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The Spruce Eats / Amelia Manley
Frozen pizza is one of those foods that is just so convenient to have on hand for emergency snacking. It's also great for meals when more complicated cooking just doesn’t fit the schedule. Cooking a frozen pizza is simple, and some might even fit in your toaster oven, so when the parents are out for the evening, teens, older kids, or the babysitter can easily cook a pie for an after-school snack or an evening treat.
They’re versatile, too. When you’ve got a few frozen pizzas in the freezer, you can easily customize them for individual tastes by adding extra toppings, cheese, or a drizzle of hot sauce to suit your taste. While you can certainly find frozen pizzas at your local grocery store, sometimes the brands and varieties you love best aren’t available, so buying online makes sense. You can stock up on those favorites, so they’re handy any time you want them.
Best Overall
Roberta's Frozen Pizza Pizza Margherita
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Robertas Frozen Pizza
Crisp crust all the way through
Rivals an in-restaurant pizza
Minimal packaging
Could easily be a single serving
It’s admittedly difficult to find a frozen pizza that can rival an in-restaurant pizza, but this one comes as close as we could find. Even the packaging is promising; rather than using a box, the pizza is sold in clear vacuum-sealed-like packaging, allowing you to see the homemade, rustic-looking crust, generous slices of fresh mozzarella, and fresh basil.
After just a few minutes in the oven, you are left with a restaurant-quality pie that actually achieves a crisp crust (difficult to accomplish when it comes to reheating frozen pizza!). Although the pie itself is on the small side, we wouldn’t mind stocking up on several; due to the minimal packaging, it fits more easily in a stuffed freezer than a box would. If you like to have different flavors on hand, you’re in luck; Roberta’s also offers a "Baby Sinclair" flavor, featuring kale, garlic, and chilies.
Price at time of publish: $13
Size: 9.8 ounces | Serving Size: 0.5 of the pizza | Crust Type: Wheat | Cook Time: 5 minutes, 30 seconds at 450 degrees
"In terms of reheating a pizza, I am definitely a proponent of the oven or toaster oven or even pan frying a slice or two in a cast iron skillet. This method produces nice brown edges and a crispy pizza!" — Frank Linn, Owner/Chef of Frankly Pizza
Best Deep Dish
Lou Malnati's Deep Dish Pizzas
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Courtesy of Amazon
Ships from Chicago
Great customer service
Flavorful sauce and cheese
A bit small for a deep-dish pizza
These are authentic deep dish pizzas, straight from Chicago and ready for baking. The pizzas are 9 inches in diameter, which is smaller than standard frozen pizzas, but the thickness makes up for it.
These arrive frozen and ready to stash in the freezer. This includes an aluminum pizza dish for baking the pizza, but some users noted that they used a heavier pizza pan, which they felt produced even better crust results. The company offers combos of 2 to 6 pizzas, with half a dozen being the best value. You can customize the combo to your liking with offerings like cheese, sausage, pepperoni, spinach, and even "crustless" in which the traditional crust is swapped with sausage.
Deep dish pizza is completely different from most and has an interesting history. We can tell you all about it, so you’ll sound like a pizza expert on the next pizza night.
Price at time of publish: $73 for 2, $110 for 4, or $130 for 6 pizzas
Size: 9 inches | Serving Size: 1 slice | Crust Type: Buttercrust | Cook Time: 25-40 minutes at 425 degrees
Best Pepperoni
Prince Street Pizza Spicy Spring Sicilian Pizza
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Goldbelly
Covered in mini pepperoni slices
Packs in heat
Keeps in the freezer for two months
Only one pizza
True pizza fans know the value of good pepperoni on all slices of pizza, from fresh to frozen. Luckily, there is a way to get the trendiest and tastiest pepperoni pizza into your freezer for heating up whenever you'd like. Prince Street Pizza sells its famous Spicy Spring Sicilian pizza not only in its New York City and West Hollywood locations but also online.
The rectangular pie is covered with mini, thick-cut pepperoni cups that fill with hot, flavorful oil. They top spicy Fra Diavolo sauce, a thick crust, and fresh mozzarella to make hearty slices. Each pizza can feed up to six people, which is nice since each order contains only one pizza.
Shipped with dry ice on Tuesdays through Saturdays, you could have this iconic pizza at your door in just a few days. It can keep in the refrigerator for 24 hours or in the freezer for up to two months.
Price at time of publish: $90
Size: 17" x 12" | Serving Size: 0.25 to 0.17 of the pizza | Crust Type: Thick | Cook Time: 10-15 minutes at 425 degrees
"I always look for independent operators selling their pizzas locally or nationwide like on Goldbelly or DoorDash." — Tony Gemignani, 13 Time World Pizza Champion
Best Mini Pizzas
Williams Sonoma Mini Pizzas, Set of 6
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Courtesy of Williams Sonoma
Variety of flavors
Can be frozen up to six months
Quick to cook
Expensive
When no one can agree on pizza toppings, this set of six mini pizzas can be the perfect answer. Each 8-inch pizza can feed one hungry diner, or cut the pizza in half and serve with a salad or a side to feed two people.
