There might be a minuscule amount of people left in this world who have never eaten pizza. Pizza is enjoyed today in most parts of the world thanks to a baker named Raffaele Esposito from Naples, Italy, who is often credited for making the first pizza pie.
It is often stated that Esposito was ordered to make a pizza for Italian King Umberto I and Queen Margherita when they paid a visit to Naples in 1889. The first pizza featured basil, mozzarella cheese, and fresh tomatoes and has been known from that point on to be Pizza Margherita.
Today, most pizzas are judged based on not only their toppings and the dough used but, more importantly, the sauce that was used to make it. Many pizza lovers are keen on the pizza sauces used in their favorite pizzas. Most of them are not contented with the pizza sauces that come with their pizzas and are on the lookout for better sauces that they can buy from local stores.
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For this reason, we have compiled a list of the best store-bought pizza sauces available in the market, especially for pizza lovers who want a distinct flavor for both their ordered and homemade pizzas:
Our Top Picks for the Best Store Bought Pizza Sauces
Godfather’s Pizza Restaurant-Style Italian Pizza Sauce
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The Godfather’s Pizza Restaurant Style Italian Pizza Sauce is an Italian pizza sauce made of all-natural ingredients. This pizza sauce is made with a combination of herbs and spices such as basil, garlic powder, onion, and tomato puree, to name a few.
This restaurant-style pizza sauce recipe is the same one used in Godfather’s Pizza stores in the United States. Besides being a traditional pizza sauce, it can also make for an excellent dipping sauce for calzones, pizza pinwheels, breadsticks, and many other finger foods that go great with a pizza sauce. Most consumers who’ve already tried this pizza sauce are satisfied with its taste.
Many lactose-intolerant consumers prefer this pizza sauce over others in the market because it has no added sugar, and the sugar present in this pizza sauce is naturally occurring from the tomatoes used to make it. Also, the Godfather’s Pizza Restaurant Style Italian Pizza Sauce has zero cholesterol, saturated fat, and trans fat, which can be suitable for people who strictly observe their diets.
Pros
- Made from all-natural ingredients
- No added sugar
- Cholesterol and fat-free.
Cons
- Some consumers find its taste to be not as good as the ones used in Godfather’s Pizza stores.
Mid’s Pizza Sauce
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Mid’s Pizza Sauce is another Italian pizza sauce included in this list of the best store-bought pizza sauces. Its producer states that this pizza sauce was made in the traditional, authentic Sicilian way. It’s been simmered in open kettles to achieve its mildly sweet taste.
This Italian pizza sauce is ideal for homemade pizzas, and although it has added sugar, this pizza sauce is cholesterol and fat-free, which may still make it a good choice for people who are keen on their diet. Furthermore, the producer of this pizza sauce claims that this product is gluten-free, which can also be great for consumers who follow a strict, gluten-free diet.
Most consumers who’ve already tasted this pizza sauce are pleased with its mildly sweet taste, and its producer recommends adding more sugar gradually while heating this pizza sauce if consumers prefer it to be much sweeter, although they also caution those who should watch their sugar intake to moderate their consumption of added sugar.
Pros
- Cholesterol, fat, and gluten-free
- Most consumers are satisfied with its mildly sweet taste
- Made of a robust blend of herbs and spices.
Cons
- The added sugar might be a dealbreaker for people who closely monitor their sugar intake.
Muir Glen Organic Pizza Sauce
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The Muir Glen Organic Pizza Sauce is an American-made pizza sauce made of all-organic ingredients, including locally grown tomatoes from California’s Sacramento Valley, and another pizza sauce on this list that has no added sugar.
It is the only pizza sauce on this list of the best store-bought pizza sauces that features an all-organic ingredients list. It also has the lowest sodium content among all the pizza sauces on this list, which can make it an excellent choice for people who are keen on their sodium intake.
This pizza sauce can go great with homemade pizza, as well as other dough-based food, and can also be a nice dipping sauce for regular finger foods. Some notable organic ingredients used to make this pizza sauce are organic extra virgin coconut oil, organic tomato puree, and organic oregano.
