2-Minute Marinara Pizza Sauce

This 2-minute no-cook keto tomato sauce is flavorful and thick, with the perfect texture to spread over pizza without making it soggy, and super versatile! Try it as a marinara dipping sauce or add it to low-carb pasta or meatballs!

It’s so easy to make this sugar-free & low-carb tomato sauce! You’ll use only simple ingredients you already have in the kitchen, and just mix by hand – no prep, no chop and no-cook!

Why homemade sauce is better

It’s difficult to find a good keto friendly pizza or marinara sauce. Most tomato sauces you’ll find in the stores are riddled with added sugars, not to mention preservatives, thickeners, flavor enhancers, and other chemicals.

Keto homemade tomato sauce tastes so much better than store bought, it is less expensive, and you know exactly what the ingredients are!

This keto tomato sauce recipe is velvety and thick, super tasty, mildly tangy and with a tiny bit of heat from the chili or red pepper flakes. You can control the amount of spices to your liking and make it yours.

And it’s so easy and quick that you won’t need to buy keto pizza or marinara sauce ever again!

Are tomatoes keto friendly

Indeed they are: tomatoes contain only 3.89 net carbs per 100 grams/3.5 oz which makes them a very low-carb fruit (yes, tomatoes are a fruit, not a vegetable!)

Tomato products, though, are a different story. Even without added sugar, the amount of carbs is higher in tomato puree, tomato juice and tomato paste than it is in raw tomatoes, as these are concentrated versions.

Carbs in tomatoes, puree, passata and paste

The more concentrated the tomato product is, the more carbs it has.

For example, tomato juice has more water content, so it contains less carbs. Tomato paste is super concentrated, being the tomato product with the least water content, so it also has the highest amount of carbs.

See the table below for a comparison of the carb content, from the most keto friendly to the least:

Raw tomato	3.9 grams
Tomato juice	4.2 grams
Tomato puree or passata*	9 grams
Tomato paste	19 grams

*Passata di pomodoro is uncooked tomato puree. It has the same texture, and can be used interchangeably.

Note that I only listed here pure tomato products. Unlike tomato sauces (such as pizza sauce, pasta sauce and marinara sauce) these are sold without extra spices, sugar, or thickeners.

Their texture comes from the amount of water versus tomato, and the taste varies with the quality and ripeness of the tomatoes, and if their were cooked or not before processing.

Ingredient notes

Making this low-carb tomato sauce is really easy and quick – it’s literally ready in 2 minutes – but without compromising on flavor or texture. I chose only ingredients that don’t require any prepping:

• Tomato puree (also sold as passata or strained tomatoes): use a good quality brand for the best flavor. I can recommend Pomi and Mutti, both 100% pure Italian sweet and fresh tomatoes .
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Onion flakes or powder (use half the amount if powder)
• Garlic powder (or minced garlic)
• Dried oregano
• Thyme
• Basil, dried or fresh
• Chili flakes, or red pepper – how spicy do you like?
• Red wine vinegar
• Salt and sweetener (optional, to taste)

As you can see all the ingredients are ready to use – no washing, cutting, chopping, etc.

Of course, if you want to substitute, say, the dried basil for fresh basil, or the garlic flakes for fresh minced garlic there’s absolutely nothing wrong in doing so!

Thick tomato sauce without cooking

Tomato puree or passata is plenty thick without cooking, so you don’t need to use tomato paste to thicken this sauce. Which is great, because it helps keeping this sauce low-carb – tomato paste is heavy in carbs!

I chose tomato puree instead of canned tomatoes or fresh tomatoes because I really don’t like watery sauces, specially on top of pizza! I like my pizza crust crunchy, and watery sauces tend to make the crust soggy.

You’ll never know what the water content in can of diced/crushed/whole tomatoes is gonna be until you open it. It varies by brand and even by batch.

So if you are using canned tomatoes, make sure to drain the liquid from the can before adding them to the recipe.

You can use a mesh strainer, or make small wholes at opposite sides of the top of the can and turn it upside down over the sink until the liquid stops pouring. (Or, save it for a Bloody Mary!)

How to make

Just add all the ingredients to a bowl, and mix until combined! You can use either a spoon or a whisk.

You can taste the keto tomato sauce and add more of any spices as you wish.

Before doing that, it’s good to know that if you plan to store it for a while instead of using it right away, the taste will become more rounded.

Tip: If you have the time, prepare the sauce a few hours in advance, to allow for the flavors to mingle and develop.

If using canned crushed tomatoes instead of tomato puree or passata, the method is exactly the same (just drain the can before mixing the other ingredients). This low-carb tomato sauce will be more textured.

If using whole tomatoes, you’ll need to mash them by hand, using a potato masher. The texture will be slightly chunky. Or, quickly puree them in a food processor, just for a couple of seconds, for a smoother consistency.

Avoid diced tomatoes if you want to keep this recipe simple and quick as intended. It’s nearly impossible to mash them by hand. Diced tomatoes have calcium chloride added to make them harder, so that they keep their shape neat inside the can.

Serving suggestions

This 2-minute tomato sauce is great as keto pizza topping, because it’s thick and easy to spread, but not only!

Although it isn’t cooked, this homemade tomato sauce is full of texture and flavor! So it makes a great addition to pasta dishes, keto meatballs, or as a dipping sauce – use as you would a marinara sauce!

Storage and freezing

Transfer the no-cook keto tomato sauce to an airtight container, like a mason jar, and refrigerate for up to one week (if using only the powdered/dry spices) or 3 days (if using fresh garlic/basil).

You can also freeze it for up to 3 months. You can separate the sauce in batches (enough for one pizza, for example) before freezing.

It’s easy to portion the sauce by freezing it in an ice cube tray. After frozen solid, transfer the sauce cubes to a freezer-safe container or ziplock bags.

Before using, thaw the frozen keto tomato sauce in the refrigerator overnight.

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