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    Home » Vegan Sauces

    Simple Homemade Marinara Sauce

    Published: May 3, 2021 | 10:26 pm, Modified: Aug 17, 2022 by Connie Edwards McGaughy This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe

    Simple Homemade Marinara Sauce 🌱 How to make a simply delicious & versatile marinara to enjoy with pasta, pizza, breadsticks, veggie meatballs, veggie burgers or anything else you love with tomatoes. GF & oil-free option.

    This zesty, thick & rich sauce is so easy to make with just a few basic ingredients! In about 30 minutes or less, you'll can have a perfect pot of marinara ready to spoon onto a bowl of vegan gnocchi or as the ideal pizza sauce for a classic vegan Margherita!

    This post may contain affiliate links. I may earn form purchases at no additional cost to you.

    vegan margherita pizza
    See our complete recipe for making this delicious vegan Margherita pizza here.

    What is marinara sauce?

    I like to think of marinara as the foundation for almost any tomato-based pasta sauce. Made with the basic essential ingredients found in most red sauces - tomatoes, onions, garlic and herbs - marinara is an ideal vegan sauce for any dish that requires a rich Italian-style sauce. It's perfect on pasta, pizza, casseroles, meatballs, as a dip for breadsticks or with veggies.

    How to prepare this recipe

    Here's all you need to know to make a batch of this deliciously simple homemade marinara sauce.

    Equipment

    • 4 qt sauce pan with lid
    • Kitchen knife
    • Cutting board
    • Measuring spoons
    • Long handled spoon for stirring

    Ingredients

    • One 28 oz. can whole or crushed tomatoes
    • 3 oz tomato paste (about 5 tbsp)
    • ½ fresh onion diced
    • 3 cloves garlic minced
    • 2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
    • ¼ teaspoon sea salt
    • 1 tablespoon olive oil
    • 1 tablespoon brown sugar

    I love this sauce just as it is, but if you want to bump up the flavor, you could add:

    • Fresh or dried basil
    • Fresh or dried oregano
    • Dried Italian seasoning
    • Bay leaves
    • Red pepper flakes

    🥕 Tip We like to add a bit of sugar to offset the acidity of the tomatoes. Other options you could use are maple syrup, agave nectar or date paste.

    Instructions

    1. Pour olive oil into saucepan and place on stove over medium-high heat.
    2. Add onions and garlic, stir frequently, be careful not to let them burn. Reduce heat to medium. Add tomatoes. If using whole tomatoes, crush apart with a spoon or fork before cooking.
    3. Stir in tomato paste.
    4. Add balsamic vinegar.
    5. Stir in salt.
    6. Stir in half the sugar. Taste. Add more if needed.
    7. Cover pot. Reduce heat to low and allow sauce to simmer for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
    8. Remove from heat & enjoy!

    🥕Oil-free option If you prefer not to use oil, begin cooking onions and garlic in 2 tablespoon of water. Add more if needed.

    brown sugar being stirred into marinara sauce

    That's all there is to it! Think of all the delicious dishes you can use it with!

    delicious vegan zucchini ravioli on a plate

    Enjoy this delicious marinara with our fabulous vegan zucchini ravioli.

    Vegan Spinach Ricotta Stuffed Pasta Shells

    This simple marinara is perfect with my vegan spinach ricotta shells.

    vegan meatballs with marinara sauce

    Zesty rich marinara served with homemade vegan meatless meatballs.

    🥕Here are a few other delicious vegan recipes you might enjoy!

