Craving the perfect Homemade Pizza Sauce that’s thick, flavorful, and ready in under 15 minutes? Enjoy this delicious sauce with our Veggie Pizza for One or Vegan Mediterranean Pizza.
This oil‑free, vegan, five‑ingredient homemade pizza sauce goes from pantry to pie with killer taste and no guilt. Guess what? It's also approved for the Daniel Fast, because there's no refined sugar or oils.
Why You'll Love This Homemade Pizza Sauce Recipe
This perfect pizza sauce recipe made from scratch uses crushed tomatoes. The ingredients are whole plant foods, so there is no refined sugar in this pizza sauce recipe. Instead, the simple homemade date syrup provides a subtle sweetness with the tomatoes, garlic, and fennel seeds.
Making it oil-free reduces the calorie density, which is helpful if you're trying to lose weight. What's also awesome about this sauce is that leftovers can easily be used as a single-serving spaghetti sauce with some veggies for a quick, easy, healthy weeknight dinner.
What You'll Need to Make This Sauce
- Crushed tomatoes: the flavorful, juicy base that brings richness and that classic tomato tang.
- Garlic: adds a sharp, aromatic punch and savory depth.
- Fennel seeds: bring a whisper of licorice‑toned warmth and complexity.
- Sundried tomatoes (no oil): pack umami and concentrated tomato sweetness.
- Homemade date syrup: balances acidity with natural, subtle sweetness without refined sugar.
A full list of ingredients with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Substitutions and Variations
- Swap fresh minced garlic with garlic powder if you're in a pinch (though you’ll miss that fresh punch).
- Omit fennel seeds for a simpler flavor profile, or swap with dried oregano or basil for an Italian‑leaning twist.
- For spicy heat, add ⅛ tsp crushed red pepper or more if you're daring.
- Make it a no-cook pizza sauce if you're short on time.
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How to Make This Homemade Pizza Sauce
Step 1
Combine all ingredients into a small pot. Bring the sauce to a gentle boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and let it cool down.
Step 2
Add a layer of homemade pizza sauce to your pizza crust. Alternatively, store it in a mason jar in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Expert Tips
- Simmer makes it better: Although you can make this into a no-cook pizza sauce recipe, cooking allows excess water in crushed tomatoes to evaporate, thickening the sauce and deepening flavor.
- Single-serve pasta dish: Use leftover homemade pizza sauce in a single-serve pasta dish with some veggies for a quick, easy spaghetti dinner. See our Vegan Spaghetti alla Puttanesca for inspiration on other veggies to add.
- Freeze smart: Lay flat in freezer bags so it thaws quickly later.
- Use whole plant ingredients: They deliver flavor and nutrition, and skip processed sugar and oil for cleaner, healthier results.
Recipe FAQs
This pizza sauce is made from whole plant foods. Specifically, crushed tomatoes, fennel seeds, sundried tomatoes (no oil), garlic, and a small amount of homemade date syrup (which is just dates, water, and lemon juice). Many pizza sauce recipes use refined sugars and oil, which adds excessive calories, and is not helpful for weight loss.
This recipe can be interchanged between the two, but some pizza sauce recipes are heavy on tomato paste, making it too thick for a spaghetti sauce. What I love about this recipe is its interchangeability. This sauce can be used as both a pizza sauce and a vegan spaghetti sauce. Cooking this sauce thickens it up because some of the water in the crushed tomatoes evaporates. So if you need to loosen it up after cooking, just add in a tablespoon or two of water or vegetable broth, and it works beautifully as a pasta sauce.
This sauce stores well in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days or in the freezer for up to six months.
Bottom line: this Homemade Pizza Sauce isn’t just easy, it’s the kind of swap that feels so much better than the jarred stuff. It’s clean, versatile, and flavorful. Whether you're piling on the air fryer falafel, air fryer tofu nuggets, or going full-veggie, this sauce handles it all with style and zero regrets. Time to sauce up and live your pizza dream.
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Homemade Pizza Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups crushed tomatoes
- 4 to 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp fennel seed
- ¼ cup of sundried tomatoes (no oil, diced)
- 1 tsp Homemade Date Syrup
Optional
- ⅛ tsp of crushed red pepper for heat
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients into a small pot.
- Bring the sauce to a gentle boil over medium-high heat.
- Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. If the sauce is splattering, partially cover with a lid.
- Remove from heat and use for your pizza.
Notes
- Canned Crushed Tomatoes: A 15-oz weight can will yield about 1 ½ cups of crushed tomatoes.
- Leftover Sauce: Store unused sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. This homemade pizza sauce can also be stored in the freezer for up to 6 months. You can also use the leftover sauce in a single-serve pasta dish with some veggies for a quick, easy spaghetti dinner.
Gigi & Sersie
Very easy, tasty, and versatile. I love the sundried tomatoes and fennel seeds. Definitely has those pizza vibes.