Take your homemade pizzas up a notch with this fresh, easy homemade pizza sauce. It requires very little time and effort, uses simple ingredients you likely already have (or grew in the garden), and delivers far better flavor than most store-bought jars. Once you try it, you may never reach for the store-bought sauce again.
*Disclosure: I only recommend products I would use myself and all opinions expressed here are my own. This post may contain affiliate links; at no additional cost to you I may earn a small commission.
Homemade Pizza
Fresh pizza sauce makes a huge difference on a homemade pie. If you’re already mixing and shaping dough, spend a few extra minutes on the sauce: bright tomatoes, garlic, and basil lift the entire pizza and create a fresher, more vibrant flavor than jarred options.
This recipe is straightforward, fast, and flexible. It works beautifully with garden tomatoes in late summer but adapts to what’s available year-round. The finished sauce can be used immediately, refrigerated for a few days, or frozen for later use.
Picking the Right Tomato
Choose a meatier tomato for the best texture. Roma tomatoes or other paste varieties are ideal because they have less water and fewer seeds, delivering a thicker, richer sauce without long cooking time. Using very juicy slicing tomatoes is fine, but expect to reduce the sauce longer or strain some liquid to avoid a runny topping.
For this batch I used roma tomatoes from the garden — their concentrated flavor and firm flesh made the sauce taste bright and satisfying. If you use other varieties, adjust cooking time and blending to get the consistency you prefer.
How to Make
This pizza sauce comes together in three main steps:
1. Chop tomatoes and onion, and mince the garlic.
2. Cook the ingredients until the tomatoes break down and soften.
3. Blend to your desired consistency.
Total active time is short — about 15 minutes — and yields enough sauce to fill two pint-sized jars. Use one jar for pizza night and freeze the other for another day. If freezing, leave about an inch of headspace in the container to allow for expansion.
Blender
For a smooth finish I recommend a high-quality blender or an immersion blender. My favorite is the BlendTec Designer 650 with a WildSide jar, which processes the sauce quickly and leaves a lovely texture with minimal effort. That said, a food processor or even a strong immersion blender will work fine depending on the consistency you want.
📋 Recipe
Homemade Pizza Sauce
Take your homemade pizzas up a notch with this quick, fresh pizza sauce. Minimal effort and full of flavor.
Ingredients
- 6 cups Roma tomatoes, diced into roughly 2″ cubes (or another meaty variety)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 2–3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
- Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional, for heat)
- 1/4 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
- Add the diced onion and sauté until soft and translucent, about 3–4 minutes.
- Add the minced garlic and cook about 30 seconds, until fragrant. Watch carefully to avoid browning the garlic.
- Add the diced tomatoes, salt, pepper, oregano, balsamic vinegar, and red pepper flakes. Cook over medium heat until the tomatoes begin to break down and soften, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the fresh basil and cook for another 1–2 minutes. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed.
- Transfer the mixture to a blender, food processor, or use an immersion blender. Pulse or blend until you reach your desired consistency — smooth for a classic pizza base or slightly chunky for more texture.
- Cool completely in the refrigerator before using. Chilling helps the sauce thicken and the flavors to meld.
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5–7 days, or freeze for longer storage. When freezing, leave headspace in the container for expansion.
Notes
This recipe makes about enough to fill two pint-size mason jars. Use one for immediate pizza night and freeze the other for easy future meals.
If using very juicy tomatoes, simmer a little longer to concentrate the sauce or strain excess liquid before blending. The balsamic vinegar adds depth and balances the acidity of fresh tomatoes, but you can omit it if you prefer a simpler flavor.
For best texture, blend just until combined — over-blending can thin the sauce slightly. If you prefer a very smooth sauce for thin-crust pizzas, blend thoroughly and strain if desired.
Nutrition (approximate per serving)
Calories: 74 kcal • Carbohydrates: 11 g • Protein: 3 g • Fat: 3 g • Fiber: 3 g • Sugar: 7 g • Sodium: 72 mg
Leave a comment and rating below to share your experience and any tweaks you made.