This homemade pizza sauce recipe gets rave reviews! It uses only 5 ingredients and takes only 5 minutes: no cooking required.
Need a great pizza sauce? Here’s the one you’ve been looking for: this irresistibly tasty homemade pizza sauce recipe! All you need are 5 ingredients and 5 minutes. Dip your spoon in, and you’ll be absolutely amazed: it’s garlicky, rich, tangy and bright. This recipe is one of our most-used on this website: once you try it, you’ll never go back. Come, experience the magic!
Ingredients in this pizza sauce recipe
There are just 5 ingredients in this pizza sauce recipe. Even better: it requires no cooking at all! The flavor depends on the quality of your ingredients, so choose wisely. Here are a few things to know about the ingredients:
- Canned fire roasted tomatoes: Try to find this type of canned tomato if at all possible! Roasting tomatoes over an open flame brings a mellow, sweet flavor right out of the can. Several brands carry this special type of tomato that’s become widely available. If you can’t find them, use the highest quality crushed tomatoes you can find.
- Small garlic clove: Garlic cloves widely vary in size. This recipe calls for a small clove — if you don’t have one, use half a medium or a quarter of a large clove (see the video below if you need a hint on sizes). This is important so the sauce doesn’t end up too garlicky.
- Dried oregano: Make sure to use dried oregano that’s fairly new so that the flavor is strong enough. If it’s been in your cabinet over 1 year, it’s time for a refresh!
- Olive oil: Use extra virgin olive oil. Always.
- Salt. No recipe is complete without salt (we always use kosher salt: here’s why).
How to make homemade pizza sauce
How to make homemade pizza sauce? Many methods simmer the sauce on the stovetop. But after loads of testing, we found that fire roasted tomatoes make it possible to mix right up without cooking. Every time we make it, when I dip my spoon into that beautiful red sauce, it’s beyond my wildest dreams. We used to make it in a blender, but we’ve found it works simply mixed by hand too! Here are the steps:
- Mince or peel the garlic. Finely mince the garlic. Or if you’re using the blender method, peel the garlic clove and slice it into a few rough pieces.
- Mix everything (or blend)! Mix everything together in a bowl until the olive oil incorporates. Or, throw in the garlic with fire roasted tomatoes, olive oil, oregano, garlic and salt, then blend them up until fully combined. It’s as simple as that. Take a taste, and…well, you’ll be amazed by the flavor! We’ve had countless people tell us that it’s the best pizza sauce they’ve ever had.
Ways to serve it!
Of course, the best way to serve this easy pizza sauce recipe is ON PIZZA! You can also use it as a dipping sauce for grilled cheese or breadsticks, in baked pasta, or for a pizza quesadilla. Here are some of our favorite ways to use it:
- Pizza like Margherita Pizza, Goat Cheese Pizza or Homemade Cheese Pizza
- Sheet-style pizza like Sheet Pan Pizza or Focaccia Pizza
- Deep dish pizza like Cast Iron Pizza or Pan Pizza
- Calzones like Easy Calzone Recipe
- Dipping sauce like with Grilled Cheese Dippers
- Alternative pizzas like Portobello Mushroom Pizza, Easy Eggplant Pizza or Quick Tortilla Pizza
This pizza sauce recipe is…
Vegetarian, gluten free, vegan, plant based, dairy-free, and refined sugar free.
Print
Pizza Sauce Recipe (No Cook!)
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 1 ½ cups 1x
Description
This homemade pizza sauce recipe gets rave reviews! It uses only 5 ingredients and takes only 5 minutes: no cooking required.
Ingredients
- 15 ounces crushed fire roasted tomatoes*
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 small clove garlic (1/2 medium)
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- Scant ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Finely mince the garlic (or if using the blender method, chop it into a few pieces).
- Stir together all ingredients in a bowl until the oil incorporates. Or, place all ingredients in a blender and blend until fully combined (this makes a slightly runnier textured sauce).
- Store refrigerated for 1 week or frozen up to 3 months.
Notes
*If at all possible, try to find fire roasted tomatoes! They’re available at many mainstream groceries these days and have a mellow, sweet flavor. If you absolutely cannot find them, use a high quality brand of crushed tomatoes. Inspired by Flour Water Salt Yeast
- Category: Sauce
- Method: No Cook
- Cuisine: Italian
- Diet: Vegan
Keywords: Pizza Sauce Recipe, Pizza Sauce, Homemade Pizza Sauce
Pizza recipes & resources
If you’re looking to have a homemade pizza night, we have lots of resources, including:
We had friends over for a make your own pizza party this weekend – I tried this sauce (instead of my typical store bought) and everyone loved it! It was so easy to make. I’m never buying pizza sauce again!
