Can Pasta Sauce Be Used as Pizza Sauce?

Quick Answer

Yes, you can use pasta sauce as pizza sauce, but you should not pour it straight from the jar.

Pasta sauce works on pizza dough only after you reduce its moisture and adjust its flavour. Skip those two steps and you end up with a wet, structurally collapsed pizza base with bland, overcooked tomato on top.

Why Pasta Sauce Alone Falls Short on Pizza

Pasta sauce is built to coat noodles. That means it is slow simmered, often loose, frequently chunky with onion, garlic, vegetables or meat, and mellow in flavour from the long cook. Pizza sauce is built to cook on a high heat for under 10 minutes on raw dough. It is thick, salty, herb forward and usually uncooked when it goes into the oven.

• Moisture problem: excess water in pasta sauce steams the underside of the crust, leaving it pale and soggy instead of crisp.
• Flavour problem: pasta sauce has already cooked off its bright acidic edge, which is the very thing pizza needs to cut through cheese and oil.
• Texture problem: chunks of veg or meat in pasta sauce push the cheese unevenly and create cold spots on the finished pizza.

Step by Step Conversion

1. Pour about 200 grams of pasta sauce into a fine mesh sieve set over a bowl and let it drain for 10 minutes. This pulls out the excess water.
2. Tip the drained sauce into a small bowl and stir in 1 to 2 tablespoons of tomato paste. This thickens it and brings back a fresh tomato flavour.
3. Add a pinch of dried oregano, a small pinch of sugar to balance the acidity, a crack of black pepper and, if you like heat, a pinch of chilli flakes.
4. Taste and add a small drizzle of olive oil. Skip extra salt unless it needs it; jarred pasta sauce is usually already well salted.
5. Spread thinly across the rolled out dough, leaving a clean border for the crust.

Which Pasta Sauces Convert Best

• Best: plain tomato and basil pasta sauce, classic Napoletana, arrabbiata, marinara.
• Workable: tomato and herb, garlic and olive oil enriched red sauces.
• Avoid: Bolognese, mushroom sauces, vodka sauce, anything cream based, Alfredo, pesto. These either contain too much fat, too much liquid, or too many competing flavours for a pizza base.

Quick Homemade Pizza Sauce as a Plan B

If you have the time, a 5 minute uncooked pizza sauce is almost always better than adapting pasta sauce. Whisk together one 400 gram tin of good quality whole peeled tomatoes (crushed by hand), 2 tablespoons of tomato paste, one finely grated clove of garlic, a teaspoon of dried oregano, a pinch of salt, a pinch of sugar and a glug of extra virgin olive oil. That is it. No cooking required. Spread straight onto the dough and bake.

Bottom Line

Pasta sauce can be used as pizza sauce in a pinch, but treat it as a starting point, not a finished product. Drain it, thicken it with tomato paste, re season with oregano and a touch of sugar, and spread it thinly. The result will not match a properly made pizza sauce, but it will be far better than a soggy, bland crust.

Can Pasta Sauce Be Used as Pizza Sauce: Frequently Asked Questions

Can pasta sauce be used as pizza sauce in a pinch?

Yes. Strain off excess liquid, simmer for five minutes to thicken, and season with extra oregano and a pinch of sugar to balance the acidity.

What is the main difference between pasta sauce and pizza sauce?

Pasta sauce is cooked and often loose. Pizza sauce is typically uncooked, thicker, and seasoned for short, hot baking.

Will pasta sauce make my pizza soggy?

It can if you spread it on wet. Strain it, reduce it, and use less than you think you need. Two to three tablespoons per twelve inch base is plenty.

Can I use jarred marinara on pizza?

Yes, especially if it is a thick, no chunks marinara. Garlic forward jars work best.

Should I cook pasta sauce before putting it on pizza?

A short simmer to thicken it improves the result. Raw pizza sauce works because it is thick to start with.

Can I add cheese to pasta sauce to make pizza sauce?

No. Cheese goes on top of the sauce on the pizza, not blended in. Mixing them turns the sauce greasy under the oven heat.

Pasta Sauce on Pizza: More Reader Questions

Does pasta sauce burn faster than pizza sauce in the oven?

Slightly. Pasta sauce often has more oil so the surface can darken faster. Watch the bake from minute six onward.

Can I use white pasta sauce, like alfredo, on pizza?

Yes. Use it sparingly as the base for a white pizza. Add garlic, mozzarella, and roasted vegetables.

Will pasta sauce change the colour of the cheese?

A wetter sauce can make mozzarella look paler and rubbery because the cheese steams instead of browning.

Should I add tomato paste to pasta sauce for pizza?

A spoon of tomato paste thickens loose pasta sauce quickly and deepens the colour.