White Pizza Sauce (Quick & Easy)
This White Pizza Sauce is essentially an easy garlic alfredo. It comes together in about 5 minutes and is our family’s favorite over homemade Pizza Crust! You’ll be surprised how easy it is to make a batch of pizza sauce for your next pizza party and it keeps really well in the fridge.
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The Best White Pizza Sauce!
Growing up, I remember my mother making the best white sauce for pizza and it’s no wonder this is the pizza sauce my kids request the most often. My children’s favorite pizza is a classic cheese pizza and this sauce is perfect because it has so much flavor with the garlic and parmesan that you don’t need anything but a generous layer of mozzarella cheese over it.
P.S. If you prefer a classic tomato sauce, try our homemade Red Sauce for Pizza.
What is White Pizza Sauce Made Of?
This recipe uses simple pantry and refrigerator staples and whipping up a batch couldn’t be easier. It is made of milk, salt, pepper, garlic, and parmesan cheese. The butter and flour serve to thicken the sauce and create a rich alfredo sauce. This recipe makes 1 1/2 cups of white sauce or enough for 4 (10-inch) pizzas.
How to Make White Sauce for Pizza:
All you need is a saucepan and a whisk. This sauce comes together in just 5 minutes or less so have everything measured out and ready before turning on the stove.
- Melt butter in a pan on medium heat. Add flour and whisk 1-2 minutes (do not brown).
- Slowly add milk while whisking and stir until smooth, thick, and bubbly.
- Whisk in salt, pepper, and garlic.
- Add parmesan cheese and whisk 30 seconds. Remove from heat and stir until cheese melts.
Which Pizza Toppings are best with White Sauce?
I would say just about any toppings are delicious over a white sauce pizza, but our favorites include:
- Cheese: shredded mozzarella, fresh mozzarella, parmesan
- Meats: chicken, crispy bacon, ham, pancetta, pepperoni
- Vegetables: artichoke, tomatoes, jalapenos, spinach, roasted garlic, banana peppers, black olives, fresh spinach, mushrooms, roasted bell peppers
How to Store Sauce:
To store, let the sauce cool to room temperature then transfer to a Tupperware or mason jar, cover, and refrigerate up to 5 days. The sauce will thicken more as it cools, but will still be creamy enough to easily spread over pizza dough. If you wish to thicken the sauce, you can rewarm slightly in the microwave just until spreadable.
Pro Tip: A cream sauce is best refrigerated and not frozen or separation may occur.
This is so much better than the white sauce in pizza chains and I hope it becomes a new favorite for you. It reminds me of creamy alfredo pasta!
White Pizza Sauce Recipe (Quick & Easy)
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 1/4 cup milk (2% or whole milk)
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
- 2 garlic cloves pressed or finely grated
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese shredded
Instructions
-
Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour and continue whisking for 1-2 minutes (do not let it brown).
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Slowly add milk, whisking constantly until smooth, thickened, and bubbly.
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Whisk in 1/4 tsp salt, 1/8 tsp black pepper, and pressed garlic.
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Add parmesan cheese and whisk another 30 seconds. Remove from heat and continue whisking just until cheese is melted and sauce is smooth then set aside to cool before using for pizza. Do not boil after adding cheese or sauce may curdle. Once cooled, cover and refrigerate up to 5 days.
Recipe Notes
Makes 1 1/2 cups of pizza sauce or enough for 4 (10-inch) pizzas.
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
More Must-Try Homemade Sauces:
A great sauce can take a dish from zero to hero and it’s no wonder these are some of our top-rated recipes. Once you try these, you won’t want the store-bought version again!
- Avocado Ranch – creamy and great as a dip or dressing
- Shrimp Cocktail Sauce – plus how to make a crowd-pleasing shrimp ring
- Homemade Pesto Sauce – classic and great with pasta
- Balsamic Glaze – you won’t believe how easy it is!
- Jalapeno Ranch – creamy with a spicy kick
Natasha Kravchuk
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Classic Basil Pesto Recipe 
Pizza Dough – The Best Pizza Crust (VIDEO) 
Hi! I'm Natasha Kravchuk. Here you'll find delicious, trusted recipes with easy step-by-step photos and videos. 
