When the going gets tough, the tough get pizza. Whether we’re grabbing a slice or counting down the seconds until a frozen pizza is ready, pizza is something everyone can agree on. In fact, recent market data shows that two-thirds of consumers have had pizza within the last week (Datassential, 2024). Of course, a truly great pie comes down to a delicious, savory sauce. Think of Classic Marinara, creamy Alfredo Sauce, or even unexpected Buffalo Sauce for an extra kick. Pizza sauce is the essential ingredient that separates good pizza from great pizza. And don’t forget dips, which add a little something extra to even the tastiest slices. Below, we’ll outline the best sauces for pizza and dig into the current market trends for your brand.
What Can Pizza Sauce Do for Your Brand?
From foodservice to frozen foods, deli counters to ready-to-eat meals, pizza sauces and dips are a smart investment for your brand. In the foodservice space, custom pizza sauces can help differentiate your brand from the competition. That’s especially true if those custom sauces involve trending flavors like Hot Honey or Spicy Ranch. In the frozen and ready-to-eat spaces, successful pizza sauces – sauces that retain their quality during freezing and reheating – can keep customers coming back for more. And for brands that want to enhance their pizza products’ perceived value, custom drizzles and convenient, individually-packaged dip packs can create a premium feel, potentially boosting profit margins.
Understanding Pizza Sauces and Consumer Behaviour
Like we mentioned above, pizza is a universal favorite, with as many as two-thirds of consumers having had pizza within the last week (Datassential, 2024). But consumer behavior goes a bit deeper than that:
- Reliable demand: Experts have found that pizza consumption holds steady regardless of economic headwinds, with most pizza fans maintaining their level of consumption over the last year. In fact, more consumers have increased their consumption than decreased – especially members of Gen Z (Datassential, 2024).
- A preference for foodservice: Interestingly, consumers are more likely to eat pizza in foodservice settings like pizza restaurants compared with any other category. This is especially true for millennials, 64% of whom reported a preference for pizza in foodservice. They’re closely followed by 61% of Gen Z-ers who prefer to eat pizza in a restaurant setting.
Best Sauces for Pizza: 2024–2025 Trends
Based on the most recent consumer data, pizza fans are reaching for the following types of pizza sauces and dips:
- Classic Marinara: It’s a classic for a reason, especially for pizza lovers who are looking for an authentic, Italian-inspired experience.
- BBQ Sauce: 59% of pizza consumers prioritize American classics like BBQ Sauce on their pies (Datassential, 2024). If your pizza brand wants to tap into a bit of Americana nostalgia, consider a custom BBQ Sauce with smoky, sweet, and spicy flavor profiles.
- Spicy Sauces: Spicy pizza is trending in a major way (Datassential, 2024). To tap into the unique preferences driving the current market, consider a spicy Arrabbiata Sauce, rich with garlic and spicy chilies. For a global kick, consider dips for pizza like Sriracha Ranch, Chipotle Ranch, or Creamy Gochujang.
- Butter Chicken Sauce: Speaking of a global kick, today’s consumers are passionate about international flavors. A naan-based pizza topped with a rich, creamy Butter Chicken Sauce could be the ideal thing to establish your pizza brand among trendsetters.
Whether you’re slinging a traditional pizza with classic Marinara, a creative pie with global flavors like Sriracha Ranch, or a trendy slice topped with Hot Honey, custom sauces are the best way to get ahead of the consistently fierce competition in this market sector.
Partnering with a flavor manufacturer like Giraffe Foods is the best way to create custom sauces that are far ahead of the curve. Our experts ensure that your pizza sauces are packaged and shelf-stabilized correctly, in line with regulatory expectations, and shipped without issue.