Many consumers attest to its bold and rich flavor, which can be great for people who like a robust and flavorful taste to their pizza. The producer claims that this product is USDA Organic certified and Non-GMO Project verified, which can attract consumers who support organic products produced by a local manufacturer.
Pros
- Low sodium content is great for those who closely monitor their sodium intake
- No added sugar
- All-organic ingredients.
Cons
- Some consumers find that it tastes too sour.
Chef Boyardee Pizza Sauce with Cheese
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The Chef Boyardee Pizza Sauce with Cheese is another product on this list of the best store-bought pizza sauces that are American-made. Chef Boyardee is a known canned pasta products manufacturer, and many have already experienced several of the canned pasta products they offer.
This Italian-flavored pizza sauce is one of the two pizza sauces on this list with added cheese, and several consumers are actually happy with it. Most consumers like its sweet and savory flavor. They add this pizza sauce to the ready-made dough and are delighted by the fact that they can produce a decent homemade pizza with just this pizza sauce and ready-made dough in only a few minutes.
The Chef Boyardee Pizza Sauce with Cheese is cholesterol free, although it contains common food allergens such as milk, peanuts, soy, and wheat mostly because of the added cheese, so consumers that are allergic to these should be cautious when considering this pizza sauce. Putting that aside, most consumers are actually happy with its flavor and have had this pizza sauce in stock for a long time already.
Pros
- The sweet and savory flavor
- Cholesterol-free
- Some consumers find the added cheese to enhance this pizza sauce’s flavor.
Cons
- Contains common allergens such as milk, peanuts, soy, and wheat.
Pastorelli Italian Chef Original Pizza Sauce
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The Pastorelli Italian Chef Original Pizza Sauce completes our list of the best store-bought pizza sauces. It is another pizza sauce on this list that has added cheese and is made of extra virgin coconut oil and imported Pecorino Romano cheese.
This is an award-winning pizza sauce that has been sold for over fifty years and may just be one of the oldest store-bought pizza sauces out there in the market. Consumers state that this pizza sauce has a smooth texture and a balanced flavor with a little hint of spiciness.
The Pastorelli Italian Chef Original Pizza Sauce is ideal for homemade pizzas, and the added cheese is a hit for both adults and kids who’ve already tried this product. It’s a cholesterol-free pizza sauce, and its producer claims that it’s also gluten and corn-syrup-free, which makes it an exceptional choice for health-conscious consumers, although it contains common allergens much like the Chef Boyardee Pizza Sauce, plainly because of the added cheese.
Pros
- Balanced flavor with a subtle hint of spiciness
- Cholesterol, gluten, and corn syrup-free
- Made of extra virgin coconut oil and imported Pecorino Romano cheese.
Cons
- Contains common allergens because of the added cheese.
Factors to Consider When Buying the Best Store-Bought Pizza Sauce
Pizza sauces are an essential ingredient in any pizza. Pizza lovers will most certainly agree that a pizza without its signature sauce can hardly be called pizza. For many, it is an ingredient that should be carefully considered as it provides the pizza with its distinct flavor besides the chosen toppings.
Pizza sauces come in a variety of flavors and styles. The most famous one, arguably, is the Italian style. These are pizza sauces made in the traditional Italian way, using common Italian ingredients. Most pizza sauces are made mostly of fresh tomatoes because why not? Tomatoes are an excellent source of nutrients and have a lot of nutritional benefits to the body.
There are also other pizza styles, such as the American style and the French style, and a multitude of other styles derived from the place where the pizza sauce was first formulated. Regardless of the style, pizza sauces are definitely what makes pizzas so great, and we all have our own preferences for pizza sauces.
That being said, here are the essential factors that you should consider when buying a pizza sauce:
Ingredients
This may seem trivial, but a lot of pizza lovers are actually very critical when it comes to the ingredients used in making a pizza sauce. Most pizza sauces are made of pure, fresh tomatoes, while some are added with different kinds of stuff such as cheese and chunks of other vegetables.
