This is my favorite quick and easy homemade pizza sauce recipe. It takes less than five minutes to make with no cooking or chopping necessary! Recipe includes a how-to video!
5-Minute Pizza Sauce
The perfect pairing for my homemade pizza dough (possibly my most loved recipe on the whole website), today’s 100% homemade pizza sauce recipe is a weekly staple in my kitchen. I developed this recipe years ago after many reader requests, and since I’ve been sharing so many new pizza recipes lately (like this buffalo chicken pizza and BBQ pizza version), it just made sense to share it again.
My recipe is incredibly easy and fast–it’s almost as simple as opening a jar of store-bought sauce. Flavor-wise, it knocks the store-bought stuff out of the park, and it pairs so well with any pizza (including my sourdough pizza crust!). I can’t wait to hear what you think about it!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Takes literally 5 minutes to make! When I said this recipe was fast, I meant it!
- Robustly flavored thanks to plenty of Italian spices, tomato paste, and a pinch of sugar.
- Bare minimum prep-work: no chopping or cooking required. Literally all you need to do is toss some ingredients together and hit a button!
- Uses simple ingredients, most of which are pantry staples.
And don’t forget, this sauce isn’t just for pizza! It tastes great with calzones, breadsticks, stromboli, pizza bagels, arancini, and even mozzarella sticks!
Ingredients
I wanted to share a recipe that was as simple as possible (while still being robustly flavorful) so we’ll use just 10 ingredients. Most of them are spices/seasonings!
- Canned diced tomatoes. Yes, canned! And yes, I’m a bit defensive about this. I talk more on this below. You can substitute whole canned tomatoes for diced, or you can switch things up and use fire roasted tomatoes for even more flavor (like I do in my award-winning chili recipe!).
- Olive oil. This gives the sauce the proper mellow mouthfeel and adds flavor. Use a good quality extra virgin olive oil.
- Spices. I use dried basil, oregano, black pepper, and crushed red pepper. While fresh herbs could be use instead (and would need to be substituted properly), remember, this is meant to be a quick and easy pizza sauce!
- Garlic. We’ll use fresh garlic here since it’s easy to just toss a whole clove into the food processor. If you’re using pre-minced garlic, I recommend a heaping teaspoon.
- Sugar. A pinch deepens the flavor of the sauce and cuts the acidity from the tomatoes without making the sauce sweet. I use sugar in many of my tomato recipes for this reason, like my cherry tomato sauce.
You’ll also need a food processor or a blender to combine everything. I’ve linked to the one that I own and love in the recipe below. I got it as a wedding gift and use it for everything from pie crust to scones!
SAM’S TIP: Pizza sauce is meant to be a bit thick (more-so than marinara), but if the sauce is too thick for your liking, just add a drizzle more olive oil.
Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
A Note on Using Canned Tomatoes
Now, about those tomatoes…If I seem a little salty or defensive about the fact that I’m using canned tomatoes in the video below, I am 😂
I use canned tomatoes here for the same reasons that I use them in my marinara sauce (and prefer to use them in my homemade salsa and tomato soup). Not only is it easier, but the taste of canned tomatoes is actually typically better, more consistent, and less watery than fresh tomatoes.
Look, if there’s anyone who’s going to tell you to go the extra mile or put in the extra effort when making something at home, it’s going to be me. You’re going to have to just trust me when I say that canned tomatoes are best here. And let me remind you, this is specifically meant to be a fast, easy, no-cook pizza sauce recipe! Canned tomatoes provide the most consistent flavor and texture, and they save time.
How to Make Pizza Sauce
- Add all ingredients to a food processor or blender. There is no need to chop any ingredients before adding them, just toss them in!
- Pulse until smooth. Or if you like your sauce to have some texture, stop pulsing whenever you like.
- Use as desired. It’s that easy! If you don’t plan to use your sauce right away, store it in your fridge until ready to use.
SAM’S TIP: Always do a quick taste test before using your sauce. Different brands of tomatoes may contain different ingredients, you may find you need to add a pinch more salt, or a bit more sugar if the acidic taste is particularly strong.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do not try substituting the canned tomatoes for fresh. You’ll lose a lot of flavor, and the sauce will be quite watery. I talk about this in detail above.
Personally, I like to use mine for dipping my garlic knots or over my popular pizza dough. To use this sauce for pizza, simply spread it evenly over the rolled dough, cover with cheese (and whatever other toppings you like) and then bake until the cheese is melty.
I find that I typically use about ½ cup of sauce for a 10-12″ pizza. This recipe makes about two cups, and you can save any extra in the fridge or freezer.
