Homemade Pizza Sauce Recipe
Published February 3, 2021. This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
This homemade pizza sauce recipe is the real authentic Italian way to make it and is beyond easy to make with only 3 ingredients.
We absolutely love Italian food and are always trying new recipes, and if you’re looking to check out a few new ones, then for sure try my Gnudi or arancini.
Pizza Sauce
Traditional pizza sauce in Italy is incredibly easy to make. It consists of few ingredients with a few variations should you chose to use them. For some reason in western culture, pizza sauce is loaded down with ingredients and tomato paste, but this is not the real way to do it. When keeping it simple, it is much more delicious. Here are the basic ingredients:
- Whole Tomatoes (Fresh or Canned and preferably from the San Marzano region of Italy)
- Fresh Basil
- Salt
How’s it Different from Spaghetti Sauce
The main difference between pizza sauce and spaghetti sauce are the ingredients. Most spaghetti sauce recipes have some sort of meat in it and are loaded up with ingredients such as onions, garlic, herbs, vinegars, etc. A pizza sauce is much simpler in preparation and in ingredients.
How to Make It
Follow along with these simple instructions for how to make this pizza sauce recipe:
Add the tomatoes to a food processor, blender, or food mill and pulse until smooth but still with some chunks.
Mix in fresh basil and sea salt until combined.
Make-Ahead and Storage
Make-Ahead: You can make this recipe up to 2 days ahead of time.
How to Store: Cover and keep in the refrigerator for up to 6 days. Cover and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator for 1 day before using.
chef notes + tips
- Having limited access to fresh san Marzano tomatoes in the states, I prefer to use canned.
- If you want to use fresh Roma tomatoes or whole peeled canned tomatoes add a little sugar to them so that they can match the flavor of San Marzano tomatoes.
More Italian Recipes
Be sure to follow me on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and Pinterest, and if you’ve had a chance to make this then definitely drop me a comment and a rating below!
Homemade Pizza Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 28 ounce can San Marzano tomatoes
- 8-10 roughly chiffonade fresh basil leaves
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Add the tomatoes to a food processor and pulse on high about 20 to 25 times. The tomatoes should be smoother but still with some chunks. If you do not have a food processor you can use a blender or a food mill.
- Mix in the basil and salt and serve.
Notes
- Make-Ahead: You can make this recipe up to 2 days ahead of time.
- How to Store: Cover and keep in the refrigerator for up to 6 days. Cover and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator for 1 day before using.
- Having limited access to fresh san Marzano tomatoes in the states, I prefer to use canned.
- If you want to use fresh Roma tomatoes or whole peeled canned tomatoes add a little sugar to them so that they can match the flavor of San Marzano tomatoes.
Thank you,
It’s so simple and the fresh basil adds its own unique flavor. I like to make it ahead of time so that the basil flavors marry into the sauce.
Thank you ChefBilly love your recipe..all recipes 😀😋
Very good!!!!
Simple but perfect base! Use this all the time.
Having traveled extensively in Italy, and particularly Naples and the Amalfi coast, the pizza recipe with the tomato sauce recipe came as close to the Naples taste as you can get! Only thing missing in the recipe was a splash of good EVOO right out of the oven.
Thanks for sharing.