This pizza sauce recipe is richly flavored and easy to make, with just a few pantry ingredients and 5 minutes of prep time. Paired with our chewy pizza dough recipe, it makes the best homemade pizza!

Spreading pizza sauce on pizza dough.

Homemade Pizza Sauce Recipe

Add some pizzaz to your pizza with this zesty homemade pizza sauce!

If you’ve been relying on store-bought pizza sauce for topping your homemade pizzas, you are going to LOVE this recipe. This pizza sauce is almost as easy to make as opening a bottle of store-bought sauce, but the flavor is so much better. This sauce is thick, rich and perfectly seasoned. It will take your pizza to the next level!

Making this sauce is as simple as stirring together a few pantry ingredients. It requires no cooking, no blending, and you can even make it ahead to save time on pizza night. The best part is that by making it yourself, you can adjust the seasonings to your tastes. We like it with a touch of spice – it adds an irresistible pop of flavor to each bite!

Ingredients You’ll Need

Ingredients for pizza sauce recipe.

Here’s what you’ll need to make this quick and easy pizza sauce recipe.

  • Tomato Paste: Using tomato paste is the secret to making a pizza sauce that’s full of rich tomato flavor. The tomato paste also helps to thicken the sauce up, so that it is the perfect consistency for spreading on the pizza dough.
  • Tomato Sauce: To thin out the tomato paste so that the sauce is nice and spreadable.
  • Sugar: A little bit of sugar balances out the acidity of the tomato sauce.
  • Dried Oregano: This dried herb lends authentic Italian pizza sauce flavor.
  • Garlic Powder: Adds a touch of garlic flavor.
  • Salt and Pepper: For flavor.
  • Red Pepper Flakes: Adding red pepper flakes transforms this pizza sauce from good to amazing. The subtle spice of the red pepper flakes greatly enhances the flavor of the sauce. You can adjust the amount of red pepper flakes to your tastes.

How to Make Pizza Sauce

Making this pizza sauce recipe couldn’t be easier.

Tomato sauce and paste whisked together in bowl.

To start, whisk together the tomato sauce and tomato paste in a bowl until they are well combined. Then add in the seasonings and whisk to incorporate them evenly into the sauce. That’s it!

Seasonings added to pizza sauce in bowl with whisk.

Before adding the red pepper flakes, we like to chop them more finely on a cutting board using a sharp knife. This helps to distribute the spice flavor more evenly throughout the sauce, so that you don’t get any extra spicy bites due to large pepper flake pieces.

This recipe makes enough sauce for generously saucing two 14-inch pizzas. If you prefer a lightly sauced pizza, you’ll likely have leftover sauce that you can save for later.

Pizza sauce spread over rolled out pizza dough.

Storage Tips

Store pizza sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5-7 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. If frozen, thaw it overnight in the refrigerator before using.

Pizza Toppings

You can use this pizza sauce with any pizza recipe where you would want a red sauce. (Other pizza sauce options include white sauce, BBQ Sauce for BBQ Chicken Pizza, or Pesto Sauce for Pesto Pizza.) For your pizza crust, try our easy Pizza Dough or Whole Wheat Pizza Dough.

Pizza toppings that go well with this red pizza sauce include:

  • Mozzarella Cheese – Simple and delicious!
  • Pepperoni – Always a classic.
  • Vegetables. There are so many options! Our favorites include bell peppers, onions, mushrooms and artichoke hearts.
  • Olives – We love black olives on pizza.
  • Italian Sausage: Perfect for meat lovers.
Pizza sauce in a bowl with two balls of pizza dough in background.

Give this pizza sauce recipe a try on your next homemade pizza night. I think you’ll agree that it’s the best pizza sauce!

Pizza sauce spread on rolled out pizza dough with a spoon.
5 from 1 rating

Pizza Sauce Recipe

Servings: 8 servings
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
Add some pizzaz to your pizza with this zesty homemade pizza sauce! This pizza sauce recipe is richly flavored and easy to make, with just a few pantry ingredients and 5 minutes of prep time. Paired with our chewy pizza dough recipe, it makes the best homemade pizza!

Ingredients

  • 6 ounces tomato paste
  • 6 ounces tomato sauce
  • 1 tablespoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • â…› teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional, increase to ¼ teaspoon if you like your sauce spicy

Instructions
 

  • In a small bowl combine tomato paste and tomato sauce. Whisk well until the sauce is an even consistency.
  • Add oregano, sugar, garlic power, salt and pepper. Optionally add red pepper flakes, (finely chop red pepper flakes first for a more even spice). Whisk ingredients fully.
  • Use a large spoon to spread sauce evenly onto rolled out pizza dough.

Notes

  • This recipe makes enough sauce for two 14-inch pizzas.
  • Pizza sauce can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5-7 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. If frozen, thaw it overnight in the refrigerator before using.
Serving: 1.5oz, Calories: 27kcal, Carbohydrates: 6g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 1g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 343mg, Potassium: 291mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin A: 446IU, Vitamin C: 6mg, Calcium: 21mg, Iron: 1mg
Nutrition information is an estimate.
Cuisine: Italian
Course: Sauce
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