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Pizza Sauce made from scratch takes just 5 minutes and one bowl, no cooking required, and it tastes worlds better than the canned stuff. I whipped up a batch on pizza Friday and Maddie declared our homemade pies officially better than delivery. Spread it on a sheet pan pizza and pile on the toppings.
Just whisk a handful of pantry staples together and you have a thick, herby sauce ready to go.
Pizza Sauce Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 5 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 0 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 5 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 2 cups
- ⚡ Calories: 146kcal
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Bright, herby, and savory with classic Italian seasoning
- ✋ Difficulty: Beginner easy, even simpler than our homemade marinara
Quick Answer
Whisk together tomato sauce, tomato paste, minced garlic, Italian seasoning, sugar, salt, black pepper, and onion powder in a bowl until smooth. That is it, no cooking needed. The tomato paste keeps it thick so it will not make your crust soggy, and it is ready to spread the moment you finish whisking. It makes about 2 cups, enough for several pizzas, and keeps for days in the fridge.
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Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- No cooking required. Everything just gets whisked together, so the sauce is ready in the time it takes to stretch your dough.
- Tomato paste keeps it thick. A can of paste gives the sauce body so it stays put on the crust instead of soaking in and making it soggy.
- Pantry staples only. You probably have everything on hand already, so there is no special shopping trip.
- Big batch, easy storage. It makes about 2 cups, so you can sauce several pizzas or stash some in the freezer.
- Totally customizable. Dial the garlic, herbs, and spice up or down to make it taste exactly how you like.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It is ready in 5 minutes with zero cooking.
- It tastes fresher and brighter than any canned pizza sauce.
- It comes together faster than the oven preheats, so it is ready before your sheet pan pizza dough is even stretched.
Key Ingredients
A few pantry staples are all you need for a thick, flavorful pizza sauce. Here is what goes in.
- Tomato Sauce: The smooth tomato base of the sauce.
- Tomato Paste: Thickens the sauce and adds deep, concentrated tomato flavor so your crust stays crisp.
- Garlic: Freshly minced for a savory, aromatic punch.
- Italian Seasoning: The classic blend of herbs that makes it taste like pizzeria sauce.
- Sugar, Salt, Pepper, and Onion Powder: Round out and balance the flavor.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
Easy ways to make this sauce your own.
- Chunky style: use crushed tomatoes in place of the tomato sauce for a more rustic, textured sauce.
- Spicy: add a pinch of red pepper flakes or a little Calabrian chili for a sauce with a kick.
- Fresh herbs: stir in chopped fresh basil or oregano for a garden-fresh flavor.
- Roasted garlic: swap the raw garlic for roasted for a mellow, sweet depth.
- Extra cheesy base: whisk in a spoonful of grated parmesan for a richer sauce.
How to Make Pizza Sauce
- Add the tomato sauce, tomato paste, minced garlic, Italian seasoning, sugar, salt, black pepper, and onion powder to a medium mixing bowl.
- Whisk everything together until the sauce is completely smooth and combined.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding more salt, garlic, or herbs to your liking.
- Use it right away to sauce your pizza, or store it for later. No cooking needed.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Adjust the thickness. More tomato paste makes a thicker sauce that will not make your crust soggy; thin it with a splash of water if you like it looser.
- Let it rest. If you have time, let the sauce sit 15 minutes so the garlic and herbs can bloom and the flavors meld.
- Use a light hand on the crust. A thin layer of this thick sauce goes a long way and keeps the pizza from getting soggy.
- Mince the garlic finely. Since the sauce is not cooked, fine garlic blends in smoothly without sharp bites.
- Double it. The recipe scales easily, so make a big batch and freeze it in pizza-size portions.
- Taste as you go. Canned tomato products vary, so adjust the sugar and salt until it tastes just right.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
Spread it over any pizza crust, from a quick sheet pan pizza to a fresh margherita pizza, then pile on your favorite toppings.
It is also the perfect dipper, so serve it warm alongside copycat cheese sticks, breadsticks, or pepperoni rolls.
Use it on English muffin pizzas, French bread pizzas, pizza pockets, stromboli, or as a quick base for calzones. It is also great as a dipping sauce for mozzarella sticks, garlic knots, and chicken nuggets. Anywhere you want a bright, herby tomato flavor without simmering a pot for an hour, this sauce delivers in five minutes flat.
Pizza Sauce FAQs
Pizza sauce is usually thicker and often uncooked, like this one, so it does not make the crust soggy under all those toppings. Pasta sauce, like marinara, is typically thinner and simmered for a while to develop flavor. The high tomato paste ratio here keeps this sauce thick and spreadable, which is exactly what you want on a pizza. You can use it on pasta in a pinch by thinning it with a little water, but it is really built for pizza night.
No. This sauce is meant to be used raw and cooks right on the pizza in the oven. Whisking it together is the only step required.
Store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week, or freeze it for up to 3 months. The flavor actually improves after a day in the fridge as the garlic and herbs have time to meld into the tomato base, so making it a day ahead of pizza night is a smart move. Give it a quick stir before using since a little separation is normal.
You can, but you will need to peel, seed, cook, and reduce them down for quite a while to get a thick, smooth sauce, which defeats the no-cook convenience. Canned tomato sauce and paste are picked and processed at peak ripeness, so they are faster and give a reliably thick, consistent result with no cooking and no watery crust.
It makes about 2 cups of sauce, enough for two to three standard 12 to 14 inch pizzas depending on how saucy you like them. If you are making personal pizzas or English muffin pizzas, it will stretch even further. Any extra keeps beautifully in the fridge or freezer, so there is no waste.
Definitely. Freeze it in small portions or an ice cube tray so you can thaw just what you need for pizza night. Thaw in the fridge or microwave before using.
Need a simmered sauce for pasta instead? Try our easy homemade marinara sauce.
Spread this pizza sauce over a round of our chewy homemade pizza dough for the perfect pie.
When dinner calls for spaghetti instead, our homemade pasta sauce is the pantry staple answer.
Got fresh tomatoes? Our roasted tomato sauce is the summer harvest move.
Round out the homemade pantry with our onion soup mix recipe.
Brush a little inside our easy stromboli before rolling for a saucier bite.
Round out the homemade sauce collection with our creamy green taco sauce.
Homemade Pizza Sauce
Ingredients
- 15 ounce can tomato sauce
- 6 ounce can tomato paste
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- ½ tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients to a medium mixing bowl and mix together with a wire whisk.15 ounce can tomato sauce, 6 ounce can tomato paste, 2 garlic cloves, 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning, ½ tablespoon granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper, ½ teaspoon onion powder
Notes
- Don’t be shy about taking a spoonful and adjusting the salt, sugar, or spices to your personal preference.
- If your canned tomatoes are too acidic, a bit more sugar helps balance the flavor.
- For an ultra-smooth sauce, blend it briefly with an immersion blender or in a food processor.
- The better the canned tomatoes and olive oil, the better your sauce will taste. It’s the key ingredient to making the best sauces.
- Let your ingredients stand at room temperature for a few minutes to blend flavors more easily.
- Experiment with different tomato paste or whole tomatoes brands; some might have less citric acid or a different natural flavor you prefer.
Nutrition
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