San Marzano Pizza Sauce

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San Marzano Pizza Sauce is a quick recipe that requires little effort but ends up being super flavorful. The fresh taste will make this homemade sauce your new favorite.

This Marzano pizza sauce sounds better than store bought sauce. This marinara sauce recipe is so easy for your next homemade pizza night.

A bowl of fresh San Marzano tomato sauce garnished with basil leaves, alongside garlic and spices.

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Why this San Marzano Pizza Sauce Recipe is a Keeper

This recipe is great because it’s easy, unique and contains no added preservatives. You must try this recipe. This recipe makes a large batch and I love to freeze the leftovers.

  • Fresh and Flavorful: This recipe takes just a few fresh and easy ingredients.
  • Family Friendly: Great for dip, to make pizza sauce, calzones or pizza bagels.
  • Adaptable: Make this delicious sauce your own by adding your favorite spices. It is so great when made from scratch.
  • Make Ahead: You can use a canner for this sauce, freeze this sauce or store it in the fridge. It is a great sauce to use in so many different ways.

If you’re looking for more pizza recipes, try these Pizza Seasoning, Pizza Burgers and Air Fryer Pizza Margherita

What are the Best Tomatoes to Make Pizza Sauce?

A bowl of freshly made San Marzano pizza sauce with herbs and garlic.

The best tomatoes for pizza sauce are San Marzanos because they have a low water content and few seeds. They’re firm tomatoes, making them easy to peel.

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Ingredient Notes for Homemade Pizza Sauce

A bunch of fresh tomato, fresh basil and cheese.

This Neapolitan pizza sauce recipe only needs a few simple ingredients that are all easy to find at your local grocery store.

  • Canned San Marzano Tomatoes: These Italian tomatoes are the best from the Naples area. The best pizza sauce is made when you use San Marzano tomatoes!

See the recipe card below for a complete list of the ingredients with measurements.

Variations and Substitutions to Love San Marzano Tomatoes Sauce

This pizza sauce sounds delicious as it is but you can change it up to make your own unique sauce.

  • Italian Seasoning: Make the special sauce by adding your own homemade Italian seasoning!
  • Tomatoes: For this recipe you can use fresh tomatoes like San Marzanos or a variety of plum tomatoes. You can also use canned tomatoes. The sauce looks different depending on the ripeness of the tomatoes.
  • Fresh Spices: You can substitute the dried spices for fresh ones, like fresh basil and fresh garlic. It is such a simple sauce to make.

Pro Tip

Add a bit of sugar to the sauce. It will counter the acidity.

How to Make Homemade Pizza Sauce Recipe

To make pizza sauce for your next pizza night, follow these 3 easy steps. This pasta sauce is so much better than store-bought sauce. I’ve made this recipe for years. This San Marzano pizza sauce is made with beautiful fresh ingredients.

These are the basic steps for making San Marzano Pizza Sauce. Refer to the full, printable recipe card below for detailed instructions. If you made this sauce I would love to hear from you.

A triptych of food preparation: canned San Marzano tomatoes, diced onions, and a hand tearing basil over pizza sauce.

1. Heat

In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, add olive oil and butter. Heat until the butter is melted. Add in the garlic and stir for 30 seconds or until fragrant.

2. Blend the Tomatoes into a Large Pot

Add onion powder, dried oregano, dried basil and crushed red pepper. Stir for 30 seconds.

Add brown sugar, crush the tomatoes, water, parmesan cheese, tomato puree and salt and stir to combine.

3. Cook Sauce

Bring to slight boil, reduce heat and allow the sauce to simmer for 1 hour to break down the tomatoes. When the sauce is ready, stir in fresh basil and fresh oregano.

Recipe FAQs for Best Homemade Pizza Sauce at Home

Put this homemade San Marzano pizza sauce in an airtight container. Keep the leftover sauce in the refrigerator.

You can also freeze this Neapolitan-style pizza sauce in silicone muffin tins. Then, place the frozen sauce in freezer bags to thaw as needed for pizza night.

Thaw this Italian pizza sauce recipe in the microwave. Use a dollop of sauce as the base for your favorite pizza with your favorite toppings.

Yes! Canning easy San Marzano pizza sauce is a great way to extend it’s shelf life with these jarred sauces. Keep the sauce in a cool dry place.

