A new, more economical method for preparing titania pastes for use in more efficient dye-sensitized solar cells is disclosed. The titania pastes are prepared by mixing titania nanoparticles with a titania sol including a titanium precursor. The disclosed method enables the control of titania nanoparticle concentration and morphology in the titania paste and is economical due to the relatively low reaction temperatures. The performances of dye-sensitized solar cells prepared using the disclosed titania pastes are also disclosed.