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This fresh, homemade Crockpot Spaghetti Sauce is a delicious meatless sauce made from scratch. This sugar-free spaghetti sauce creates magic from fresh tomatoes and herbs.
Have you ever thought “can I make spaghetti sauce in a crockpot” to yourself? Well, the good news is that yes, you sure can!
The slow cooker heats evenly and gently and does its thing without burning the sauce. Pure magic my friends. Pure magic.
Prefer to use canned tomatoes to make marinara sauce? If so, check out this Freezer Spaghetti Sauce that uses canned goods and pantry staples.
What Kind of Tomatoes Work Best in Crockpot Spaghetti Sauce?
Heartier paste-style tomatoes are the easiest to work with for this recipe. They are easy to peel and have fewer seeds. They also have a lower moisture content which means they take less time to cook down.
But sometimes you (ok, it’s me) have 18 different tomato plants that are all ripening at the same time and you need to do something with them. This slow cooker marinara is the perfect home for those random tomatoes.
If you are using tomatoes that are more suitable for sandwiches (AKA “slicers”), you’ll want to mix them with some paste-style tomatoes for the sauce to reduce/thicken.
Only have cherry tomatoes? Check out our recipe for Cherry Tomato Sauce.
If you’re a canner, check out these posts on Canning Tomatoes {Whole Tomatoes} and Canning Stewed Tomatoes because both can help you make amazing homemade spaghetti sauce on the fly.
Do I Have to Peel Tomatoes To Make Sauce?
You don’t have to, but it will impact the overall texture of your finished sauce if you don’t. You can read more about it in this in-depth tutorial on How to Blanch and Peel Tomatoes.
Don’t want to take that extra step? I got you covered. Cut the tomatoes in half, push the seeds out with your thumb and then grate the tomato using a box grater, discarding the skins. It’s not foolproof as some skin will still get mixed in, but that’s ok.
You can also use frozen tomatoes (related: Freezing Tomatoes). The amazing part about using frozen tomatoes is that you can allow them to thaw in a bowl overnight and the skins will slip right off!
How Long Will This Sauce Last in the Fridge?
This sauce does not contain preservatives, and I would only feel safe about storing it in the fridge for 2-3 days.
How to Freeze Spaghetti Sauce
You can freeze this sauce in a wide-mouth canning jar. Make sure to leave 1 inch of space between the top of the sauce and the top of the jar to allow for expansion during freezing.
Check out this post on Canning Supplies for my favorite sources for cheap or free canning jars.
If you don’t have canning jars, I love to use these 2-cup Souper Cubes for freezing my sauce. Remove the frozen sauce and transfer it to freezer-safe storage.
You can also use freezer bags to freeze the marinara sauce. Allow sauce to fully cool and transfer to a quart or gallon-size bag. Don’t overfill and gently remove additional air. Freeze flat and then you can store it upright.
Spaghetti sauce will keep in the freezer for 6-9 months.
Can This Spaghetti Sauce Be Canned?
This recipe has not been tested for a safe PH balance, and therefore it is not considered safe for canning. I only recommend freezing it for long-term storage.
Pro Tips/Recipe Notes
- I used my Instant Pot on the slow cooker function with the slow cooker lid for this recipe.
- If you want a less chunky sauce, pulse it a few times with an immersion blender or mash it a bit with a potato masher or large spoon. Add the baking soda, salt and pepper, and additional herbs to taste.
- The (optional) baking soda is a great way to neutralize the natural acidity of tomatoes without adding additional sugar.
- Making this all day and then refrigerating it overnight gives it an extra kick of awesome in the flavor department.
- Try it for a dipping sauce for Air Fryer Ravioli, or use it in this Ravioli Bake. I also use 2 tbsp of it as the secret ingredient in my Instant Pot Chuck Roast.
- Want to up the veggie factor? Sneak in some frozen pumpkin. No one will know!
- Feel free to add meat if you’d like. Just make sure you fully cook it before incorporating it into the sauce.
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WEIGHT WATCHERS POINTS
One serving has 0 WW Freestyle SmartPoints.
Crockpot Spaghetti Sauce {Sugar-Free Spaghetti Sauce}
Ingredients
Instructions
- Rinse tomatoes and core them. Drop tomatoes in a pot of boiling water for one minute.10 cups tomatoes
- Scoop tomatoes out with a slotted spoon and place in a bowl of ice water. Now the skins will slip off easily.
