Homemade Marinara Sauce

Yumna Jawad

Updated Oct 09, 2025

5 from 16 votes

Learn how to make 3-ingredient marinara sauce. Tomatoes, onion, and garlic are all you need to cook a flavorful, healthy homemade marinara!

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Prep Time 5 minutes
Servings 4 servings
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How to Make Marinara Sauce.
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Make Your Own Marinara

I admit that buying marinara is so convenient and I always have some jarred marinara in my pantry for making quick meals, but I still love making homemade marinara sauce! That’s because it requires 3 ingredients and only 25 minutes of cook time.

I often make my own homemade marinara sauce when I have the time since it’s really easy and especially since I can control the ingredients. This way there’s no extra unnecessary ingredients and it feels and tastes more wholesome.

Happy Cooking!
– Yumna

How to Make Homemade Marinara Sauce

Cut onions in pot.
Step 1: In a medium saucepan, sweat the onions until the onions release their juices but do not take on color. You can add olive oil here for extra flavor, but it’s not necessary.
Added garlic.
Step 2: Next, add garlic.
Onions and garlic after cooked.
Step 3: Cook until the garlic is lightly golden brown, about 4 more minutes.
Added crushed tomatoes.
Step 4: Then add crushed tomatoes, stir well to combine.
Sauce after cooked.
Step 5: Simmer on low for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
How to Make Marinara Sauce.
Step 6: You’ll have beautiful vibrant homemade marinara sauce that yields about two cups.
How to Make Marinara Sauce.

Homemade Marinara Sauce

Author: Yumna Jawad
5 from 16 votes
Homemade marinara sauce is easy to make with 3 simple pantry staples like onions, tomatoes, and garlic. Use it for pasta, pizza, or dipping bread!
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Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Servings4 servings
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Ingredients
  

  • 1 sweet onion small diced
  • 3 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes

Instructions

  • In a small saucepan over low-medium heat, sweat the onions for about 4 minutes.
  • Add garlic, and cook until lightly golden brown, about 4 minutes.
  • Add crushed tomatoes and simmer on low for 15-20 minutes. Yields about 2 cups.
  • Serve over your favorite pasta or in other dishes.

Equipment

Notes

My Top Tip: Don’t rush cooking the onions. A slow heat makes a difference bringing out their sweetness and building a tastier, more flavorful base.
Storage: Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days.
Freezing: If you freeze, use within six months for best taste and texture.

Nutrition

Calories: 96kcal, Carbohydrates: 22g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 1g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 278mg, Potassium: 710mg, Fiber: 5g, Sugar: 13g, Vitamin A: 442IU, Vitamin C: 24mg, Calcium: 91mg, Iron: 3mg

Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.

Did You Make This Recipe?
Leave a comment below!

Recipe Variations

  • Add fresh tomatoes: Throw some chopped fresh tomatoes along with the crushed or use whole canned tomatoes for a more textured sauce. Break up the whole tomatoes with a fork or potato masher as the sauce cooks.
  • Add spices: Salt to taste. Fresh or dried – basil, oregano, marjoram, and Italian parsley are all traditional marinara flavorings.
  • Add olive oil or butter: Bump up the richness by sweating your onions in a few tablespoons of olive oil or butter.
  • Add cream: Some heavy cream (or even plain Greek yogurt) will give your sauce a more richness.
  • Add cheese: Grated Parmesan, Romano, or dollops of ricotta all work.
  • Add additional vegetables: Finely minced carrots, some mushrooms, diced red peppers may not make it a traditional marinara, but they will be good and a great way to use up leftover veggies.

Recipe Tips

  1. Use pasta water to thin the sauce. If you’re making fresh pasta with your homemade marinara, be sure to scoop out a little water before draining your pasta. If your sauce gets too thick, you can then thin it out with pasta water.
  2. Don’t rush cooking the onions. A slow heat makes a difference bringing out their sweetness and building a tastier, more flavorful base.
  3. Experiment until you find the flavors and tomato texture (chunky v. smooth) you like best. This a great base recipe that is very easy to build on as suggested above to personalize it.
  4. Check out my post on how to cook pasta. That way you can top your homemade marinara with perfectly cooked pasta every time.

Recipes to Make with Homemade Marinara Sauce

FAQs

How do you thicken marinara sauce?

There are many ways to thicken the sauce. If you want to keep the ingredients minimal and not lose any flavor, I recommend just cooking it a little longer. This way the extra moisture evaporates, thickening the sauce naturally.

What is the difference between marinara sauce, pizza sauce and spaghetti sauce?

They often contain identical ingredients, but while you can use your marinara sauce on pizza, sauce specifically made for pizza does not need to be simmered because it cooks with the pizza. Spaghetti sauce usually indicates long simmering and additional ingredients like meat.

overhead shot of marinara sauce in a pot

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Comments

  1. Susan says:

    Yumna, thank you for the simplicity of this recipe … I plan to make it my staple! Question: In TIPS — “Use pasta water to thicken the sauce. If youโ€™re making fresh pasta with your homemade marinara, be sure to scoop out a little water before draining your pasta a stand by. If your sauce gets too thick, thin it out with pasta water.” — this sounds confusing: does the pasta water thicken or thin the sauce? (yes, I’m new to this sort of recipe!)

    Reply
    1. Yumna Jawad says:

      You’re so welcome! The pasta water will thin out the sauce – hope this helps!

      Reply