Pizza sauces with the added choice often don’t go well with people who have allergies to specific cheese components such as pasteurized milk, soy, and wheat. This is why a lot of consumers always check on the label to see whether a can of pizza sauce has an added ingredient.
Chunks of vegetables are also added to pizza sauces, and although some actually like it, most consumers don’t like having pieces of vegetables in a store-bought pizza sauce as they prefer to experiment with their own recipe, using their own supply of vegetables and other ingredients.
Added sugar also doesn’t bode well with a lot of pizza sauce consumers. Many consumers are keen about their sugar intake, and pizza sauces with added sugar can be a huge turnoff. Anyway, you should always check the label of canned pizza sauces to make sure you agree with all the ingredients. At the end of the day, it’s all about your preference.
Flavor
Nobody likes their pizza bland. For some, maybe, a bland pizza sauce can pass, but for most of us who love pizza, a bland flavor is an absolute dealbreaker. Pizza sauces are naturally rich in flavor purely because of the tomatoes. However, some producers lower the tomato content to reduce the sour taste and add hints of other spices for variety.
Italian-style pizza sauces often have a strong sour taste. American-style pizza sauces tend to be mildly sweet, while French-style pizza sauces are usually a mixture of both. Like with any other canned products, it is often hard to judge the flavor without actually tasting it but if you’re one of those who are usually contented in reading customer reviews, make sure to get yourself ready for what you’re about to get.
Personally, what I do is check out a pizza sauce’s ingredients, check out how it’s made, and try to do it at home. If the taste is to my liking, I often end up buying that product, and most of the time, I’m happy with my purchase. We all have a particular flavor that we like, and whatever flavor that is, make sure to devise a plan to discern what a canned pizza sauce tastes like if you aren’t ready to buy it yet.
Pizza Style
A pizza sauce’s potential can often be maximized by pairing it with certain pizza styles. Some people who make homemade pizza don’t like to use an Italian-style pizza sauce for a Hawaiian pizza, as pineapples are often added to it, and using an Italian-style pizza sauce often ruins its overall taste.
On the other hand, you don’t want to use a sweet pizza sauce for a homemade Italian pizza as it definitely bodes ill with the output. Always consider your preference of toppings for your pizza when choosing a pizza sauce to buy, as some pizza sauces are often paired with certain pizza toppings, and for a good reason.
Price
As with any other product, a pizza sauce’s price should be a considering factor, especially for people who are strict with their budget. Indeed, the price often justifies the quality of a product.
However, in this modern world, producers incur other expenses such as transportation costs, taxes, and many other factors that result in an increase in pricing, so if you’re one of those people who are strict with their budget, always consider a pizza sauces price, and don’t hesitate to look for alternatives if it does not fall within your budget.
It’s your money, after all, and you can spend it however you want, but it doesn’t hurt to be cautious when it comes to these things because you never know when you might need that extra cash.
Conclusion
We all have our preference for pizza sauce, and that’s because we all have different tastes. There are a lot of fine pizza sauces available out there in the market, and this list compiled five of the best pizza sauces out there.
The Muir Glen Organic Pizza Sauce tops our list because of its all-organic ingredients that certainly benefit everybody and its wonderful, distinct flavor. The Muir Glen Organic Pizza Sauce’s low sodium content and certain food certifications are also factors for its win.
Whatever part of the world you’re in, and whatever pizza and pizza sauce style you prefer, one thing is for sure: everybody loves pizza. We also wrote posts about some famous pizza toppings, such as capers, feta cheese, and even pepperoncini!
If you have feedback or suggestions, please let us know in the comments section!
Jen Lin-Liu is the founder of Black Sesame Kitchen. A Chinese-American writer and a nationally certified Chinese chef in Beijing. Jen is the author of two memoirs, Serve the People: A Stir-Fried Journey Through China and On the Noodle Road: From Beijing to Rome with Love and Pasta.