Can pizza sauce be frozen?
Pizza sauce is one of the most useful foods to have around the house. If you have some pre-made pizza crusts in the freezer, all you need is a little sauce and toppings to make an easy, yet delicious lunch or dinner.
The only problem with having pizza sauce on hand for when you want to make a quick pizza is that it has a limited shelf life. It doesn’t last forever in the fridge.
If you want to have a stock in the freezer, is that even an option?
Can pizza sauce be frozen?
Yes, you can freeze pizza sauce without losing much in quality or flavor. Freezing is the best way to preserve it and store it up to 6 months. You can freeze pizza sauce in large batches or individual pizza-sized portions.
It turns out that pizza sauce freezes very well, and the pizza sauce won’t lose too much quality or flavor when stored in the freezer. So you’ll hardly know the difference between fresh and frozen pizza sauce.
Freezing the pizza sauce is quite simple, but there are some tips to keep in mind so that the pizza sauce does not lose too much flavor or quality in the freezer.
How to freeze pizza sauce
The way you freeze the pizza sauce will depend on how much you want to freeze each time, and the type of container you want to freeze the pizza sauce in.
Freeze pizza sauce in a jar
If you bought a jar of pre-made pizza sauce from the store and want to freeze it as is, you can, but you have to remember to remove some of the pizza sauce before putting it in the freezer.
Because it contains liquid, the pizza sauce will expand when frozen, and if the mason jar is left full, it could crack or explode in the freezer, making a mess you don’t want to clean up.
To freeze a jar of pizza sauce, follow these steps:
- Scoop out some of the pizza sauce from the jar, leaving some room at the top for the pizza sauce to expand when it freezes.
- Place the jar of pizza sauce in a plastic freezer bag.
- Label the freezer bag with the freeze date, so you know when to use it before it goes bad.
- Remember to tightly seal the mason jar and plastic freezer bag to prevent exposure to air and moisture.
You can also follow the above method if you are portioning the pizza sauce into your own mason jars. It is important that you make sure the jars are tightly closed and that you place the mason jar inside a plastic freezer bag for further protection in the freezer.
Freeze pizza sauce in plastic freezer bags
If you don’t want to freeze an entire jar of pizza sauce in one batch, and prefer to portion it out into smaller portions, you can freeze the pizza sauce in plastic freezer bags.
Using a freezer bag allows you to control the portions you’re freezing, and freezer bags are pretty easy to work with.
Just modify the above steps as follows
- Portion the pizza sauce into freezer-safe freezer bags.
- Squeeze as much air out of the freezer bags as possible and seal them well.
- Label the freeze date, and the name of the contents, on the plastic freezer bag. This makes identification easy and helps you keep track of when the pizza sauce should be used.
- Place the freezer bags in the freezer, stacked one on top of the other.
The best thing about using freezer bags to store pizza sauce is that you can lay them flat on top of each other in the freezer, which saves you a lot of space.
If you have a small freezer, or don’t have a lot of space left in your home freezer, stacking freezer bags on top of each other is a great space-saving hack.
You can also pack jars of store-bought pizza sauce into freezer bags to avoid having to thaw the entire jar when you only need a small amount of pizza sauce for one or two pizzas.
Freeze pizza sauce in ice cube trays
Another good freezing method for pizza sauce is to freeze individual servings in ice cube trays.
This method is perfect for when you only need a small amount of pizza sauce at a time, but you can also use as much as you like by scooping out as many frozen pizza sauce cubes as you need.
Here’s how to freeze pizza sauce in ice cube trays:
- Clean out an ice cube tray.
- Pour the sauce into each of the ice cube wells. (Remember that pizza sauce is a liquid, so it will expand.)
- Put the tray in the freezer for 3 hours, until the pizza sauce is frozen.
- Take the ice cube tray out of the freezer and scoop out the individual pizza sauce cubes.
- Place them in a large freezer-safe plastic bag and seal tightly, removing as much air as possible from the bag.
- Freeze date label.
By freezing the pizza sauce in the ice tray at first, you are freezing small portions to place in the freezer bag.
Since the cubes would have been frozen separately in the ice tray, they won’t stick together in the freezer bag, and you can get as many cubes out of the bag as you want without defrosting more than you would need at one time.
Can homemade pizza sauce be frozen?
You can freeze homemade pizza sauce , and many people choose to make their own pizza sauce to freeze for later use.
This gives you the opportunity to perfect your pizza sauce, to suit your tastes, and to make larger batches to freeze, for a cheaper price than you could buy pizza sauce at the store.
When making your own pizza sauce to freeze, there are a few things to remember to ensure your homemade pizza sauce maintains its quality and is safe to freeze:
- Once the pizza sauce has finished cooking, allow it to cool to room temperature before freezing. To make this go faster, you can separate the pizza sauce into smaller portions to cool faster, or place the container of pizza sauce in an ice bath.
- Do not leave the pizza sauce out at room temperature for more than 2 hours, as this could lead to the growth of bacteria, which could cause foodborne illness.
- You can freeze homemade pizza sauce in mason jars, plastic freezer bags, or ice cube trays. It will depend on what you have on hand and the size of the portions you want to freeze.
- Keep in mind that by freezing larger portions, you are forcing yourself to use that amount of pizza sauce, as you cannot refreeze pizza sauce once thawed.
How long does pizza sauce last in the fridge?
Pizza sauce can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. However, it is important to note that even if the pizza sauce has not passed its expiration date, if it is left open in the fridge, it could spoil.
If the pizza sauce has been in the fridge for 5 days or more, you should look for signs of spoilage, such as
- Any unpleasant, sour or acid odor. If the pizza sauce doesn’t smell good, throw it away.
- Any signs of mold or discoloration.
- Taste: If you taste the pizza sauce and it tastes sour or unpleasant, throw it away.
Related questions
How do you thaw frozen pizza sauce?
The best way to thaw frozen pizza sauce is to leave it in the fridge overnight. This is the safest way to do it, as it doesn’t expose the pizza sauce to temperatures that could support the growth of bacteria.
However, if you use the ice cube tray method to freeze your pizza sauce, you can microwave one or two cubes for 30 seconds to thaw.
How long does pizza sauce last in the freezer?
Pizza sauce, if stored properly, can keep in the freezer for up to 6 months. The more you protect the pizza sauce in its storage container, the longer it will maintain its quality.
After 6 months it can still be used, but the quality will start to decline and it will not taste the same. Pizza sauce must be kept frozen at a constant temperature to maintain its quality.
Pizza Sauce Freezing - Review
It’s a great idea to keep a few dollops of pizza sauce in the freezer. Whether you freeze store-bought pizza sauce or make your own secret recipe, be sure to keep it protected in the freezer.
It will taste just as fresh when you use it, and be sure to label the container so you can use it within 6 months.
You won’t have to spend ages making pizza sauce when you get the craving if you have some stored in the freezer.