This includes one vegetable pizza with tomato sauce and cheese, one classic Margarita pizza, one Mediterranean pizza with chicken breast and feta cheese, one pepperoni pizza, one Hawaiian pizza, and one barbecue chicken pizza. The pizzas ship frozen and can keep for six months in the freezer. Cooking is simple since they cook from frozen right on the oven rack for 8-12 minutes at 425 degrees. They are on the pricier side, but are a great hosting or new parent gift.
Price at time of publish: $140 for 6 pizzas
Size: 8 inches each | Serving Size: 0.5 of the pizza | Crust Type: Wheat | Cook Time: 8-12 minutes at 425 degrees
Best Budget
Red Baron Classic Crust Four Cheese Pizza
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Walmart
Blend of three cheeses
Sharing size
Great for parties
Crust may not get as crispy as some prefer
One of the main delights of frozen pizza is the fact that you can bake it whenever you'd like. It can be hard to expect any food item that has been sitting in the freezer for weeks to taste gourmet, and therefore sometimes you don't have to spend a bunch of money in order to be disappointed.
When it comes to budget frozen pizza, Red Baron fits the bill. The Classic Crust Four Cheese Pizza is cheap compared to others on this list and beyond, but also features more than your standard mozzarella. It has a thicker crust than thin crust options and is big enough to share if you want. With its cheaper price tag, this pizza makes a great option for parties and gatherings where many need to be fed.
Price at time of publish: $5
Size: 21 ounces | Serving Size: 0.25 of the pizza | Crust Type: Thin traditional | Cook Time: 18-21 minutes at 425 degrees
"You could add all sorts of seasonings that you may already have in your pantry [to frozen pizza]! Dried herbs such as oregano, basil, red pepper flakes, or even garlic salt which is a guilty pleasure of mine. You could also add fresh basil!" — Frank Linn, Owner/Chef of Frankly Pizza
Best for Meat Lovers
Urban Pie Uncured Pepperoni & Chicken Sausage Pizza
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Amazon
Features two types of meat
Also topped with mushrooms and green peppers
Meats are antibiotic-free
Thin crust may not be the best option for this style of pizza
This take on a Supreme Pizza includes everything but meatballs—pepperoni, chicken sausage, mushrooms, green bell peppers, and onions. Although it isn't labeled "meat lovers" on the package, it is covered with antibiotic-free meat...enough for each and every bite. Underneath is a fresh-tasting marinara sauce and a thin crust, which gives it the potential for falling apart under the thick toppings. Even so, it gets crispy during the almost-20-minute cooking time.
This pizza packs a bit of a heat into each slice. If that isn't your preference, the brand has other varieties of frozen pizza available, like Pepperoni Rosa and a unique find—Pesto & Mozzarella. Try the latter out if you aren't a fan of marinara sauce or if you're looking to change up your pizza night offerings.
Price at time of publish: $10
Size: 21 ounces | Serving Size: 0.25 of the pizza | Crust Type: Thin | Cook Time: 15-17 minutes at 425 degrees
Best Cauliflower Crust
Caulipower Cauliflower Pizza Crust
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Courtesy of Amazon
Quick-cooking
Gluten-free
Cauliflower flavor not very noticeable
Super thin-crust may not satisfy those who prefer more substantial pizza crusts
If you’re following a gluten-free diet and are into the cauliflower craze, look no further than the Caulipower line of frozen pizzas. This pizza has a thin crust, making it more flatbread-like, but that allows it to crisp up nicely when baked directly on a hot oven rack. Although cauliflower is the main crust ingredient, it’s difficult to detect a distinctly cauliflower-like taste when eating this pizza—which is ideal unless you specifically wanted your pizza to taste like cauliflower. It is thin, but is easy to make crispy in the oven—just cook it a minute or two longer than the box's directions state.
The brand sells just the crusts so you can customize the sauces and toppings at home, but there are fully dressed varieties like Veggie, three Cheese, Cheese Lovers, Margherita, White Pizza, and Uncured Pepperoni.
Price at time of publish: $13.89
Size: 11.3 ounces | Serving Size: 0.5 of the pizza | Crust Type: Cauliflower | Cook Time: 13-16 minutes at 425 degrees
Best Gluten-Free
Cappello's Whole Milk Mozzarella Cheese Pizza
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Cappello's
Allergen-friendly
Crispy outside crust
Great for grilling
Soggy interior crust
Going gluten-free doesn’t have to mean going pizza-less, thanks to companies like Capello’s, who are getting creative with alternative ingredients. This pizza is not only gluten-free, but it’s fully grain-free, soy-free, and yeast-free as well. Not surprisingly, this pizza is more like a flatbread due to its super-thin crust, made from almond flour, arrowroot flour, and cassava flour, which all taste surprisingly neutral, allowing the cheese and sauce to shine through.
