Homemade Pizza Sauce

There's just no comparison between store brought pizza sauce in a jar and this freshly made, homemade sauce. Learn how to make pizza sauce from scratch with just a few pantry staples and you'll never have to worry about store bought again!

I had already bought one too many jars of prepared sauce when I realized it would probably be just as easy (and a lot tastier!) to just make my own.

This pizza sauce recipe works with any kind of crust or pizza dough recipe and it's a little on the thicker side so that it doesn't run all over the place and off the pizza crust. Also, it has just a touch of sweetness alongside the Italian herbs so it's a top seller for the whole family, especially when used on these fun mini pizzas. 🙂

Jump to:

• 🌿 Ingredients
• 📝 Instructions
• 📋 Substitutions
• 📖 Variations
• 🔪 Equipment
• 🍱 Storage
• 🎉 Top tip
• 🍳 Recipe

🌿 Ingredients

All of the required ingredients for this sauce are easily found pantry staples, and you can substitute garlic powder if you don't have any fresh garlic on hand.

• olive oil
• garlic
• crushed tomatoes
• tomato paste (see note below)
• granulated sugar or brown sugar
• sea salt
• dried basil
• dried oregano
• freshly ground black pepper

Tomato paste pizza sauce

This pizza sauce recipe uses tomato paste to achieve it's thickness, but don't worry if you have any on hand--you can just leave it out and it'll still be fine.

I usually use a half a can of tomato paste in this recipe, but if you like your sauce extra thick, go ahead and use the whole can.

See recipe card below for exact quantities.

📝 Instructions

To start, warm a little olive oil in a small saucepan over medium-low heat and mince some garlic.

Next, add the minced garlic to the saucepan and sauté for a minute or two until slightly browned.

Finally, add the rest of the ingredients and continue to cook for about 10 minutes.

You can use your pizza sauce immediately, or make it ahead for future use. This recipe makes enough sauce for about four 12-inch pizzas.

📋 Substitutions

This recipe is naturally vegan, gluten free and dairy free. You can use the following substitutions with very little change to the taste.

• Olive oil - use another mild vegetable oil such as canola oil
• Garlic - use a little garlic powder if you don't have any fresh garlic on hand
• Sugar - use coconut sugar for a lower glycemic option, or leave out altogether

📖 Variations

Here are some variations you could try for your pizza sauce:

• Tomato basil - use several leaves of chopped fresh basil instead of dried to achieve an even bolder basil flavor
• Spicy - add some crushed red pepper flakes
• Thick - use twice the amount of tomato paste for extra thick sauce

🔪 Equipment

Here is the equipment you'll need to make homemade pizza sauce:

• small saucepan
• cutting board
• chef's knife

🍱 Storage

Pizza sauce will stay fresh for up to a week in the fridge in an airtight container, or up to 2 months in the freezer.

🎉 Top tip

If you're making homemade pizza crust too, this sauce recipe makes it super easy to multitask! You can start by making your pizza dough, and while it rises, go ahead and make your sauce. That way, it'll be ready to go by the time your dough is ready. 🙂

Enjoy!

🍳 Recipe