An incredibly simple, no-cook, homemade pizza sauce recipe! It literally takes less than five minutes to make this easy, flavorful sauce for your homemade pizza!
A Simple, Flavorful Sauce (In 5 Minutes!)
Today’s recipe is all about keeping things simple.
Five minutes needed, simple ingredients with only the bare minimum prep-work required, no chopping or dicing or simmering or cooking… literally all I’m asking you to do is toss some ingredients together and hit a button (or flip a switch). I’m sharing a robustly flavored, easy homemade pizza sauce recipe and I think you’ll really like this one.
On my pizza dough recipe (have you made that yet?? If not, you need to!) I get a lot of requests for a homemade pizza sauce, so I thought it was about time that I share one.
What You Need:
Please note, this is just an overview of the ingredients used and why. For the full recipe/amounts of ingredients, please scroll down to the recipe card.
- Canned, diced tomatoes. Yes, canned! And yes, I’m a bit defensive about this. A bit more on that below.
- Tomato paste. This thickens the sauce and is responsible for much of the tomato flavor.
- Olive oil. This gives the sauce the proper mellow mouthfeel and adds flavor. Use extra virgin olive oil.
- Basil. I use dried basil. While fresh herbs could be use instead, remember, this is meant to be a quick & easy pizza sauce recipe!
- Garlic. I do use fresh here. Easy enough, just toss in a whole clove. If you’re using pre-minced garlic, I recommend a heaping teaspoon.
- Dried oregano. I know I’ve rallied against oregano in the past, but I can’t deny that it’s essential for a classic, robust-tasting pizza sauce.
- Sugar. A pinch deepens the flavor of the sauce and cuts the acidity from the tomatoes without making the sauce sweet.
- Sea salt. Finely ground, or you can substitute a bit less table salt.
- Ground black pepper. Again I recommend grinding your own for best flavor.
- Crushed red pepper. This is completely optional but I like the slight heat it adds.
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. I got it as a wedding gift and use it for everything (like my scones!).
Canned Tomatoes
Now, about those tomatoes… If I seem a little salty or defensive in the video (below, in the recipe card) about the fact that I’m using canned tomatoes, I am 😂
However, I use them for the same reasons that I use canned tomatoes in my marinara sauce (and prefer to use them in my salsa recipe). Not only is it easier, but the taste of canned tomatoes is actually typically better 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 tell you that canned tomatoes are just fine here. And let me remind you, this is specifically meant to be a fast, easy, no-cook pizza sauce. We’re not sacrificing flavor, we’re just saving time.
Note: you can substitute whole canned tomatoes for the diced that I use.
A Few Quick Tips…
- Don’t try substituting the canned tomatoes for fresh. You’ll lose a lot of flavor and the sauce will be quite watery. I know we just talked about this above, but it’s worth reiterating here.
- Classic diced tomatoes are great, but try using fire roasted for even more flavor!
- 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.
- Pizza sauce is meant to be a bit thick, but if the sauce is too thick for your liking add a drizzle more olive oil.
How to Use:
Use your pizza sauce right away or store in your fridge until ready to use. I like to use mine for dipping my garlic knots or over my popular pizza dough, simply spread it evenly over the rolled out 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.
Storing
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.
More Recipes You Might Like:
Enjoy!
Homemade Pizza Sauce (Easy, No-Cook!)
Ingredients
- 14.5 oz canned diced tomatoes or fire roasted tomatoes undrained (411g)
- 6 oz canned tomato paste (170g)
- 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.
- 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.
Lynne
Best homemade sauce EVER! My son says don’t ever buy store-bought again! Was super easy to make.
Cathy
OMG. I just made this, it is perfect. I can’t wait to cook tonight. HOPING MY CRUST TURNS OUT AS WELL. Thank you so much.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Wonderful! We hope you enjoy your pizza dinner, Cathy 🥰
Mary
I tried this recipe last night over spaghetti squash. It was very good! I ended up adding a little bit more oregano in a pinch more sugar just for my taste. My family ate it up! Thank you!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re glad everyone enjoyed it, Mary! Next time, give our marinara sauce a try ❤
Joe
But you are substituting canned tomatoes for fresh. You mean “Don’t try replacing canned tomatoes with fresh”.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Joe! We aren’t substituting canned tomatoes for fresh, as this recipe was specifically designed for canned tomatoes. The statement we have written is correct. We hope you love the sauce 🙂
Patricia
Hi there how much is 14.5 oz? I understand measuring more in cups
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Patricia! It’s just shy of 2 cups. Hope that helps 🙂
Cheryl
The ounces are on the can and readily available at most markets.
