Homemade Pizza Sauce

Why you’ll love this recipe

If you want to skip the store-bought sauce, save money and make your own homemade pizza sauce, this is the recipe you need!

Quick and easy – despite its quick preparation and robust flavours, this sauce is so quick and easy to make from scratch! No fancy ingredients and no cooking required: just mix and spread over your favourite pizza bases.

Freezer-friendly – perfect for making in bulk and storing for homemade pizza, any time.

Tastes better than store-bought – bursting with flavours of garlic, tomatoes and Italian herbs. This sauce contains no added preservatives, fillers or additives.

Saves money – making your own is so much cheaper than using store-bought sauce.

Adaptable – make it just how you like it! Customise the herbs and spices to suit your own preference.

Pair it with this easy homemade pizza dough and your favourite toppings for the best homemade pizzas! It’s also perfect for homemade pizza scrolls.

Ingredients you will need

** This post contains tips and instructions to achieve the best possible results. This photo is a great guide for when you are in the supermarket, but for full ingredient quantities and methods, please scroll down to the detailed recipe card below!

all ingredients for homemade pizza sauce, laid out on a table.

Tomato paste – tomato paste helps to thicken the sauce (preventing a soggy base) and adds a rich, concentrated tomato flavour. Use a jar of plain tomato paste with no added ingredients or flavours. You won’t need a full jar, but the any remaining tomato paste can be stored in the fridge or freezer to use later.

Crushed tomatoes – the texture of crushed tomatoes is perfect for pizza sauce. Use crushed tomatoes rather than diced or whole tomatoes, and choose a can with no extra additives or flavours. In Australia, I use Mutti Polpa, but any canned, crushed tomatoes will work. Tomato passata can also be used. Or, whole canned tomatoes can be drained and pureed in a blender.

Olive oil – adds flavour and gives the sauce a glossy finish. Choose a good quality extra virgin olive oil, for best flavour.

Garlic powder and onion powder – to flavour base the sauce. Garlic powder can be replaced with freshly roasted garlic, if preferred.

Italian herbs – for classic pizza flavours, I use a pre-made dried Italian herb mix which includes basil, parsley, marjoram, oregano as well as tomato and garlic. Alternatively, you can use dried or freshly chopped oregano and basil leaves or make your own mix.

Salt – salt brightens the sauce and enhances all of the flavours. Add as much or little as you like, to suit your taste.

While I don’t usually add sugar to my pizza sauce, canned tomatoes can vary in acidity. Taste your sauce and if it is slightly acidic, I recommend adding a small pinch of white or brown sugar. You should add enough sugar to balance the acidity, without making the pizza sauce sweet.

Step by step instructions

Full ingredient notes and quantities can be found in the detailed recipe card below. But here is a brief overview of what you can expect;

Mix the sauce ingredients together in a small bowl and stir well to combine.

Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning to taste. A little sugar can also be added to balance the acidity, if required.

Use immediately on your favourite homemade pizza bases, or store in the fridge or freezer (instructions below) to use later.

pizza sauce ingredients in a mixing bowl.

pizza sauce being spread over a pizza base.

Expert tips

Multiply the sauce. This recipe yields just over 1 cup of pizza sauce, which is enough to make about 4-5 pizzas, depending on how saucy you like it. However, the sauce can be easily multiplied to make more, if required.

Adjust the seasonings, to taste. Use this recipe as a base and customise by adding more or less seasonings, to suit. Fresh herbs can be used instead of dried, if you have access to them. Some great additions are freshly chopped basil, oregano or thyme. For a little heat, add some chilli flakes or a pinch of Cayenne.

To bake – bake as per the instructions in my homemade pizza dough recipe.

Add some sugar – tomatoes are quite acidic and the acidity of the sauce can vary depending on the type of crushed tomatoes used. You may need to balance the acidity with some sugar, which will round out the flavours of the sauce. I suggest tasting the pizza sauce without sugar and only adding it if necessary, to taste.

Adjust the consistency – for a thicker pizza sauce, add more tomato paste. For a thinner sauce, reduce the tomato paste or add more crushed tomatoes. Remember to adjust the seasonings accordingly.

FAQs

How to store it;

Leftover pizza sauce will keep for up to 5 days in the fridge in an airtight container.

Can I freeze it?

Freeze leftover pizza sauce for up to 6 months in airtight containers or freezer-safe bags. I recommend portioning it into individual serving sizes before freezing. This recipe is also makes a great addition to pasta sauce, stews and Bolognese. Thaw before use.

Do I need to cook it?

This recipe does not require cooking before use. Simply spread it over homemade pizza dough or your desired pizza bases and bake as per the base instructions.

a jar of pizza sauce on a table with basil and herbs.