Love this perfect and easy recipe for ANY recipe that calls for white sauce: garlic chicken pizza, pasta, etc
Especially the garlic! I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe Mrs. Massey!
First time making white pizza and this sauce was delish! We used cooked spinach with it. Will definitely do it again. Thanks!
Great to hear from you, Crystal. Thank you for your good comments and review, so glad you loved this pizza sauce!
This sauce and your pizza dough are just delicious!!
Thanks for your great feedback, Michelle!
This is so easy and good! I know elsewhere it says it doesn’t freeze well but I froze some and thawed in the refrigerator and it was still great and didn’t curdle at all.
Thank you so much for sharing that with us, Cindy! I know our readers will find this helpful!
You refer to you sauce and an easy garlic Alfredo. Alfredo is made with cream while bechamel is made with a roux and milk…big difference.
Tried 3 times to make this, sauce never thickened
Hi Richard, the sauce will thicken more as it cools. If you wish to thicken the sauce, you can rewarm slightly in the microwave just until spreadable. Make sure the ingredients are also measured correctly.
WOW! I think our red sauce is taking a back seat to this sauce. It is easy and enough to make 2 or 3 medium sized pizzas. We made it as-is and topped with little mozzarella balls, mushrooms, spinach, left over chicken, and a little shredded mozzarella and parmesan.
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite!
Using COLD milk decreases the risk of lumps (Food wishes chef John)
Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
I followed the amounts exactly as posted. However, I cheat when it comes to cooking.
Firstly, I hate raw garlic, so I added it to the butter and sauteed it a bit. 2nd, I added all my seasonings to the flour when I measured them out. Last but not least, I used 1/2 whipping cream and half milk. This stuff is fantastic! Thank you so much for the recipe! It is my new go to recipe for white sauce for whit pizza! Yummy!
You’re welcome Pj! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
So if the sauce wont stay up yo 5 days on the fridge it wont be good ?
Hi Igsy, we kept it up to 5 days. I haven’t tried it beyond that time frame.
Hey, natasha
I am Ishaan From India and i have seen your recipe for best pizza crust so that was so good and very easy illustrative hope you make more best recipes and best of luck.
Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
This is by far best white sauce recipe out there. I added nutmeg, extra parmesan, a bit more milk to make it more creamy and teaspoon of grated truffles. Amazing flavour!
Love it! Thank you for your awesome feedback and review, we appreciate it.
Hı Natasha,
Can I use any other cheese if I can’t find Parmesan cheese like mozarella or whıte cheddar. I want to make this sause
Hi there, this white sauce uses Parmesan cheese – you need freshly grated or shredded Parmesan cheese. If you don’t have freshly grated or shredded Parmesan cheese, you can substitute it with Gruyere cheese or shredded Mozzarella cheese although the flavor profile and texture will be different
Great creamy sauce! I usually end up having only half of it for the pizzas as I eat the other half while cooling 😛
It is that good, haha! We can’t resist either.
I’ve been wanting to make a pizza with white sauce and this recipe makes delicious sauce. Better than white sauce on purchased pizzas and so easy to make. Absolutely delicious!
Hello Cheryl, thank you for your great feedback. I’m happy to hear that you enjoyed this recipe!
Best white sauce ever. It is so easy to make up. Thanks for sharing the recipe Natasha.
Thank you so much for your great review, Jeanne!
Can we add both white sause and Tomato sauce as well
Hi Ashi, maybe half of the dough with white and the other half with red sauce?
Ok…thank you so much
You’re welcome.
Thanks for this Delicious recipe. In our place parmesan is expensive. Can I replace it with Cheddar cheese? Or local processed cheese? Thanks 💐
Hi, I am not familiar with the processed cheese you are referring to so I can’t make that recommendation. You might google search to see what a good substitute is based on what you have available. Also, a powdered or grated parmesan would work also if you can find it, but I would use less since it is more compact.
I made your pizza crust recipe. I’ve only, made a couple of others but they were quick kinda cheating recipes. The first ball I messed up because I overworked it. It was still chilly and I was impatient. The second one I followed instructions and wow! I impressed myself! thank you. I love to cook but, working with dough is new to me and I’m having so much fun learning! xo
Thanks for sharing that with us, Catherine. I’m glad you’re learning and enjoying it! I hope you’ll love every recipe that you will try.
