How Long Is Pizza Sauce Good For In The Fridge?

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According to Alto-Hartley’s survey, pizza is the perfect breakfast for nearly a third of all Americans.

There’s something about pizza that keeps us coming back for more. Whether we’re craving a slice or making dinner, there’s no denying that pizza is one of the most popular food items around.

In fact, if you’re like me and find yourself always looking for ways to prepare pizza at home and want to prepare the sauce in advance, you probably don’t want your pizza sauce to spoil too quickly.

So, what’s the best way to store pizza sauce, and how long is pizza sauce good for in the fridge?

Keep reading to find out more about how long pizza sauce lasts and how to tell if it’s gone bad.

How Long Does Pizza Sauce Last In The Fridge?

How long homemade pizza sauce lasts in the refrigerator depends on several factors, including how cold your fridge is and what type of tomatoes you use to make it (tomatoes with higher acidity tend to last longer).

However, as a general rule of thumb, refrigerating your homemade sauce at 40 degrees Fahrenheit will keep it fresh for around 5 to 7 days.

If you store your pizza sauce in a mason jar with an airtight lid, it will stay fresh for up to two weeks without spoiling.

How long does store-bought pizza sauce last in the fridge?

Store-bought pizza sauce has a shelf life of 2 weeks, but there are ways to extend this time.

If you store your sauce in the fridge, it can last for up to 6 months. To make sure that your sauce does not go bad, always make sure that your fridge is at a temperature of 35 degrees Fahrenheit or lower. You should also keep your container tightly closed and away from light.

Once it is opened and used, it has a shelf-life of no more than one week because the sauce’s flavor and texture will deteriorate quickly. If you do not use it within this time, then it is best to throw it away.

How to freeze pizza sauce?

Storing pizza sauce in the freezer is the best way to keep it last longer there are a few things you should know before freezing your sauce. You want to ensure that your sauce is cooked and cooled before it goes into the freezer. This will ensure that it doesn’t go bad as quickly.

After that, there are several ways to freeze pizza sauce:

1. Using Ziplock bags

Here’s how to freeze pizza sauce using ziplock bags

1. Place the sauce in a ziplock bag and squeeze out as much air as possible.
   
2. Seal the bag and place it in the freezer. Remember to leave about 2 inches of space at the top for expansion.

2. Using Mason Jars

Here’s how to freeze pizza sauce using mason jars:

1. Put the sauce in a mason jar or another storage container. The sauce will expand while freezing, so be sure to leave an extra inch at the top.

2. Cover the top of your sauce with an airtight lid, and label your jars clearly with the date so you can see how long your sauce has been in the freezer.

3. Place it in the freezer for several hours or overnight.

Using ice cube trays (or muffin tins)

You can also freeze pizza sauce in ice cube trays or muffin tins if you only want to freeze a small amount of sauce at a time.

This is useful when you want to make pizzas that require different kinds of sauce—such as red sauce vs. white sauce vs. pesto sauce.

Here’s how to freeze pizza sauce using ice cube trays

To freeze pizza sauce in ice cube trays, simply place your desired amount of sauce into an ice cube tray, cover it with a lid or plastic wrap, and then place it in the freezer for several hours or overnight until it is frozen solid. 

How Long Does Pizza Sauce Last In The Freezer?

If you freeze it properly, your pizza sauce will still taste good after it’s been frozen for 6 months.

When freezing pizza sauce, you want to ensure that the sauce is frozen in small containers or jars with lids. And make sure to label each container before you freeze it, so you know what’s inside.

Here are some tips for freezing pizza sauce:

1. Put the lid on tightly before putting the lid on your container or jar

1. Put a label on your container with instructions on how long to freeze it for (and what temperature)

1. Make sure there’s no air circulation around the jar because this can cause condensation, which makes your sauce go bad faster than it should!

How to Defrost pizza sauce?

To defrost frozen pizza sauce, you have a few options. The best way is to put it in the refrigerator overnight. The sauce will thaw and become liquid again. This is the slowest way to defrost pizza sauce, but it will give it the best texture after it’s thawed out.

You can also put cold water in a bowl and place your pizza sauce in there when it has cooled down enough to be handled.

Finally, you can pop it in a microwave for about 4 minutes at a time until it’s thawed out completely. We don’t recommend using this method unless you are in a real rush because the microwave will heat up the pizza sauce and make it taste different from how it would if you had defrosted it slowly.

How do I know If my pizza sauce is bad?

You don’t want to waste your hard-earned money on bad pizza sauce. You’ve got bills to pay, after all!

But how can you tell if your pizza sauce is bad?

Here are some signals that your pizza sauce is bad and you should throw it out:

If it smells rancid or has an off odor

When you’re making pizza, it’s easy to get carried away and let things go a little too long. But if your sauce gets too old and starts to smell rancid or it has an off odor, that’s a sign that it’s spoiled.

You can tell by looking at the consistency of the sauce: If it looks watery or chunky instead of smooth and creamy, that’s a sign that it’s not fresh anymore. It can also be tough to eat because the texture will be off-putting.

If you notice any changes in the color of your sauce, even if it still tastes good (or even if it tastes bad), that’s another clear sign this is no longer safe to use.

If there’s mold growing on the surface, throw it out

Mold is a fungus that grows on foods that are left out for too long. It can also grow in low-humidity environments—like refrigerators or freezers—and in warm temperatures. Mold can be white, green, brown, blackish-gray, or purple in color.

If mold grows on your pizza sauce’s surface, it’s time to toss it out immediately. Mold can cause food poisoning and make you sick.

Even though you might not see a lot of mold on top of your sauce, it’s still there and making you sick.

It has been in the refrigerator for too long

It’s important to keep your leftover sauce in the refrigerator so it doesn’t spoil. But if you’ve been keeping it in the fridge for too long, it might be bad.

If you’ve been storing your sauce for several months, it’s time to throw it out. If you’ve had a jar of sauce in the fridge for less than a month, you can try tasting it first.

You’ll want to check that there are no signs of mold or discoloration on the surface of the sauce before using it.

FAQ

Final Thoughts

To sum up, here’s what you need to know about how long pizza sauce is good for in the fridge, and how to store and make it last longer:

Pizza sauce is generally good for 1 week in the fridge, so long as it’s stored properly and not over 2 weeks (in which case you should probably just throw it out and make a fresh batch).

For best results, you can store pizza sauce in the freezer; just make sure you leave plenty of headspace at the top of your container, so it doesn’t explode in the freezer. 

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