Absolutely! For a thicker sauce, you can use whole tomatoes and have a chunky San Marzano tomato sauce.

A spoonful over a bowl.

Expert Tips for Making the Best Tomato Sauce

  • Quality Ingredients: Use the fresh herbs and freshly ground cheese, the end result is worth the effort for this San Marzano tomato sauce.
  • Blender: Smoother sauce is made using an immersion blender, regular blender or food processor.
  • Go Cheesy: I love different cheese blends so I like to experiment by adding different ones to the authentic Neapolitan pizza sauce. To enhance your pizza experience.
  • Try Meat or Veggies: I love to add some cooked crumbled sausage or some sautéed vegetables to the sauce to change up the flavor of this authentic Italian pizza sauce.
  • Roast: Roast the tomatoes in the oven for a rich, deep tomato flavor. It adds concentrated tomato flavor.
  • Homemade Pizza Dough: Find a great pizza dough recipe, and add your favorite spices and herbs to make pizza from scratch with this easy recipe.

What to Serve with this Easy Pizza Sauce Recipe

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A bowl of fresh San Marzano tomato sauce garnished with basil leaves, alongside garlic and spices.
5 from 25 votes

San Marzano Pizza Sauce

Yield: 2 cups
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 1 hour 2 minutes
Total: 1 hour 7 minutes
San Marzano Pizza Sauce is quick and requires little effort but ends up being super flavorful. This sauce will become your new favorite!
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Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon Olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon Butter
  • 4 cloves Garlic, finely minced
  • 2 teaspoons Onion powder
  • 2 teaspoons Dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon Dried basil
  • ¼ teaspoon Red pepper, crushed
  • 1 tablespoon Brown sugar
  • 30 ounces San Marzano tomato sauce, 2 (15 ounce) cans
  • ½ cup Water
  • ¼ cup Parmesan cheese
  • 3 tablespoons Tomato paste, San Marazano is preferred
  • 1 teaspoon Salt
  • 2 teaspoons Fresh basil, minced
  • 1 teaspoon Fresh oregano, minced

Instructions

  • In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, add olive oil and butter; heat until butter is melted.
  • Stir in garlic and stir for 30 seconds or until fragrant.
  • Add onion powder, dried oregano, dried basil and crushed red pepper; stir for 30 seconds.
  • Add brown sugar, tomato sauce, water, parmesan cheese, tomato paste and salt; Stir to combine.
  • Bring to slight boil, reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour.
  • At the very end, stir in fresh basic and fresh oregano.

Expert Tips

    • Fresh is Best: Use the fresh herbs and freshly ground cheese, the end result is worth the effort.
    • Blender: Smooth Marzano pizza sauce is made using an immersion blender, regular blender or food processor.
    • Go Cheesy: I love different cheese blends so I like to experiment by adding different ones to the sauce.
    • Try Meat or Veggies: I love to add some cooked crumbled sausage or some sautéed vegetables to the sauce to change up the flavor.
    • Roast: Roast the tomatoes in the oven for a rich, deep tomato flavor.
    • Homemade Pizza Dough: Find a great pizza dough recipe, spiced up with your favorite spices and herbs.

    Estimated Nutritional Information

    Calories: 331kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 24mg | Sodium: 3622mg | Potassium: 1624mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 24g | Vitamin A: 2560IU | Vitamin C: 38mg | Calcium: 303mg | Iron: 7mg
    The nutritional information provided are estimates. To learn more about how I calculate this information go to www.itisakeeper.com/about-its-a-keeper/privacy-disclosure-policies/
    PIN THIS RECIPE FOR LATER!Follow Me: @ItsAKeeperBlog or tag #itisakeeper
    Course: Sauces, Seasonings, Dressings
    Cuisine: Italian

    This recipe is my personal adaption of an ethnic-inspired recipe. It is not intended to be an authentic recipe.  I’ve recreated this recipe because I enjoy the flavors and I want to encourage my readers to expand their tastes and try new flavor combinations. The recipe, ingredients, and processes may have been adapted to make the recipe accessible to the average American. I have provided links to authentic versions of the recipe in the post above. I encourage you to visit these pages and learn more about the traditional version(s) of this recipe.

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