Easy Homemade Pizza Sauce Recipe (5- Minutes)
Posted Sep 23, 2018, Updated Sep 30, 2024
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
This easy Homemade Pizza Sauce Recipe is made in 5 minutes with 8 ingredients. This no-cook sauce is truly the best pizza sauce recipe ever – developed from my experience working in a Chicago pizzeria!
We love making pizza at home because it’s easy (my kids have been making it every week since they were 5), fun and less expensive than delivery.
This is our go-to easy homemade pizza sauce recipe. It takes five minutes to make and results in the best pizza you’ve ever had.
I’m from Chicago (born and raised), so we’ve enjoyed some of the best pizza in the world. I remember, one evening after dining at a famous pizza restaurant my husband was less than impressed. I thought he had gone crazy!
His problem was with the sauce. “There was only a thin layer and it tasted just like tomatoes” was his personal opinion. He likes his pizza saucy, bold and flavorful and that particular pie just didn’t cut it. Moral of the story: there’s no weak sauce allowed in our household. And this Easy Homemade Pizza Sauce Recipe ensures that!
Pizza Sauce Recipe: Substitutions
Here are a few possible substitutions that can be made in this recipe.
- Tomato Sauce. Sometimes I run out of cans of tomato sauce, and in a pinch I have used a can of diced tomatoes that I tossed in the blender. You can also use fresh blended tomatoes as well.
- Tomato Paste. Please don’t leave out the tomato paste. It makes the pizza sauce thick which is key in making non-soggy pizza.
- Oregano/Italian seasoning. I always make this with dried spices, but you can use fresh. Also, if you like a sauce with a less bold flavor, you might want to start will less and add more to your preferences.
- Garlic salt. If you don’t keep garlic salt on hand, substitute an extra ¼ teaspoon garlic powder and ½ to 1 teaspoon sea salt.
- Granulated sugar. This can be omitted, or you can substitute honey. However the sugar enhances the flavor of the tomatoes and cuts the “bite” of the sauce.
Note: this pizza sauce recipe is vegan as written, so you can even make some great dairy-free pizzas with this recipe.
How to Make Pizza Sauce
This homemade pizza sauce recipe is easy to make in 5 minutes. You can also prepare it ahead of time and store in the refrigerator until you’re ready to use it to make pizza.
Begin by mixing the tomato paste and sauce together in a medium size bowl until well combined. Using a whisk is a great choice.
Then, add the rest of the ingredients (oregano, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, garlic salt, pepper and sugar) and mix until the ingredients are evenly distributed throughout the sauce.
Then, use it in your favorite pizza recipes. The flavor and essence of a pizza lies in the pizza sauce. So be sure to spread a nice, thick even layer on top of your pizza dough.
Pizza Recipes:
This Easy Homemade Pizza Dough Recipe is our go-to. It requires no rising, and makes a delicious pizza in under 30 minutes! Or try this whole wheat pizza dough. And check out our extensive post on how to make pizza!
Also, try our favorite pizza recipes like cheese pizza, pepperoni pizza, BBQ chicken pizza and french bread pizza – all of which use this sauce recipe!
How to Store Pizza Sauce
Store this pizza sauce in a glass jar with a lid for up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator, or up to 3 months in the freezer.
To use, let the sauce come to room temperature before spreading it on your pizza dough.
Pizza Sauce Recipe FAQs
This recipe makes enough sauce to make two large pizzas, or four medium-sized pizza.
This easy pizza sauce recipe is easily doubled or tripled.
This is a common question I get asked all the time! Here are some distinctions between the two:
Spaghetti sauce has a higher water content. This is why I don’t recommend using a jar of marinara when making homemade pizza, you could end up with a mushy watery mess!
Pizza sauce is thicker. this goes along with the point above, but pizza sauce contains tomato paste, which causes it to spread easier and more evenly!
Pizza sauce is more flavorful. This might be my own opinion, but we like a lot more spices in our pizza sauce than we do in our spaghetti sauce!
This recipe is for a no-cook pizza sauce so it does not need to be cooked.
I actually get this question a lot – please do not use ketchup as pizza sauce. Ketchup is not a substitute for any of the ingredients in this recipe.
If you make and love our recipes, it would mean so much to me if you would leave a comment and rating! And don’t forget to follow along with us on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, and Youtube – be sure to tag @joyfoodsunshine and use the hashtag #joyfoodsunshine so we can see your creations!
