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Homemade Marinara sauce

Amazing Homemade Marinara sauce is an all rounder sauce which taste good over pizzas and pasta. This homemade made-from-scratch sauce is delicious, gluten free & vegan!

Homemade Marinara sauce

Homemade marinara sauce is the base of many yummy dishes. This hearty and rich vegan sauce is simple and made with basic ingredients which come right off your pantry/fridge. 

Why make from scratch when you can buy everything from the store? Well, to start with, there is nothing more satisfying than a homemade sauce as you control what goes in the recipe. And secondly, with no preservatives added, this recipe is quickly going to become a must-have in your home.

Homemade Marinara sauce

To make a flavorful and hearty homemade marinara sauce, all you need is a few simple ingredients, a little time on hand and be precise – DO NOT complicate the recipe. 

Few tips to follow- 

  • Always use thick pulpy tomatoes for this recipe. 
  • Do not use tomato puree. You can use chopped canned tomatoes to save some time. 
  • Cook your sauce on a medium-low flame and allow it to simmer. Simmering will deepen the flavors and make the sauce even more delicious. 
  • Before adding dried herbs, crush them in between your palms and add to the sauce. The warmth from your hands will help bring out their flavors.
  • If the sauce turns to out to tarty and acidic in taste, add a little brown sugar to balance the flavor. Or you can add boiled carrots to the sauce.
How to make Homemade Marinara sauce

Feel free to customize this sauce to your liking. You can add more spices like oregano, thyme, and rosemary for extra flavors, likewise, white wine and red wine would also be a great addition too.

ingredients : 

WILL YIELD 3 CUPS OF TOMATO PUREE

TOTAL TIME: 30 MINUTES

8 medium-sized tomatoes

1 medium onion roughly chopped

1 tablespoon chopped garlic

1/2 cup chopped fresh basil

1/4 cup Olive oil

1 tablespoon dried basil leaves

1 teaspoon Cayenne pepper or red chili powder

1 tablespoon Sugar

Salt to taste

1 teaspoon Vinegar (optional – use only if storing for a longer time)

2-3 tablespoon cashew cream (optional). Non-vegan option, use regular cream.

method :

1. Wash and clean tomatoes. Apply a small incision in tomatoes and drop them in a potful of boiling water for 7-9 minutes. 

Homemade Marinara sauce

2. Soon you will notice the skin peeling off from the tomatoes. Remove them from hot water and give them a cold bath by dropping them in cold water. This will speed up the peeling process. 

Homemade Marinara sauce

3. Peel off the tomato skin and discard. Using a sharp knife chop the juicy flesh of tomatoes and toss them into a mixer and liquefy/puree them. For a seedless puree pass it through a strainer.

How to blanch tomatoes

Homemade Marinara sauce

4. Assemble ingredients for marinara sauce. In a pan heat olive oil and add chopped onions and garlic. Cook till onion starts to caramelize.

5. Stir in tomato puree, salt, cayenne pepper, fresh basil leaves and stir it to combine the flavors. Allow it to simmer and bring it to a boil.

Homemade Marinara sauce

6. Using an immersion blender puree it to its desired consistency. If you like it chunky, then puree for few seconds and move on to the next step. But if you like it silky and creamy then puree it for long until desired consistency is reached. Time to flavor up with dried basil leaves. Well the question is- if fresh basil is already added why add dry basil leaves – simple dried herbs are more flavorful and they hold their flavor for a longer time while cooking.

Homemade Marinara sauce

7. Add brown sugar to balance the acidic content of the tomatoes and finally stir in cashew cream (this is optional). Cashew cream thickens the sauce and adds a great texture. Give the sauce a final stir and take it off the flame. Your homemade marinara sauce is ready, allow it to cool and then store it airtight containers for later use. 

Homemade Marinara sauce

8. This sauce freezes well. Once cooled, store it in sterilized dry containers in your freezer section. When ready to use it – take it out of the freezer, set it on the counter to thaw and use as desired.

Homemade Marinara sauce

9. Homemade Marinara sauce is ready.

Step by step Homemade Marinara sauce with pictures

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Comments

  1. Hina says:

    In place of cream .what we cn add

  2. Neelam says:

    Hi Ruchi,

    Why is olive oil for two times it says 2 tbsp olive oil and then 1/4 cup olive oil. Do we use 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp?

  3. Khushbu says:

    Hi Ruchi,

    Had made this sauce for lasagna. It was really good.

    Can we store this marinara sauce and what is the process of the same? How long can it be stored?

    Regards,
    Khushbu

    • Ruchi says:

      Thanks for trying the recipe Khushbu, glad you liked it. Marinara sauce can be stored in the refrigerator for 2 weeks in an airtight container and in the freezer for 2 months.

  4. neha says:

    Hii Ruchi..Awesum lasagne recipe.. šŸ™‚
    Can we omit Basil leaves or it has any replacements…!!
    Basil Leaves are Tulsi leaves, right!

    • Ruchi says:

      Thanks Neha! You can replace basil leaves with dried/crushed basil leaves. Basil leaves and Tulsi are not the same. Indian Tulsi also known as holy basil has a strong flavor and the one that I have used is Italian basil which is mild and sweet in flavor. Hope this answers your query!

  5. akshara says:

    hi ruchi
    its easy to find out italian basil in india
    cream which we use on cake is that

    • Ruchi says:

      Thanks for stopping by Akshara! Yes, Italian basil is available in Indian supermarkets.
      Use whipping cream in liquid form for this recipe.

  6. MrsG says:

    Dear Ruchi,

    I make this all the time, thank you. If I want to use passata instead of the 8 tomatoes how much will I need do you think? Iā€™m making it right now to use in my vegan lasagne so would really appreciate your reply. Thank you again šŸ™šŸ¼

    • Ruchi says:

      MrsG, you will need at least 1 cup of passata. It all depends on how well you want your pasta layered with sauce.
      Some prefer it light, others like it fully drenched in sauce.
      So, it all depends on one’s liking. šŸ˜Š