5-Minute Pizza Sauce from Tomato Paste

Name: 5-Minute Pizza Sauce from Tomato Paste
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Ingredients: 6 oz can tomato paste; 6 oz chicken or vegetable broth (or water); 1 clove garlic (minced); 1 teaspoon sugar; 2 tablespoons finely grated parmesan cheese; 1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning; ½ teaspoon onion powder; Pinch red pepper flakes; ½ teaspoon salt

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This richly flavored yet incredibly easy pizza sauce from tomato paste is no-cook and made from pantry staples in 5 minutes!

Overhead view of a bowl of pizza sauce garnished with fresh basil and a ball of pizza dough in the background.

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Homemade pizza is one of my very favorite things to make. There are a lot of things that I genuinely feel taste better homemade than from your average takeout restaurant, and pizza is one of them. And while it may sound complicated – making pizza at home is a lot easier than you think, with some basic equipment, and a few good recipes.

One of the most important components of perfect homemade pizza is a good crust, and my homemade pizza dough is as easy as it gets. The second most important thing in my opinion is the pizza sauce.

Luckily, making your own pizza sauce from scratch is even easier than making the dough. If you’ve been wondering if you can whip up a pizza sauce with ingredients you already have, or specifically, how to turn tomato paste into tomato sauce for pizza, this recipe is for you. It only takes 5 minutes of your time, zero cooking, simple pantry ingredients, and you end up with the most delicious, bright, and flavorful sauce.

Can it get any better than that?

Why You’ll Love this Pizza Sauce Recipe

Simple Ingredients. This easy homemade pizza sauce recipe uses simple pantry staples that you probably already have at home. It’s all about convenience without compromising on the flavors!

Zero cooking required. Just mix the ingredients together, and your pizza sauce is ready to go. No need to keep a watch on the pot simmering on the stove for hours!

spreading pizza sauce on pizza dough with the back of a spoon

Perfect consistency. Tomato paste gives you a thick, smooth consistency that spreads perfectly on your pizza dough.

So versatile. This pizza sauce isn’t just for pizzas. Use it as a dipping sauce for breadsticks or pizza rolls, spaghetti sauce, or a topping for grilled veggies.

Homemade is better. Making your own pizza sauce means you control the ingredients and the flavor! Tomato paste normally contains no preservatives other than salt or citric acid.

Ingredient Notes

ingredients to make homemade pizza sauce

Tomato Paste

Tomato paste is the base of our pizza sauce. It provides a rich, concentrated tomato flavor and a thick consistency, perfect for spreading on your pizza dough. Combined with an equal part of liquid, the consistency is perfect for pizza. Not too pasty, or watery.

The brand doesn’t really matter, but I always choose tomato paste from a can for pizza (it’s thicker than the tubes), and a plain, unseasoned variety (we’ll be seasoning it ourselves for the freshest flavor).

I have experimented with multiple homemade pizza sauce recipes. Some made with tomato sauce, or crushed tomatoes, but these versions were simply too water and resulted in a soggy dough, and less flavorful sauce.

Chicken or Vegetable Broth

You need a liquid to bring your pizza sauce to the right consistency and using broth instead of water adds an extra layer of rich flavor to the sauce.

Both chicken and vegetable broth work well, so choose based on your preference or dietary needs. You can also use water if you don’t have broth on hand. Beef broth, mushroom broth, or really any broth or stock will also work.

Many recipes I’ve seen combine tomato paste and tomato sauce instead of a liquid, but I found those versions much too pasty and overpowering, personally.

Parmesan cheese

A small amount of grated Parmesan cheese adds a savory depth and umami flavor to the sauce, enhancing its overall flavor.

Garlic

I like to add some fresh minced garlic to this pizza sauce but you can also use garlic powder, or granulated garlic.

Spices and Seasonings

For the spices and seasonings, I keep it pretty simple. I like to add some onion powder, salt, sugar, red pepper flakes, and Italian seasoning.

If you don’t have Italian seasoning, you can make your own blend with some dried herbs. The usual components are dried oregano, rosemary, thyme, marjoram, and dried basil, but use what you have on hand.

Don’t forget to watch the video!

Most of my recipes include a short step-by-step video tutorial. Just scroll down to the recipe card, or use the “Jump to Video” button at the top of the post!

How to make pizza sauce from tomato paste

In a medium bowl, add the tomato paste, broth, garlic, sugar, Parmesan, Italian seasoning, onion powder, red pepper flakes, and salt.

ingredients to make pizza sauce in a bowl

Stir well until everything is combined. Your pizza sauce is done! Crazy, right?

That’s it friends! You can let the pizza sauce sit for a while before using to allow the flavors to meld. Spread it on your dough, top with some good quality cheese and your favorite toppings, and you’re done!

Storage Instructions

This recipe makes enough for two 12-14 inch pizzas. I always make the full batch and freeze half for the next pizza night. It freezes beautifully. In a freezer-safe container, heavy-duty freezer bags, or mason jar, it will keep well in the freezer for 3 months.

If you would like to store it in the refrigerator, pour it into an airtight container and refrigerate. It will keep good for about one week.

This pizza sauce can also be canned, if you’re into that! I’ve never bothered since it is so quick to whip up, but jars of canned pizza sauce can make wonderful gifts.

Q & A

Can I use tomato sauce, ground, diced, or whole tomatoes instead of tomato paste?

No, tomato paste is a highly concentrated tomato product with a low water content. Tomato sauce and other tomato products have a much higher water content. Although liquid is added to the tomato paste in this recipe, the specific ratio results in the perfect total water content, consistency, and texture for pizza sauce.

Is pizza sauce just spaghetti sauce?

No, pasta sauce is typically a slow-cooked sauce with a looser consistency and higher water content than pizza sauce. Pizza sauce is usually uncooked (it cooks with the pizza in the oven), and has a thicker consistency, which keeps the crust from getting soggy.

What brands of tomato paste do you recommend?

Tomato paste comes in either cans or tubes. While I normally prefer the flavor of tube tomato paste for other applications, the consistency is looser, and I find that the thicker canned pastes are better for pizza sauce (cans are also much cheaper!). As for the brand, Muir Glen or Mutti are good quality brands for tomato products in general, but the difference is subtle with tomato paste, and I just buy what’s on sale.