I have two homemade pizza sauce recipes here on Kitchen Treaty. First, we have this one right here, Our Very Favorite Homemade Pizza Sauce. I’ll tell you up front that this pizza sauce recipe is a bit of a time investment, but trust me. It’s TOTALLY WORTH IT.

This homemade pizza sauce takes an hour and a half to make, but most of that is simmer-time on the stove. All of that simmer time results in an incredibly rich, hearty, flavor-bomb of a pizza sauce situation. SO GOOD.

A spoonful of homemade pizza sauce

(If you’re short on time, I have a pizza sauce recipe for that, too! Check out my 5-Minute No-Cook Pizza Sauce recipe. That one is delicious too!)

In my opinion, a great classic pizza sauce has a pronounced tomato flavor (with a pinch of sugar to both highlight tomatoes’ sweetness and also balance the acidity), a good amount of garlic, a nice hit of earthy oregano, a slight bit of heat, and, well, not much else. Simple is better.

Ingredients for homemade pizza sauce

This homemade pizza sauce recipe, slightly adapted from Sunset magazine, calls for either fresh or diced tomatoes – fresh can be better, but diced are still absolutely terrific (and how I make it the majority of the time). Just start with good tomatoes and your sauce will be all the better for it. (And, of course, canned whole tomatoes will work too).

I like to make a double batch and freeze individual portions for future Friday pizza nights.

Homemade pizza sauce being spread on a pizza crust

The key to the recipe, other than the simple list of meaningful ingredients, is the time it takes to simmer uncovered. It cooks for an hour and a half, allowing the flavors to mellow and meld and the sauce to thicken to the perfect consistency.

You’re going to want to make this one again and again. Because an amazing “pizza” isn’t just about the crust – it’s about an incredible pizza sauce, too.

A cheese pizza with homemade pizza sauce
Prep: 5 mins
Cook: 1 hr 30 mins
Total: 1 hr 35 mins

Our Very Favorite Homemade Pizza Sauce

4.75 from 27 votes
This easy classic homemade pizza sauce simmers for a good long time to allow the tomatoes, garlic, and oregano to mingle and meld. Freeze the leftovers so you have pizza sauce at hand whenever you have a hankering for good homemade pizza.
Print Pin Rate
Yield: 4

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic (about two or three large cloves)
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano or 1 tablespoon fresh chopped oregano (if using fresh, add at the end of the cooking time)
  • 2 (14.5 ounce) cans diced tomatoes (undrained) (or 2 pounds diced fresh tomatoes)
  • 1 teaspoon granulated sugar (can substitute honey or agave nectar)
  • 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (this makes for a lot of heat, which we love, but I recommend you start out with 1/4 teaspoon or even just a generous pinch if you're unsure)
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • Black pepper to taste

Instructions

  • In a medium saucepan over low heat, warm the olive oil.
  • Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for about a minute. If you’re using dried oregano, add that along with the garlic. If you’re using fresh, add it to the sauce at the end of the cooking time.
  • Increase the heat to medium. Add the tomatoes, sugar, red pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper.
  • Leave over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until boiling. Reduce heat to low for a nice simmer.
  • Gently simmer uncovered for 90 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  • Stir in fresh oregano, if using that instead of dried.
  • Allow the sauce to cool to a safe temperature and then, using an immersion blender or working in batches with a blender, puree sauce.
  • Assemble pizza using your delicious homemade sauce, or refrigerate until ready to use. Keeps well in the fridge for about 4 days. I love to freeze this sauce in individual-pizza portions, too.

Notes

Refined sugar-free option:

Replace the granulated sugar with honey (if not vegan) or agave syrup. Try not to leave this little bit of sweetener out entirely, though. It really helps cut the acidity of the tomatoes.

Kid-friendly option

Making this sauce for kids? Consider leaving out the red pepper flakes, or only adding a small pinch. I like to make two separate batches – one with more heat for the adults, and no heat for the kiddos. If you end up with leftover sauce, try freezing it for easy homemade pizza-makin’ later on.

Nutrition Facts

Calories: 75kcal, Carbohydrates: 10g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 4g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 589mg, Potassium: 386mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 6g, Vitamin A: 315IU, Vitamin C: 20mg, Calcium: 75mg, Iron: 2mg
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