If you love pizza and manage to successfully include it in your keto diet, you need a good sauce to go along with it. Keep reading to discover the best pizza sauce recipe ideas for your keto lifestyle!
Pizza has always been a comfort food for most people. It’s versatile, savory, and easy to customize with your favorite toppings and pizza sauces.
On the keto diet, you know that finding good-tasting, low-carb food can be a challenge. But it doesn’t have to be! You can enjoy keto pizza recipes with a little creativity while staying on track.
In today’s article, we will be sharing with you some of the best keto pizza sauce recipes that we could find.
The Best Pizza Sauce Recipes for Keto Diets
Finding so many pizza sauce recipes that could be considered keto-friendly can be hard. So we’ve compiled a list of our favorites for you to choose from.
We’ve got you covered, from classic red sauces to white garlic sauces. So whether you’re in the mood for a Margherita pizza or a pepperoni pie, there’s a keto-friendly sauce recipe for every taste.
1. Keto Tomato Sauce – Best Pizza Sauce Recipe
We always consider that the best food recipes are tasty, require very few ingredients, take little time to prepare, and are as low-carb as possible.
That’s why we decided to start this list with one of our very own recipes, a classic keto Marinara sauce that can be used on both pizzas and other Italian dishes like pasta or chicken parmesan.
Ingredients:
- Canned crushed red tomatoes
- Crushed red pepper flakes
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Chopped garlic
- Oregano
- Salt
With just 6 ingredients, this sauce is not only low in carbs but also super easy to make. Simply combine all ingredients in a pot and let it simmer for about 15 minutes. That’s it!
You can blend it with an immersion blender before serving if you want a smoother sauce. But we like it just the way it is, nice and chunky.
2. Low-Carb Easy Pizza Sauce Recipe
The keto diet isn’t the only specialty diet out there. Many people can’t or don’t eat gluten, while others follow a Paleo diet.
So it’s always nice to find recipes that cater to multiple dietary restrictions. This low-carb pizza sauce recipe from Peace Love and Low Carb does just that.
It’s gluten-free, Paleo, and of course, low in carbs. But even if you’re not following any particular diet, this sauce is still worth trying out!
Ingredients:
- Canned tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes
- Canned tomato paste
- Minced onion flakes
- Dried oregano
- Onion powder
- Garlic powder
- Dried parsley
- Dried basil
- Sea salt
In theory, this recipe is perfect for keto diets since there is no added sugar.
However, canned tomato paste is usually loaded with sugar, so we suggest that you read the label carefully before you buy it or make the tomato paste yourself.
Other than that, we believe that this recipe is perfect for those that like their sauces to be on the more aromatic side, especially since 7 out of the 9 ingredients are a type of seasoning.
3. 5-Minute Pizza Sauce Recipe (Easy)
When you see a recipe labeled as being ready in 5 minutes, most of the time, the ingredients include pre-mixes or other shortcuts that might not be the healthiest for you.
But this 5-minute pizza sauce recipe from Allrecipes is different. Granted, it’s not as healthy as some of the other recipes on this list since it uses sugar and cornstarch.
Ingredients:
- Canned tomato sauce
- Canned tomato paste
- Dried minced garlic
- Ground oregano
- Ground paprika
As with some of our previous entries that require canned tomato paste, we recommend that you take a closer look at the label to make sure that there isn’t a lot of added sugar.
This is a very basic recipe that can be done in 5 minutes or less (depending on how fast you can whisk), and it’s perfect for pretty much any kind of pizza or even pizza-like dish, like pizza chaffles.
4. Recipe for Pizza Sauce with Low Carbs
While all the pizza components play a vital role, the pizza sauce is often what makes or breaks the dish.
So it’s important to choose a sauce that tastes good and is also low in carbs. This keto pizza sauce recipe from Wholesome Yum hits both those marks, especially since it’s one of our most aromatic entries so far.
Ingredients:
- Balsamic vinegar
- Dried marjoram
- Dried oregano
- Tomato paste
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Black pepper
- Fennel seed
- Dried basil
- Olive oil
- Sea salt
- Water
Those who have a bit of experience making basic pizza sauces will probably be surprised by some of the ingredients on this list.
