Can you freeze pizza sauce? 3 Freezing methods

If you like your pizza thin, thick, round square, there is one key essential ingredient that has to be in your pizza, and that’s the sauce. If you make your own or use store-bought pizza sauce, you will always face the same problem. There is too much sauce for one pizza and not enough for two. Does pizza sauce freeze well?

Did you know that you are better off using canned tomatoes to make pizza sauce consistently good for your family? Canned tomatoes taste the same all year round. Whereas fresh tomatoes can lack luster and are somewhat dry depending on the week in the season, they are being harvested.

For many people, the sauce shines through with a pizza and not so much the toppings. That’s what authentic Italian pizza is about the dough, the tomato, and the cheese.

This article investigates ways to freeze pizza sauce. We answer many frequently asked questions, providing factual answers to improve your culinary skills. Whether it is homemade or store-bought, we have it covered.

Let’s get into it.

Does pizza sauce expire?

Yes. Pizza sauce may seem like one of those products with a long shelf life, and it has until it’s opened, and then the clock is ticking down to its expiration.

If you make your pizza marinara sauce or go for the store-bought option, the shelf life will be approximately the same as about 7 days in the fridge. It doesn’t matter if the sauce has vinegar or preservatives. It will spoil.

Typically pizza sauce is stored in the fridge at 40℉, and when the sauce is open, it is exposed to bacteria even at this low temperature. 

Once the pizza sauce is exposed to bacteria, you will find the pizza sauce will develop mold in most cases.

How do you know if your pizza sauce is bad?

There will be tell-tale signs.

Mold

  • If your sauce has visible mold, that is the clearest sign that it has gone bad. It may have white, green, or back mold inside it or on the lid. The presence of mold on the jar lid shows that the fuzzy stuff has spread and is now unsafe to consume.
  • Please be aware that mold might develop even while your sauce is refrigerated. Even if the mold is removed, it is still unsafe to eat because foods like pizza sauce contain a lot of water. As a result, mold filaments can grow underneath the mold’s surface.

Smell and taste

  • If you’re met with a strange aroma, you may be sure it’s expired. Toss it if it smells funky and tastes sour, acidic, bitter, or just plain unpleasant. Look for color variations.

Broken seal

  • If you have purchased the pizza sauce from the grocery store and the seal is broken, something is a miss.

Does pizza sauce need to be refrigerated?

Yes and no.

An unopened jar of pizza sauce that has been store-bought can stay in the kitchen cabinet or pantry. The sauce will have been pasteurized, which is different from sterilizing jars at home. The pizza sauce must be refrigerated once the jar is open.

If it is homemade, let the pizza sauce cool to room temperature before putting it in the fridge.

Does pizza sauce have to be covered?

Yes, keep it covered while it is not in use. Either replace the lid firmly or store the sauce in a sealable bag suitable for the fridge.

Pizza sauce exposed to air at room temperature is asking for trouble. The bacteria will start growing almost straight away.

Can you put a warm pizza sauce in the fridge?

No. If you make your pizza sauce, you will have to cook the sauce down for a while and then wait for it to cool before it goes into the fridge.

If you read online that you can’t put a warm pizza sauce in the fridge because of condensation coalescing into water droplets that will drip and make your pizza sauce watery and less appealing at best is why you can’t put the warm pizza sauce in the fridge, you are being misled.

Your fridge temperature will be 40℉ -18℃ or a little lower. Placing a warm pizza sauce in the fridge will elevate the fridge’s temperature while it radiates heat.

Your fridge may not be as efficient as you might have thought at removing heat. Most fridges take hours to come to 40℉ after being switched on after cleaning.

So, what’s the big deal? The big deal is that food sitting at a temperature of 40-140℉ is in the food danger zone. It’s not just your pizza sauce. It is the contents of the entire fridge.

Above 40℉-18℃ bacterial growth on perishable foods will accelerate exponentially. It should be discarded if the food remains at an elevated temperature above 40℉-18℃ for just two hours.

Seems harsh? According to the USDA, after two hours in the food danger zone, perishable foods contain enough bacteria to cause food poisoning.

Furthermore, the pizza sauce should be covered in the fridge so there will be no condensation!

How long can warm cooked pizza sauce sit out?

Two hours. Remember the food danger zone? According to the USDA, perishable goods sitting out for two hours should be discarded, and the bacteria growth on the food has multiplied rapidly, making the food unfit for consumption.

Eating food sitting out for two hours or more could cause food poisoning.

Does unopened pizza sauce go bad?

How long does pizza sauce last after being sealed? The precise response primarily relies on the storage circumstances; store in a cool, dry environment for maximum shelf life.

How long does room temperature, unopened pizza sauce last? Well-stored pizza sauce typically lasts for 12 to 18 months, while it is usually still safe to use after that.

 Providing it is appropriately stored, and the can is undamaged. Commercially packaged pizza sauce will frequently have a “Best By,” “Best if Used By,” “Best Before,” or “Best When Used By” date; however, this is not a safety date; instead, it is the manufacturer’s prediction of how long the pizza sauce will remain at its best.

Does frozen pizza sauce go bad?

Pizza sauce wool typically freezes for 6 months and is perfect when defrosted. But depending on the amount of pizza sauce you freeze, it can take some time to defrost, so you must plan.

Be aware that a  jar of pizza sauce in the freezer; will break. As the water in the pizza sauce freezes, it will expand.

How to freeze a jar of pizza sauce

  • Remove the lid of the jar.
  • Pour about ⅓ of the contents of the jar out into a container.
  • Place cling wrap over the jar and click or screw the cap back tightly. The cling wrap will help seal the jar, so there is no leakage.
  • Place the jar in a Ziploc or equivalent and seal.
  • Mark the bag with the contents and the freezing date.
  • Place the bag in the freezer.

How to free pizza sauce in plastic bags

  • Prepare a sealable freezer bag. Something like Ziploc works well.
  • Pour the contents of the jar into the freezer bag.
  • Expel as much air from the freezer bag as possible.
  • Mark the freezer bag with the contents and the freezing date.
  • Place the bag in the freezer.

This method is excellent for those who prefer not to freeze the sauce in jars and those who wish to use portion control for their pizza. It’s easy. You can use this method by weight or volume to have the precise amount of pizza sauce.

How to freeze pizza sauce in an ice cube tray

  • Use a clean tray or trays for this method.
  • Pour the pizza sauce into a polythene bag, and snip the end, so you have a piping bag. This will give you more control and less mess.
  • Half-fill each ice cube container, keeping in mind that the sauce will expand when it freezes.
  • Place in the freezer for 2 hours and flash freeze to set the sauce.
  • When frozen, remove the cubes of pizza sauce and place them in a Ziploc bag or similar.
  • Expel as much air from the freezer bag as possible.
  • Mark the freezer bag with the contents and the freezing date.
  • Place the bag in the freezer.

It’s a great way to freeze pizza sauce, making an excellent ice cube for a bloody mary!

You can freeze store-bought and homemade pizza sauce in exactly the same way. They will be perfect for 6 months.

Don’t forget to freeze your white pizza sauce too.

How to defrost pizza sauce?

It’s best placed in the fridge overnight, it will be pretty dense and can take some time to thaw completely, but once it is at the slushy stage, it can be applied to the pizza base.

Final thought

Pizza sauce is versatile. It freezes exceptionally well, and there is no loss of flavor if it is store-bought or homemade.

Storing pizza sauce in ice cube sizes is not as crazy as it sounds. They thaw quickly, and you can use the amount you need.

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