- Cut in half (quarters for larger tomatoes) and push out the seeds out with your thumb.
- Add the tomatoes and all the ingredients (except baking soda and tomato paste) to the slow cooker.2 tbsp fresh basil, 1 tbsp fresh oregano, 1 tbsp fresh parsley, 6 cloves garlic, 1 cup onion, 6 oz canned tomato paste
- Cook on low for 10 hours or high for 7 hours. Stir occasionally if possible. The sauce should be reduced by about half.
- If you want a less chunky sauce, pulse it a few times with an immersion blender or mash it a bit with a potato masher or large spoon. Add the canned tomato paste at this point if you’d like a thicker sauce.
- Add the baking soda (it will foam a bit), salt and pepper, and additional herbs to taste.1/8 tsp baking soda, salt and pepper to taste
Notes
- Making this all day and then refrigerating it overnight gives it an extra kick of awesome in the flavor department.
- The (optional) baking soda is a great way to neutralize the natural acidity of tomatoes without adding additional sugar.
- You can freeze this sauce in a wide-mouth canning jar. Make sure to leave 1 inch of space between the top of the sauce and the top of the jar to allow for expansion during freezing.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Love this recipe.. my first try at making this sauce totally from scratch.. quite a few more hours to go.. can’t wait!!
I don’t see that water is included in this recipe. Is that correct?
Sherry, you’re correct, there is no water. Garden tomatoes tend to be naturally high in water content, even paste-style tomatoes. As they heat they will release their own water/juices. If you find for some reason that your tomatoes are just way too dry and the sauce is sticking as it heats, you can add a bit of water. But in most cases, it is entirely unnecessary.
SO CAN YOU tell  about how many Roma tomatoes equals 10 cupsÂ
Approximations can be challenging with produce because storebought vs homegrown is also so different. My garden romas would be about 4-5 per cup. So for 10 cups you’d be looking at roughly 40-50 tomatoes.
I have a bunch of rando tomatoes from our CSA share this week. Just under 5lbs of heirlooms, cherry tomatoes and a few romas. I have no clue how many cups that would be. Any idea if I need more/less? I am currently pregnant and just thinking about tomatoes gives me horrendous heartburn and acid reflux, so I would to make sauce and stick it in the freezer!Â
It kind of depends on the size of the tomatoes as to how many cups it turns out to be. I would say just go for it and adjust the seasonings as needed. It’s not a hard and fast kind of recipe. 🙂
Congrats on the pregnancy!
Can you freeze this sauce in freezer bags?
You can! I’d let it cool first before transferring to the bags though.
This recipe was okay, I will adjust a few things when I make this again and I will make it again. Add a little bit more fresh basil and I added some red wine, I add some more water as it was cooking down. I did like adding the baking soda and how it works the same way as sugar, it did change the color a bit. Hubby did enjoy this. ????
Glad to hear you enjoyed it Cynthia and that you were able to adapt it to your preferences!
I’m shocked you hadd to add water to the sauce during the cooking process. You must have had some amazingly “meaty” tomatoes.
Love homemade tomato sauce!! This looks so good.
It tastes so fresh!
Having a garden full of rando tomatoes might be my new top goal in life. This looks crazy good!Â
It is a good life goal! Would be amazing on those delicious tacos you posted this week.
Okay, 1) Buffalo Bill said that?, 2) I *personally* like mushrooms but alas my son’s on your side, and 3) I haven’t seen / heard the baking soda before — what’s up with that?
Buffalo Bill from Silence of the Lambs. Ha!!!
Baking soda neutralizes the acidity of the tomatoes and allows you to enjoy a balanced product without sugar. I use it in pizza sauce, tomato soup, and iced tea. I’m Team Baking Soda all the way!
Why baking soda?
Giiiiiirl, baking soda is my favorite kitchen hack!
It neutralizes the acidity of the tomatoes without using sugar. I also use in it batches of iced tea, pizza sauce, and tomato soup for the same reason.
I keep a small container of baking soda in the car for bee and wasp stings and if I get an ice tea at the coffee shop it’s always to bitter.
We always used powdered meat tenderizer growing up for bee stings, but I suppose there is a lot of baking soda in there! How many times do you get stung that you have to carry around baking soda?