This homemade pizza sauce is bursting with fresh flavors and comes together in just 15 minutes. Perfect for homemade pizza nights!
Try it using our favorite pizza dough recipe or on this chorizo pizza!
Ingredients
Here’s what you need to make this easy recipe:
- Tomato passata (unseasoned tomato puree) or canned San Marzano tomatoes. I prefer using passata because it’s already smooth and naturally thick. If using canned tomatoes, you need to cook the sauce longer.
- Olive oil – you could also use a combo of olive oil and butter but I prefer just olive oil.
- Fresh garlic – provides the best flavor although you can also use 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder.
- Dried herbs – basil and oregano. If I have fresh basil leaves on hand, I prefer to use fresh herbs.
- Sugar – balances the acidity from the tomatoes. It is optional but, in my opinion, much needed.
- Red pepper flakes – just a small pinch adds an amazing kick to the sauce. The sauce won’t be spicy.
- Onion or onion powder – I use onion powder if I cook the sauce for a shorter period of time. If I cook the sauce longer, I cut a whole onion in half and let it simmer with the sauce. It infuses the sauce with the flavor, and then it’s removed.
How to make it step-by-step
Finely chop the garlic. Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds.
Add the tomato passata and cook until combined.
Add oregano, sugar, dried basil, or a whole twig of fresh basil (not chopped), red pepper flakes, and onion powder.
Bring to a boil, then simmer over low heat for 15–20 minutes until the sauce is thickened.
Remove and discard the basil twig.
Season the sauce with salt and pepper to taste.
Chill well before putting it on pizza.
Enjoy!
Canned San Marzano tomatoes with their juice are much more watery than tomato passata, so you will need to cook the sauce longer, for about 30–45 minutes. If using whole tomatoes, I like to add a whole onion (not chopped or sautéed, just cut in half) and simmer it with the sauce. When cooking the tomato sauce for only 15 minutes, as in the recipe, I don’t recommend adding onion because that’s not enough time to soften it. That’s why I prefer to add onion powder.
Pizza Sauce Recipes
This isn’t an authentic Italian pizza sauce—it’s just a homemade version we love, tweaked to suit our own tastes. Italian pizza sauce is typically a no-cook sauce in which you simply blend San Marzano tomatoes with salt, basil, and olive oil. It’s classic and delicious, especially on a Margherita pizza. However, for most uses, we prefer this cooked recipe because it’s thicker and has richer flavors.
Pizza sauce vs. Marinara sauce: Marinara sauce is a classic, easy tomato sauce for pasta. It’s made with sautéed onions and tends to be milder because fewer herbs are used. Its consistency is also thinner, so I wouldn’t recommend using it as a pizza sauce.
Storage
To store the sauce, first let it cool completely, then transfer it to an airtight container or jar and refrigerate for up to five days.
For freezing, again allow it to cool fully before portioning it into freezer-safe containers or zip-top bags, making sure to remove as much air as possible. Label the containers with the date to help track freshness, and freeze for up to six months. When ready to use, thaw the sauce overnight in the refrigerator or reheat it on the stovetop. It’s as good as freshly prepared.
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Homemade Pizza Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon dried basil or 1 large twig fresh basil
- pinch of red pepper flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder or 1 medium onion, see notes
- 1 bottle tomato passata (24 oz or 680ml) or 1 (24 oz or 800g) can whole San-Marzano tomatoes, but the cooking time is much longer, see notes
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Instructions
- Finely chop the garlic. Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds.
- Add the tomato passata and cook until combined.
- Add oregano, sugar, dried basil or a whole twig of fresh basil (not chopped), red pepper flakes, and onion powder.
- Bring to a boil, then simmer over low heat for 15–20 minutes until the sauce is thickened.
- Remove and discard the basil twig.
- Season the sauce with salt and pepper to taste.
- Chill well before putting it on pizza.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- Canned San Marzano tomatoes with their juice are much more watery than tomato passata, so you will need to cook the sauce longer, for about 30–45 minutes. If using whole tomatoes, I like to add a whole onion (not chopped or sautéed, just cut in half) and simmer it with the sauce. When cooking the tomato sauce for only 15 minutes, as in the recipe, I don’t recommend adding onion because that’s not enough time to soften it. That’s why I prefer to add onion powder.
- Calories = whole recipe. This recipe yields 2 1/4 cups of the sauce which is enough for 3 medium pizzas.
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