Dipping sauces aren’t just for fries and breadsticks. You can use dipping sauces for your pizza, too. Some chain pizzerias offer a few options for dipping sauces, like a certain buttery garlic sauce, which is a fun way to add some unique flavor to your savory treat.
We thought it would be fun to put together a list of some of our favorite dipping sauces for homemade pizza. Whether you like a creamy dip or tangy or super spicy, we have one that you will enjoy.
Table of Contents
Our list has some classic pizza dipping sauces, but we also added a few creative ones that maybe you have never considered as a pizza dipping sauce. To get the most from your dipping sauce, you want to fill a ramekin (those little glass side dishes) to fully dip and dunk your slice.
Dipping sauces are different than thin hot sauces, where a little splash will do you. A good dipping sauce should coat the pizza and add another piece to the flavor profile.
Most of our favorites are fairly mild. If you like more heat with your pizza pie, check out our favorite hot sauce pizza pairings.
Our Favorite Dipping Sauces for Homemade Pizza
We could have made a longer list but decided to keep it simple with the ten best that we always have stocked in our fridge.
Sweet Chili Sauce
Sweet chili sauce is a staple on the table of your favorite Thai restaurant. It’s more sweet than hot. And it’s thicker than hot sauce. It’s more like honey with some red pepper flakes.
It’s often served with coconut shrimp or crispy wontons or potstickers, but it works on pizza too. We love the Trader Joe’s one and the Thai Blue Dragon too.
Chimichurri
Chimichurri is an Argentinian sauce that is traditionally served alongside a grilled Argentine steak. But it’s also an excellent addition to pizza. This sauce is still relatively new to the U.S. But in Argentina, they have been using this oily green sauce on their pizzas ever since pizza landed there.
Argentinians cook their pizza on a grill, like most of their foods. Local pizzaiolos are super skilled in cooking with fire and chimichurri is always on the menu.
The sauce is easy to make. It’s a combination of fresh and dried herbs and spices chopped and covered with olive oil, no cooking required. This basic chimichurri recipe is easy, and you probably have all of the ingredients already in your kitchen.
We like to make it the day before we plan on using it, so the flavors have a chance to marinate.
- ½ cup flat-leaf parsley
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 shallot
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons of red pepper flakes
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ⅔ cup good-quality extra-virgin olive oil
You should really use the best olive oil you can afford for this one. Since it’s uncooked, similar to a dressing or marinade, the quality of the olive oil makes the sauce. Once made, store in the refrigerator for up to five days.
If that sounds like too much work, you can buy a ready-made version and even a spice blend that just needs oil.
Ranch
Ah, the quintessential dipping sauce, ranch. It works on salads, breadsticks, carrot sticks, potato chips, and of course, pizza. Ranch is one of the best dipping sauces for homemade pizza that everyone knows and loves. Why do people love ranch on pizza so much?
We tried making a homemade version of the classic dressing. While the store bought ones are good, they sometimes have too much salt. Our version is a simple take on the classic.
We skipped the buttermilk and used Mexican cream, which is similar to sour cream but different. You can find it in most grocery stores near the cheeses or sour cream.
- 3/4 cup mayonnaise
- ½ cup Mexican crema
- ½ teaspoon dried chives
- ½ teaspoon dried parsley
- ½ teaspoon dried dill weed
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ⅛ teaspoon sea salt
- ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
Mix everything together and let rest in the refrigerator for an hour. Or just buy a bottle of flavored Ranch of choice.
Chipotle Mayonaise
Another South of the border dipping sauce is this chipotle mayo sauce. It has two ingredients. Can you guess what they are? Yep, chipotles and mayo.
Chipotle chilis are sold in small cans with roasted peppers swimming in an adobe sauce. The sauce is slightly milder, and the chipotles have a smoky, intense flavor.
You can play mix master here and use the ratio that works for your tastebuds. We like a little more chipotle than mayo, but with two-ingredients, you can adjust to your desired heat level.
Fun Fact: Chipotle peppers are just roasted jalapeno peppers that have been smoked and dried.
Balsamic Glaze
A balsamic glaze or reduction is a simple sauce made with balsamic vinegar. This dark coveted liquid comes from the city of Modena in Italy, and it’s common to see it on the table in most Italian restaurants.
Depending on the type of balsamic vinegar you use (translation how expensive it is), it can be thin like other kinds of vinegar or much thicker, like when it comes from expensive small batches.
Luckily, making a balsamic glaze lets you take the regular old balsamic and dress it up a bit to make a thicker dipping sauce. Making a balsamic glaze is easy, and if you have a pan and a stove, you have everything you need to make this sophisticated dipping sauce.
- 1 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 Tbsp honey or sugar (not both)
Simmer on the stove while stirring until it’s cooked down to a thicker consistency. Make sure to do this slowly on medium to low heat. Otherwise, you will get a charred sauce and a scorched pan.
This is one of the best dipping sauces for homemade pizza if you are trying to impress that special someone with your kitchen skills. It is also great for a Caprese salad.
Marinara Sauce
Classic simple marinara sauce is always a good dipping sauce. Most pizzas layer the sauce on the bottom, and when covered with cheese and topping, the sauce gets lost, so having a side of marinara for dipping is the perfect way to enhance the flavor.
We’ve discussed store-bought vs homemade pizza sauce before, and if you have to buy store-bought, here’s our favorite restaurant style pizza sauce you can get online. We’ve also discussed what vodka pizza sauce actually tastes like.
BBQ Sauce
Sweet, tangy, and smoky are just some of the ways to describe a classic BBQ sauce. There are so many ways to enjoy BBQ sauce, and dipping a cheesy slice is one of our favorites. This works incredibly well on pepperoni, sausage, or supreme pizza.
The smoky flavor is perfect for fatty meats. Some BBQ sauces are mild and sweet. Some are smoky and hot, and some have a bit of fruit to give a twist on the taste. We recommend trying them all to find your favorite.
Sriracha Mayo
Of course, you are familiar with sriracha sauce, or “rooster sauce”, as some call it. This Thai chili sauce is hot and great on pizza the way it is, but if you want to tame the heat without taming the flavor, try adding mayo. You can buy it ready-made or make your own with the ratio that works for you.
Another beautiful thing with sriracha sauce is its ability to easily be added to other pizza dipping sauces like ranch!
Honey Mustard
Sweet honey and tangy mustard are a perfect marriage of balance. These two flavors blend together without either one being too powerful.
This is one of the dipping sauces for homemade pizza that tastes best with a milder pizza like a Thai chicken or a white chicken pizza or even a Mediterranean pizza with spinach and artichokes. This brand is one of our favorites, but you can make it at home too. Just mix equal parts honey and mustard with a splash of vinegar.
Blue Cheese Dressing
We are on team blue cheese on pizza. The creamy, intense flavor that blue cheese brings is the perfect amount of pungent flavor for a doughy crust.
It makes an excellent dipping sauce for vegetarian pizzas or even the classic Margherita. You can use a store bought bottle or make your own.
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup mayo
- 2 ounces crumbled blue cheese
- 1 tablespoon minced parsley
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice the acid is for balance
- Pinch fine sea salt
- Pinch fresh ground pepper
- Milk or water to thin if needed
Do you love to dunk and dip your homemade pizza? What are your favorite dipping sauces for homemade pizza? For further pairings, see our posts on soda, beer, wine, and more!