Store leftover sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Homemade pizza sauce may also be frozen (in an airtight container, of course), for up to three months. To thaw, I recommend just moving the container to the refrigerator the day before you intend to use it and allowing it to thaw overnight. Stir before using.
I imagine it could also be canned, but I don’t have experience with canning to advise on how to do so.
If you are interested in a “white” version of this recipe, my Alfredo sauce recipe is perfect for that!
Enjoy!
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Homemade Pizza Sauce Recipe (Easy, No-Cook!)
Ingredients
- 14.5 oz (411 g) canned diced tomatoes or fire roasted tomatoes undrained
- 6 oz (170 g) canned tomato paste
- 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons dried basil
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 teaspoon finely ground sea salt
- ¾ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper freshly ground
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes optional
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in food processor or blender.14.5 oz (411 g) canned diced tomatoes or fire roasted tomatoes, 6 oz (170 g) canned tomato paste, 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, 2 teaspoons granulated sugar, 2 teaspoons dried basil, 1 clove garlic, 1 teaspoon finely ground sea salt, ¾ teaspoon dried oregano, ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper, ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- Pulse 15 times or until mixture is smooth.
- Use immediately or store in an airtight container to use later.
Notes
Storing
Store leftover sauce in an airtight container. Will keep in the refrigerator for up to a week or the freezer for up to 3 months.Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
Emma
WOW! this is delicious. Thank you for sharing.
lala
It’s missing a little bit of sugar but overall it’s a decent recipe.
Keth
Easy peasy and so delicious! Thank you!
CJ
Great sauce! Super easy and fast to make. I added double the amount of red pepper flakes as we like it spicy.
Joyce
Just wondering why sea salt instead of regular salt.
Sam
I just prefer the flavor, but regular salt will work. 🙂
Steve Pritchard
pizza sauce put meto sleep so decided to make our own( less sugar) but can I mix the cheese in the dough to consume less gluten
Brit
This sauce is amazing! It is my go to recipe for a simple tomato sauce that I use in a whole bunch of recipes. I make it in bulk and store it in smaller portions in the freezer.
Nicole
I made this sauce to go with your pizza dough recipe. It was really good! I only used about a quarter of it and froze the rest for next time.
Jorge Filletsch
Love this sauce! Tony Soprano would like it too.
Sam
Thank you so much for your review, Jorge!
Sharetha
I just made this sauce and I am not a red sauce person. So when I make my pizza, I add very little to mine but this I can actually eat. This is really good.🙂
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy you liked the sauce, Sharetha! Homemade is always the best ❤️
Sandra M. Bernard
It’s pizza night again and we always use both this recipe for the sauce along with your pizza dough! Absolutely delicious every time and so quick!
Martin Cramer
How many fresh romano tomatoes instead of canned tomatoes?
Sam
Hi Martin! I don’t recommend using fresh tomatoes here. You will lose a lot of flavor and the sauce will be quite watery. 🙁
Linda
We really love this sauce recipe for pizza and lasagna. With grocery prices through the roof, this delicious homemade recipe is a breeze to make AND inexpensive. With alternate versions, I’ve used more or less garlic and even used a larger can of petite diced tomatoes–with great results. Also, I’ve been without a blender at times, and a potato masher tool works well to break down the tomatoes. A very tasty, easy to make, inexpensive sauce.
Sam
I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed it so much, Linda! 🙂
Louise
Perfectly easy and very zippy! My husband loved it. Another winner.
Steve Morgan
Super easy. I was somewhat anxious since it was a first time effort. My wife helped a bit with the baking time and temp. But I a,proud to say it worked great! Nice flavors in the crust and sauce too. We did pepperoni and mozzarella cheeses. So good
Wendy
this does sound really good..
DeEtte Rievley
Could I water bath can several jars at once?
Steve Morgan
First time a charm. Worked perfectly. Great dough and super delish sauce. My wife loved the pizza. We did not use a parchment paper and had a good result.
Rachel
So easy and delicious! I personally think canned tomatoes are a great option!
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Rachel! 🙂
Dawn
I just tried your pizza dough and pizza sauce tonight and it was fabulous, so easy, that’s what I like. Thank you for the recipes. Amazing.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy you enjoyed both recipes, Dawn! Thanks so much for the review ❤️
Tlcmich
A big hit with my family!
Amazing texture and so easy to make. I used quick rise yeast but still let it rise twice, once in the bowl and again on the pizza sheet but you could skip the first proof. I’m experimenting with different dried herbs and increased the amount of garlic powder to 1/2 tsp. I’ve been doubling the recipe as well and only used one package of yeast with great raised crust.
Howard
Thanks for another good yet simple recipe. I did double up on the garlic.
Dick
I added a 1/8 teaspoon of onion powder and it kicked the flavor up a notch. At least for me.