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Ditch the jarred sauce and simmer your way to a simple and delicious homemade pizza sauce!

Red pizza sauce recipe spread over pizza crust.

Our Fav for Pizza Night!

We have pizza for dinner once a week and when we do homemade pizza we also do homemade pizza sauce because it cannot be beat.

You may be thinking, why do homemade when it’s so easy to buy? It’s because if you compare delivery to homemade pizza – there’s no comparison. Homemade pizza is the best, and when you have the sauce to go with it, it’s even better (we also love our white pizza sauce too!)

This sauce recipe has the best combination of tomato sauce and herbs. It’s a little garlicky, a little sweet from the touch of sugar, and tangy from the basil and tomatoes. We also love that we have the ingredients on hand at all times.

Why we love it:

  • Simple. We always have the ingredients on hand for the sauce because they’re pantry staples.
  • Flavorful. You cannot beat the flavors and spices in this sauce recipe.
  • Easy to store. We love to have the spices made up in advance so we can easily make this sauce when we want.
Various dry seasonings combined in a white bowl.

Ingredients

  • 3 (8-ounce) cans tomato sauce
  • 1 teaspoon basil
  • ยผ teaspoon pepper
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ยฝ teaspoon sugar
  • ยฝ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ยฝย teaspoonย onion powder
  • red pepper flakes (optional) – for added flavor and heat

Using Fresh Herbs

Fresh herbs are less potent than dried herbs so you will want to replace the dried basil and dried oregano with 1 tablespoon of fresh cut herbs for every 1 teaspoon of dried herbs.

How to Make Pizza Sauce

  1. HEAT. Heat 3 (8-ounce) cans tomato sauce, 1 teaspoon basil, ยผ teaspoon pepper, 1 teaspoon oregano,1 teaspoon salt, ยฝ teaspoon each of sugar, garlic powder, and onion powder in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer, but do not let boil.
  2. ENJOY! Remove from heat and spread on top of Pizza Crust and enjoy with your favorite toppings.
    • This best pizza sauce makes about 2 cups which is perfect to top a couple of homemade pizzas.

Kristyn’s Pro Tip:

Make the seasonings in advance to use later. Combine:

  • 4ย teaspoonsย basil
  • 1 teaspoonย pepper
  • 4ย teaspoonsย oregano
  • 4ย teaspoonsย salt
  • 2ย teaspoonsย sugar
  • 2ย teaspoonsย garlic powder
  • 2ย teaspoonsย onion powder

When ready to make the sauce, just use a heaping 1 1/2 tablespoons of the combined mixture for this recipe.

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4.95 from 19 votes

Homemade Pizza Sauce

By: Lil’ Luna
Learn how to make pizza sauce with this simple, flavorful red sauce recipe, perfect for completing your favorite pizza!
Servings: 2 cups
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 15 minutes
Total: 20 minutes

Ingredients 

  • 3 (8-ounce) cans tomato sauce
  • 1 teaspoon basil
  • ยผ teaspoon pepper
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ยฝ teaspoon sugar
  • ยฝ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ยฝ teaspoon onion powder

Instructions 

  • Heat all ingredients in a sauce pan and bring to a simmer, but do not let boil.
  • Spread on top of dough and enjoy with your favorite toppings.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 255kcal, Carbohydrates: 57g, Protein: 13g, Fat: 1g, Sodium: 6508mg, Potassium: 3376mg, Fiber: 15g, Sugar: 44g, Vitamin A: 4415IU, Vitamin C: 71.4mg, Calcium: 141mg, Iron: 10.6mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Recipe FAQ

  • To bring the taste of Italy to your table use a 28-ounce can of San Marzano peeled tomatoes. Drain about 3-4 ounces of liquid from the canned tomatoes, then add the remaining contents to a blender and blend until smooth. Use the freshly blended tomato sauce in the pizza sauce recipe.
  • Tomatoes are naturally high in acidity. To help counteract the acidity of the tomatoes add white sugar, brown sugar, or even baking soda to the sauce. Start with a pinch or two then add more if needed.
  • This easy homemade pizza sauce recipe makes about 2 cups. If you double it, then you can store extra to use later.
  • Pour into a jar and cover and keep in the refrigerator for 1-2 weeks.
  • Spoon into muffin tins and place in the freezer until solid. Take cubes out of the muffin tin and place them in a freezer container or freezer Ziploc bag. Freeze for up to 3 months.
    • To use, thaw overnight and microwave in bursts or melt in a small pot until the sauce is smooth.

