Pizza Sauce vs Pasta Sauce: What's the Difference?

Why pizza sauce and pasta sauce aren't interchangeable — and how to use, or swap, each.

Built for different jobs

Pizza sauce and pasta sauce both start with tomatoes, but they're made to behave differently on the plate. Pizza sauce is thicker and often uncooked so it won't make the crust soggy; pasta sauce is looser and simmered so it coats the noodles.

How they differ

• Pizza sauce: thick, concentrated and spreadable, sometimes uncooked
• Pasta sauce: thinner, simmered and seasoned to cling to pasta
• Pizza sauce flavours: plain, garlic & basil, hot & spicy
• Pasta sauce flavours: original, garlic, zesty

Can you swap them?

In a pinch, yes — but adjust. Thin pizza sauce with a little water to sauce pasta; thicken pasta sauce by simmering, or adding tomato paste, before topping a pizza. For best results, use each for its job.

Easy uses

• Pizza and flatbreads → pizza sauce
• Dipping sauce for breadsticks → pizza sauce
• Weeknight pasta → pasta sauce
• Quick parmigiana or shakshuka → pasta sauce
• Calzones and stromboli → pizza sauce

Tips

• Less is more on pizza — a thin layer prevents sogginess
• Warm pasta sauce with a splash of pasta water to loosen
• Add chili flakes to plain sauce for a zesty version
• Both freeze well in portions

Pizza vs pasta sauce, made simple

Keep one of each and pizza night and pasta night are both covered with no fuss. The Unico range includes pizza sauces and pasta sauces in several flavours.