Ooo we are so glad it was a hit! Thank you so much for trying it and that makes our day!
I like to simmer the ingredients together for half an hour or so, then use an immersion blender. I cook the garlic in the olive oil for a few minutes then add the rest of the ingredients: and I also like the flavor that thyme brings, so I use that as well as oregano.
That sounds delicious! We’ve tried cooked sauces but have never found one we love. We’ll have to try your version! What tomatoes do you use?
I understand the inspiration from visiting Italy and love how you capture that in this pizza recipe and love artisan recipes, thank you
Thanks for reading!
Cannot wait to try this; love how simple this is!! I always have these ingredients on hand to…perfect! :)
How would you do this with fresh tomatoes??
If I were using fresh tomatoes, should I crush them in a blender and cook them for a few minutes?
Good question! We typically don’t use fresh tomatoes in our tomato sauce, but you can! Most recipes I’ve looked up do what you suggested but cook the tomatoes for about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. If you can, I’d use canned here and then put fresh tomatoes on top! (Thinly sliced or seeded and diced, since they do release some water when cooked)
Hi Sonja I made the sauce but tweaked it a bit. I used what I had on hand, a can of crushed tomatoes,but I drained the liquid From the tomatoes. Next I fire roasted 4 Roma tomatoes I had on hand drained them the juice and blended it all along with the rest of the ingredients. Delicious! Not runny at all .someday I will experience an actual Margherita pizza in Italy, til then this will work. Thanks.
Hi! I’ve never been a commenter but I love your site and your cookbook. I always thought fire-roasted meant spicy, is that not true? Thank you for helping us to bring healthy food to the table!
Thank you so much for the kind comment! No, actually fire-roasted is not spicy at all! It does seem that way :) Fire roasting is just a way to cook the tomatoes that really brings out the sweetness. Their flavor is a lot more developed than most canned tomatoes. If you can’t find them you can just do crushed, but we love the flavor of fire roasted here!
Wow how easy was this and good to. Thank you
★★★★★
This pizza sauce was amazing, never buying store bought sauce again.
We are SO glad to hear it! Thank you so much for trying it out!
Should you drain the tomatoes first? My sauce was very thin and not sure if that was the issue. Thanks
Hi! No, you shouldn’t need to drain them. I wonder if your can just had extra liquid?
Hi Andrea, could you let us know if you remember: what brand and type of tomatoes did you use?
Mine also turned out very thin. I used Kroger fire roasted diced tomatoes (the only fire roasted tomatoes I could find). It tastes great! Just thin.
Hey, thanks for the note! As I noted above, this pizza sauce is intended to be Italian-style, which might be a little runnier than you’re used to from store bought versions that are American style. Would you be able to take a look at the video and see if it turned out runnier than shown in the video? Then it seems it would be due to the runniness of the tomato brand — which can vary greatly!
I ended up adding almost an entire can of tomato paste. It tasted fine, just was thin and anemic looking. I guess either we are used to a more robust sauce or my fire roasted tomatoes were weak.. Once I did that though, it was great! I used Hunt’s fire roasted tomatoes..
Thanks for the note! This pizza sauce is intended to be Italian-style, which might be a little runnier than you’re used to from store bought versions that are American style. Would you be able to take a look at the video and see if it turned out runnier than shown in the video? Then it seems it would be due to the runniness of the tomato brand — which can vary greatly!
Yes, mine was quite a bit runnier than video. I will try a different brand – or strain and reserve the liquid from the tomatoes and add as needed to get the consistency.
Made the sauce, delicious. So easy to make. Never using jar sauce again. I usally have all the ingredients on hand. Very much like Italian sauce
So glad you enjoyed it!
Since I didn’t have fire roasted tomatoes, I added a splash of balsamic. I too added a can of tomato paste and a little more herbs.
Can you provide a source for fire-roasted crushed tomatoes? It seems they’re rarer than unicorns. I’ve tried five grocery stores and three large online retailers, including Amazon. They all have diced fire-roasted tomatoes, but my understanding is that diced tomatoes are treated with calcium chloride to help maintain shape. Where are you purchasing crushed, fire-roasted tomatoes?
We can find them at Whole Foods and Fresh Thyme grocery in Indianapolis. Usually the crushed are in the smaller 14-ounce cans. Muir Glen has a locator on their website as well: https://www.muirglen.com/find-us/
Thanks! Maybe the pandemic is causing supply chain problems in our area. It’s also inspiring us to make lots of pizza.