Balsamic vinegar? Fennel seed? Marjoram?
But trust us, these ingredients work together to create a sauce that’s low in carbs and incredibly flavorful, and it will go well on many different dishes, such as keto pizza-stuffed bell peppers.
5. Easy Homemade Pizza Sauce Recipe
A lot of classic pizza sauces will usually require that you add a bit of sugar to cut down on the acidity of the tomatoes.
But this easy keto pizza sauce recipe from Low Carb Maven forgoes that step by using low-carb sugar and crushed tomatoes instead of tomato sauce or paste.
Ingredients:
- Contadina tomato sauce
- Chopped fresh parsley
- Red pepper flakes
- Low-carb sugar
- Pressed garlic
- Dried oregano
- Onion powder
- Dried basil
- Olive oil
We would like to commend the folks at Low Carb Maven for suggesting low-carb sugar and even giving examples of products you can buy.
On the same note, we’d suggest that you go ahead and use any kind of keto-friendly sugar substitutes that you can find since the sweetness is all you’re really after here.
This recipe is pretty straightforward and versatile since you can use it together with keto pasta recipes, not just pizza.
6. Keto Pizza Sauce Recipes (Homemade)
The premise of a keto diet is to minimize carb intake as much as possible. That usually means giving up on certain foods, following recipes without the carb-rich ingredients, or being clever enough to find substitutes.
This keto pizza sauce recipe from The Big Man’s World does the latter by using sugar-free tomato sauce passata and granulated sweetener, and it still tastes amazing.
Ingredients:
- Sugar-free tomato sauce passata
- Granulated sweetener
- Italian seasoning
- Minced garlic
- Olive oil
- Salt
While this might not be the most authentic pizza sauce on our list, it’s one of the most creative, and it goes to show that you can make a great sauce without using tomatoes as your base ingredient.
A creative sauce needs to be paired with an equally creative dish, and we suggest that you try it together with this keto lasagna with zucchini noodles since it has all the flavor but none of the carbs.
7. The Ultimate Pizza Homemade Sauce Recipe
When it comes to cooking, many ingredients are usually there to make the dish taste good without significantly impacting the nutritional value.
But some ingredients go above and beyond that, and in the case of this keto pizza sauce recipe from Sugar-Free Londoner, those would be the nutritional yeast flakes.
Ingredients:
- Canned chopped tomatoes
- Minced garlic or garlic powder
- Chopped onion or onion powder
- Chopped basil leaves
- Tomato puree
- Dried oregano
- Olive oil
- Pepper
- Salt
We loved how the recipe acknowledges that garlic powder can easily substitute minced garlic and how onion powder can do the same for chopped onion, making this an even easier recipe to follow.
As for how keto this sauce is, no ingredient needs swapping, although you will need to make sure that there’s no added sugar in the tomato puree.
8. No-Cook Authentic Italian Pizza Sauce Recipe
Pizza is an Italian dish, so Italians are the best at making both pizzas and pizza sauces.
This no-cook authentic Italian pizza sauce recipe from Christina’s Cucina is the perfect example since it uses only the best and most traditional ingredients.
Ingredients:
- Canned Pomodoro San Marzano dell’Agro Sarnese-Nocerino DOP
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Fresh Italian basil
- Dried oregano
- Minced garlic
- Sea salt
Quality pizza sauce will require quality ingredients, and unlike our other entries where you could easily swap out the ingredients however you please, you must stick to the script with this one.
That means only using San Marzano tomatoes, which are considered the best in the world, and making sure that your olive oil is extra virgin and of the highest quality.
Feel free to experiment with garlic, basil, and oregano until you find the perfect combination for your taste buds.
9. New York Pizza Sauce Recipe
Many people like to joke that New York has more Italians than Italy, and it’s no wonder, given how even the cheapest pizza served by street vendors is usually pretty decent.
So it’s no surprise that New Yorkers know a thing or two about making pizza sauce, as this recipe from The Spruce Eats shows.
Ingredients:
- Canned whole peeled tomatoes
- Chopped yellow onion
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Red pepper flakes
- Unsalted butter
- Minced garlic
- Kosher salt
- Oregano
- Sugar (to be replaced)
Admittedly, while New York-style pizza sauce is one of the tastiest around, it’s not exactly the most keto-friendly, so we suggest that you either use a sugar-free substitute or leave it out altogether.
