Meet your new favorite red Pizza Sauce! This is how the pros make red sauce for pizza using just 5 simple ingredients, and it’s ridiculously easy with no cooking required.
It has a beautiful tomato flavor similar to what you’d enjoy in a fancy Italian pizzeria! Make it now and store it so it’s ready when you want authentic homemade pizza.
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Helpful Reader Review
“10/10!!! Not sure how many times I have made this, I always try to keep some in the freezer. I am making another batch now. Truly outstanding recipe!“ – Angela ★★★★★
Best Pizza Sauce
My family loves to make pizza using my Overnight Pizza Dough recipe or my Quick and Easy Pizza Dough (for same-day pizza), and this homemade pizza sauce. We add our favorite toppings and serve with my Caesar Salad. Pizza night is always a fun way for me to get my kids and hubby into the kitchen together, and it results in a delicious meal–you can’t beat that!
Made-from-scratch pizza sauce is so much better than store-bought pizza sauces, and it is faster than checking out at the register. It’s ready in under 5 minutes! Pre-cooked and canned sauces tend to dry out on a pizza, and the true flavor of the tomatoes dulls, while this uncooked sauce keeps its vibrant tomato flavor and color.
Unlike marinara sauce, authentic pizza sauce is not cooked until it is on the pizza in the oven. I learned how to make the best red sauce from the pizza masters at BonAppetit and Baking Steel.
Ingredients for Homemade Pizza Sauce
These 5 ingredients have the perfect amount of tomato flavor to flavor the pizza without overwhelming the toppings and cheese. Pantry staples are all you need for a truly great red pizza sauce.
- Crushed Tomatoes – we love Italian San Marzano canned tomatoes. A 28-oz can makes 3 cups of sauce. You can also use fresh tomatoes (peel and crush in a food processor), pureed tomatoes for a smoother consistency, or diced tomatoes with a bit of tomato paste.
- Simple flavorings – garlic, extra virgin olive oil, fine sea salt, and dried oregano. You can add a pinch of red pepper flakes for a bit of heat.
Natasha’s Pro Tip:
You might be tempted to add more than 1/2 tablespoon of salt, but after the flavors meld, the sauce will be perfect. Also, remember your toppings (like cheese) will also add saltiness to your pizza.
How to Make Pizza Sauce
To make this easy tomato sauce for pizza, all you need is a blender, food processor, or immersion blender, and there is no cooking required – seriously!
- Pulse together all of the ingredients until blended and well-combined.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or up to 7 days before using. It’s best the next day.
How to Use Red Pizza Sauce
- On Pizza – After resting, the sauce is ready spread on pizza without cooking. Use about 1/4 cup over a large pizza dough. Don’t over-saturate the dough so that the crust fully cooks in the middle. Add pizza toppings, like mozzarella cheese, pepperoni, and veggies, and bake!
- As a Dip for breadsticks made from my Sourdough Pizza Dough recipe, Stromboli, Mozzarella Cheese Sticks, Calzone, or Garlic Bread.
- As a Topping – try my Pizza Chicken – it’s delicious!
Make-Ahead and Storage
I love this red sauce because it is a make-ahead recipe and gets better with time as the flavors meld together. We love it best the next day, which is perfect with my overnight pizza dough.
- To Refrigerate: Pour sauce into a mason jar or airtight storage container, cover tightly, and refrigerate for 1 to 2 weeks.
- Freezing: Portion into freezer-safe zip bags, remove any extra air, and seal. Lay flat in the freezer, and it will be quicker to thaw. You can also freeze pizza dough for an easy pizza night when the craving hits. Thaw pizza sauce in the fridge overnight or in a bowl of cold water.
