Home » Recipes » Sauces » Homemade Pizza Sauce Recipe
by Mike Hultquist · · 9 Comments · Jump to Recipe
Homemade pizza sauce is SO much better than the store-bought stuff! Plenty of tomatoes are made delicious with garlic, jalapeño peppers, onions, red pepper flakes and just a touch of sweetness.
Pizza Sauce Recipe
PIZZA! Holy pepperoni, do we love pizza. We're from the Chicago area, so we have a pretty solid perspective on how our pizza should be, and whether we're serving up crispy thin crust pizza or Chicago-style deep dish pizza pies, one of the most KEY ingredients is in the pizza sauce.
Don't get me wrong. EVERY aspect of the pizza is important, and it's hard to call out which elements might be more important than any of the others, but pizza lovers KNOW when one of the elements is off. Prime takeaway here - Don't mess up the pizza sauce!
We like to say that this pizza sauce is made Madness Style. What does that mean? Chili peppers, of course. We like ours with a bit of spice to it. Peppers add both spiciness and flavor. They are totally optional, or you can sub in tasty bell peppers in lieu of jalapeno peppers, though for me personally, I like the extra spice.
Ingredients in Homemade Pizza Sauce
- Olive Oil
- Jalapeño Peppers
- White Onion
- Garlic
- Dried Basil
- Dried Oregano
- Chopped Tomatoes
- Tomato Paste
- Balsamic Vinegar
- Red Pepper Flakes/Cayenne Pepper
- Sugar
- Salt and Pepper
How to Make Homemade Pizza Sauce
Heat your olive oil in a large pot and add the jalapeños and onions. Cook for a few minutes.
Stir in the dried herbs. Cook another couple of minutes to soften the veggies.
Stir in the garlic , cooking until nice and fragrant. Who doesn't love that garlicky aroma?!
Add in the chopped whole tomatoes, tomato paste, balsamic vinegar, red pepper flakes or cayenne, sugar, and just a sprinkle of salt and pepper.
Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer. Simmer the pizza sauce for about 30 minutes or so to thicken it and really allow it to develop the flavor.
Now for the best part - the taste test! Add more salt and/or pepper if desired. You can either leave it chunky or blend it until smooth with a food processor/immersion blender.
ENJOY! Serve your fresh sauce on pizza dough or toasty bread for the best bite every single time.
Recipe Tips & Notes
- Adjust the spice level as desired. I've included red pepper flakes, though cayenne will certainly add some nice kick as well. If you're looking for even MORE heat, go with more jalapeño peppers, or upgrade to the spicy serrano, or perhaps the mighty habanero pepper. Feel free to omit the red pepper flakes and jalapeños entirely if you're avoiding heat.
- Get creative with how you use it. Use your homemade pizza sauce for any pizza recipes, whether we're talking simple flat bread pizza, homemade thin crust pizza, pizza bread, you name it. It's all good!
- Make it cheesy. Just a light sprinkle of freshly grated Parmesan cheese does wonders for this pizza sauce recipe! Feel free to stir some in if you're a cheese lover.
How Long Does Homemade Pizza Sauce Last in the Fridge?
In an airtight container in the fridge, this pizza sauce will stay nice and fresh for about 5-6 days. Make sure it's cooled to room temperature prior to storing.
Try More of the BEST Pizza Recipes
- Homemade Southwest-Style Pizza
- BBQ Chicken Pizza
- Buffalo Chicken Pizza
Got any questions? Ask away! I’m happy to help. If you enjoy this recipe, I hope you’ll leave a comment with some STARS. Also, please share it on social media. Don’t forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I’ll be sure to share! Thanks! — Mike H.
Homemade Pizza Sauce Recipe
Make your own pizza sauce at home with this recipe, Madness style, with plenty of tomatoes and garlic, jalapeno peppers, onion, red pepper flakes and a touch of sweetness.
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: jalapeno, tomatoes
Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes minutes
Calories: 470kcal
Author: Mike Hultquist
Servings: 4
Tap or hover to scale
4.67 from 3 votes
Leave a Review
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1-2 jalapeno peppers chopped (optional for if you want it nice and SPICY)
- 1 small white onion
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon dried basil
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 28- ounce can whole tomatoes chopped – Or, use a couple pints fresh tomatoes!
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon red pepper flakes or cayenne optional, for extra spiciness!
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Heat oil in a large pot. Add jalapeno peppers and onion and cook a couple minutes.
Add dried basil and oregano and stir. Cook another couple minutes to soften.
Add garlic and stir. Cook another minute until the garlic becomes fragrant. Yum!
Add chopped whole tomatoes, tomato paste, balsamic vinegar, red pepper flakes or cayenne, sugar, and a bit of salt and pepper.
Bring to a quick boil then reduce heat to simmer. Simmer about 30 minutes or so to thicken and develop the flavor.
Adjust for salt and pepper. At this point, you can process the sauce with a stick blender or food processor for smoother sauce, or leave it more chunky.
Serve on pizza dough or toasty bread for pizza!
Notes
Also, a bit of shredded Parmesan cheese makes a nice addition to this homemade pizza sauce. Give it a try!
Nutrition Information
Calories: 470kcalCarbohydrates: 79gProtein: 12gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 2gSodium: 1578mgPotassium: 2426mgFiber: 18gSugar: 46gVitamin A: 4060IUVitamin C: 111mgCalcium: 504mgIron: 16.2mg
Did You Enjoy This Recipe?I love hearing how you like it and how you made it your own. Leave a comment below and tag @ChiliPepperMadness on social media.
Reader Interactions
Comments
John P. says
I've made this several times and it's a wonderful recipe. Really works on a sicilian-style pizza, especially.
My favorite variation so far: Swap the Oregano for Marjoram, swap the Jalapenos for Red Fresnos, and Swap the red pepper flakes/cayenne for Calabrian chili paste. Yum.
Reply
Mike Hultquist says
I love it! Thanks, John!
Reply
Roger says
Cut off the top part of the jabañero. Slice in half longitudinally. Scrape out seeds and discard. Chop the rest of the jabañero to desired texture. Doing that retains the flavour but dispenses with heat that otherwise would overwhelm the sauce. Your not mentioning that explains my one star less than five.Reply
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Roger. However, I feel I must point out a couple things. 1. The jalapenos are listed as optional, for those who want it spicy. I wouldn't bother to add them in if you're going to core them out, though the flavor addition is good. 2. You realize this is a SPICY RECIPE site, right? Haha. Enjoy the pizza sauce, sir. Have a great day.Reply
Chris Facey says
Hi, this looks a great recipe! Is it possible to keep this for a couple of weeks refrigerated?
Reply
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Chris. It could last a couple weeks because of the acidity, though you can also freeze it for extra safety.
Reply
Kari says
Have you tried using other peppers besides Jalapeno in this sauce? I want to make a habanero sauce for a pizza sauce.
Reply
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Kari, absolutely. Habaneros are GREAT here. Nice and spicy!
Reply
Florentina says
Wow... awsome recipe, thank you for sharing it with us, I will try it!
Have a nice evening,
Flo from
https://femeieastazi.blogspot.itReply