Other than that, this is a pretty straightforward recipe that even beginner cooks should be able to follow without any problems.
10. Pizza Sauce Recipe with Fresh Tomatoes
Any chef knows that fresh ingredients always taste better than canned, and that’s especially true for tomatoes.
This pizza sauce recipe from The Parent Spot uses fresh tomatoes instead of canned variety.
Ingredients:
- Cubed fresh tomatoes
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Fresh basil leaves
- Minced garlic
- Dried oregano
- Sugar
- Salt
Besides the obvious difference in terms of taste, using fresh tomatoes will also change the texture of the pizza sauce, making it more chunky instead of smooth.
Besides, fresh tomatoes are very low in carbs (~3.9 grams/ 100 grams of tomatoes), so they’re a better alternative to canned tomato paste which has loads of added sugar.
Ironically, the original recipe requires adding granulated sugar, but since you want to make it keto, replace it with another sweetener or forget about it entirely.
11. Low-Carb Pizza Sauce Recipe (Tomato Sauce)
Tomato sauce is usually cheap, but if you’re looking for low-carb or sugar-free varieties, be prepared to pay a lot extra.
However, why buy low-carb tomato sauce for more than it’s worth when you could easily make your own just like it?
This recipe from Eat Better Recipes is specifically designed to be low-carb and keto-friendly, which means that you won’t have to worry about breaking your diet every time you have a pizza night.
Ingredients:
- Canned tomatoes
- Kosher salt
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Red pepper flakes
- Fresh cracked black pepper
- Olive, avocado, or grapeseed oil
- Dried oregano, basil, thyme, and parsley
Preparing this sauce is pretty basic since you’ll just have to add everything listed above into a blender and pulse it until it’s smooth, and you can store it in an air-tight container for up to 2 weeks.
It’s a classic recipe that doesn’t stand out at all, making it impossible to mess up.
12. Sugar-Free Pizza Sauce Recipe from Scratch
The words keto and sugar-free go together like peanut butter and jelly, so this recipe from Sweet as Honey is such a winner.
As the name suggests, it’s a keto-friendly pizza sauce that doesn’t have any added sugar, and you can make it from scratch, making it the perfect option for those on a low-carb diet.
Ingredients:
- Crushed tomatoes
- Tomato puree
- Tomato paste
- Olive oil
- Salt
- Erythritol
- Onion powder
- Crushed garlic
- Ground pepper
- Dried Italian herb mix
Since you’re dealing with 3 different kinds of canned tomato products, you’ll need to be extra careful when you pick them out at the canned foods aisle at your local supermarket.
If you don’t, you’ll notice that there’s a lot of added sugar going into your sugar-free pizza sauce when you crunch the numbers, which will defeat the purpose of using erythritol.
13. Garlic Sauce Recipe for Pizza
There are two kinds of sauces that you can make when you’re preparing pizza at home, and that’s either a red sauce or a white garlic sauce.
This recipe from Away from the Box is for the latter, and if you go ahead and follow it, you’ll have some of the creamiest and most flavorful garlic sauce you’ve ever tasted.
Ingredients:
- Salt
- Pepper
- Olive oil
- Half and half
- Minced garlic
- Italian seasoning
- Grated Parmesan cheese
- All-purpose flour (to be replaced)
The reason why all-purpose flour is used is that it acts as a thickener. Unfortunately, flour is a no-go on a keto diet, so you’ll have to find another way to thicken the garlic sauce.
Luckily, there are several keto-friendly flour substitutes that you can use, such as xanthan gum or arrowroot powder. Remember to use it sparingly, as too much of either one can make your sauce slimy.
14. Papa John’s Garlic Dipping Sauce – White Sauce Pizza Recipe
Papa John’s Pizza is a beloved chain by many, but what makes it stand out is the garlic dipping sauce that comes with every order.
The good news is that you can easily make your own at home with this CopyKat recipe, and surprisingly enough, you’ll only need 2 ingredients.
