This Tomato Sauce recipe will take you back to a time when the internet, Uber and Insta didn't exist – but tomato sauce tasted a whole lot better.
Remember what tomato sauce used to taste like?
You will once you cook up a batch of this!
Enjoy your homemade tomato sauce slathered on a meat pie, serve it with hot chips or store it away for your next sausage sizzle.
An old-fashioned Tomato Sauce recipe
I'm a long-time tomato sauce fanatic.
As a child, I had it with EVERYTHING. I refused to eat many things without it.
I remember Mum having to go to our neighbour's house one night to borrow a bottle of sauce because we'd run out and I had a meltdown.
I've never quite got tired of tomato sauce and still enjoy it, especially with hot chips or on a sausage sandwich.
One of my kids has inherited my tomato-sauce-loving gene, too.
And I always make sure we have a spare bottle of tomato sauce in the pantry.
So I was quite keen to test out this homemade tomato sauce recipe recorded by my great grandmother at least 80 years ago.
With a haul of lovely locally-grown tomatoes from my local farmer's markets, it seemed the perfect time to cook up a batch of Nana Ling's tomato sauce.
UPDATE - I've made this sauce many times since, and it's one of the most popular recipes on the blog!
Ingredients for homemade Tomato Sauce
To make this sauce, you'll need:
- tomatoes
- white wine vinegar
- salt
- caster sugar (superfine sugar)
- garlic
- ginger
- cloves
- allspice
- peppercorns
- cayenne pepper.
Some people also like to add an onion to this recipe.
I like to make it exactly as Nana Ling recorded it, without the onion – but each to their own!
Cooking up this Australian Tomato Sauce Recipe
Making this tomato sauce is quite simple once you've sourced some lovely, ripe tomatoes and checked to make sure you have all the spices and other ingredients on hand.
The other ingredients, vinegar and sugar, you probably already keep in your pantry.
How to make Tomato Sauce
Chop the tomatoes roughly and place into a large saucepan. Then add the rest of the ingredients and bring to the boil.
The sauce takes around 2–3 hours of simmering to reduce. Keep a check on it and watch the how-to video to see the consistency of the mixture you're aiming for.
Given the variability of the tomatoes, it's difficult to give a precise cooking time.
Once cooked, there are two options to process the sauce.
Option 1 – Sieving the sauce
Then you just need to run the mixture through a sieve, pressing down with a spoon, to extract the beautifully rich and tasty tomato sauce.
Bottle it straight away in a sterilised bottle or jar and store in the pantry or fridge.
This is how the sauce is made according to Nana Ling's instructions and this is how I like to make it.
Option 2 – Blending the sauce
Many readers have commented that they simply blend the sauce in a food processor or chopper once it's cooked.
Many prefer this method, since it's much easier.
If you do opt to blend the sauce, just keep in mind that it may have a spicier kick to it given all of the spices are blended into the sauce.
The Tomato Sauce time machine
I hadn't realised how much tomato sauce had changed over the years until I sampled Nana Ling's tomato sauce recipe. A recipe she'd jotted down in her beautiful handwriting back in 1941.
One tiny taste and I was immediately transported back to my family's dinner table in the 1980s.
I could see our old dinner table covered with a seersucker tablecloth. I could also see Mum's hanging pot plant stand in the corner of the dining room (which fell down on the dinner table one night and saved me from eating a meal I wasn't particularly enjoying). And on the table was a glass bottle filled with deep red tomato sauce.
These days, tomato sauce seems brighter and thinner.
And it may be in a super convenient squeeze pack now, but the taste just isn't quite the same. It doesn't pack a tomato punch the way the good old-fashioned tomato sauce did.
If you want tomato sauce that's thick, full of tomato flavour and can even take you back in time, keep scrolling for Nana Ling's Tomato Sauce Recipe.
You can also find other wonderful condiments and conserves from the Cooking with Nana Ling collection here (and if you still have heaps of tomatoes, check out my Tomato Recipes collection).
