Lille Allen/Eater
Classic pepperoni, gluten-free options, and even a Hainan chicken pie
At Eater, we’re all about cooking and trying new recipes, but sometimes you don’t feel like turning on the stove, chopping, or doing dishes. That’s where frozen pizza comes in. As a form, it’s come so far: These days, there are even gourmet pies imported from Italy, a far cry from the cardboard-like versions that once dominated the frozen food aisle. There’s a version for everyone — vegetarian-friendly, gluten-free, meat lovers. Here are some of our go-to’s for when cooking is the last thing you want to do.
Kirkland Signature Pepperoni Pizza
Everything is so goddamn expensive. At least, that’s how I’ve felt while grocery shopping as inflation shoots the prices of my onetime staples into the stratosphere. But Costco’s $15, thin-crust, frozen pizza four-pack is the crispy, cheesy balm to some of my earthbound financial woes. The mere premise of getting four — that’s right, four! — pizzas for less than the cost of one pie from other brands is invigorating. These pies are workhorses that bake quickly and consistently while ferrying a satisfying amount of sauce and pepperoni, so they’re ideal for anything from casual hangouts that run long to those “Oh, shoot, what’s for dinner?” moments we’ve all faced. But they’re also canvases for your whims. Top them with fresh basil, or shower them in spinach leaves and spoonfuls of pesto, or crown them with slivers of squash and chile crisp. — Jesse Sparks, senior editor
Milton’s Thin & Crispy Cauliflower Crust Pizza
I’m not gluten-free by any means, but this is still one of my favorite frozen pizzas. The cauliflower crust pizzas I’ve tried in the past have been gritty and floppy; Milton’s version is quite the opposite. If you’re a fan of thin-crust pizza — the kind so crispy they shatter like saltine crackers upon the first bite — you’ll like this frozen pizza, too. I can’t even tell that the crust is made from cauliflower. There are seven varieties to choose from, including classics like cheese and pepperoni and more veggie-forward options like Mediterranean and roasted vegetables. I usually settle on the supreme to get that balance of meat and veggie toppings, but the star, to me, is the delicate crust. — Kat Thompson, associate editor
Pi00a
Full disclosure: I haven’t tried this new LA-based frozen pizza company yet — it just started shipping nationally, and I’ve missed the first few local pop-ups. But I can confidently say that I already love everything about it. First off, the flavors sound truly novel, with an emphasis on East Asian recipes like miso eggplant with sesame and leek, and Hainan chicken rice with pickled English cucumber, poached chicken, ginger-leek sauce, and crispy rice. (Is this the CPK BBQ Chicken of 2024? Quite possibly.) Second, Pi00a — a deaf- and CODA (child of deaf adult)-owned brand — has made its workplace 100 percent accessible for the deaf community, and actively recruits, hires, and trains deaf employees. The owners got their Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana Pizzaioli certifications in 2014, but crust-wise they aimed for a balance between crisp and chew that, I hear, comes through beautifully straight from the freezer. Pi00a currently offers individual and build-your-own four-flavor bundles of frozen pies available for shipping, and is stocked at a handful of retail locations around LA. I, for one, cannot wait to try it. — Lesley Suter, special projects director
Jack’s Original Thin-Crust Cheese Pizza
Thanks to a picky eater spouse and my own executive dysfunction, frozen pizza is a staple in my house. At all times, there are at least two or three pies just waiting to be turned into dinner, and usually, they’re Jack’s. At less than $5 each, these Wisconsin-born pies have been around since 1960, and they punch well above their weight thanks to a thin and crispy, tavern-style crust and the kind of high-quality cheese that you’d expect from the Dairy State. — Amy McCarthy, reporter
Feel Good Foods Square Pan Pizza
Finding a truly satisfying gluten-free frozen pizza often requires wading through a sea of mealy or cardboard-like crusts until you stumble upon The One. Fortunately, I found Feel Good Foods’ Detroit-style frozen pizza a couple years ago and haven’t looked back. The square pies go directly onto the oven rack in a foil bed that also serves as a crisper, giving them the jutting cheesy, crunchy edges that define Detroit’s signature pie. The pizzas are available in truffle mushroom, margherita, and four-cheese flavors, the latter of which has become my go-to for its unapologetic richness. Even better: the double streak of tomato sauce lining the top of the pie is not too sweet or acidic — icing on the frozen pizza cake. — Nicole Adlman, cities manager
DiGiorno Ultimate Pepperoni Pizza
Staring into the dim light of my freezer, the best thing I can see is a DiGiorno pizza nestled between deli cups of frozen broth and other forgotten foods. I recognize the bent corners of the cardboard box immediately, and sweet relief washes over me as I realize I’ll have a savory disc of processed deliciousness to dig into soon. Now, a lot of “better” pizzas have landed in the freezer aisle in recent years, and I have nothing against them, but as soon as a frozen pizza inches toward the price of one from a restaurant, it’s immediately off my list. A frozen pizza will never be anything close to something that comes out of a pizza oven, so why even pretend? DiGiorno knows exactly what it is — cheap, accessible, and always there when you need it. At the end of the day, if it’s not delivery, it really should be DiGiorno. — Rebecca Roland, associate editor
Tutta Bella Margherita Pizza
Historically, I haven’t been a big Frozen Pizza Guy™. Having spent the majority of my adulthood in New York City and Portland, Oregon, two world-class pizza cities, I’ve been fortunate to have a solid slice accessible at nearly all times. My world changed when I picked up a two-pack of Tutta Bella’s frozen Margherita pizza at Costco. The pizzas, made by arguably Seattle’s most famous pizza slingers, somehow manage to avoid the pitfalls of frozen pizza and not-so-fresh Neapolitan pies. The leopard-spotted crust has a pleasantly tangy flavor and bounce. The pizzas are perfectly sauced, covered with small slabs of mozzarella, and showered with pecorino Romano. Miraculously, the frozen basil manages to stay green and retain some flavor. I now pick up a two-pack anytime I swing by Costco. Knowing a good pizza is only 12 minutes away is the emotional support I need right now. — Kaitlin Bray, director of audience development
