I Tried 7 Popular Frozen Pizzas & The Winner Was Cheesy & Crispy
Going out to dinner is getting insanely expensive nowadays. Some local pizza spots or national pizza chains will have the occasional deal, but by the time you add toppings, select the crust you like, or make any changes whatsoever it seems like the price stacks up. That’s where frozen pizza comes in. Sure, it’s not going to always taste like freshly made pizzas from your favorite delivery place, but in a pinch, they work well for a quick dinner. I tried seven different frozen pizza brands to find out which one was the best, and there was a clear winner.
Tombstone Original Pizza Crust Pepperoni
Calories: 340 calories per 1/4 pizza
Tombstone’s original crust pepperoni pizza is recommended to be cooked in the oven, but even crisping it up in the oven unfortunately couldn’t save this. It’s starting off as the weakest on the list due to its thin, flimsy looking crust and pale appearance. Sadly, my first impressions held up, and the pizza was not good. The crust was ok, not as bad as it looked, but the biggest problem for me was the pepperoni. It says that it’s made with pork, chicken, and beef, but I wonder what else because it tasted noticeably artificial and had, almost like a chemical taste. Out of all the pizzas I tried, this one felt the most processed and least enjoyable.
Ellio’s Pepperoni Pizza
Calories: 280 calories per 2 slices
Ellio’s can be cooked in the oven, air fryer, or toaster oven, and it definitely brings a lot of nostalgia to the table. It reminds me of school cafeteria pizza, which can be oddly comforting. In fact, I’m about 99% sure it’s the same kind my high school sold. That said, the crust is cardboard-ish, and the pizza tends to be extremely light on cheese. The pepperoni flavor is good, but it always needs a little extra cheese added towards the end of the cook time. It’s enjoyable if you’re chasing nostalgia, but overall there are better frozen pizzas available.
Red Baron Classic Crust Supreme Pizza
Calories: 310 calories per 1/5 pizza
I tried to stick with pepperoni, but since the pepperoni version wasn’t available, I tried the supreme version of the classic crust Red Baron pizza with sausage, pepperoni, green peppers, red peppers, and onions. It can be cooked either directly on the oven rack or in a pan, and from first appearances, looks pretty good. This pizza was a noticeable improvement over the previous options, but still just ok. The vegetables added a lot of flavor, and the sausage was particularly good. The pepperoni tasted slightly off, which kept it from ranking higher on the list, but overall the mix of toppings helped balance the flavor.
Tony’s Pepperoni Pizza
Calories: 330 calories per 1/4 pizza
Tony’s, another well-known brand, recommends baking their pizzas in the oven. As I pulled it out of the oven, the thin crust had a bit of a cardboard-like texture, and it didn’t automatically look super appetizing. That said, there’s also something nostalgic about it. It reminded me of a giant Pizza Lunchable, flavor-wise. The pepperoni was noticeably better than the previous pizzas, making this a solid, inexpensive frozen pizza option. Still though, don’t expect much.
PICS Rising Crust Pepperoni Pizza
Calories: 330 calories per 1/6 pizza
When it comes to PICS Rising Crust Pepperoni Pizza, this store-brand frozen pizza must be baked in the oven (the instructions specifically say not to microwave it). The rising crust is fluffy and substantial, which makes the pizza feel much closer to a real pizzeria-style slice. The pepperoni grease soaked into the crust a bit, giving it extra flavor, and the cheese melted evenly. For a grocery store brand, this pizza was a pleasant surprise and easily outperformed some big brand competitors.
DiGiorno Rising Crust Ultimate Pepperoni
Calories: 330 calories per 1/5 pizza
DiGiorno is one of the most popular frozen pizza brands in the game, and this Ultimate Pepperoni Rising Crust version exemplifies why. The crust is soft, airy, and thick, making it feel much closer to delivery-style pizza. The pepperoni tastes fresh and flavorful without any of the artificial, fake taste some of the other frozen pizza toppings had. It’s a major step up in quality compared to most frozen pizzas. DiGiorno clearly has their reputation for a reason.
Screamin’ Sicilian Pizza Company Holy Pepperoni Pizza
Calories: 330 calories per 1/5 pizza
Taking the top spot is the Screamin’ Sicilian Holy Pepperoni Pizza, which lives up to its name. It comes loaded with piles of pepperoni, real mozzarella cheese, and a flavorful tomato sauce. The standout feature here is the quality of the pepperoni. It has a noticeable kick of spice and tastes much more natural than many frozen pizza options. This pizza delivers bold bright flavor, generous toppings, and an overall high quality taste that stood out from the others. It was a close call between the Screamin’ Sicilian and DiGiorno, but the amount and the flavor of the pepperoni pushed this one into first place.