Ingredients:
- Liquid margarine
- Grated garlic
This recipe is also incredibly easy to make besides tasting just like the garlic dipping sauce you’d get when eating at a Papa John’s Pizza restaurant.
Besides, this recipe is pretty much perfect from a keto standpoint because it is zero-carb, but all that fat from the liquid margarine will certainly help out with your ketosis.
Check out low-carb and keto-friendly sauces if you’re looking for even more ways to add some extra flavor to your food.
15. 10-Minute Garlic White Pizza Sauce Recipe
Not all white pizza sauce recipes are the same, and this one from Nellie Bellie is a great example of how you don’t have to make a copycat recipe to create something amazing.
It’s a garlic-infused white sauce that has a bit of a kick to it, and it’s the perfect way to add some extra flavor to your pizza without using a lot of toppings.
Ingredients:
- Minced garlic
- Salt
- Olive oil
- Black pepper
- Dried oregano
- Half and half, or milk
- Flour (to be replaced)
Unlike some of our other white sauces that you put together by mixing them at room temperature, this sauce recipe will require that you use a skillet for cooking the garlic in oil before adding the rest of the ingredients.
Other than that, it’s a pretty straightforward recipe, and as long as you use a keto-friendly flour substitute, it’ll be perfectly fine for your low-carb diet.
16. Quick and Easy Recipe for Pizza White Sauce
Not all white pizza sauces are made for dipping, as some are used on top of the pizza as a spread.
This recipe from Natasha’s Kitchen is a great example of such a sauce, and it combines two flavors that seem like the definition of Italian cooking: garlic and cheese.
Ingredients:
- Milk
- Sea salt
- Black pepper
- Grated garlic
- Unsalted butter
- Shredded Parmesan cheese
- All-purpose flour (to be replaced)
We love using Parmesan cheese whenever we get the chance, but it’s especially good in this recipe because it adds a lot of flavor without making the sauce too heavy.
Besides, more Parmesan equals more fat, and more fat is always a good thing when you’re on a keto diet.
As for the flour, you can once again use xanthan gum or arrowroot powder as substitutes. If you want to make things even easier, you could just leave it out altogether and let the cheese do its job of thickening the sauce.
17. Neapolitan Pizza Sauce Recipe
Some dishes are so iconic that they’ve even ended up on UNESCO’s list of intangible cultural heritage, such as Neapolitan pizza (a.k.a. Naples-style pizza).
This pizza is traditionally made using San Marzano tomatoes or Pomodorino del Piennolo del Vesuvio tomatoes, and Mozzarella di Bufala Campana as the cheese.
As you can probably imagine, using storebought garden-variety pizza sauce on such premium pizza made with such premium ingredients would be blasphemous.
Luckily, you can make your Neapolitan pizza sauce at home with this recipe from Our Best Bites.
Ingredients:
- Canned San Marzano tomatoes
- Olive oil
- Kosher salt
- Dry oregano
- Minced garlic
- Ground black pepper
We hope that you know your way around using a saucepan because this recipe will require you to cook the sauce on the stove for a bit before using it on your pizza.
Also, don’t try swapping the San Marzano tomatoes with anything else since they hold the key to this sauce’s authentic flavor.
The only thing you could swap these canned tomatoes with is fresh San Marzano tomatoes, although Italy is pretty far away, so we don’t blame you if you can’t get your hands on them.
18. Pizza Sauce (San Marzano Recipe)
By the time we’re through with our list, you’ll probably google San Marzano tomatoes to see all the hype.
Well, to put it simply, San Marzano tomatoes are the best tomatoes for making pizza sauce (or pretty much any kind of red sauce, for that matter).
This recipe from Kettle Pizza will show you how to make the most of these tomatoes and turn them into a delicious pizza sauce perfect for any type of pizza.
Ingredients:
- Canned San Marzano tomatoes
- Ground pepper
- Dried oregano
- Kosher salt
Unlike some of our other red sauces that use 3 or 4 different seasonings, this recipe lets the San Marzano tomatoes shine by using only pepper, oregano, salt, and even those in very small amounts.
Of course, you could always add more seasonings to taste, but we think that would be overkill, as it would defeat the purpose of using such high-quality (and expensive) tomatoes.
