When you’re craving pizza, you have a lot of choices: You could make pizza from scratch, thaw (trust us!) and bake a frozen pie, or pull up an app and order delivery. Or, you could find the happy medium and blend outsourced items with homemade ones—and we think one of those shortcuts should be the sauce.
Although you might be surprised to hear it from chefs, just like with pasta sauce, there are some seriously solid options on supermarket shelves. (In case you missed it, here’s what makes pasta and pizza sauces different.)
“A ‘parlor trick’ that many people don’t realize is that their favorite pizza place might also be using jarred or canned sauce—and that’s okay,” says George Formaro, chef-partner of Italian cuisine-focused Centro in Des Moines, Iowa. “The difference between a parlor pie and a home pizza often comes down to experience and technique.”
So, which prepared pizza sauce brands do chefs swear by these days?
Our Panel of Pizza Sauce-Savvy Chefs
Erin Clarke, Milwaukee, Wisconsin-based recipe developer and author of “Well Plated Every Day”
George Formaro, chef-partner of Orchestrate Hospitality restaurants, including Italian-focused Centro, in Des Moines, Iowa
Yumna Jawad, Grand Rapids, Michigan-based CEO and founder of Feel Good Foodie and the author of “The Feel Good Foodie Cookbook: 125 Recipes Enhanced with Mediterranean Flavors”
Andres Kaifer, executive chef and co-owner of Customshop in Charlotte, North Carolina
Qualities of the Best Store-Bought Pizza Sauce
When scouting for a pizza sauce they’d be proud to use, the chefs tell us they look for a formula that has:
Rich tomato flavor. When shopping for sauces for her family’s favorite English muffin pizza or any semi-homemade pie, Clarke looks for “a sauce with a fresh, robust tomato flavor, balanced acidity, and a rich and fruity olive oil note.” It should taste like the summer’s garden-fresh tomatoes.
Little or no sugar. If you start with ripe, naturally sweet tomatoes and layer in the proper amount of seasoning and herbs, sugar really shouldn’t be necessary in jarred pizza sauce, believes Jawad. “After all, it’s not something normally found in authentic pizza sauce in Italy!” Again, the sweetness should be reminiscent of ripe tomatoes, Clarke adds.
No preservatives. “Because of the acidity from the tomatoes and the sterilization process during canning, jarred pizza sauce shouldn’t have any preservatives,” Jawad explains.
A consistency that plays nicely with the overall pie. A watery sauce can make for a soggy crust, Clarke warns. Formaro says while a runny sauce is never the move, it’s wise to keep in mind that “different styles of pizza call for different sauces. If it’s going under the cheese, I’d prefer it to be smooth.” For example, he says chunky sauces are ideal for deep-dish or stuffed pizzas.
The Best Store-Bought Pizza Sauce, According to Chefs
With votes from three of our four pro chefs, the brand that came out on top of our pasta sauce competition also gets the gold medal for their pizza sauce: Rao’s. After sampling eight different options on the market, our team declared it the winner because of its strong tomato aroma, solid seasoning, and perfectly thick texture.
Sara Haas
Jawad praises the simplicity of the ingredient label. The 120-year-strong recipe includes Italian whole-peeled and cherry tomatoes, olive oil, carrots, onion, salt, oregano, garlic, and basil. Formaro confirms: “It tastes like it was made by my Italian mother. If she were here, she would definitely approve of this sauce. The sweetness comes from the quality of tomatoes and not sugar.”
Rao’s pizza sauce is versatile and works on a variety of pie styles and with an array of toppings, Formaro adds. (If you can’t find the pizza sauce, the brand’s pasta sauce works on pies as well, Clarke verifies, saying it’s thick enough for the dough and offers a slow-simmered flavor.)
Earning the silver medal with two votes is Pomì, a canned pizza sauce with “clean and natural tomato flavor,” according to Formaro. “Its sweetness comes from the tomatoes themselves, not added sugar. I’d confidently use this on any style of pizza.” Jawad frequently features Pomì on her tortilla, sheet pan, portobello mushroom, and classic pizzas. Again, it has a small cast of characters: tomatoes, olive oil, salt, oregano, bay leaf powder, pepper, and garlic.
Sara Haas
Honorable Mentions
Earning one vote each were these brands, which the chefs say won’t disappoint if a jar ends up in your cart:
Cento: Kaifer praises the short ingredient list, which includes tomato concentrate, salt, extra-virgin olive oil, basil, and garlic. “In many cases, the fewer the better in terms of number of ingredients,” he says, explaining that the tomatoes can really step into the spotlight.
Bianco DiNapoli: This recipe, crafted by James Beard Award-winning chef Chris Bianco, is “a bright, New York-style sauce,” according to Formaro. Calling for just organic tomatoes, garlic, basil, extra-virgin olive oil, and sea salt, he says “the tomato really shines here. It’s excellent for Neapolitan, New York-style, and deep-dish pizzas.”
DeLallo: With a bright, fresh tomato flavor, Clarke explains that this brand’s sauce “has the perfect consistency: not too thick, not too thin. If Goldilocks had a pizza sauce, it would be this one.” Note that sugar is the second ingredient after tomatoes—followed by garlic, spices, onion powder, salt, pepper, and citric acid—so if you’re not keen on added sweetness, this might not be your best bet.
Sara Haas
Dell’Alpe: This semi-sweet sauce, with sugar as the second ingredient, is balanced by the slightly spicy kick of black pepper. Formaro says this combo “adds more depth than just tomato flavor.”
Chefs Explain How to Level Up Store-Bought Pizza Sauce
The chefs explain there are ways to take store-bought pizza sauces to the next level, which Jawad calls “restaurant flavor.” Adding some freshness, with minced or grated garlic, or a handful of chopped basil or oregano leaves, is an easy addition. However, not everyone has extra herbs hanging around their kitchens, so dried versions or an Italian spice blend would also work.
Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
For a little heat, consider adding a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes. If a deeper flavor is what you’re going for, try a spoonful of grated Parmesan cheese, a healthy glug of extra-virgin olive oil, or a spoonful of high-quality tomato paste. The latter will also help thicken a sauce, if it needs it.
Either way, the chefs say you can’t go wrong with any of these store-bought sauces for your next semi-homemade pizzas, whether it’s Detroit-, Roman-, or Brooklyn-style.