Can you make this using powder parmesan?
Hi, yes that would work but I would use less so it doesn’t get too thick since powder parmesan or grated parmesan is more dense than shredded parmesan.
Hi. Can I use Cheddar cheese or processed cheese in place of Parmesan Cheese. Thanks for your recipe.
Hi, cheddar cheese would work but the result will just not be as good as the original recipe.
Hi Natasha,
I just made the white sauce for pizza tomorrow (adding bacon and artichoke). My question is should I add additional cheese on top? The sauce is sooooo good that I don’t want to take away from that sauce, but I feel like a cheese topping of some sort is needed. Any suggestions?
Hi Mike, we love it with the cheese, it brings it all together for us, but if you try it that way, I would love to know how you like it.
made this and it was the best sause in the univerese!soo good and my family love it! will make again and again and again!
sorry if my english is bad. it is my second lanquege.
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review!
Hi Natasha! I made your white pizza sauce over the weekend and it was a hit! Wow! It was so creamy, and everyone loved it and couldn’t get enough of it… THANK YOU! Your recipes are always so good (and easy!) and we really enjoy your recipes and videos. You’re a sweetheart and we all love you! The next time I make pizza, I’ll make your pizza dough recipe!
Hello Bobbie, I’m glad it was a hit! Yes, please try our pizza dough too! I highly recommend it.
Yummmmmy RecipeI put some fresh thymes in it… My husband went away for a few days after we had the pizza So the left over sauce aI fried up some bacon, made pasta and had yummy dinner for 2 days
Thank you Natasha
You’re very welcome! Good to know that you enjoyed this recipe.
This is a really good sauce. I added a lot more garlic (5 cloves), and a touch of nutmeg. It was yummy on my homemade pizza. Thank you, Natasha.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Ellen! Thank you for the wonderful review!
Hi Natasha,
I was wondering if I can use grated parmesan cheese for the sauce?
Thanks!
Hello Kayla! I imagine that will work too. Please share with us how it goes if you try this recipe.
I’ve been trying to make pizza dough for years, and this is my absolute favorite one! I even made a couple of mistakes, and it still turned out amazing. Thank you! God bless you 🙂
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite!
My sauce was tasty but thick and bit difficult to spread, do you know where I went wrong?
Hi Vk, if you cook for too long, it can get too thick. Also, if it is chilled it will firm up so if you warm it up lightly, it will loosen up.
Nothing wrong Vk, just add a bit of water or milk.
I added 1/4 tsp Garlic Salt and it gave it a little more flavor
Thank you for sharing that with us, Rondal!
Hi Natashe, so this sauce is like Béchamel sauce but there is cheddar cheese in it. Right?
Hi Sam, yes similar to that.
Freaking delicious
Thank you, Nick. Glad you enjoyed this recipe!
Hello! I’m dying to make this white sauce but I have never used whole garlic cloves before and have a jar of minced garlic in the fridge or garlic powder. If I was to use one of these how much would you suggest?
Hi Erin, the minced garlic should work well. I would estimate about the same amount if using pre-minced garlic.
This sauce was delicious! However, I only used half on one pizza and it was more than enough. How long does the remaining sauce last in fridge or freezer?
Hi Rayan, this sauce will keep well in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Yep – it was a winner!
Found recipe after realizing I was shy on reg pizza sauce.
Added a little oregano as well to sauce…..and then topped it generously with fresh arugula before eating. I’m no longer a one trick pony. Thank you
You’re welcome, James. I’m glad you enjoyed this recipe!
Yep – it was a winner!
Found recipe after realizing I was shy on reg pizza sauce.
Added a little oregano as well to sauce…..and then topped it generously with fresh arugula before eating. I’m no longer a one trick pony. Thank you for this recipe.
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us!
I just made this sauce. So easy and tasty. I added 1/2 tsp oregano along with grilled chicken, fresh spinach, and mozzarella cheese. It was yummy!
Oh, that sounds like a great addition. Thanks for sharing that with us!
Hi natasha can you say for I am going to make this pizza bigger than you did like 1 pizza so how much of sauce I need
Hi Malak, you should have plenty of sauce with this recipe.
