Pizza Sauce Recipe

5 from 1 vote

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You are going to love this Basic Pizza Sauce made from crushed tomatoes, garlic, and olive oil. The sweet, vibrant flavor of this sauce will definitely take your next pizza night to the next level.

Pizza sauce being spread over pizza dough with a metal spoon.
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If you are looking for a fun way to change up your weekly dinner routine then pizza night is a great place to start! Homemade pizza is fun, easy, affordable, and delicious. This homemade pizza sauce will take your dinner to the next level.

The rich, fragrant garlic adds a deep flavor to the sweet, juicy tomatoes. From start to finish, you can have this easy to make pizza sauce ready to use in just 20 minutes!

Pizza sauce in a white dish.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

  • It can be made ahead of time and frozen for long periods of time.
  • You can have this sauce ready to go in under 30 minutes.
  • You can customize the flavor of your sauce with a variety of herbs and spices.
  • This sauce tastes great on a variety of pizzas including pineapple pizza and stuffed crust pizza.

Recipe Ingredients

  • Tomatoes—Canned and crushed.
  • Garlic—Freshly minced.
  • Olive Oil

See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities

How to Make Pizza Sauce

top view pot with red pizza sauce and wooden spoon.

Step #1. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan and cook the garlic until fragrant. Add the tomatoes and continue cooking until the sauce thickens.

oval rustic pizza dough smeared with red sauce.

Step #2. Use the pizza sauce on your favorite pizzas or calzones.

Recipe FAQs

What is the difference between pizza sauce and spaghetti sauce?

Spaghetti sauce is a cooked tomato sauce that is usually left to simmer for a long time before serving over pasta. Pizza sauce typically thicker and is an uncooked tomato sauce (crushed tomatoes). Pizza sauce has a brighter tomatoes flavor in my opinion than spaghetti sauce.

Is homemade pizza sauce cheaper?

Making your own pizza sauce at home is very cost effective. If you are buying a fancy pizza sauce it could cost you several dollars for just a small jar. Plus, making your own sauce at home ensures that you know exactly what is going into your sauce. 

How do you store pizza sauce?

There are a few options depending on how quickly you are going to use the sauce. The first option is to store your pizza sauce in mason jars in the refrigerator. If you aren’t going to use the sauce in the next couple of days then you can pour the pizza sauce into freezer bags and freeze them. They will stay good in the freezer for up to 6 months. 

A close up shot of a golden brown pizza topped with sauce, cheese, and pepperoni.

Expert Tips:

  • We like to use canned crushed tomatoes, but you can use fresh tomatoes as well.
  • If you don’t have any fresh garlic then you can use garlic powder instead. You want to use about 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder for every clove of fresh garlic you are replacing.
  • Be sure to stir your pizza sauce frequently so that it does not burn on the bottom of your pot.
top view - sheet pan with a rustic home made oval shaped cooked pepperoni pizza

How to Store Your Pizza Sauce

One of the best things about this pizza sauce recipe is how easy it is to store. You can store your sauce in the fridge for up to a week in an airtight container. Alternatively, you can freeze your pizza sauce for up to 2 months. If you are freezing your sauce then I recommend allowing to cool before pouring it into a large ziplock bag. When you are ready to use your frozen sauce, simply throw it in the fridge until it thaws completely.

More Pizza Recipes to Consider

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rustic pizza dough with red sauce being smeared with a spoon
5 from 1 vote

Pizza Sauce Recipe

You are going to love this basic pizza sauce made from crushed tomatoes, garlic, and olive oil. The sweet, vibrant flavor of this sauce will definitely take your next pizza night to the next level.
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 15 minutes
Total: 20 minutes
Servings: 12 (makes about 3.5 cups)

Ingredients 

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced (or 1 teaspoon prechopped garlic)
  • 1 can crushed tomatoes, (28 ounces)

Instructions 

  • In a small sauce pan cook the oil and garlic together over medium heat until the garlic starts to smell good, it’ll only take a minute or so once the oil is hot.
  • Add the tomatoes and simmer until it thickens a bit, about 15 minutes.
  • Season with salt and pepper to taste (I like 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper).
  • Use on your favorite homemade pizzas, calzones, and more!
  • If you don’t need all of the pizza sauce for your pizza, simply store leftovers in a freezer container in the freezer for up to 6 months. Just thaw fully before using. 

Notes

  • This recipe makes roughly 3.5 cups of pizza sauce and that’s the perfect amount for 3-4 large homemade pizzas depending on how much sauce you like. 
  • This recipes is obviously super basic and that’s why it’s awesome! It tastes great without being too complicated. That being said, if you have fresh herbs in the garden or want to add some dried herbs, by all mean add them to the sauce.
  • I like to add additional dried herbs to the sauce when I add the tomatoes and I like to add fresh herbs to the sauce just a few minutes before I take it off the heat.
  • Crushed tomatoes have a great texture and a fresh flavor (they’re less cooked than tomato sauce and I feel like you can taste that difference).

Nutrition

Serving: 1 of 12 servings, Calories: 21kcal, Carbohydrates: 0.2g, Protein: 0.03g, Fat: 2g, Saturated Fat: 0.3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 2g, Sodium: 0.2mg, Potassium: 2mg, Fiber: 0.01g, Sugar: 0.01g, Vitamin A: 0.2IU, Vitamin C: 0.2mg, Calcium: 1mg, Iron: 0.02mg
Like this recipe? Rate and comment below!

If you haven’t boarded the homemade Pizza Sauce train, it is time! The flavor is rich and so much better than anything you can purchase at the store.


About Melissa

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