Recipe FAQs
What are the best tomatoes for Tomato Sauce?
You really can use any type of tomato here, however roma tomatoes and other "paste" tomatoes that have fewer seeds are perfect for making sauce.
I also like to use heirloom tomatoes and have made this recipe up with cherry tomatoes when i had an abundance of those.
How to store Tomato Sauce
"Where do you store tomato sauce?"
It's a controversial question, indeed!
I store my sauce in the fridge once it's opened. Others store it in the cupboard. Which way is the right way?
Well, even the experts at Australia's Choice can't agree.
They say that tomato sauce is high enough in sugar and salt to be shelf stable, even after opening. However, bacteria is more of a risk in a warmer environment.
Some are willing to take the risk, saying cold sauce is a crime and impacts the flavour.
So, there seems to be no right and wrong.
If you're risk-averse and don't mind cold sauce, continue to store it in the fridge.
If you're a tomato sauce aficionado who insists on enjoying it at it's room-temperature best, go ahead.
Just keep in mind that if you are making homemade tomato sauce and are not familiar with how to properly can/preserve sauces, store in the fridge to be safe.
What do you store your sauce in?
Go for an airtight glass container to maximise it's shelf life.
Once you've opened it, you can pour it from there or transfer it to a squeeze bottle – yes, the ones we had in the 80s are still around today if you look hard enough.
Nana Ling's Tomato Sauce recipe
Keep scrolling for the tested and tweaked version.
Tomato Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ½ kilos tomatoes roughly chopped
- ⅔ cup white wine vinegar
- 3 teaspoons salt
- ½ cup caster sugar
- 1 clove garlic sliced thinly
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger grated (or ¼ teaspoon ground dried ginger)
- ½ teaspoon whole cloves (or ¼ teaspoon ground cloves)
- ½ teaspoon allspice (ground)
- 3 teaspoons black peppercorns
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 onion (optional, I personally don't add it in and it wasn't in the original recipe but some readers prefer this recipe with onion)
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in a large saucepan and bring to the boil, stirring.
- Simmer for 2-3 hours, partly covered and stirring from time to time.
- Watch the video above in the post to see the consistency of the tomato sauce once cooked. If the sauce hasn't achieved the desired consistency, continue to simmer uncovered until it reaches the preferred consistency.
- Strain half of the mixture through a coarse sieve into a bowl, and then the other half. Use a spoon to push sauce through the sieve and extract as much liquid as possible. Discard solids.
- Alternatively, blend the cooked sauce in a food processor or chopper (but keep in mind the sauce will have a spicier kick).
- Pour hot mixture into a medium-sized sterilised bottle and seal.
- Store in fridge or a cool and dark place (depending on the process you used to can the sauce). If you are not familiar with how to properly preserve sauces, store in the fridge to be safe.
- Once opened, store in the fridge.
Tess
I am going to try this recipe . It says we need to seal the bottle . Is it by water bath ? If not won’t it go off even though it’s a sterilised jar out in the pantry ?
Libby Hakim
Hi Tess. It will last longer if you seal it by water bath. It will last for some time in pantry even if just sterilise given some of the ingredients are preservers. However, I always just store it in the fridge to be safe. I don't go into this in detail as I'm not an expert on preserving. Thanks, Libby
Claire
I have just made this sauce added a couple of onions (I doubled the recipe), blended it all with stick blender and bottled. Beautiful sauce ❤️
Libby Hakim
Wonderful! Thanks for taking the time to rate and review. Enjoy your sauce, Claire 🙂
Dianne
I haven't tried this recipe yet but it looks very similar to my grandma's recipe. One hint that I can pass on though is to skip that laborious straining process by using an appliance that my Gran never had access to. This method also eliminates waste and retains all the fibre and goodness contained in the skins and seeds. Let the cooked sauce cool a little (and yes, always cook with lid off to evaporate excess moisture), then whiz batches in a blender until really smooth - I use my high powered mini-blender. Then return to the saucepan and reheat carefully to boiling point before bottling and sealing. If you like your sauce really red, you can add some tomato paste right towards the end of cooking. It adds a depth of flavour too. Gran also used to tie the whole spices up in a piece of muslin and tie to the pot handle so they could be easily removed at the end.
