No-Cook Tomato (Pizza) Sauce
Last updated on June 26th, 2026
A good homemade tomato sauce will perfectly complement your at-home pizza crusts. This No-Cook Tomato Sauce is simple yet bold, balanced and ready in minutes. Using high-quality canned tomatoes, we skip the stovetop and let the natural flavours shine.
Most often, even in the summer, I rely on this quick canned tomato sauce recipe, but this no-cook version comes together even faster and is amazing on pizza.
To me, it most closely replicates what you’ll find on crispy, blistered pizzeria-style pizzas, but made in the comfort of your own home.
Can you think of anything better?
Here’s everything you’ll need to make this No-Cook Tomato (Pizza) Sauce
- 1 800 ml (28 oz) can crushed or undrained peeled whole tomatoes (see notes)
- 1 tablespoon (15 grams) extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 ½ teaspoons (5 grams) kosher or fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 gram) dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon (0.25 gram) chili flakes
- 1 garlic clove, finely chopped or minced
This sauce has just the right balance of sweetness, acidity and heat with a thick texture that won’t compromise the structure of your pizza crusts. Use it straight from the bowl or let it sit for deeper flavour.
You can find my 4-Ingredient Artisan Pizza Dough recipe here.
Why Canned Tomatoes?
I never hesitate to reach for high-quality canned tomatoes when making a sauce.
Here’s why:
- Canned tomatoes are harvested at their peak, with all their fresh flavours, sweetness and consistency locked in. This is crucial for a no-cook pizza sauce where every ingredient counts.
Using fresh tomatoes can be tempting, but they can be unreliable—especially during the colder months—and result in a watery, bland tasting sauce.
- Canned tomatoes don’t need to be cooked to draw out their natural flavours. Good quality crushed or whole canned tomatoes have the right balance of acidity, sweetness and depth of flavour, all without having to turn on the stove.
- They’re a pantry staple. Stock up and you’ll be ready for a pizza night any day of the week!
🍅 The perfect pizza sauce texture
Because this vibrant sauce skips the stovetop simmering process, picking the right variety of canned tomato and handling them gently is the ultimate secret to success.
Look for high-quality whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes or plum tomatoes, which naturally carry a thick, meaty flesh and fewer watery seeds.
If you are using canned whole tomatoes instead of crushed, I recommend either crushing them by hand or with an immersion blender before using.
You can also add all the ingredients to a food processor and pulse two or three times to keep the prep fast and simple.
Do not over-mix your ingredients, or the raw sauce will quickly become watery and lose the slightly chunky texture that comes to mind when we think of traditional pizza sauces.
Whether you opt to use it freshly made or from your freezer stash, this No-Cook Tomato Sauce is a winner that delivers the perfect base every time.
Try this Easy Pumpkin Seed Pesto or this 10-Minute Caesar Salad Dressing next.
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No-Cook Tomato (Pizza) Sauce
Ingredients
- 800 ml (28 oz can) crushed or undrained peeled whole tomatoes*
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 garlic clove finely chopped or minced
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher or fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon chili flakes
Instructions
- Add all sauce ingredients directly to the can of tomatoes (or a medium-sized mixing bowl) and stir thoroughly. Taste and add a little more salt as desired.
