Easy Homemade Pizza Sauce Recipe (5- Minutes)
Posted Sep 23, 2018, Updated Apr 14, 2024
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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 and BBQ chicken 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.
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Easy Homemade Pizza Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 oz tomato paste
- 15 oz 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!Â
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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You may want to add 1/4 teaspoon on baking soda.
This will real react with the acidity of the tomatoes (just like vinegar), but will lower the acidity of the sauce, and the byproduct of the reaction is salt and lower acidity. GERD and sensitive stomachs are common.
The sauce was delicious. The leftover pizza tasted great for lunch too. So glad I can freeze it as well. I had no tomato sauce,followed suggestion of using diced tomatoes,mine happened to be fire roasted,so good!
Thank you Mary!
I added fresh basil and garlic cloves instead of powder because we love garlic. I am excited to use it tonight! I’ve never made homemade pizza before so I hope it turns out! We’re going to double the dough and use a sheet pan for a rectangular pizza.
Could you make this sauce recipe and can it instead of freezing?
Yes absolutely. I just am not a canning expert, but many, many readers have done this!
Had to make my tomato sauce by processing a can of diced tomatoes as I was out of canned sauce (completely drain the liquid and process until smooth) and added a touch of Anchovy paste and a pinch of red pepper Warmed through to let the spices marry a bit – tastes fantastic – Thanks for sharing this recipe. Will be even easier next time as I’ll make sure I have the sauce on hand 😉
This recipe was amazing! I Doubled the recipe and added several other dry spices as well as fresh basil. I would highly recommend adding fresh basil, it took the sauce to the next level! Overall, it was amazing and fast! I usually simmer sauce for 2-4 hours but we decided to do pizza last minute and this sauce was so fast and about the same quality!
The addition of fresh basil sounds amazing! Thank you Grace!
What are the traditional toppings for pizza? Seems like a dumb question but I’m so used to gourmet-craft pizzas I forgot what a great Chicago-style pizza tastes like!
Thank you,
A CA girl from Chicago
Pepperoni, sausage, green peppers, black olives, onions, bacon, pineapple, and mushrooms are some of the more common toppings.
This is the best pizza sauce!! Always have some in the freezer ready to go!!
My husband requires that I keep a jar of this sauce in the fridge at all times… We use it on pitas to make super quick spontaneous pizzas (10 minutes at 400 degree preheated oven). Toddler and preschooler approved. I now make the seasoning in batches and so my recipe just calls out 1 can tomato sauce, 1 can tomato paste and 3.5 TBS pizza sauce seasoning. Stir. Even hubby can figure that one out 😀
I know you said don’t omit the tomato paste but I didn’t have any. I added an additional small can of tomato sauce and let it reduce on the stove while my dough was prepping. It still turned out really good. My kids love fresh pizza and it is much more cost-efficient for a family of 6. I like to make a few batches of pizza dough and keep it in the freezer so I’ll make sure to have a few extra cans of tomato paste and sauce on hand. Much better than store-bought pizza sauce.
This Pizza sauce is simple quick and easy. It has wonderful flavor and I will make again.