large pan or skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the tomato paste and stir it into the oil, letting it cook for another minute. (Make sure to stir constantly so that the garlic doesn’t burn.)
- Add the crushed tomatoes, salt, basil, and oregano. Stir and let the sauce simmer for about 10 minutes.
- Remove from the heat.
- Taste, and add sugar if the sauce is too acidic. Add salt to taste.
Nancy says
I’ve been making this recipe for a few months now and won’t ever buy store bought sauce again!