Neapolitan Pizza Sauce

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This Neapolitan pizza sauce is incredibly simple: it’s light, full of bright flavor, and deliciously fresh. Bonus? It’s a no-cook recipe, ready in minutes, and perfect for your favorite

Published Nov 2021/updated May 2024

For an authentic Neapolitan pizza sauce, you don’t need tomato paste, sugar (sugar, seriously?!), garlic powder, or other seasonings. There’s no need for other herbs or complicated ingredients. Simple is best!

As a bonus, it doesn’t require any cooking at all, as cooking can result in an overly intense flavor and a thicker consistency.

Instead, you want a bright, tomato flavor with hints of fresh basil and extra-virgin olive oil at every bite, absolutely delicious when combined with fresh mozzarella.

The best pizza places in Italy use top-quality plum tomatoes, salt, olive oil, and fresh basil. These ingredients are the only stars of the show, nothing else.

For the best result, San Marzano tomatoes are the perfect choice. Their rich texture and flavor can elevate a simple pizza dough or Margherita pizza to the next level.

Lastly, you can whip up this fresh and flavorful Neapolitan tomato sauce in zero time, and it pairs wonderfully with or for a fabulous Italian-style pizza night!

List of the ingredients

• Canned tomatoes (I usually use . or these . Make sure you use only good-quality plum tomatoes.
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Fine salt
• Fresh basil and

How to make easy pizza sauce

(Note: This is a quick description with step-by-step photos; the full recipe is at the bottom of the page.)

• Add the tomatoes, olive oil, salt, and oregano to a mixing bowl.
• Crush the tomatoes with a fork, a potato masher, or your hands. You don’t want to make a smooth puree or incorporate much air, so an immersion blender or a food processor is not the best option. All you want to do is break the tomatoes, then mix and blend the ingredients thoroughly.
• Finish with the basil, taste, and adjust the seasoning (no sugar, I’ve warned you!:), and the easiest pizza sauce is ready.

Recipe Notes

Easy pizza sauce ingredients

Tomatoes: Canned tomatoes are convenient and work perfectly. San Marzano D.O.P. is quite pricey, but it’s among the best canned tomatoes you can buy (see notes in the recipe card). Alternatively, go for quality cherry tomatoes, whole peeled tomatoes, or fresh tomatoes. Avoid crushed tomatoes or inferior tomatoes. You want them to taste nice and sweet straight from the can, and there’s no need to add extra tomato puree (we go for fresh flavors here!).

Extra-virgin olive oil: Although regular olive oil is fine for this recipe, why settle for less when you can use high-quality extra-virgin olive oil? It’s the best; it’s a no-brainer.

Salt: You need some fine salt, of course. It’s easy to adjust the seasoning to your taste. Feel free to use a bit of freshly ground black pepper.

Fresh herbs: Basil and a pinch of oregano are the only herbs for this homemade pizza sauce recipe.

Pizza sauce variations

The only variation here might be a small garlic clove, minced or pressed, but it’s optional, and I use it only when making a marinara sauce or pizza marinara. Add garlic only if desired. Other than that, nothing else, especially if you use a Neapolitan pizza dough.

If you want to use tomato paste instead of fresh or canned tomatoes, or if you’re wondering if adding sugar or other ingredients is okay, you can (no one is stopping you!), but that will result in a different pizza sauce. It would be more like an American-style sauce, richer and sweeter than this simple Italian recipe.

Note: Premium-quality canned tomatoes don’t need sugar to balance their acidity. They are a must; they can make or break your pizza sauce.

How long does this easy pizza sauce last?

This tomato pizza sauce can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. It’s best to store it in a covered glass container. It’s also freezeable.

Let’s talk pizza recipes!

Are you a big fan of pizza? You and I will probably be best friends! Take a look at this collection of ; they are all delicious and packed with veggies. Below, you’ll find some of our favorites:

If you make this fresh Neapolitan pizza sauce for your homemade pizza or have any questions, please let me know by leaving a comment. I would love to hear from you! x

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