Although the edge was able to get crispy, the middle crust has a more difficult time crisping up (even after following the box instructions to bake on a preheated baking sheet and cook longer). If you’re a grilling fan and looking for an excuse to fire up your grill, the box instructions also recommend grilling this pizza, giving you even more options.
Price at time of publish: $11
Size: 11 ounces | Serving Size: 0.33 of the pizza | Crust Type: Almond Flour | Cook Time: 11-16 minutes at 425 degrees
"Let your pizza thaw out first before putting it on the grill. Also, I would say that you should be careful because it is easy to burn a pizza on the grill. If you have a wood-fired grill (like the Green Egg) then it would be beneficial because it would impart that smoky flavor." — Frank Linn, Owner/Chef of Frankly Pizza
Our pick for the top frozen pizza is Roberta's Frozen Pizza Pizza Margherita thanks to its restaurant quality that can be enjoyed from home. If you're of the deep dish persuasion, try Lou Malnati's Chicago-Style Deep Dish Pizzas. These pies come directly from Chicago, and many say they're the closest they've had to the real thing.
What to Look for When Buying Frozen Pizza
Crust
There are typically three types of crusts: thin crust, thick crust, and deep dish style. A delicious crust has a crispy exterior and a chewy exterior. (The thinner the crust, the crispier it should be; the thicker, the chewier.) These also come in other varieties, such as cheese stuffed, whole grain, cauliflower, and vegan. Usually, thinner crusts have fewer calories.
Cheese
Arguably the make-or-break factor is the stretchiness of the cheese, as well as whether there is enough of it in proportion to the sauce. The cheese flavor shouldn't be bland, but it should also not overwhelm the flavor of the sauce. If you're a cheese lover, you might want to purchase a pizza topped with a blend of two or more cheeses.
Sauce
A classic tomato sauce should be tangy, fresh tasting, and not too sweet. It should also not overwhelm the cheese, or you'll end up with a saucy pizza. If you choose a pizza topped with a strong cheese or a blend of cheeses, you'll want a robust sauce that can stand up to those flavors.
FAQs
Can other toppings be added to a frozen pizza?
Throw on some extra cheese or other toppings, including fresh chopped peppers, onions, mushrooms, chicken, spinach, tomatoes, pepperoni, ham, sausage, or whatever you like on your pizza. Be mindful of cooking times should you add anything—some pizzas bake at a higher temperature for a shorter amount of time, while others have longer cooking times at a lower temperature. This could mean your toppings may burn.
Should you use a pizza stone when cooking a frozen pizza?
Using a pizza stone—or if you don't have one, a baking sheet—will not only help make the crust crispy but will make it easier to get the pizza in and out of the oven.
Can you cook frozen pizza in other ways besides the oven?
You don't have to use the oven to cook a frozen pizza. Throw it in the air fryer, on a grill, and even in a smoker. You can also use a pizza oven—our favorite is the Ooni Koda Gas-Powered Outdoor Pizza Oven.
How We Selected
To compile this list, our team of editors and contributors spent hours researching the best frozen pizzas on the market, evaluating their key features—like ingredients, crust type, or price—in addition to our personal experience with frozen pizza, as well as reviews from customers and other trusted sources. We then used this research and prior knowledge to assign a star rating from one to five (five being the best; one being the worst) to certain products on the list.
Why Trust The Spruce Eats?
Donna Currie has been a big fan of pizza since she was a wee little foodie. She has sampled pizzas from innumerable restaurants in many states, has made her own crusts and sauces and baked them in the oven, on the grill, and in a pizza oven. She is also a big fan of frozen pizza for those inevitable nights when she hasn’t started cooking and she’s too hungry to wait much longer, and she’s sampled a wide variety from her local stores as well as online sources.
The Spruce Eats writer Alyssa Langer is a registered dietitian and foodie, always curious about the next food or ingredient craze and hungry to learn and try more. Having worked in cookbook publishing, CPG label data, nutrition writing, and meal kits, her diverse background and varied interests provide a unique perspective that fosters clear, well-researched, and trustworthy reviews. She is a huge pizza fan and personally taste-tested the best overall, cauliflower crust, and gluten-free picks.
Amanda McDonald is an editor at The Spruce Eats and has over seven years of experience researching, writing, and editing about all things food — from what new products are at the grocery store to chef-approved hacks that keep tricky leftovers fresh for days. She updated this article to include the most up-to-date information.
Sources
- Frank Linn, Owner/Chef of Frankly Pizza in Kensington, Maryland
- Tony Gemignani, 13 Time World Pizza Champion