Creamy Parmesan Garlic White Pizza Sauce Recipe
Making homemade pizza is one of my favorite meals to make. Every Friday night is pizza night in my house and I love experimenting with new flavors and that doesn’t just include the toppings. Thinking outside the traditional red sauce base has become one of my specialties and this parmesan garlic white pizza sauce does not disappoint! It uses simple ingredients and is ready in less than 15 minutes. It’s perfect for busy people but gives you a homemade taste without all the sodium in store bought pizza sauce. If you have never made a white sauce pizza you will be converted once you try this easy recipe! Full recipe card below 😉
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Why make your own garlic pizza sauce?
This is a fair question when there are so many options available at the grocery store. For me it’s simple. I can control the amount of sodium and other ingredients that go into my sauce. Store-bought versions contain insane amounts of sodium and definitely don’t fit into heart healthy dietary standards. Don’t believe me? Read the labels next time you are shopping, you might be surprised.
Making Your Own Sauce Takes Too Long
This is also a common complaint. But I am here to tell you this creamy white pizza sauce recipe takes less than 15 minutes to make with pantry staples you probably have lying around. You can also use this simple recipe as a pasta sauce in lieu of alfredo sauce.
Why You Will Love this Recipe
Quick – This easy recipe doesn’t take long to make and has so much flavor without all the sodium.
Easy – This is a simple recipe that makes a very flavorful sauce without too many steps. Homemade sauces can be intimidating but don’t have to be difficult to be delicious. I usually keep all of these ingredients on hand as pantry staples and in case I have a craving for this creamy pizza sauce.
Delicious – With just a few ingredients you can have a tasty homemade pizza sauce recipe rich with fresh garlic and parmesan cheese.
White Pizza Sauce vs Alfredo Sauce
Generally speaking, white pizza sauce and alfredo sauce are not that dissimilar. They both use a few basic ingredients that are the same but alfredo sauce is usually made with heavy cream and cheese. This particular recipe is more similar to alfredo than not with the main difference being milk instead of cream. But many times traditional white pizza sauce does not use cheese or garlic. This creamy white garlic sauce is on the richer side but can be used in more than one way as a result.
Ingredients
While this is a simple sauce to make I have a few notes on substitutions and ingredients to avoid.
Unsalted Butter – I always use real butter for this recipe and I have not tested it with margarine so do so at your own risk. Real butter melts a bit differently and unsalted eliminates the unneeded sodium. Butter adds a richness to this sauce and a bit of fat that is needed to hold it together.
Garlic – For best results I recommend using fresh garlic or jarred garlic to achieve the correct flavor of this sauce. Real garlic has a sweeter taste than garlic powder and garlic powder may over power this sauce. But if garlic powder is all you have you will only need 1/4 teaspoon rather than 2 teaspoons of fresh garlic.
Flour – Like in many sauce recipes, flour is the thickener here. I normally use all purpose flour but you could use bread flour or cake flour if that is all you have. Just know they will result in a denser sauce. You can also use cornstarch if you do not have flour but you will only need one tablespoon instead of two since cornstarch is a stronger thickening agent than flour. Cornstarch is also a perfect substitution if you are gluten free.
Oregano – This very aromatic spice pairs very well with the garlic and adds a very earthy flavor to the sauce. While I usually use dried oregano, you can also use fresh.
Salt – As I mentioned above, I like to be in control of the salt content in my sauce but that doesn’t mean I don’t use it. Food needs salt, period. But it doesn’t need so much that it’s all you taste. Table salt or kosher salt work just fine.
Pepper – Black pepper and salt just go together. I only use a little but that is all you need.
Milk – I use regular 2% cows milk when I cook. I have not tried using a non dairy option here. If you use skim milk you may need more flour to thicken the sauce since the low fat content will make it runny. If you use whole milk, cream, or half and half you may need a little less flour since those will give you a thicker and richer sauce.