For More Pizza Recipes:

About Kristyn

My name is Kristyn and Iโ€™m the mom of SIX stinkinโ€™ cute kids and the wife to my smokinโ€™ hot hubby, Lo. My momโ€™s maiden name is Luna, and Iโ€™m one of the many crafty โ€œLilโ€™ Lunasโ€ in the fam. On this site I like to share all things creative - from recipes to home decor to gifts and home decor ideas. Welcome!

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4.95 from 19 votes (7 ratings without comment)

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Recipe Rating




33 Comments

  1. Nick says:

    How much of each ingredient do I use? I think you were overly confident of how easy the steps were you forgot to include measurements.

    1. Lil'Luna Team says:

      Hi Nick! If you scroll to the bottom of the post (or click the button on top that says “Jump to Recipe”) the measurements and specific instructions are all there. Here they are again for you too:
      3 8 oz. cans tomato sauce
      1/4 tsp pepper
      1 tsp oregano
      1 tsp salt
      1/2 tsp sugar
      1/2 tsp garlic powder
      1/2 tsp onion powder

      1. Johno says:

        This sauce recipe sez it makes 2 cups. Is that for all 4 12″ pizzas?

      2. Johno says:

        I got a nuther one for U. I have “Fleishmann’s Active Dry Yeast” in packets containing 2 1/4 tsp in ea/. 2 1/4 x 4 = 9 tsps = 3 Tblspns. That seems like a lot. But You’ve made this several times & I trust you. But will my yeast work like your recomended “Rapid Rise Yeast”?? I better wait for your answer afore I go any further w/ this.

  2. Cheryl says:

    How much of your homemade “Pizza Seasoning Recipe” would you put into “Pizza Sauce” recipe instead of the individual seasonings? I’m guessing 2t. Thanks

    1. Lil'Luna Team says:

      Yeah, I’d say 1-2 Tbsp. Maybe start with less and then try it and keep adding until your preferred taste!

  3. Michele says:

    Can’t wait to try this recipe! Is it necessary to simmer the sauce? What is the purpose? Just curious! Thanks!

    1. Lil'Luna Team says:

      Simmering helps the sauce to develop more flavor. So I’d definitely recommend simmering. ๐Ÿ™‚

  4. Wendy says:

    Very interested in your pizza sauce recipe. Just wondering if you could freeze this in smaller portions?

    1. Lil'Luna Team says:

      Yes, you absolutely can!! We like to spoon the sauce into muffin tins and place in freezer until solid. Take cubes out of muffin tin and place in a freezer container or freezer Ziploc bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. Then when ready to use, thaw overnight and microwave in bursts or melt in a small pot until sauce is smooth.

  5. Denise says:

    5 stars
    Thank you for this simple, yet DELICIOUS pizza sauce! I used this sauce to make my first homemade “Detroit Style” pizza. It turned out fantastic! I made my own pizza crust, used fresh mozzarella, fresh asiago, and fresh provolone cheeses and YOUR sauce – all together it was PERFECTION! Everyone needs to try this pizza sauce.

    1. Lil'Luna Team says:

      Oh you are so welcome! This makes me so happy to hear you made your first pizza. It sounds amazing! Glad the pizza sauce could add to the pizza too. Thanks for giving the recipe a try!

  6. Doris says:

    5 stars
    Love this sauce and it is so easy and delish!

    1. Kristyn Merkley says:

      I am so glad you do! Thank you for letting me know!

  7. Jessica says:

    5 stars
    Homemade sauce on homemade dough is a must! Most ingredients are already on hand! Love our new addition to pizza night!