Helpful Reader Review
“We have been searching for a great pizza sauce. I was skeptical because it wasn’t cooked. Made it and let it sit overnight. Simply amazing. Thank you for all your great, easy recipes. Your pizza crust was a hit as well!” – Jennifer ★★★★★
This easy pizza sauce recipe couldn’t be easier, but it always comes out perfectly! It has an authentic Italian flavor and is perfect for meal prep, since it freezes and refrigerates well. Here’s the start to truly amazing homemade pizza, so blend up a batch in just moments today!
P.S. If you prefer a white sauce for pizza, make sure to try my homemade garlic-parmesan White Pizza Sauce. It is my children’s favorite and the one they always request for homemade pizza.
Pizza Sauce
Ingredients
- 28 oz crushed tomatoes
- 2 garlic cloves, pressed or finely grated
- 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 Tbsp fine sea salt
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
Instructions
- Pulse together – Combine all of your ingredients in the bowl of a food processor or blender and pulse together until well combined and blended.
- Cover and refrigerate – You can use the sauce to make pizza right away, but for best results, cover and refrigerate for the flavors to meld for at least 3 hours or store in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 weeks.
Notes
- Refrigerator: Blend the ingredients and then store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
- Freezer: Pack in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 6 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight or by placing the container in a cold bowl of water.
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
My Best Homemade Condiments
When it comes to sauces and condiments, homemade always wins. Here are our top sauces, dips, dressings, and condiments that you have to try!
- Tartar Sauce
- Tzatziki Sauce
- Marinara Sauce
- Horseradish Sauce
- Italian Dressing
- Ranch Dip
- Green Goddess Dressing
- Homemade Mayonnaise
We used the last of this sauce last night. Had my daughter make this again today. She said, “Is that all it is Mom?” My family noticed right away that I’d changed recipes. It’s a keeper, so yummy!
Yay so wonderful to read your good feedback. Thank you!
This red sauce is amazing and so easy to prepare. I will never buy canned pizza sauce again.
Super! Homemade is definitely always better. Thank you for your excellent feedback!
Hi Natasha
I love your recipes… I follow them on on youtube and Facebook…
Have tried couple of them and all were a hit…
Would like to try the pizza sauce… Just wanted to know after blending all the ingredients do you boil them?
Thank you for following my social media pages! There’s no cooking required for this recipe, you just mix the ingredients in a food processor and blender then refrigerate.
Hi I’m going to use this for a pizza and I have everything except oregano. Are there any suitable substitutes? And also could I use fresh roma tomatoes instead of canned tomatoes? And I don’t have sea salt could I use kosher salt?
Thank you.
Hi Hameeda, I have not tested that but here is what one of our readers wrote: “Nice recipe. If no crushed tomato use whole but drain and add a can of puree ,no whole ,,use one can puree two cans sauce , dats how mom made it , also if we had fresh basil in da garden mom threw it in blender too also taste your sauce add more oregano you may like that remember you can’t take out once ya put it in ,so taste taste taste .sometimes those canned tomatoes are a little week in flavor no worries add a small can tomato paste to blender ,,,eh sometimes ya gotta think use what ya got , and as Jimmy would say “Good Eating “ I hope that helps.
Have you ever considered adding some garlic powder or ground basil or oregano to the crust? I like to flavor the crust a LITTLE as well. Especially if you’re making bread sticks.
I have not but that sounds like an amazing idea. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
Hello Natash 😊🌹
This is Mona from Kuwait 😘❤🥰
I’m one of your new followers actually I let all my family and friends adding you ..
I love your cook way your recipes and the test of them 😋
I made the tirameso, cinnamon, shrimps taco , today I made the pizza doh also we will see the result by tomorrow .
I tried to make your all receipts as much as I can because they are testy easy and so ummy.
Keep it up and love you so much
Hello Mona, great to hear from you and thank you for trying out my recipes. I hope you love every recipe that you try!
Looks like marinara sauce recipe. I do not see a difference in ingredients.
Hello Joli, yes it’s almost the same except for some other ingredients like black pepper, basil/parsley for the marinara sauce.
This sauce is easy and delicious! We love it!
