Homemade Pizza Sauce Cost Calculator

See if making your own pizza sauce saves money per cup vs. jarred brands.

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Is Homemade Pizza Sauce Cheaper Than Rao's or Muir Glen?

A jar of Rao's pizza sauce costs around $8 to $10 at most grocery stores. Muir Glen runs $4 to $6. Even a basic store-brand pizza sauce rings up at $2 to $3 per jar. Meanwhile, a batch of homemade pizza sauce — crushed canned tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, oregano, and basil — costs as little as $3 to $5 and produces far more than one jar's worth.

What Ingredients Go Into Homemade Pizza Sauce

Classic homemade pizza sauce is intentionally simple. The base is crushed or pureed canned tomatoes — one 28 oz can (about 3.5 cups) is the starting point for most recipes. From there, you add garlic sauteed in olive oil, dried oregano, dried basil, a pinch of salt, and optionally a small amount of sugar to balance acidity.

Canned Tomato Quality Makes a Big Difference

Budget canned crushed tomatoes cost around $1 to $1.50 for a 28 oz can. San Marzano DOP certified cans run $4 to $6 for the same size. The flavor difference is real — San Marzanos are sweeter, less acidic, and more complex. If you compare premium homemade sauce against Rao's at $9 a jar, homemade wins convincingly.

How Much Sauce Does One Pizza Need

A standard 12-inch pizza uses roughly 1/4 to 1/3 cup of sauce. A single 28 oz can yields approximately 3 to 3.5 cups of finished sauce — enough for 9 to 12 personal pizzas or 6 to 8 standard 12-inch pies.

Freezing Homemade Pizza Sauce

Homemade pizza sauce freezes extremely well. Pour cooled sauce into ice cube trays for individual portions or into half-cup freezer containers. Frozen sauce keeps quality for 4 to 6 months.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many cups of sauce does a standard homemade batch make?
A recipe starting with one 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes typically yields 3 to 3.5 cups of finished pizza sauce after simmering. If you double the recipe to two cans, expect 6 to 7 cups.
How much sauce does one pizza actually use?
A standard 12-inch pizza uses about 1/4 to 1/3 cup of sauce. At 1/3 cup per pizza, a 3.5-cup batch covers about 10 pizzas — which is why the per-pizza cost of homemade sauce is so low even with quality ingredients.
Is Rao's pizza sauce actually better than homemade?
Rao's is widely regarded as one of the best jarred sauces, but a well-made homemade sauce using San Marzano tomatoes and fresh garlic is at least as good and often better. Rao's costs $8 to $10 per jar (about 1.75 cups), roughly $4.50 to $5.70 per cup. A quality homemade batch typically runs $1.50 to $2.50 per cup.
Can I use fresh tomatoes instead of canned for pizza sauce?
Yes, but fresh tomatoes require much more simmering time to reduce to a thick, spreadable consistency, and the flavor is less intense than good San Marzano canned tomatoes. Fresh tomatoes are also more expensive per pound outside of peak summer season. Most pizza chefs prefer high-quality canned tomatoes for sauce.
What is the best way to store homemade pizza sauce?
Refrigerate for up to 5 days in a sealed container, or freeze for up to 6 months. Freeze in 1/3-cup portions (a single pizza's worth) to make it easy to pull out exactly what you need without thawing a large batch.