I was recommended Mutti Pizza Sauce Spices by a Michelin restaurant chef a while ago. He told me that this is a good sauce that tastes very similar to traditional Neapolitan pizza sauce. As a huge fan of Neapolitan pizza sauce, this made me curious. Could Mutti pizza sauce really be as good as the real deal? When I finally tried it, I was honestly surprised!
I must admit, in my early pizza career I did try a lot of store-bought pizza sauces, and they all tasted pretty bad. Some were too sweet (probably filled with cornstarch and other nasty things you don’t want in your pizza sauce). Others barely tasted like tomatoes at all (I don’t even know what was in those sauces…). I therefore gave completely up on store-bought sauce and promised myself many years ago that I would never buy a supermarket pizza sauce again. But after I heard about Mutti’s pizza sauce, I thought maybe I had to give store-bought pizza sauce one last chance.
What is Mutti Pizza Sauce?
Mutti Pizza Sauce Spices, also sometimes called Classica, is produced by the Italian company Mutti. Mutti specializes in canned tomatoes and is one of the biggest producers in Italy. They are considered number one on canned tomatoes in Italy and have been in business for more than 100 years.
I have great experience with their canned San Marzano tomatoes, that I use for my own pizza sauce. So I’m familiar with Mutti, and their products. I therefore believed this would be a really interesting pizza sauce to try.
Mutti Pizza Sauce Ingredients
The main ingredient (99%) in Mutti pizza sauce is fresh tomatoes. In addition to that, it contains salt, basil, and oregano. Mutti’s recipe is therefore very similar to traditional Neapolitan pizza sauce. Since no animal products are used in the sauce, it’s also vegan.
Quality ingredients are essential for a good pizza sauce, especially Neapolitan-style sauce. Because it consists of so few ingredients, they all need to be of top quality. Mutti is known for their quality, non-GMO (non-genetically modified) tomatoes, so I was really looking forward to giving it a try.
Mutti pizza sauce Spices usually come in a 400ml, or 14 oz can, which is enough for 4 portion-sized Italian pizzas. I’ve seen it in other containers and sizes too, but the can is what you’ll find most of the time.
How Good Mutti Pizza Sauce?
Yes, Mutti Pizza Sauce is actually really good!
When I first opened the can, the smell of tomatoes and basil hit me – a very familiar smell! It smelled fantastic, and I instantly recognized the smell. It really reminds me of proper Neapolitan pizza sauce. This is very promising!
How Does It Taste?
Next was to try the taste. I first tasted the sauce raw. The taste of the tomatoes was delicious, definitely quality tomatoes (but not San Marzano). The taste of basil and oregano also really came through. The sauce was a little bit salty side, not very salty, but more than I expected, since it’s supposed to have less salt than I usually use in my own sauce.
Let’s Try the Sauce on Pizza!
Lastly, and most importantly, how does it taste on pizza? To try the sauce, I made a classic Pizza margarita with mozzarella and fresh basil.
The taste of tomatoes was good, and I could also taste the lovely basil flavor. The saltiness didn’t bother me when the sauce was used on the pizza. It was well-balanced and tasted like it was made from decent ingredients.
How Does Mutti Pizza Sauce Compare to Neapolitan Pizza Sauce?
Can Mitti pizza sauce replace a traditional Neapolitan pizza sauce?
The sauce is delicious, but it doesn’t taste quite as good as a traditional Neapolitan pizza sauce. I think the two main problems are that it’s not made from the best tomatoes (don’t get me wrong, they are great, but not the best), and that the basil is not fresh.
Even though the sauce is made from fresh, quality tomatoes, it can’t live up to the standard of San Marzano tomatoes. The can doesn’t state what kind of tomatoes are used, but I suspect it’s a cheaper type of plum tomatoes, despite the price of the sauce being as high, or even higher than, canned San Marzano tomatoes.
The basil and oregano also don’t taste fresh. Obviously, you can’t have fresh herbs in a can for months, so I’m not blaming Mutti for using bad herbs. But it’s not quite the same.
Mutti pizza sauce can’t completely replace authentic Neapolitan pizza sauce, but it comes pretty close. The flavor is delicious, and it works perfectly on Pizza Margherita. I don’t think you’ll find any better pizza sauce in your local grocery store!
Conclusion
Mutti Pizza Sauce Spices (affiliate link) is, hands down, the best pre-made pizza sauce I have tried. With great flavor of Italian tomatoes, basil, and oregano, you’ll end up with delicious pizza. It can however be a bit pricy, depending on your location.
I will probably not replace my homemade pizza sauce with Mutti every time I’m making pizza, but it’s definitely a great alternative. It’s convenient to have all in one can, for when you feel lazy and don’t want to make your own sauce. I have therefore already bought a couple of extra cans that I will store as backups!
Mutti Pizza Sauce is a great option, made from quality ingredients. But authentic Neapolitan pizza sauce, made from San Marzano tomatoes and with fresh basil, tastes even better in my option. I love making my own Neapolitan pizza sauce from scratch, and it’s easy. If you want to learn how to make perfect pizza sauce in 5 minutes with just a few ingredients, check out our authentic Neapolitan pizza sauce recipe.
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