I found this a little bland. Definitely rich, but the flavour was lacking. I’d recommend adding another clove of garlic, use the garlic a bit sooner so it can sauté for a second to mellow, and a touch more salt.
Thank you for your feedback Rhymes!
Delicious sauce! Just made it, it was easy and sooo tasty highly recommend! Thank you so much for this recepie!
That’s so great! Thank you for sharing this review with us!
It’s bechamel sauce not alfredo sauce !!!
I hope you try and love this recipe Ziva!
Is it okay to use cheddar cheese instead of parmersan? thanks
Hi CJ, I haven’t tested this with cheddar cheese and will impact the flavor. If you experiment with it though I would love to know how you like that!
Really? I had to print out 12 pages of nothing to get this recipe. Totally ridiculous. I will never use this damn site gin.
Hi Catherine, it sounds like you printing the entire recipe instead of the printable recipe card. The print-friendly recipe is at the bottom of each post. Once you scroll there, click on the print icon in that recipe card which will open a print screen, then you would need to click file —> print. I hope that helps! You should see a preview of the number of pages you are printing to know you’re printing only the card.
Was planning to make pizza and realized I only had half as much pizza sauce as I needed. Found this recipe. My family loved it. They ate the pizza with the white sauce instead of the pizza with the red sauce! Printing it and saving it for later.
Awesome! We also love using white sauce at home but we love both!
Would unsweetened almond milk work ?
Hello Tre, it sounds like a good idea however I haven’t personally tried that yet to advise. Please share with us how it goes if you do an experiment.
Made the sauce for my chicken mushroom pizza and everyone loved it. An absolute delight!
I am so glad to hear that!
Hi Natasha, this recipe is just delicious! Thanks so much for it!!!
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it Zoe!
I so enjoy your energy and the way you can put together any dish and make it look easy. You are my favorite blogger! Please keep the delicious recipes coming!!
You’re so nice! Thank you Rebecca!
I made this white sauce and it was awesome. I put overcooked shell shaped pasta on top of this pizza sauce and covered that will shredded mozzarella. It was a real hit with the kids (except the pasta which was not covered with cheese did get a little crunchy in the oven). And – the next day the leftover sauce and pasta combined made a nice lunch with some shrimp we had
I’m so happy you enjoyed that Dave! Thank you for that wonderful review!
Hi. I dont have parmesan buy i have mozarella. Can i make white sauce made of mozarella?
Hi Siti, This white sauce uses Parmesan cheese – you need freshly grated or shredded Parmesan cheese. If you don’t have freshly grated or shredded Parmesan cheese, you can substitute it with Gruyere cheese or shredded Mozzarella cheese although the flavor profile and texture will be different.
This was delicious! Such a good pizza sauce and it goes very well with chicken. The only note is that if your garlic cloves are large the sauce will taste very garlicy, just something to keep in mind!
Thanks for your excellent feedback and tip, Cleo!
Hi Natasha,
Today I watched your videos for the first time,I really liked them esp.the pizza dough one,cant wait make it now😁Pizza crust looks amazingly mouth watering!
Is it going to give the same results without pizza stone?
Thanks for watching! Others shared that they used a pizza pan and it worked too.
This sauce is great! But, one extra 1/4 tsp of Garlic Powder puts it over the top!
(For all the gah-lic lova’s!)
Thank you for sharing that great tip! I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe!
Hi, Natasha! I absolutely love your pizza crust recipe and red sauce recipe and use it at least once a week! For this white pizza sauce, do you think half and half or heavy whipping cream would work? My 4 year old has me perpetually always out of milk, but I make a lot of things from scratch and always seem to have those two ready on hand. Also from one mom to another, thanks for making recipes my very picky son always loves! xoxo
Hi Ricki, I bet that could work! If you experiment please let me know how you like that.
hii Natasha!!! wanna try making your pizza dough but I need a sauce thought this would be perfect but the only problem is i don’t have any cheese other than sandwich cheese slices.Can i make it without cheese? or can i add the sandwich cheese instead?
thanks a bunch:)
Hi Amirah, it’s your prerogative but the sauce is not awesome without cheese. Your cheddar cheese would work but the result will just not be as good as the original recipe.