Easy Homemade Pizza Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 ounces tomato paste
- 15 ounces tomato sauce
- 1-2 Tablespoons dried oregano to taste
- 2 Tablespoons Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ Tablespoon garlic salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon sugar*
Instructions
- Mix tomato paste and sauce together in a medium size bowl until smooth.
- Add the rest of the ingredients – oregano, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, garlic salt, pepper and sugar – and stir until evenly distributed throughout the sauce.
- Taste and adjust seasonings to your liking.
- Spread onto your favorite pizza dough recipe.
Video
Notes
- Tomato Sauce. Sometimes I run out of cans of tomato sauce, and in a pinch I have used a can of diced tomatoes that I tossed in the blender. You can also use fresh blended tomatoes as well.
- Tomato Paste. Please don’t leave out the tomato paste. It makes the pizza sauce thick which is key in making non-soggy pizza.
- Oregano/Italian seasoning. I always make this with dried spices, but you can use fresh. Also, if you like a sauce with a less bold flavor, you might want to start will less and add more to your preferences.
- Garlic salt. If you don’t keep garlic salt on hand, substitute an extra ¼ teaspoon garlic powder and ½ to 1 teaspoon sea salt.
- Granulated sugar. This can be omitted, or you can substitute honey. However the sugar enhances the flavor of the tomatoes and cuts the “bite” of the sauce.
- Refrigerate: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. The sauce will thicken in the refrigerator, so be sure to let it come to room temperature or gently warm it in the microwave before using!
- Freeze. Store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to two months!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Try these recipes
I love how simple this recipe instructions are! I can definitely handle it! I’ve pinned this to try out later. I’ve been wanting to start making my own sauces. This is a great place to start! Thank you!
Thank you Gina! Simplicity is key! When the craving for pizza strikes there’s no time to waste! 🙂
Boys are so much fun, and so exhausting! My daughter and son are night and day, but I would not change him one bit. Homemade pizza sauce is genius! I am sure you save a bunch of money making it on your own. Thanks so much!
I couldn’t agree more! My girls are so different than my boy! I couldn’t imagine it any other way! 🙂
This looks great! I will be using this recipe because I never have pizza sauce when the kids want to make pizzas.
Isn’t that the way it always goes?! You have the ingredients to make 100 recipes, but not THE one everyone has a hankering for that day! 🙂 I hope you guys enjoy it!
I am so excited you shared this recipe at Inspiration Thursday tonight! I have been looking for a good pizza sauce and I think this one may be a winner. It sounds great! I can’t wait to try it. My son is a pizza eating machine so we have it once a week. Haha!
Is there a kid on the planet that won’t eat pizza for dinner every night?! 🙂 I hope your little dude loves it! 🙂 Thank you!
I’ll try this! Every Friday is pizza night at our house.
Yay for Friday Pizza Nights!!! 🙂
LOOKS DELICIOUS! And I love how easy it is!
Thank you so much! YES! Easy is KEY! 🙂
Homemade pizza sauce is by far the best! This one looks absolutely amazing!
Thanks so much Kim! Homemade is always better! Except for Oreos……. 😉
This looks awesome! My mom used to make homemade pizza every Sunday and it was one of my favorite dinners/traditions. My fiancé and I love pizza, and I’m hoping to make the switch to homemade instead of delivery with him too! I’ll have to use this when I finally convince him 🙂
Thanks for sharing!
Hey Kara!! That is such a fun tradition! We love doing pizza and move nights on Sundays too! 🙂 Oh man I’m sure once he gets a taste of homemade he’ll never turn back!!! 🙂
I can’t believe I have never made pizza sauce!! Time to change that, thanks for the recipe 🙂
I always end up doctoring up store-bought sauces anyway! Might as well just make my own! 😉 You definitely need to give it a whirl! 🙂
YES – love homemade pizza. I would definitely have to say sugar is a must for any good pizza sauce. Not much is needed, just enough to cut the acidity of the tomatoes. This looks like such a good sauce. 🙂
Jenn I totally agree! Just a touch of sugar really helps amp up the flavor! 🙂 We live on homemade pizza over here too!
It was! I just made some! Mmmmmmm! Mmmmmmm! Delish!
Delicious pizza sauce, I added a tablespoon of basil and two tablespoons of canola oil to the recipe. It tasted very close to Boston Pizza’s pizza sauce. Also works very well for pizza subs yum yum yum