Libby Hakim
Thanks for your comments and rating, Dianne. Yes, many people now blend up the mix instead of putting it through a sieve. Happy cooking!
Sandra
Hi, how long can it be kept in the fridge once opened
Libby Hakim
Hi Sandra. Mine keeps for months, but I avoid offering guidance as it depends on so many factors. Enjoy!
Zoe
I loved it yes it has a kick but that’s what I too remember from childhood….I added an onion as I recalled my mum doing before I read the comments below. Thank you for sharing
Libby Hakim
Wonderful! Thanks for leaving a review and rating, Zoe 🙂
Greg
It's the third season that I've made this recipe. The family can't get enough of it!
The only change I make is to add extra garlic.
Tammy
Wow, this sauce is amazing! I read through the reviews before making this sauce and felt confident it was the recipe to try. I made it in my Thermomix - 3 hours, 105c, on Spoon/ Stir, 3 x 1 hour intervals, with the steamer on top to stop the splatters. It worked to perfection! I will definitely be making this one again! Thanks for sharing
Libby Hakim
Awesome, thanks for the great feedback and rating Tammy! I've never used a Thermomix so it's great to know you can make it in one of those, too. Happy cooking! Libby x
Marcia Miller
Made this recipe 4 times over last 5 months. Easy to follow and beautiful taste. Yes, a bit runny and have a batch on now and leaving to simmer without lid on for longer in the hope it thickens. Yes, I keep even unopened in the fridge
Libby Hakim
Hi Marcia. Wonderful! I made up a batch last week, too. Love it! Yes, I might add some extra tips around simmer time as it just depends on so many factors. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment and rating. Happy cooking!
Clayton
Hi Libby. Making this right now and the house smells amazing! I do wonder if the fact that your saucepan you are using in the pictures has the pouring lip and in turn more steam is escaping during the simmer process and that could be the difference between yours reducing down and others needing to remove the lid so the steam can escape and allow the sauce to reduce? I am using Black Russians which were very big and juicy. I will remove the lid from my pot for the last 45mins or so to see how it goes. The “kick” people are referring to would be a combination of the cloves, ginger and peppercorns. I am thinking the next batch I do, I might add some beer into the mix for something a bit different. I am going to put mine through a mouli. So keen for this sauce 😁
Libby Hakim
Hi Clayton. Good observation - I might add this to the post - thank you. I think the extra kick comes when you don't use the hand sieve (which retains the peppercorns) and they are crushed into the sauce. anyway, it's fun to experiment and I like the beer idea! I have a whole collection of tomato recipes now and you can find them here. The relish is also particularly popular. Happy cooking and hope you enjoy the sauce. Libby
Russ
Hi Libby. I made this today using very flavoursome a tomato variety called "Siberian". We grew them because they fruit during the Winter, which is unusual for tomatoes in our area. The problem is that in late Spring any that are left go mad and all ripen at once! I made a triple-sized batch of sauce and it is delicious. I'll probably be making another batch (maybe two) over the coming days. I didn't have the white wine vinegar but got creative with a blend of red wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar and plain white vinegar. I toyed with putting onions in but, in the end, stuck to the recipe and am glad I did. thanks so much for the recipe.
Libby Hakim
Hi Russ. Great to hear! It 's always a good problem to have too many tomatoes 🙂 Happy cooking!
Maurie
Rather than chop up the tomatoes, I decided to blend them. Thought it tasted great with the solids so picked out the peppercorns and bottled the lot. Fantastic sauce in my opinion.
Libby Hakim
Awesome - thanks for the feedback and great rating! Happy cooking, Maurie 🙂
Jo Webster
What would happen if you didn’t separate the liquid from the flesh
Libby Hakim
Some people have been just blending it all together and say it's fine like that too. Hope that helps!