Pizza sauce couldn’t be easier or faster to make at home: To make pizza sauce from tomato paste, combine tomato paste with water, olive oil, and a few seasonings. This makes a delicious red sauce for your pizza, pasta, or breadsticks—no cooking required!
If you have plans on making pizza for a crowd (or a hungry family), this pizza sauce pairs beautifully with my homemade thin crust pizza dough and creamy basil pesto recipes. You can also use it as a dipping sauce or as a filling for savory breads.
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Ingredients for Easy Pizza Sauce from Tomato Paste
A lot of pizza sauces are made from canned tomatoes. Some use fresh, but I like the stronger, less acidic flavor from pizza sauce with cooked tomatoes. This recipe skips the time-intensive step of simmering tomatoes over the stove, and instead mixes together water, tomato paste, and some herbs. The result is a quick but tasty sauce you can spread over fresh pizza dough and pre-baked crusts alike.
- Tomato paste. All types of tomato paste will work here, just keep in mind that the double- or triple-concentrated ones will require more water to get to your desired thickness.
- Olive oil. Just a splash adds a little extra richness and amplifies the flavors.
- Dried herbs and seasonings. I use basil, oregano, rosemary, salt, and pepper here, but I’ve also had good success adding onion powder and garlic powder. Use your favorites to make this pizza sauce your own!
You can find tomato paste in the canned vegetable aisle at most grocery stores. There will likely be a large selection to choose between, and sometimes you can pick between regular, double-concentrated, or even triple-concentrated tomato paste.
What Spices and Herbs Go in Homemade Pizza Sauce?
It’s up to you: This pizza sauce is for you and your family, so make it your own! Some people prefer just salt and pepper; others like to add a lot of flavor.
I used a combination of dried herbs like oregano, basil, rosemary, salt, and pepper here, but it’s open for customization. I’ve tried it with rosemary, onion salt, thyme—any savory herbs that you’d normally add to Italian dinners would work here! Here are a few ideas for herbs and spices, along with recommended quantities to get you started:
- Dried basil: ¼ teaspoon
- Garlic powder: ½ teaspoon
- Dried marjoram: ¼ teaspoon
- Dried oregano: ¼ teaspoon
- Onion powder: ½ teaspoon
- Dried parsley: ½ teaspoon
- Dried rosemary: ¼ teaspoon
Quick Tips for Making Pizza Sauce from Tomato Paste
As simple as this recipe is, I always like to include a few tips I’ve learned from making this easy pizza sauce numerous times.
If you need pointers on making thin crust pizza on a pizza stone, I have a video covering everything you need to know about making really good thin crust pizza at home on my YouTube channel.
Tomato Paste to Water Ratio for Pizza Sauce
The first few times I made this recipe, I used a double-concentrated tomato paste in a tube. The flavor was incredible, and the sauce had a perfect thickness with a ratio of 1:1 water to tomato paste! I really liked it, but it was a bit of a splurge.
When I took photos of this recipe, I used regular tomato paste in a can. The canned tomato paste had a higher water content, so I needed only about half of the water for my preferred consistency.
You’re more than welcome to play around with the ratio of water to tomato paste until you have a pizza sauce that’s your desired thickness.
Quick Tips for Storing Leftover Pizza Sauce Made from Tomato Paste
Leftover pizza sauce should be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one week for ultimate freshness.
You can also store the leftovers in the freezer for up to six months. If you don’t plan to use all of the leftovers at once, I recommend freezing the sauce in lumps.
To Freeze in Single Servings
Pour about ¼ cup onto a sheet of parchment paper, then freeze uncovered until solid, about 1-2 hours. Peel the frozen sauce off the parchment paper and store in a zip-top freezer bag in the freezer.
The morning you plan to use the frozen sauce, remove a frozen lump (or two, or three…) from the freezer bag and place it in a bowl, then cover with plastic wrap. Let the sauce thaw in the fridge until it’s liquid and ready to use (a few hours)!
Recipes You May Also Enjoy
This pizza sauce is incredibly versatile, and it couldn’t be easier to make. It goes great with a variety of foods, but here are a few of my favorites:
- Use this pizza sauce from tomato paste on top of homemade thin crust pizza dough
- Pizza night with some friends? Make this 5-minute creamy basil pesto sauce as another option for your guests!
- Use this pizza sauce as a quick substitute for marinara sauce with my twisted breadsticks brushed with garlic butter
Dish Cleanup: Piece of Cake
I rate my recipe cleanups on a scale of 1 to 5. 1 is only a handful of dishes, and 5 is everything including the kitchen sink.
My pizza sauce from tomato paste has a cleanup rating of a 1. There’s one bowl, one spatula, and two measuring spoons. It hardly gets easier than this!
Pizza Sauce from Tomato Paste Recipe
Pizza Sauce from Tomato Paste
Pizza sauce couldn't be easier or faster to make at home. Combine tomato paste with water, olive oil, and a few seasonings for a delicious red sauce for your pizza or breadsticks—no cooking required!
Ingredients
- ¾ cup tomato paste (6 oz, 180 ml)
- ½ cup water (4 oz, 120 ml)
- 1 teaspoon olive oil (5 ml)
- ¼ teaspoon dried basil
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon dried rosemary
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Mix together the tomato paste, seasonings, and olive oil in a small bowl with a spoon.
- Add half of the water and stir to combine. Stir in more water one Tablespoon at a time until the sauce reaches your desired consistency.
- Use immediately on up to four homemade pizzas, then store any leftovers in the fridge.
Notes
To make this pizza sauce your own, customize the spices and herbs you add. I have a list of spices and herbs with recommended quantities at the top of the blog post to help if you don't know where to start.
Store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to a week. This sauce, when warmed, also works well as a dip for breadsticks!
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 51Total Fat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 104mgCarbohydrates: 9gFiber: 2gSugar: 6gProtein: 2g
The nutrition facts are estimated and may vary based on specific ingredients used.
Thanks for trying out my pizza sauce from tomato paste recipe!
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Would a tsp of Italian seasoning work, as a shortcut?
Yes, that would be perfect! 🙂
Your pizza sauce made from tomato paste is unbelievably easy and tasty. Given the simplicity, I was blown away that it tasted even better than the higher end sauces you can purchase without all the unnecessary ingredients they sometimes use. And, it’s quick and inexpensive! I adjusted to my preference with additional dry minced garlic, a dash of celery salt, and about a teaspoon of maple syrup. Thank you for sharing this recipe, is a keeper!
I’m so glad you liked it and were able to make it your own! Thanks for leaving a review, Craig 🙂
how can i altar the measurements for one mini pizza?
This recipe makes enough for about four 12″ pizzas. For a smaller amount, I’d recommend making a half or quarter batch, then refrigerating or freezing any leftovers (if you have them) for your next mini pizza 🙂