19. Copycat Pizza Hut Sauce Recipe
Pizza Hut is arguably one of the most recognizable pizza chains globally, and their sauce is a big part of what makes their pizzas so delicious.
If you’re looking for a Pizza Hut pizza sauce recipe that you can make at home, look no further than this copycat recipe from Let The Meat GF Cake.
Ingredients:
- Tomato paste or tomato sauce
- Granulated sugar
- Dried oregano
- Garlic powder
- Black pepper
- Dried thyme
- Olive oil
- Water
- Salt
It’s amazing how such simple ingredients can result in a pizza sauce that tastes exactly like the one made by one of the biggest Pizza giants in the world.
It all boils down to the quantity and quality and the ingredients, as well as preparation methods, so make sure you follow the original recipe’s instructions to the letter.
One thing you shouldn’t follow, though, is their suggestion to add granulated sugar since your pizza will no longer be keto, and that defeats the purpose. Switch it up with something else, like erythritol or monk fruit.
20. Homemade Don Pepino Pizza Sauce Recipe
Don Pepino is one of the best pizza sauce brands in the US, and it’s been making Americans crave more since the 1950s.
Unfortunately, while Don Pepino Pizza Sauce may be very tasty, it’s not exactly a keto-friendly pizza sauce since an entire can has around 16 grams of carbs.
Fortunately enough, this next (and final) entry on our list is yet another copycat recipe from Spicy Salty Sweet, and while it isn’t keto either, we’ll show you how you can make it.
Ingredients:
- Tomato puree
- Salt
- Corn oil
- Crushed garlic
- Chopped onions
- Ground black pepper
- Sugar (to be replaced)
Unlike the other sauces on our list that can be prepared in about 10-15 minutes, this particular recipe will require that you invest about an hour from start to finish, but trust us that it will all be worth it.
Since the extra sweetness from the sugar is crucial for obtaining that signature Don Pepino flavor, we recommend that you swap it with some keto substitute instead of skipping it entirely.
In the next section, you can learn more about keto pizza sauce recipe ideas.
FAQ
This section gives you simple answers to common questions about keto pizza sauce.
How do you make tomato sauce for pizza on keto?
Typical pizza sauces contain some form of tomato (crushed, puree, paste, etc.), oil, and seasoning.
As long as you avoid adding sugar or use sugar substitutes instead, your pizza sauce should remain safe for keto diets. More so, pay close attention to the canned tomato products since these can also have large amounts of added sugar.
Is pesto keto-friendly?
Traditional-style pesto is made with Hard cheese, European pine nuts, basil leaves, coarse salt, olive oil, and garlic.
All of the ingredients have zero carbs while being loaded with all kinds of healthy fats, making pesto sauce one of the best keto sauces you could try.
Of course, it’s important to check the label for any added ingredients, especially for cheaper brands.
What can I use instead of pizza base sauce?
There are a lot of sauces that you can use instead of the basic red pizza sauce. Examples include chimichurri sauce, balsamic dressing, olive oil and garlic, ricotta cheese, Alfredo sauce, ranch sauce, tapenade, and pesto.
What sauce can you have on keto?
Since the entire concept of keto dieting is based on limiting your carbs intake and supplementing your fat intake, simply go with any sauce high in fats and low in added sugar (or has none at all). Examples include unsweetened ketchup, sugar-free BBQ sauce, balsamic dressing, chimichurri sauce, coconut aminos, ranch dressing, ranch sauce, mayonnaise, soy sauce, hot sauce, and mustard.
Can you eat marinara sauce on keto?
Like with any kind of sauce or dressing, pay attention to the label and make sure that it doesn’t have any added sugar.
Alternatively, you could always try making your own batch of keto marinara sauce; at least then, you’ll know that it’s keto-friendly.
The next and final section summarizes the entire article on pizza sauce recipe ideas.
Closing Thoughts
It’s hard reading about so many kinds of pizza sauces without hearing your stomach growl.
But, we hope that this article has helped you understand what goes into making a great pizza sauce and given you some ideas for keto-friendly sauces.
All that’s left to do is get in the kitchen and start cooking up a storm!
What are your favorite pizza sauce recipe ideas? Share your tips in the comments below!