    • Great Homemade Vegan Pizza Dough
    • Best Homemade Vegan Margherita Pizza
    • Vegan Spinach Pesto with Pistachios
    • Easy Vegan Parmesan Cheese
    • Vegan Stuffed Shells with Spinach and Cheese

    very vegan 🌱 very good

    simple homemade marinara sauce on top of vegan gnocchi

    Simple Homemade Marinara Sauce

    by Connie🥕
    How to make an easy and delicious simple homemade marinara sauce
    5 from 3 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prevent your screen from going dark
    Prep Time 10 mins
    Cook Time 15 mins
    Course Sauce
    Cuisine Gluten-free, Italian, Mediterranean, Vegan, WFPB
    Servings 8
    Calories 55 kcal

    Equipment

    • 4 qt sauce pan
    • kitchen knife
    • Cutting board
    • Measuring spoons
    • Long handled spoon (for stirring)

    Ingredients
     
     

    • ½ yellow onion medium - diced
    • 3 cloves garlic minced
    • 28 oz whole or crushed tomatoes canned
    • 3 oz tomato paste about 5 tablespoon or ½ 6 oz can
    • 2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
    • ¼ teaspoon sea salt
    • 1 tablespoon olive oil
    • 1 tablespoon brown sugar

    Instructions
     

    • Pour olive oil into saucepan and place on stove over medium-high heat.
    • Add onions and garlic, stir frequently, be careful not to let them burn. Reduce heat to medium.
    • Add tomatoes. If using whole tomatoes, crush apart with a spoon or fork before cooking.
    • Stir in tomato paste.
    • Stir in balsamic vinegar.
    • Stir in salt.
    • Stir in half the sugar. Taste. Add more if needed.
    • Cover pot with lid. Reduce heat to low and allow sauce to simmer for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
    • That's it! Your marinara is ready to use.

    Notes

    🥕I love this sauce just as it is, but if you want to bump up the flavor, you could add:
    • Fresh or dried basil
    • Fresh or dried oregano
    • Dried Italian seasoning
    • Bay leaves
    • Red pepper flakes
    I suggest adding dried seasonings while the onions and garlic are cooking. Fresh ingredients should be added at the end. Remove bay leaves before serving.
    🥕Marinara sauce is delicious served on pizza, pasta, breadsticks, vegan meatballs, veggie burgers, as a dip for fried potatoes, zucchini or other veggies.
    🥕Oil-free option If you prefer not to use oil, begin cooking onions and garlic in 2 tablespoon of water. Add more if needed.
    🥕 We like to add a bit of sugar to offset the acidity of the tomatoes. Other options you could use are maple syrup, agave nectar or date paste.
    🥕Store extra sauce refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 55kcalCarbohydrates: 9gProtein: 1gFat: 2gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 300mgPotassium: 315mgFiber: 2gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 278IUVitamin C: 12mgCalcium: 41mgIron: 1mg

    These are estimated values generated from a nutritional database using unbranded products. Please do your own research with the products you're using if you have a serious health issue or are following a specific diet.

    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Mansueta Crowell

      June 02, 2021 at 10:45 am

      5 stars
      Just discovered your recipes, and started to make the Marinara Sauce. And very thankful and appreciate for posting this recipes. I am sure it will be fantastic when making the pizza. next. Can't wait to try others recipes.

      Reply
      • Connie Edwards McGaughy

        June 02, 2021 at 11:13 am

        Hi Mansueta, I'm so happy you found us! That marinara sauce is a constant fixture in our kitchen, we make it all the time. I do hope you enjoy it and would love to hear how your pizza turns out.💚 Thanks a bunch!🥕

        Reply
    2. Christine Rhoads

      March 05, 2021 at 8:46 pm

      5 stars
      Love this recipe ... very authentic Italian! One other trick to bumping up the sugar that my (Italian) family used to do was to sauté some large chunks of carrots (let them carmelize a bit in the pan along with the onions). You cook  them along with the sauce and them remove them when the sauce is done. The sauce picks up some sugar from the carrots that seems to cut the acidity.

      Reply
      • Connie Edwards McGaughy

        March 06, 2021 at 12:04 am

        Christine - I love the idea of including carrots to add just the right amount of sweet to offset the acidity of the tomatoes! What a simply brilliant idea. Carrots rule!🥕

        Reply
    3. Connie Edwards McGaughy

      March 03, 2021 at 10:50 pm

      5 stars
      One simple sauce that you'll love using with so many dishes!

      Reply

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