Homemade Pizza Sauce

Once you try this homemade pizza sauce recipe, you won't go back to the pre-made type. With just 5 simple ingredients, it's fresh & full of flavor!

Pizza sauce

Once you’ve made homemade pizza dough, what do you make next? Homemade pizza sauce, of course! Yesterday, I wrote about how making pizza dough from scratch is easier than it seems, and luckily, making pizza sauce is even simpler than that. Made with 5 pantry ingredients, this pizza sauce recipe is more cost-effective than using store bought tomato sauce, and it tastes ten times as good. Aside from baking it on the pizza, I don’t cook this sauce, so it retains a lovely tomato flavor that makes any homemade pizza feel fresh and light.

We’ve loved this sauce with all sorts of summery toppings this season. I hope you enjoy it too!

Pizza sauce recipe ingredients

Homemade Pizza Sauce Recipe Ingredients

My easy homemade pizza sauce recipe calls for 5 basic ingredients, most (or all) of which you likely have in your pantry! Here’s what you’ll need to make it:

  • Canned whole peeled tomatoes. Because this recipe is so simple, I recommend seeking out good quality canned tomatoes. If you can find them, choose San Marzano tomatoes, which are especially sweet with a touch of mild acidity.
  • Extra-virgin olive oil. A few teaspoons give the sauce a little richness, so it’s not too watery.
  • And garlic, sea salt, and olive oil. They round out this sauce, giving it a full, robust flavor.

That’s it!

Homemade pizza sauce recipe

How to Make Pizza Sauce

This pizza sauce recipe is quick and easy to make. Once you’ve assembled your ingredients, all you need to do is plop them in a food processor and blend until smooth!

How to make pizza sauce

Rather than cooking this sauce on the stove, I dollop it straight on to the pizza from there. It’s thick enough that it doesn’t need to simmer down on the stove. Baking it in the oven cooks it just the right amount, and it keeps a delightful, fresh tomato flavor.

Once you’ve spread the sauce on your pizza, top it however you’d like! I’m a fan of pairing it with fresh basil leaves, tomatoes, mozzarella, and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes to make a Margherita pizza, but feel free to play with different toppings. Sautéed spinach, olives, mushrooms, or roasted red peppers would all taste great with it.

Homemade pizza sauce

Love this homemade pizza sauce recipe?

Top it onto homemade pizza, and then check out some of my other favorite sauces like pesto, chipotle sauce, or cilantro lime dressing!

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Pizza Sauce

rate this recipe:
4.88 from 8 votes
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
Serves 2 .5 cups
Learn how to make homemade pizza sauce with this easy recipe! Use good quality unsalted canned tomatoes here, ideally San Marzano if you can find them.

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Place the tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, salt, and oregano in a food processor and blend until combined.
  • Spread ½ heaping cup of the pizza sauce onto the dough, top with desired toppings, and bake for 10 to12 minutes in a 500°F oven, or until the crust is browned.
  • Makes enough sauce for about 4 pizzas. Store any extra sauce in the fridge or freezer.

Notes

*Note: if you'd like a thicker sauce, you can drain the tomatoes before placing in the food processor.

 

12 comments

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Rate this recipe (after making it)




  1. Jenna
    05.17.2023

    Can you make this sauce ahead of time and store in the fridge until ready to use?

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      05.19.2023

      Hi Jenna, yes, definitely! It freezes well too.

  2. Lainey
    03.05.2023

    4 stars
    I’ve been making my own pizza – ever since finding love and lemons 😉 why buy when this is so much better. I’ve made this pizza sauce several times, however last night was the first time I strained the liquid from the can of tomatoes before adding to the food processor. BIG difference and will do this every time going forward – it no longer held any excess liquid on top of the pizza and cooked perfectly. I also didn’t waste the drained liquid, I added it to a batch of classic tomato soup.
    Highly recommend this step in Jeanine’s *note.

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      03.09.2023

      Hi Lainey, great to know straining made such a difference for you! So glad you love the sauce.

  3. Cass
    12.08.2021

    Do you grease your pizza pan or stone before putting the dough on?

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      12.08.2021

      Hi Cass, nope, it’s not necessary. The dough won’t stick to the preheated stone, and if you try greasing a pan, you’ll have harder time stretching the dough to the edges without it springing back.

  4. Carl
    09.13.2019

    Can you use this as a pasta sauce also or do you have a recipe for it?

  5. Susana
    09.13.2019

    Why use canned tomatoes while you could use fresh ones?

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      09.13.2019

      you can use fresh ones if you like – this is my simple go-to pantry pizza sauce that I use year round.

  6. Jessica
    09.13.2019

    I love how simple this is! I always imagined pizza sauce having to simmer down. Thanks for sharing!

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      09.13.2019

      Yep, it cooks as you bake the pizza! It’s not a heavy tomato-past-y sauce, it’s light like a Margherita pizza sauce which is what I prefer.

A food blog with fresh, zesty recipes.
Photograph of Jeanine Donofrio and Jack Mathews in their kitchen

Hello, we're Jeanine and Jack.

We love to eat, travel, cook, and eat some more! We create & photograph vegetarian recipes from our home in Chicago, while our shiba pups eat the kale stems that fall on the kitchen floor.