How Long Can Pizza Sauce Last in the Fridge?

By Vanessa Richards

January 10, 2024   •   Fact checked by Dumb Little Man

Pizza sauce matters. Pizza is a top favorite three layered pie around the world. A great pizza must compose of tasty and crispy crust, a flavor-rich sauce and the best combination of toppings.

Truth be told, it is likely incomplete if it does not have one or the other. Pretty sure that tomato sauce or spaghetti sauce poured over a slice of bread, is a regular touch that could  instantly give us the pizza vibe.

Therefore, the sauce is considered as one of the distinct feature of our sharable round of happiness. Never leave your homemade pizza unattended for a bad sauce.

It is the life of a satisfying bite so treat it well and don’t let it wasted. Give this article an attention, cause we might have the best details you need.

⊙ How to Store Pizza Sauce

how long does pizza last
Photo by Louis Hansel on Unsplash

It is best to keep an eye on the expiration date of your sauce ingredients. Might as well check if the seal is broken because it contributes to the taste and on how your pizza sauce will last.

There are few options to keep the pizza sauce safe and good for your series of party and snack time. One, is to store it in the fridge particularly on the freezer. Feel free to follow your sauce recipe and set aside to cool down before storing.

Be sure to not overflow your choice of storage. Leave a space of at least one  inch to accommodate the sauce when  it expand due to freezing. Pour it over a dry and airtight container or Ziploc bag. You can also spoon it into cupcake tins or  ice tube silicon molders. In addition, you can save your spare sauce by using a sterilized jar.

Related Article : How to Store Pizza Dough

How to sterilize jar for pizza sauce

how long does pizza last
Photo by Sigmund on Unsplash

1. Submerge the jar into a boiling water for 10 minutes.

2. Take it out and leave to dry on the inside.

3. Pour the sauce into the jar and cover it tightly.

4. Store it in the freezer.

⊙ How Long will it last in the Fridge

According to the experts, pasta sauce stored in the refrigerator can still be used between  3 to 10 days after it  is opened. Tomato as a main ingredient, contains acid that helps to prevent the rapid growth of bacteria in  the food.

Generally, pizza sauces last for five to seven days in a temperature between 35 and 40°F. On the other hand, tomato based sauces will be edible for a little longer (more than five days). However, cream-based or cheese-based sauces may expire quicker.

A jar of tomato sauce or spaghetti sauce may last in a refrigerator at a temperature of 0-5°C. To get the maximum use, put it in the freezer at -18 to 5°C.

How to thaw a frozen pizza sauce

  • Put it down on the lower part of the fridge
  • Give t jar of sauce on a iced water bath (do not submerge)
  • Heat it in the pot until it is soft and warm. You can also microwave it in order to melt down.

⊙ How to Know if the Pizza Sauce is Spoiled

If the sauce is left in a room temperature for more than four hours, it is most likely to develop signs of spoilage. Precisely, the sauce will go bad if it is exposed long in temperatures above 40 °F.

Take note: a frozen sauce will last up to two weeks if refrigerated. Do not reheat  it too often  because fluctuating temperatures could encourage the growth of the bacteria.

⊙ How to Determine if Pizza Sauce is not Safe to Eat

A food is not good already when it has off  smell or taste. If  you  find your  pizza sauce darkened or thickened, it might be closer to its point of  spoilage.

A dairy-based sauce gone bad  if  it has unnecessary smell and  the color gets dark. You might also see little bubble on the sides and an uncomfortable sourness when tasted.

4 Signs that Indicate Your Pizza Sauce is Inedible

how long does pizza last
Photo by Jason Jarrach on Unsplash

There are few signs to tell that your sauce is rotten. Keep an eye on these four indicators that tells your sauce is not good anymore.

1. It has molds

The most visible way to prove that your sauce gone bad are molds. It might be a spot of white, green or black  molds rested at the surface of the sauce or at the back of the lid.

If the jar which contains the sauce is covered with a thick spider-web like thing, it is already populated with molds. Don’t bother to open  it and  throw it away immediately  because it is already dangerous to eat.

2. Off smell or taste

As mentioned earlier, the sauce is spoiled if it infuse odd  odor as soon as you open the lid of the jar. You might find nothing bad about the smell sometimes, but when  it tastes unusual with an overpowering sourness and a kick of bitterness, it’s time to discard  it. Another way to tell that  the sauce is bad is through its color. If the color darkened, it is likely expired.

3. The seal is broken

If you buy a ready-made sauce at the store, patiently check if the seal is not opened or broken. This is a warning sign that the quality is bad and might get expired quickly.

Indicators that will cause the sauce some issues:

  • Pealed seal of jar lid
  • Scratched or puffy can
  • The expiration date has passed

4. Left for hours on the countertop

If you left your sauce in a quite hot temperature for long hours, it might get bad faster especially when covered while it is hot. The evaporation will not escape and  it will turn into drops of water that will gradually fall onto the sauce. This will trigger spoiling.

Related Article : How to Make White Pizza Sauce

⊙ Conclusion

Storing sauce is essential 

It is essential to have available sauces in the Kitchen. It can  highlight a lot of dish like pasta, stew especially pizza. It is also equally important to keep in mind how to properly store it in order to maximize its usage and also to save some  money.

Follow the right way of storing pizza sauce

Storing sauce  is wise to have a go to ingredient for pizza to be enjoyed  by your family during movie time.  It is also an advantage for salary people who have tight schedule and needed  to prepare their meals faster than they could. You just need to prepare a good amount of sauce and follow our tips at the top. Just  heat and eat it anytime you  want.

FAQ

Q: How long does pizza dough last?

 A:  A pizza dough will last up to two weeks long if you store it properly in the fridge. It will also last more than two weeks if you put it in the freezer.

Q: How long does take away pizza last?

A: If you want to keep a hot leftover takeaway pizza, you should let it cool down for at least two hours in a room temperature. It is advisable to put it in an airtight container and store it in the fridge to be edible as long as two days.

Ready to start making pizza sauce?

Click here to learn how to make White Pizza Sauce.

Vanessa Richards

Vanessa is a mom of 3 lovely children and a software geek. Outside of her career as a health and wellness instructor. She enjoys writing and researching on topics such as finance, software, health and culinary.

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