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20-Minute Homemade Marinara Sauce with Canned Tomatoes

5 from 1 vote
Homemade marinara sauce is so easy to make, and way more tasty than store-bought alternatives. Ready in 20 minutes, it’s made with basic pantry ingredients and is great to have on hand to add to your favourite pasta or pizza recipes. Great for canning and freezing!
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
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Mar 21, 2023 (Last updated Apr 29, 2026) by Hannah Sunderani

This simple homemade marinara sauce can be whipped up with simple whole food ingredients: canned tomatoes, olive oil and fresh basil – most of which you likely have at the ready! Skip that extra trip to the grocery store this week and cook your own recipe from scratch in just 20 minutes.

I always have a batch of this homemade marinara sauce on hand – either in my fridge or freezer. I like to use this marinara sauce spooned over cooked pasta for a quick family friendly dinner. It’s also great slathered on homemade pizza or used to make my vegan eggplant parmesan bake!

Now, let me tell you exactly how to make this marinara so that you can enjoy it pronto.

homemade marinara sauce recipe in a saucepan on a cutting board
all of the ingredients required to make this recipe on a wood cutting board

Ingredient Notes 

  • Extra virgin olive oil – I highly recommend using a quality cold-pressed olive oil. A good oil makes a huge difference in the flavour and silky texture of the marinara.
  • Whole canned tomatoes – To make this homemade marinara sauce as quick and simple as possible, I used canned whole tomatoes. I always have a jar on hand and it significantly cuts down on the prep work vs. using whole tomatoes.
  • Fresh basil – A sprig of fresh herbs adds a final freshness and hint of sweetness that rounds out this savoury, classic marinara sauce. I recipe tested this marinara sauce without the basil and it’s still delicious, but I highly recommend for a fresh and restaurant-worthy taste.

How to Make Homemade Marinara Sauce

Making homemade marinara sauce is simple and effortless! Here’s how to do it:

onions, garlic and olive oil in a saucepan ready to be cooked
Cook onion and garlic with olive oil until softened, 8 mins.
cooked onions and garlic with spices in a saucepan ready to be stirred
Add salt, oregano, and chili flakes. Cook for another 2 minutes.
ingredients for making marinara sauce placed inside a blending container
Transfer the oil-spice mixture to a high-speed blender with canned tomatoes
ingredients for homemade marinara sauce blended together in blending container
Blend until smooth.
Marinara sauce in a saucepan.
Transfer the marinara back to saucepan and bring to a simmer.
Chopped basil in a saucepan of marinara sauce ready to be mixed in.
Add freshly chopped basil and more sea salt to taste.
homemade marinara sauce recipe in a saucepan on a cutting board
Serve on spaghetti or use in your favourite dishes!

Watch the how to video:

Join me on my YouTube Channel, where I teach you just how easy it is to make this Marinara Sauce recipe!

I hope you love this homemade marinara sauce as much as I do! If you do make this recipe, please let me know in the comments below what you think! I truly love hearing from you, and I’m always here to answer any questions you might have. 

And of course, tag me on Instagram with your pictures using the hashtag #twospoons. Nothing makes me happier than to see your recreations. 

homemade marinara sauce with basil on top sitting on a cutting board
GFGRFNFSFSGF

20-Minute Homemade Marinara Sauce with Canned Tomatoes

5 from 1 vote
By Hannah Sunderani
Homemade marinara sauce is so easy to make, and way more tasty than store-bought alternatives. Ready in 20 minutes, it’s made with basic pantry ingredients and is great to have on hand to add to your favourite pasta or pizza recipes. Great for canning and freezing!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
homemade marinara sauce recipe in a saucepan on a cutting board
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Serves 3.5 cups

Ingredients

  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • 2 yellow onions (small) peeled and diced
  • 4 cloves garlic finely chopped
  • 1 tsp sea salt more to taste
  • ¼ tsp dried oregano
  • pinch chili flakes
  • 28 ounce canned whole tomatoes (796 mL)
  • 1 fresh basil sprig finely chopped

Instructions

  • Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring often the onion turns translucent, about 5 minutes. Lower the heat slightly, add the salt, oregano, and chilli flakes and cook for another 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
  • Transfer the oil-spice mixture to a blender with the canned tomatoes. Blend on high until the tomatoes are smooth and no large chunks remaining, about 30 seconds.
  • Pour the contents of the blender back into the original pot. Move the pot back onto the element on med-low heat to simmer. Add the chopped basil and stir to combine throughout the sauce (or add the basil directly to the blender and pulse a few times, until chopped). Taste and add more salt if desired.

Watch The Video

Notes

1. This sauce can be customized based on your taste. If you like a garlicky sauce, add a few more cloves, if you like more spice, make your pinch of red pepper flakes a little bigger. Taste and add more sea salt and oregano as desired.
3. Nutrition information is for the entire recipe (3.5 cups of marinara sauce). The sauce typically feeds 4 people.

Approvals

Nutrition

Calories: 243kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Sodium: 991mg | Potassium: 505mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 275IU | Vitamin C: 25mg | Calcium: 89mg | Iron: 3mg
DID YOU

Tag @twospoons on Instagram
and hashtag it #twospoons

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See more step-by-step instructions by visiting the recipe story here!

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5 from 1 vote

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  1. I love this recipe! Very simple, and super delicious. It’s a hit every time. And I can use this sauce for literally anything, even as a dip for idlis.

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