Parmesan Cheese – DO NOT use the jarred parmesan cheese that comes in the green container because it is not real cheese. The fact that it is not refrigerated in the grocery store is your first clue. You need to use REAL parmesan cheese for this sauce to turn out. I buy aged parmesan cheese in bulk at Costco but you can use the bagged shredded parmesan cheese too. Just note the texture might vary slightly with bagged cheese since it is usually coated in cornstarch during packaging.
Additions – Fresh basil or red pepper flakes are a great addition to this sauce for added flavors but for pizza I usually do not add anything additional, just my favorite toppings.
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Creamy Parmesan Garlic White Pizza Sauce Recipe
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 1.5 Cups 1x
Description
Take your next pizza party or pizza night to the next level with this creamy white garlic parmesan cheese pizza sauce! This simple recipe uses pantry staples you probably already have and has a unique flavor that will keep you wanting more. Pair with your favorite pizza dough or pizza crust, this homemade pizza sauce is the best way to make white pizza with melt in your mouth goodness!
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp Unsalted Butter
- 2 tsp Minced Garlic
- 2 tbsp Flour
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1/8 tsp Pepper
- 1/4 tsp Oregano
- 1 1/4 cup Milk
- 1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium-low heat.
- Once the butter is almost completely melted, add the minced garlic. Be very careful not to let the garlic burn or it will be very bitter. Reduce the heat if needed.
- After the butter is completely melted, mix in the flour, salt, pepper, and oregano. The flour will soak up the butter and form a paste.
- Slowly pour the milk in stirring continuously. Increase the heat to medium still stirring until the buttery paste combines with the milk. About a minute. Make sure the paste is not sitting on the bottom of the saucepan or it will burn.
- Add the parmesan cheese and stir. Again make sure the cheese isn’t settling to the bottom and burning.
- Simmer on medium heat for 5-8 minutes stirring occasionally. DO NOT allow the sauce to boil. The sauce will thicken as it cooks.
- Remove from heat and cool for 5 minutes before adding to pizza.
Notes
Controlling the heat on the stovetop is the most important thing when making this sauce. It should be watched closely the entire time.
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Pizza, Sauce
- Cuisine: American, Italian
Storage
This makes about 1 1/2 cups of sauce and is enough sauce for 3-5 of my 10 inch pizzas depending on how much sauce you prefer. Should you have leftover sauce or if you only like a little bit of sauce on your pizzas, store for up to a week in a glass mason jar or an airtight container in the refrigerator. If the extra pizza sauce shows any signs of mold, smells funny, or shows any weird color separation, it’s time to toss it and make a fresh batch.
I have never tried to freeze this sauce before so do so at your own risk. If you try it, I would definitely use a freezer-safe container and thaw in the fridge rather than room temperature since it is dairy based.
Other Uses
This sauce makes a great dipping sauce for appetizers like bread sticks, fried mozzarella, or pizza rolls. It can also be used as a pasta sauce in larger quantities and heated over medium heat.
Are you ready to make Friday night homemade pizza night? Check out my homemade poolish pizza dough, buffalo chicken pizza, lemon ricotta and basil pizza, bacon and blue cheese pizza, or my garlic white pizza with salami and goat cheese. Looking for an alternative to homemade pizza crust? Try my favorite pizza hack here. I also have a traditional red tomato pizza sauce I use for regular pizza.
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This post, Creamy Parmesan Garlic White Pizza Sauce Recipe, appeared first on Garrison Street Eats.
Leaving 4 stars because the recipe needs to be corrected for the amount of milk. It reads 1 1/4 cup of milk, which looks like it just needs a 1/4 cup of milk. Until you see how thick it is and realize something’s not right. Can you please fix the wording to read 1&1/4 Cup or something that is more clear? Thanks. Very good tasting sauce!
Thank you so much for bringing my typo to my attention! I try very hard to catch these in proof but sometimes I miss one. It should be 1 1/4 cup of milk, not tsp. Very glad you enjoyed the sauce!
Excellent! I personally added more salt and might try adding a little basil next time, but it was delicious!
I’m so glad you liked it Rachel! I always err on the side of caution with salt because you can always add more but you can’t take it away, lol!