Easy Homemade Pizza Sauce Recipe
Inside: Make homemade pizza sauce with fresh ingredients. Enjoy delicious, preservative-free sauce year-round with this simple step-by-step guide!
Why settle for store-bought when you can have homemade? There's something undeniably special about crafting your own pizza sauce from scratch. The flavors are richer, fresher, and completely customizable to your taste. Whether you love a zesty kick of garlic, a sprinkle of fresh basil, or a smooth, thick texture that clings perfectly to your pizza dough, homemade sauce takes your pizza nights to a whole new level.
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Easy Homemade Pizza Sauce Recipe
And the best part? When you can it yourself, you get to enjoy that garden-fresh flavor all year long without any preservatives or additives. Your taste buds—and your homemade pizza—will thank you!
We go through a lot of pizza here. This household is pizza-loving. Once a week, every Saturday we have pizza. Last year I made some pizza sauce from our tomatoes, this year I made a whole lot more, hopefully a year's worth!
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Freezing Tomatoes for Later
We all know that tomatoes don't all ripen at the same time, and never when you want them. I will freeze them until I have enough. I cut out the stems, weigh what I have, and write the weight on a freezer bag. This way I know how many pounds of tomatoes I have on hand.
Bonus: When you thaw tomatoes, drain that liquid off and you won't have to spend so much time later reducing your pizza sauce.
Ingredients for Garden Fresh Pizza Sauce
- 10 lbs tomatoes
- 1 1/2 cups of diced onion
- 6 cloves – 1 bulb of garlic (We LOVE garlic so I use a bulb)
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 1 tbsp basil
- 2 tbsp oregano
- 1 tbsp thyme
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 2 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tbsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
- lemon juice – 3/4 tbsp per jar for canning
How to Make Garden Fresh Pizza Sauce
Remove the stem of your tomatoes and puree. I leave the tomato skins on and use my food processor to puree tomato slices. I have used a stick blender but a food processor is much easier, much faster.
Puree onions and garlic. You want them to be smooth like the tomatoes.
Add all ingredients (minus lemon juice) to a large stock pot. I have used herbs from my garden that I have dehydrated. I love being able to use as much from our own garden as possible.
Bring it to a boil and then reduce to a simmer for 30 minutes.
Bring back to a boil and simmer for 1-2 hours till your pizza sauce is as thick as you like.
To can add 3/4 tbsp of lemon juice to each jar and fill leaving 1-inch headspace. Water bath for 35 minutes.
Benefits of Canning Pizza Sauce
I hope that I have made enough pizza sauce for the year, I did 40lbs of tomatoes! All from my little greenhouse garden! The sense of joy over that alone, that feeling of accomplishment is awesome.
Year-round convenience
Imagine having delicious, homemade pizza sauce ready to go whenever the craving strikes! Canning your own pizza sauce means you can enjoy the flavors of summer tomatoes all year long. No more rushing to the store for a jar or relying on store-bought sauces—just grab a jar from your pantry and dinner’s halfway done.
Whether it's pizza night, a last-minute pasta dish, or even a dipping sauce for breadsticks, having canned pizza sauce on hand is a game-changer for busy weeknights. Plus you can make your pizza dough in your bread machine for a fast, convent supper.
Control over ingredients
One of the best parts about making your own sauce is knowing exactly what’s in it. You can choose the freshest, ripest tomatoes, adjust the herbs and spices to your liking, and skip the preservatives and additives often found in store-bought versions. Love a garlicky punch? Want to dial up the oregano or basil? It’s entirely up to you.
Easy Homemade Pizza Sauce
Make homemade pizza sauce with fresh ingredients. Enjoy delicious, preservative-free sauce year-round with this simple step-by-step guide!
Ingredients
- 10 lbs tomatoes
- 1 1/2 cups of diced onion
- 6 cloves - 1 bulb of garlic (We LOVE garlic so I use a bulb)
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 1 tbsp basil
- 2 tbsp oregano
- 1 tbsp thyme
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 2 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tbsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
- lemon juice - 3/4 tbsp per jar for canning
Instructions
- Remove the stem of your tomatoes and puree.
- Puree onions and garlic.
- Add all ingredients (minus lemon juice) to a large stock pot.
- Bring it to a boil and then reduce to a simmer for 30 minutes.
- Bring back to a boil and simmer for 1-2 hours till your pizza sauce is as thick as you like.
- To can add 3/4 tbsp of lemon juice to each jar and fill leaving 1 inch headspace.
- Water bath for 35 minutes.
If you’ve never canned before, it might seem a little intimidating—but don’t worry, it’s much easier than it seems! With just a little preparation and the right tools, you’ll be preserving jars of homemade pizza sauce in no time.
Once you get the hang of the process, it quickly becomes second nature. Plus, the reward of having your own delicious, homemade sauce ready to use anytime makes it all worth it. Take it one step at a time, and soon enough, you’ll wonder how you ever lived without it!
Want to up your pizza game? We recently bought a charcoal pizza oven, and let me tell you, it makes amazing pizza! My kids have been asking for pizza every day since our first time using it.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is normal pizza sauce made of? Pizza sauce is typically made with plain tomato sauce or pureed tomatoes and tomato paste, causing it to be a thicker consistency than pasta sauce. The thicker sauce prevents the dough from getting too soggy while the pizza cooks.
How to thicken homemade pizza sauce? Simply combine one part cornstarch with two parts cold water. For example, mix 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of water and whisk it into your sauce.
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