I find that there’s a lot of variability on what tomatoes different stores stock as well. Enjoy the pizza!
Hello! How do you store leftover sauce per your recipe? And how long is it good for in the fridge/freezer?
This lasts for 1 week refrigerated and 3 months frozen! We’ve updated the recipe.
Hi! What blender are you using? I was worried my vitamix might be too strong.. perhaps the immersion blender? thanks!
Hi! We make this with a standard blender and a vitamix with the same results. Just don’t blend it for too long :)
Hi Sonja,
So fun to find your recipe and video. I’m a good friend of your parents. I loved how easy this recipe was. I’m a big fan of fire roasted tomatoes too. Yummy sauce. Definitely a keeper.
Thanks Phyllis
Hi Sonja, your presentations are interesting. I am on a sodium restricted diet. As a result, years ago, I started fire roasting my own tomatoes and peppers on a propane grill. I like them better than canned. I also swap some organic dried kelp pellets for the salt. I do like the southern European styles of pizza much better than North American styles. I like the minimalist approach to both their dough and their toppings. We were supposed to spend a month in Italy last summer, but….hopefully next summer. I do have cooking classes lined up there. Keep up the good work. Peter
That sauce was really f@!*ing good.
Ha! Glad you loved it :)
DELICIOUS!!! So Easy to Make!!! Made the pizza so Enjoyable; every bite!!!
This is now my go to pizza sauce. Love it. Even if I use regular canned tomatoes, it still tastes excellent.
I made this pizza sauce last night and it was excellent. Everyone loved it. I will definitely be using this sauce now whenever I made pizzas. It was so easy to make!
★★★★★
I love, love, love this recipe. It’s so simple and so delicious. I usually add a teaspoon of sugar as my small kids prefer it and it’s perfect.
★★★★★
So glad you enjoy it!
Hi! The recipe says to “see video” for thicker pizza sauce, but I didn’t hear any direction for thickening the sauce. Love your recipe, but would like a thicker pizza sauce.
Thank you!!
★★★★★
Hi there! The video simply shows the desired texture of this sauce, which is Italian style and not as thick as a traditional American sauce. However, it’s incredibly tasty! If you’d like a sauce closer to American-style, add 1 to 2 tablespoons tomato paste to the blender (to taste).
This is the best pizza sauce ever. My family also raved and said it was the best Magherita pizza I ever made. I have no doubt this sauce was the secret.
★★★★★
So glad you enjoyed it!
Just tried this recipe and I must say that is a Great pizza sauce. Yummy!
★★★★★
Excellent fast and easy! Thanks
★★★★★
This pizza sauce was amazing
★★★★★
This sauce was not only easy but amazing! I made a double batch, one for my pizza and will use the leftover on penna pasta! I can’t wait to have it for dinner! Thank you so much
Regards
Fran
★★★★★
You’re welcome! So glad you enjoyed!
Is there any chance you have tried making a similar sauce without olive oil? My daughter is allergic to olives and their oils.. wondering if canola oil may work as a substitute?
That should work!
This very easy chicken recipe is a delicious, safe, and meal to enjoy with any holiday.
★★★★★
Hi there. First of all, thank you so much for the recipe. You refer to a video for this several times, but I can’t find a link. Am I just missing something? Thanks again.
Hi! It appears after the popup video ad.
This is a great recipe. I always add sugar (or Splenda) when I’m making anything with tomato sauce. So I added about a teaspoon of Splenda to this. I think it rounds out the flavor by balancing the acidic nature of the tomatoes. Love how simple and healthy it is! Thanks so much.
★★★★★
So glad you enjoy!
Great Sonja & Alex, I will ask God that your pair should always be safe so that I can learn to make some recipes every day from your website
★★★★★
Every recipe of yours that I try is delicious – and also very easy to make! This is no exception. Thank you.
★★★★★
Thank you!
Thank you for this recipe we loved it.
★★★★★
This pizza sauce is soo delicious. The fire-roasted tomatoes are what make it so good. Don’t skimp on this. FYI – if you can’t find them in your local grocery store, you can order them in bulk on Amazon (at a lower cost than in the store). Please keep the great recipes coming! Every recipe of yours that I make is delicious.
★★★★★
First, I want to say how much I enjoy your website. It’s the first place I look for recipes whether cocktails, grilling or now pizza.
Quick question on the pizza sauce. If I don’t have a clove of garlic on hand can I use garlic powder? And if so how much?
Thanks and keep those recipes coming.
Duyg
★★★★★
Thank you!
Yes, you could use 1/4 tsp garlic powder, but the fresh is really a lot better :)