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This homemade Marinara Dipping Sauce pairs perfectly with all your favorite appetizers. It’s fast and easy, made with just 5 pantry ingredients and ready in minutes. Perfect for mozzarella sticks, pizza bread, zucchini fries, crispy artichokes, breadsticks, and more!
For a long time now, I have sought the perfect dipping sauce for things like mozzarella sticks, Pull-Apart Pizza Bread, and even Garlic Bread. Marinara sauce is usually geared towards pasta, and such recipes often start off with sautéing diced onions and garlic, adding diced tomatoes and fresh herbs, and simmering until thickened.
While suitable on pasta, it’s all wrong for dipping appetizers. I’ve been seeking something with a smooth texture and bold (but not overpowering flavors).
The punchline? My perfect homemade Marinara Sauce takes almost no time at all and is only five ingredients!
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
Ingredient notes
- Garlic: For the smoothest sauce, try this low FODMAP trick which infuses olive oil with garlic flavor: Heat peeled, smashed cloves of garlic in olive oil until browned, then remove from the pan and discard. Be careful not to scorch the garlic.
- Spices: Blooming spices in olive oil (or any fat) releases fat-soluble flavor compounds and allows for the best distribution of flavor (through the fat). For the best possible flavor, cook the spices in olive oil for about 30 seconds before adding the tomato sauce.
Step-by-step instructions
- Heat oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add garlic cloves and sauté until browned, stirring occasionally to prevent scorching, about 3 to 4 minutes.
- Remove garlic and discard. Stir in basil and oregano until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Reduce heat to medium, stir in tomato sauce and salt to taste (I like ¼ teaspoon), and simmer until flavors have blended, about 10 minutes.
- Keep warm over low-heat until serving time, or cool completely and store covered in the refrigerator. Serve with all your favorite appetizers or even pasta.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: This Marinara Dipping Sauce recipe makes about 2 cups of sauce, enough for 8 servings, ¼ cup each.
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Make ahead: The sauce can be made up to 3 days in advance. Store covered in the refrigerator.
- Freezer: Package the sauce into freezer-safe containers (I like Mason jars; leave 1/2-inch headspace). Label, date, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
Recipe FAQs
To deep-fry foods, any pot will do. Worried about splatters? Choose a taller pot. Want to use less oil? Choose a smaller pot. Just be sure to keep your oil at a consistent temperature whenever possible.
Add spices to oil (or another fat) and let them cook for about 30 seconds before adding any water-based liquids. Blooming spices in fat releases fat-soluble flavor compounds and allows for the best distribution of flavor (through the fat).
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Marinara Dipping Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic peeled and smashed (see note 1)
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil (see note 2)
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 15 ounces tomato sauce
- Salt
Instructions
- Heat oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add garlic cloves and sauté until browned, stirring occasionally to prevent scorching, about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove garlic and discard.
- Stir in basil and oregano until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Reduce heat to medium, stir in tomato sauce and salt to taste (I like ¼ teaspoon), and simmer until flavors have blended, about 10 minutes. Keep warm over low-heat until serving time, or cool completely and store covered in the refrigerator.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Garlic: For the smoothest sauce, try this low FODMAP trick which infuses olive oil with garlic flavor: Heat peeled, smashed cloves of garlic in olive oil until browned, then remove from the pan and discard. Be careful not to scorch the garlic.
- Spices: Blooming spices in olive oil (or any fat) releases fat-soluble flavor compounds and allows for the best distribution of flavor (through the fat). For the best possible flavor, cook the spices in olive oil for about 30 seconds before adding the tomato sauce.
- Yield: This Marinara Dipping Sauce recipe makes about 2 cups of sauce, enough for 8 servings, ¼ cup each.
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Make ahead: The sauce can be made up to 3 days in advance. Store covered in the refrigerator.
- Freezer: Package the sauce into freezer-safe containers (I like Mason jars; leave 1/2-inch headspace). Label, date, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
Fast, easy and delicious dip recipe
I’ve been looking for a good dipping sauce. What would be a good tomato sauce to use? How do you tell which ones are better than other ones?
Hi Ryan, I am not really a food snob so I don’t think any tomato sauce is bad. Muir Glen makes a really great product if you want to pay a little more, but other than that, I think they all pretty much taste the same. If you have one on hand, I would start with that. It’s probably going to come down to personal preference, but I really think the store-brand ones taste pretty much the same as the expensive ones. Good luck! I hope you love the sauce if you try it. -Meggan
Not sure if you are still checking this after all this time, but on your question of spatter guards. Almost any brand with very small holes will work, if you place a piece of kitchen towel right in the center. You still get evaporation, but almost no spatters.
I have not tried one of your recipes I didn’t love ! We are from Racine and we loved derango pizza on 3840 douglas ave. Do you have a thin crust pizza recipe from there ? If so could you share it ? Thank You !
OMG….just made this to go along with some fried zucchini crisps. SO PERFECT! I think I let my garlic get a little too brown, so there was a bit of sharpness…but once I removed it I added a few pinches of sugar and that rounded it out nicely. Perfect consistency, and a great amount of flavor (for very little effort…which is sometimes a nice break!). Thanks for sharing your recipe!
Will it be thick enough? Seems like it would be too runny.
I think the recipe is poorly titled. It is a marinara sauce designed to be a dipping sauce, so for that, it’s perfect. As a standard sauce to put on pasta, it might not be the right consistency you have in mind. I need to rework the recipe so it makes sense for the title. I hope this makes sense! So sorry for the confusing.
will it affect the sauce if i dont put in dried basil? i only have oregano
Hi Natalie, you’ll be fine! Just use what you have. Not a big deal at all – the recipe is very forgiving. Thanks for the question and good luck!
Awesome sauce!!
What’s your favorite tomato sauce to use?
Hi Lauren, it’s just the plain unseasoned tomato sauce (it doesn’t matter which brand). It isn’t spaghetti sauce, if that’s what you are asking. It’s just plain tomato sauce. Please let me know if I’m not understanding the question. Thank you!
I usually use San Marzano tomatoes and mill them to a purée for marinara sauce. I love Ann and her “cook until the garlic becomes golden brown. When the garlic is golden brown and very aromatic, remove it and discard, it has fulfilled its garlic destiny.” Cracks me up although I always leave mine in there. Love it.