Dick
14.5 oz is a weight measure. Available as a standard weight of “canned diced tomatoes” on store shelves. In the USA anyway. Hope this helps.
Miriam Rose Blanar
I love your pizza sauce so much and am going to make some again tonight with your pizza crust. Quick question, can I use crushed tomatoes instead of diced, or will that make it weird?
Sam
The crushed tomatoes may introduce a little bit more water and make it a bit runnier, but I haven’t tried it to know for sure.
Ina
Any chance one can use canned tomato sauce instead of diced tomatoes?
Sam
Hi Ina! I’m not really sure how that would turn out for you. A lot of the flavor comes from the diced tomatoes and the tomato sauce may end up making it really runny.
Gen
Just made it! So easy, and so so delicious. Much better than the bottle of pizza squeeze my husband buys. Will definitely be making more of this in the future!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Wonderful! We’re so happy it was a hit for you, Gen. Thanks for giving our recipe a try 🙂
Genie
Absolutely fantastic! I added a little extra garlic but otherwise followed everything as-is. Wonderful and easy sauce; I had enough for two pizzas. Thank you for the recipe!
Jean Roberts
Why do you only recommend freezing for 3 months? Betty Crocker, extension offices across the country state one year as long as sauce is properly sealed and air tight in the freezer.I’ve been doing this for years without any issues.
Sam
Hi Jean! I don’t have instruction for properly sealing/canning the sauce which is why I only say 3 months. I’m sure it can be kept longer if properly sealed but I’m not familiar enough with the process to comment on it. 🙁
Russ Clarke
This was perfect and fast added just a bit more garlic since I am a lover of garlic. I will be using this moving forward
Marti
i found this to be extremely acidic! I’ve been told to try adding some baking soda to it to counteract the acid from the tomatoes… it was barely edible.
Sam
Hi Marti! This is disappointing to hear, baking soda can help with the acidity but I’ve never found it to be necessary as the sugar has always helped with any excess acidity for me. May I ask what brand tomatoes you happened to use?
Marti Fernandez
Hi Sam, I used Muir Glen organic diced tomatoes and, I believe it was Cento tomato paste.
Sam
Both brands I frequently use as well, so I’m honestly not sure why the acidity was so intense this time. I am disappointed to hear it, though! To fight the acidity you can try a sprinkle of baking soda if you’d like (I would try maybe 1/8 teaspoon or even less and taste and add more as needed, a small bit can go a long way). I’d personally probably add a bit more sugar, but that will of course make the sauce sweeter as well and how sweet you like yours is a personal taste.
I am sorry to hear it, though, Marti!
Dee
All I can say is WOW! This is undoubtedly the easiest, tastiest pizza sauce I’ve ever made. Simple pantry ingredients, less than 5 minutes to prepare. Delicious!
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Dee! 🙂
Nue
Wonderful sauce! This is the first time my home made pizza tasted like restaurants. Thank you so much!
Kat Colbourn
Hi Sam! This is such a great recipe!! The sauce is so fresh, tasty and yet so easy! My hubby and I used this last night to make stone baked bbq pizza and also cast iron oven pizza! We also used your pizza dough recipe. We had guests and everyone was raving! Thank you! Love your blog 😁 ❤️
Sam
Thank you so much, Kat! I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much! 🙂
Jennifer Moody
Super easy and tasty. I’m usually leery of red pepper flakes, but I put in just a few. Now I can’t decide if I should use 12 flakes or 6, because they do give a bit of necessary kick. Awesome sauce!😋
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Jennifer! 🙂
Carmen Feliciano
I love this recipe I will never buy pizza sauce again, Thanks for sharing
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Carmen! 🙂
Shay
Just simple and amazing!
sandhya
every recipe ive ever tried of yours has just been fantastic and this is no less. Thank you for making me enjoy cooking with these easy to make , delicious recipes . This came out fantastic and a real winner at every meal ive prepared it for – whether just me and the hubby or with larger family who just gushed over the pizza and asked for the recipe and i directed them here – thank you!!
Sam
You are so welcome! I’m so glad you have enjoyed everything. Thank you so much for your wonderful comment. 🙂
Michele
Ditto!!!! We too have loved all the recipes I’ve made from you! Thanks bunches!!!