Meet your new favorite red pizza sauce! The secret is out and this is how the pros make red sauce for pizza. It’s ridiculously easy and since there is no cooking required, this red sauce has beautiful tomato flavor similar to what you’d enjoy in a fancy Italian pizzeria!
P.S. We love this on homemade Pizza Dough, but it doubles as a great dip for breadsticks or pizza crust.
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Why this is the BEST Pizza Sauce:
Pizza sauce made from scratch is so much better than store-bought pizza sauces. Pre-cooked and canned sauces tend to dry out on a pizza and the true flavor of the tomatoes becomes dull, while this uncooked sauce keeps it’s vibrant tomato flavor and color.
Authentic pizza sauce is not cooked until it is put into the oven on pizza. I learned how to make the best red sauce from the pizza masters at Bon Appetit and Baking Steal.
Ingredients for Homemade Pizza Sauce:
Start with your favorite crushed tomatoes. We love Italian San Marzano tomatoes and a single 28 oz can is all you need to make about 3 cups of tomato sauce. Simple flavorings are all you need: garlic, extra virgin olive oil, fine sea salt, and dried oregano.
You might be tempted to add more than 1/2 Tbsp 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 or food processor 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 Store Pizza Sauce:
We love this red sauce because it is a make-ahead recipe. It keeps really well for at least a week in the refrigerator and just gets better with time as the flavors meld together. We love it best the next day which is perfect with our overnight pizza dough.
- TO REFRIGERATE: Pour sauce into a mason jar or airtight storage container, cover tightly and refrigerate for 1 to 2 weeks.
- TO FREEZE: You can also freeze pizza sauce by portioning 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.
P.S. If you prefer a white sauce for pizza, make sure to try our homemade garlic-parmesan White Pizza Sauce. It is our children’s favorite and the one they always request for homemade pizza.
Get the Print-friendly Recipe for Red Pizza Sauce below:
Homemade Pizza Sauce (5-Minute Recipe)
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
- Combine all of your ingredients in the bowl of a food processor or blender and pulse together until well combined and blended.
- You can use the sauce to make pizza right away, but for best results, cover and refrigerate for the flavors to meld at least 3 hours or store in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 weeks.
Nutrition Per Serving
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
Our Best-Ever 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!
- Homemade Tartar Sauce – the perfect blend of flavors and super easy
- Tzatziki Sauce – fresh, light and perfect for chicken and veggies
- Marinara Sauce – takes just 20 minutes and the flavor is amazing
- Horseradish Sauce – mouthwatering and excellent over beef
- Italian Dressing – creamy but light and tangy
Natasha Kravchuk
Hi! I'm Natasha Kravchuk. Here you'll find delicious, trusted recipes with easy step-by-step photos and videos. 
This is a keeper! I have tried many different recipes to use making pizza with my new outdoor pizza oven and I have found the best! The white sauce is amazing as well! Thanks!
It’s good, the only issue I have is after refrigerating overnight, it congeals into almost Jello like form. Must the the olive oil (I use Italian EVOO).
Thank you for your recipes, i will put them to use.
I’m in love! This pizza sauce is quick, easy, and delicious!
The flavor is fantastic and so simple to make! I’ll never go back to store bought. Thank you for sharing the recipe.
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite, Cindy!
So simple, but delicious. My hubs even declared it a winner! Thanks for recipe.
Fantastic flavor! I was looking for a new sauce to try. The sauce I usually use is made with a lot of seasonings and it’s good but your pizza sauce simple and flavorful. I used it on a couple of thin crust pizzas tonight. We used your sauce as the base and we liked it so much we dabbed it on top of the pizza when it came out of the oven. Thank you for posting this!
I made this last night. It was fast and delicious. Great find!!
Love your recipes Natasha! I tried so many Pizza recipes, But your recipe was the best one.
keep the good work!
That’s wonderful to hear. Thank you for the wonderful feedback.
I took a taste of this sauce and was tempted to drink it! Thank goodness for self control as we were close to not having it for pizza.
Thank goodness for self control indeed! It really is that good! Thank you so much for sharing that wonderful review with me.
In my region I don’t have canned tomatoes, only regular tomatoes. How can I make the sauce with those kind of tomatoes?
I haven’t tested that but one of our readers shared this “OK for you purest that insist on using your tomatoes, we used a squeezo on raw tomatoes to make a sauce and remove the seeds and skins. We then rendered it down to one half volume to get the thickness we wanted. this might be different for you depending on your particular tomatoes and how thick you want your sauce. we then let it cool, took 28 ozs out of the pot and used this recipe. it came out perfect” Hope that helps.
My daughter is a picky eater. Is their something other than garlic I can use that will still enhance the flavor that I can use as a substitute?
Hi Cassandra, I supposed you could just use salt and pepper but garlic is a tough one to replace here. You might also try adding some dried garlic which is a little more mild, but overall, the garlic cooks off nicely and isn’t overpowering once the pizza is baked, even if fresh is used.
I made this pizza sauce tonight for supper and it turned out perfect. I tweaked it little used my own home grown tomtoes that I had in frezzer. Left over sauce is in the fridge for round two. Next I am going use left over pizza dough two make to smaller ones and try your white sace on them.
That’s great, Colleen!
I add a few leaves of basil and about 3/4 Tsp of salt…..Perfection!
Yum!
Hi, can’t wait to try this sauce with home grown tomatoes.
Can this sauce be frozen , if we make a huge batch?
Hi Lynn! Yes- see my note above for storing.
OK for you purest that insist on using your tomatoes, we used a squeezo on raw tomatoes to make a sauce and remove the seeds and skins. We then rendered it down to one half volume to get the thickness we wanted. this might be different for you depending on your particular tomatoes and how thick you want your sauce. we then let it cool, took 28 ozs out of the pot and used this recipe. it came out perfect1
Thanks for sharing!
This sauce is for people who love garlic. I ‘m not one. I thought the garlic flavor was overwhelming.
I made this sauce today using fresh tomatoes. I also added a 2 tbsp of tomato paste to thicken it up and 1 tsp of sugar I like my sauce with sweetness flavor.
Hi there, how long will this last in a vacuumed freezer bag in the freezer…a year?
Hi Joy, from what I’ve read, when frozen properly, pizza sauce will last up to 6 months in the freezer.
This may be a silly question, but do you heat the sauce before putting it on the pizza dough?
Hi Lorraine! There is no need to heat it up. Thank you for asking.