What Are the Best Tomatoes for Pizza Sauce?

Just as it’s important to use a high-quality oven to cook your pizza, you’ll want to use the best tomatoes for sauce. This will help ensure your pizza comes out like the gourmet options you get at restaurants committed to the craft of making authentic pizza.

There is no substitute for a pizza sauce with real tomatoes, and some tomato varieties just work better than others. Keep reading to learn more about what makes a good pizza sauce, and the different types of tomatoes commonly used to make homemade pizza sauce.

What Makes a Good Pizza Sauce?

Creating the perfect pizza sauce involves balancing flavors, texture, and ingredients. Here are some key factors that contribute to a great sauce:

  • Flavor Balance: A good pizza sauce should strike the right balance between sweetness and acidity, with a rich tomato base that enhances the overall taste of the pizza. Using quality ingredients like ripe tomatoes, fresh garlic, and aromatic herbs are all part of creating the best tasting pizza sauce.
  • Texture: The consistency of your sauce should be smooth enough to spread evenly on the crust but thick enough to avoid making the pizza soggy. Different pizza sauces types range from chunky and rustic to silky and refined, depending on your preference.
  • Ingredients: Whether using fresh or canned tomatoes, the quality of the base ingredient matters most. Choose canned tomatoes from high-quality brands or the right variety of fresh, in-season tomatoes to create a flavorful sauce.
  • Homemade Touch: Knowing how to make pizza sauce homemade allows you to customize flavors and control ingredients. Simmering tomatoes with ingredients like olive oil, fresh garlic, oregano, and basil brings out a depth of flavor that store-bought sauces often lack.

The Best Types of Tomato for Pizza Sauce

When making pizza sauce, choosing the right tomatoes is essential. The best Italian tomatoes for sauce are celebrated for their flavor, texture, and ability to create a smooth, well-balanced base. Here’s what you need to know about your options.

Fresh Tomatoes

Using fresh tomatoes to make pizza sauce requires a bit more effort, as they need to be peeled, seeded, and cooked down, but the result is well worth it. When tomatoes are in season, their vibrant flavor and natural sweetness bring an unparalleled freshness to the sauce. Here are some of the best fresh varieties for making homemade pizza sauce:

San Marzano Tomatoes

Italians are masters in the realm of pizza making, so it’s no surprise that some of the best tomatoes for pizza come from Italy. San Marzano tomatoes are named after the southern Italian town where they “were born” in Campania, Italy, near Naples.

Pizza fans, top chefs, and Italian cooks praise these tomatoes as the gold standard for taste. If you want a flavor experience that’s genuinely Italian, use San Marzano tomatoes when making your pizza sauce. The mild acidity and sweet flavor of these tomatoes are what make them so popular and prized.

Plum Tomatoes

If you can’t get San Marzano tomatoes, plum tomatoes are an excellent alternative. Although the flavor isn’t quite the same, the texture will be similar.
Plum tomatoes are known by food lovers and chefs as “sauce tomatoes” because they work so well for this purpose. In fact, the plum tomato is specifically grown for making tomato paste and sauces, which is why it is one of the best tomatoes for pizza.

Canned Tomatoes

Unfortunately, fresh tomatoes aren’t always feasible. Your local supermarket might be out of stock, or it might not be the right season. Not to worry, there are some great canned tomato options that will still help you make a delicious sauce for your pizza. Here are some of the best canned tomato varieties for pizza:

Bianco DiNapoli

Bianco DiNapoli tomatoes are quite unique—and quite delicious! Chefs in some of the world’s best restaurants use them frequently, yet Bianco DiNapoli tomatoes are still accessible to the everyday home cook.

When organically grown, you can rest assured that canned Bianco DiNapoli tomatoes will bring earthy goodness to your pizza sauce, taking it to the next level. Bianco DiNapoli tomatoes are typically packed with basil leaves and sea salt to enhance their flavor even more.

San Marzano Tomatoes

As we mentioned earlier, the San Marzano tomato is one of the best varieties for pizza. If you can’t get them fresh, canned San Marzanos are a good alternative.

Most quality canned tomato suppliers make sure their San Marzano tomatoes are grown in the traditional method, which means matured seedlings are moved to fields and tied to wooden poles. Once they’ve ripened, they’re picked by hand, steam-peeled, and canned.

Using canned San Marzano tomatoes (whole or crushed) won’t lower the quality of your pizza sauce—just make sure you choose a reliable brand.

Plum Tomatoes

Canned plum tomatoes are known for their rich, balanced flavor with a natural sweetness and subtle acidity, making them a popular choice among both home cooks and professionals.

With a thick tomato wall, plum tomatoes provide a reliable and high-quality base for a variety of recipes. They’re well-suited for making pizza sauce, as their smooth texture and vibrant taste create a sauce that enhances the flavor of the crust and toppings.

Plum tomatoes also have fewer seeds—perfect for pizza—and they’re typically canned with basil and salt for added flavor. Look for a trusted brand, like Cento, to ensure quality.

Are Roma Tomatoes Good for Making Pizza Sauce?

Fontana Forni Pizza Oven

You’ll be pleased to know that one of the most common tomato varieties found in supermarkets is also one of the best for making pizza sauce. We’re talking about Roma tomatoes. Romas are a variety of plum tomato, which—as we learned earlier—are excellent for making pizza sauce.

Thanks to their naturally low water content and dense flesh, Roma tomatoes create a thick, flavorful sauce without the need for extended cooking times. It’s why they’re a staple in many traditional pizza recipes.

Roma tomato pizza sauce stands out for its rich taste and smooth consistency. To get the best results, choose fresh, ripe Roma tomatoes that are firm yet slightly tender to the touch, with a deep red color and no signs of blemishes or bruises. The freshest tomatoes will have a sweet aroma and should feel heavy for their size, indicating juiciness.

While Roma tomatoes are available year-round, they’re best when they’re in season, typically in the summer months. Seasonal freshness ensures the richest flavor, providing the perfect base for outstanding homemade pizza sauce.

Make Restaurant-Quality Pizza at Home with a Fontana Forni Pizza Oven

We hope you have found this guide on the best tomatoes for pizza sauce helpful. Whether you use fresh tomatoes or their canned alternatives (available in most supermarkets), choosing the right tomato variety is key.

Pick your favorite from the options we’ve listed here, follow our simple tomato sauce recipe, and use Fontana Forni’ soutstanding backyard pizza ovens to create a beautiful, delicious pizza right at home!