Love it, Melanie! Thanks for your great feedback.
About how much sauce for 1 pizza
Hi Lorraine, I would follow the guideline on this recipe here. and use your desired amount.
Made this dough, sauce into 2 wonderful pizzas tonight. 1 for my husband with a bunch of stuff and one for me made with less stuff, lol. They were both wonderful!
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing that with me Joanne!
Was craving pizza…
Used this recipe….
Oh my GOODNESS it’s perfect!
So simple but packed with flavour without overwhelming the toppings.
Thank you Natasha!
Love – all the way from South Africa
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Hi can this dough be used for a barbeque pizza?
Hi Puja! I bet that would work!
I made the dough and red sauce for pizza tonight. I’m concerned about the dough because it seemed a little drier that yours on the video. It doubled in size, but when folding there was definite separating after the fold and I really had to pinch to seal the seam. Hoping it turns out ok.
Hi Karrie, I’m wondering if there was too much flower? I recommend reading through this post to help on measuring tips
mine was very dry too. worked, but next time I’ll add less flour or more water
I’m having trouble finding these tomatoes in the stores local to me. Can you recommend a comparable brand?
Hi Brittney, we also like the Muir Glenn organic or Jersey Fresh. You can experiment or just buy what is available in your grocery store.
Can you use tomato sauce instead of crushed tomatoes?
Hi Summer, here is what one of our readers wrote how they made their sauce. “If no crushed tomato use whole but drain and add a can of puree ,no whole ,,use one can puree two cans sauce , dats how mom made it , also if we had fresh basil in da garden mom threw it in blender too also taste your sauce add more oregano you may like that remember you can’t take out once ya put it in ,so taste taste taste .sometimes those canned tomatoes are a little week in flavor no worries add a small can tomato paste to blender ,,,eh sometimes ya gotta think use what ya got , and as Jimmy would say “Good Eating” I hope that helps.
IMO there is only one tomato to use for real Italian flavor. That’s Cento brand. And, they are much lower sodium if you have an issue with that.
Thank you for sharing that with me Terry!
Hi Natasha!
Quick question about the tomatoes used: in the “before” photo above, it looks like canned diced tomatoes, not canned crushed tomatoes which in my experience are already smooth-ish, like the second photo. Is that correct? I am in Canada, maybe we have different terms?
I have both types in my pantry, but I am curious whether you think one would be better than the other. Very excited to try your pizza crust and sauces!
Hi Violet, they are in fact crushed tomatoes. Note the text on the can where it says “crushed tomatoes” along the rim. Those are the same as in the blender. The second side by side photo in the blender is after it was blended together.
Nice recipe. If no crushed tomato use whole but drain and add a can of puree ,no whole ,,use one can puree two cans sauce , dats how mom made it , also if we had fresh basil in da garden mom threw it in blender too also taste your sauce add more oregano you may like that remember you can’t take out once ya put it in ,so taste taste taste .sometimes those canned tomatoes are a little week in flavor no worries add a small can tomato paste to blender ,,,eh sometimes ya gotta think use what ya got , and as Jimmy would say “Good Eating “
Thank you for sharing your tips for making fresh tomato sauce!
Hi Natasha! I wanted to make this sauce tomorrow along with your pizza dough, and i was wondering if its possible to make your own crushed tomatoes? thank you
Hi Ella, yes but it will take some time to simmer them. I would recommend finding a tutorial online since we don’t have one posted. We typically use canned crushed tomatoes but if you have a bunch of tomatoes, making your own is a great idea!
This sauce was soooo yummy! Gave our pizza tons of flavor.
That’s just awesome!! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Stephanie!
Awesome! Homemade pizza sauce is the best!
We absolutely love it! Isn’t the flavor amazing!?
The best kind of sauce! It was so easy to put together and tasted so good!
I am so so happy to hear that! It really is so easy to make homemade pizza sauce and this is our favorite red sauce.