Thanks Natasha will try to find some parmesan cheese
Hello Natasha! I enjoy seeing your videos and recipes online! You go into detail with helpful pictures/videos and instructions for each recipe. My question is about the pizza dough. Can I roll out the dough rather than stretching out on my knuckles? The first ball of dough I stretched on my knuckles but the pizza dough got holes in it and became very thin. It was hard to do with my knuckles! I want to roll out the second ball of dough instead. I’m also going to try this recipe using whole wheat flour. The end results was delicious, chewy, cheesy crust/pizza!
Thank you for any suggestions!
Rolling it out isn’t ideal because you can easily burst the bubbles that you want to stay inside the crust. You might watch some more tutorials online on how to roll it on the knuckles. I probably could have made that video portion longer.
Have you tried this with clams as a topping?
Hello Steve, I haven’t tried that yet but please share with us how you liked it if you try!
When I tasted this I was holy Sh@$$%!! So easy and fast. Using this on my pizza tonight with roasted garlic and thin shaved steak. Yum!
I’m so glad you enjoyed that Kelly!
This is simply amazing! Just give it a try and see for yourself!
Thank you for that wonderful review, Bron! I’m so glad you enjoyed that.
I made the dough and the white sauce with parmigiano reggiano and it turned out perfect. My toppings were sliced potatoes and green olives. It was the best pizza! Thank you!
That is so awesome! Thanks for giving this recipe a great feedback!
parmesan cheese isnt available (literally all that is available is cheddar, mozerella and cream cheese) where I am. Can you recommend adjustments I can make to the sauce or topping?
Hi, I haven’t tried the white sauce with those cheeses but I suspect they would clump. You could just make the sauce without the cheese and add a little more salt to taste. It will still be a good white sauce.
This was amazing! I didn’t realize I was missing white pizza until I made this and now I want it all the time!
Question: Mine came out really thick and was a little difficult to spread on the dough. Did I do something wrong or is it supposed to be very thick? Is there a way to thin it?
2nd question: How long will leftovers last in the fridge?
Thanks,
Kelly
Hi Kelly, make sure to measure flour using a measuring spoon so you aren’t getting too much flour which can make it too thick. If it seems too thick after refrigeration, you can warm it in the microwave for 10-15 seconds for it to loosen and be easier to spread.
Perfect!
Incredibly easy and incredibly good! I forgot all about the fresh garlic and had to sub powder but it was still excellent. So creamy and great flavor! My 4 year old devoured her pizza slice. We will definitely be making again!
Thank you so much for sharing that with me. I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Natasha can we substitute fresh s Parmesan cheese for the one in the bottle as I don’t have it on hand at this moment and I need to make the Pizzs sauce
Hello Saima, we prefer fresh but if that’s what you have on hand that should work too. Please let us know how it goes and enjoy!
This sauce is delicious! However, the recipe makes more than I will use in the next week. Does it freeze well?
Hi Heather, this sauce will keep well in the fridge for up to 5 days but I have not tested with freezing it. I worry the cream will separate. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
Can I use Almond milk instead a regular milk?
Hello Bianca, it sounds like a good idea however I haven’t personally tried that yet to advise. Please share with us how it goes if you do an experiment.
Just a question. Can I omit the salt and use salted butter, that’s what I have in my fridge right now.
Hi Scott, yes that would work fine, just add salt to taste if needed.
Would you use this leftover sauce on pasta? My child is going through a picky phase and eats pasta plain with Parmesan cheese
Can’t wait to try pizza dough. My husband is experimenting tonight. I’m taking the weekend off from all cooking and cleaning duties
Hi Darlene, I bet that could work! If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe!
Yummy! I made this for dinner tonight. We haven’t had a white sauce before. Usually tomato. It was so good and so easy to make. Thanks!
Thanks for sharing your experience with us, happy to know that you enjoyed this recipe!
Love this! It’s such a great way to switch up our usual pizza night! It was so easy to make and we are going to be making it again!
Glad that you enjoyed it Julie! Thanks for sharing and giving this recipe a try.
This white sauce was so creamy and delicious, everyone loved it. This is a recipe I will most defiantly be coming back to over and over again.
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us!