Pizza Sauce Recipe

The best Pizza Sauce Recipe is made with crushed tomatoes, garlic, and herbs. It’s easy to make and tastes amazing on homemade pizzas!

Outstanding pizza sauce is essential to a great pizza. It provides the foundation for the other flavors on the pizza, and it can make or break the pie. When you make homemade pizza sauce, you get to choose which ingredients to use, how many seasonings to add, and how thick to make the sauce!

Ingredients Needed

Aromatics

• Aromatics are vegetables, herbs, and spices that are cooked in oil to release their flavor and aroma.
• To start this sauce, cook diced onions and minced garlic in olive oil.
• For the best flavor, choose fresh onions and garlic over their dried counterparts, but dried spices could be used in a pinch.

Crushed Tomatoes

• You’ll need one can of crushed tomatoes to make this pizza sauce. We recommend using high-quality Italian San Marzano tomatoes, such as Cento or Mutti, for the best flavor and texture.
• If you can't find San Marzano tomatoes, you can use regular crushed tomatoes, but the flavor may be more bitter or sour, depending on the brand.
• You can also use whole peeled San Marzano canned tomatoes, which you can crush by hand as you add them to the pot or crush them beforehand in a food processor.

Tomato Sauce

• Tomato sauce is a flavored sauce made from tomatoes and seasonings.
• It is not the same thing as a jarred marinara sauce, but you could substitute an equal amount of your high-quality marinara sauce if you prefer.

Tomato Paste

• Tomato paste thickens the pizza sauce while adding to the tomato flavor.
• If you don't have any tomato paste, you can omit it, but your pizza sauce will be thinner.

Beef Broth

• We added beef broth to deepen the flavor of the sauce.
• You could also use vegetable broth which would add a different flavor profile.
• Although you could use water in a pinch, the sauce would end up more bland, so we don't recommend it.

Sugar

• Granulated sugar compliments the tartness of the sauce.
• If you prefer a sweeter pizza sauce, you can add more sugar to taste.

Pizza Sauce Seasonings

• Use kosher salt, dried oregano, basil, thyme, bay leaves, and ground black pepper to season the sauce.
• If you want to use fresh herbs, you will need three times as much.

How To Make the Best Pizza Sauce

Start by sauteeing the onions and garlic in oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot until fragrant and soft.

Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, beef broth, sugar, and seasonings. Stir to combine. Then, reduce heat to low, cover the pot, and simmer the pizza sauce for about one hour, stirring occasionally.

Best Pizza Sauce Uses

Make A Pizza

The most popular way to use it is on pizza, of course! Once you’ve prepared the pizza dough and shaped the crust, spread the pizza sauce base over the crust. Then, add your toppings and bake or grill the pizza until the crust is browned and the cheesy is melted.

Use As a Dip

Pizza sauce can also be used as a dip for breadsticks, garlic bread, texas toast, or even roasted vegetables.

Pasta Dishes

You can use pizza sauce instead of spaghetti sauce in pasta dishes such as chicken parmesan, lasagna, and pizza casserole.

Make Ahead and Storage

• Make Ahead: You can make pizza sauce ahead of time and store it in the fridge until ready to use. The flavors have time to meld together overnight, resulting in an even tastier sauce the next day!
• Label: You can download and print our pizza sauce label here. You can attach it to your sauce container.
• Refrigerate: Allow the sauce to cool, and then store it in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
• Freezer: You can also store it in the freezer for up to four months.

Frequently Asked Questions

More Sauce Recipes

• This Alfredo Sauce recipe is simple to make with just five basic ingredients. Once you try it, you’ll be hooked on the rich, creamy flavor of homemade sauce!
• This simple and creamy homemade Cheese Sauce is perfect for dipping or pouring.
• Homemade Spaghetti Sauce is unbeatable. This recipe is simple to make and simmers for just one hour, leaving you with a delicious sauce that tastes just like grandma used to make.