Frozen Pizzas You Can Find On Costco Shelves, Ranked
Costco is the land of surplus and jumbo-sized deals, offering economical options in both its grocery section and at its famed food court for those who like to keep their pantry stacked with products. One place that receives plenty of fanfare is the frozen food aisle, where everything from butter to egg rolls are supplied in mega-packs with affordable price tags. Amongst these many frozen goodies is a well-stocked frozen pizza section, where both Kirkland Signature and artisan brands can be found. With so many options, it can be difficult to decipher which of the pies is worth taking up space in your freezer.
This list is calibrated to help you make a perfectly informed shopping decision when it comes to Costco's best frozen pizzas. I've tested each and every thin crust, thick crust, gluten-free crust, and cauliflower crust the store has to offer, plus plenty of classic and inventive topping options in between. Some pizzas offer moderately tasty best buys while others offer nostalgic pepperoni pizza feels — it just depends on what you are looking for. If you're ready to discover all of the diverse pizzas Costco has to offer, join me on my one-person pizza party as I try each pie.
9. Kirkland Signature pepperoni pizza
Kicking off our frozen pizza list is a pepperoni take from Costco's name brand, Kirkland Signature. Offering a whopping four pizzas for $13.49, or, nearly 5 pounds of pizza, the Kirkland thin-crust pepperoni dish is one of the best buys on the list. The generosity of the deal continued when I opened it up and got my first look, noting the impressive amount of pepperoni piled on. You can't accuse Costco for skimping on pizza's favorite topping. But how did this grand deal taste?
The good news is that these pizzas taste good enough to make it an easy economical decision if you're hosting a bunch of hungry kids for a pizza party. They'll be satisfied enough with the mindless carbs and classic pepperoni and cheese combo. But otherwise, this is the most vanilla of the pizzas on offer. Though nothing worked against it in regards to texture or flavor, nothing helped it stand out either. The crust was adequately crispy but had only a so-so flavor. Meanwhile the sauce and the toppings both suffered from mediocrity in terms of flavor as well (even if the amount of toppings was far from average). Overall, this is a good option for the spendthrift who cares more about their wallet more than their tastebuds. For those looking for a tastier experience, skip it.
8. Sabatasso's gluten-free four-cheese pizza
By its very nature, gluten-free pizza is a controversial product. Purists will claim that a perfectly chewy, toothsome pizza crust can only be achieved by using high protein, gluten-filled flour. But as pizza is one of the most beloved dishes in the world, companies have worked hard to find a dupe that can satisfy the cravings of those suffering with gluten-intolerance.
Enter Sabatasso's gluten-free four-cheese pizza. Offered in a 3-pack for $16.99, Sabatasso promises a gooey cheese pizza slice completely with an expertly crispy thin crust all while being gluten-free. In addition to that, the pizza featured a cheese quartet of Asiago, mozzarella, fontina, and parmesan, easily the most luxurious of cheese blends of any other pizza on this list. Does all this add up to a satisfying pizza?
Unfortunately, this pizza's biggest selling point is also its grand downfall. This was the worst crust in the pack, offering little in the way of structure or taste as it sagged and dipped like a limp noodle. Though the cheese topping was undeniably delicious, had a satisfying stretchy pull, and the sauce was tasty, both were wasted on this crust. There are better gluten-free options on this list, so it'd be better to skip this one.
7. Pep's Drafthaus The Prohibition Special Pizza
There are two schools of thought when it comes to pizza toppings. Some demand a minimalist approach, which allows the sauce, cheese, and crust to shine. Others believe in topping maximalism, imagining pizza that is drowning in plenty of meat and veggies. If you're a part of the latter group, Pep's Drafthaus The Prohibition Special pizza ($14.99 for a 2-pack) is the dish for you. Straddling the line between a supreme-style pizza and a meat-lovers pizza, The Prohibition Special features plenty of toppings in the form of mushrooms, bell peppers, onions, pepperoni, and not one but two kinds of sausage.
Again, part of this pizza's point of pride can also be seen as part of its undoing. The toppings themselves are all high-quality, featuring delightfully juicy peppers and onions and a delicious blend of meat. Even better was the generous pile-up of shredded cheese, which was flecked with Italian herbs that added a nice aromatic touch.
But this surplus of toppings overwhelms the crust, leading to a slightly soggy experience. Even if you baked the pizza for longer to mitigate these soggy issues, you would risk creating edges that are over done with a barely-cooked center. Admittedly, some people like that pizza-bordering-on-casserole texture. So, if you like your pizza slice to feel more like a fully loaded lasagna, this is the pizza for you.
6. Milton's cauliflower crust roasted vegetable pizza
One of the lighter options on this list, Milton's cauliflower crust roasted vegetable pizza is a dish for the veggie-lover out there. Beyond featuring a blend of roasted zucchini, bell peppers, and onions, the pizza also make use of three different types of cheese. The pizza, available in a 2-pack for $13.89, also trades on the gluten-free cauliflower crust trend, which promises a perfectly chewy crust with fewer calories and no gluten. But can this vegetarian gluten-free pizza offer as good a flavor as it's meatier contemporaries?
This was a sleeper hit for me. The first pleasant surprise came in the form of the well-seasoned, flavorful vegetables which offered a juicy texture without soaking the crust in excess moisture. The second delicious note came in the form of the rich, sweet pizza sauce which worked as a nice counterpoint to the salty cheese topping. Some may call it out as being overly sweet, but I found it just right for this pizza. Even the crust shocked me with its crispiness, offering a bite that was thin and chewy without going gummy. That being said, it still didn't have the classic rigidity and chew as a traditional gluten-filled pizza crust. But that's a silly nitpick for a gluten-free pizza. Overall, as a healthier pizza option, I found this to be worthy of taking up some precious space in my freezer.
5. Kirkland Signature cheese pizza
The Kirkland Signature brand returns to the pizza round-up, this time in the form of the classic cheese pizza. Offering four pizzas for $11.49, this is both the cheapest priced pizza on the list and the best deal, with each individual pizza coming out to roughly $2.87. Life the Kirkland pepperoni pizza before it, Costco had a heavy hand when it layered on the mozzarella on this pizza. That being said, does the taste keep up with the wonderful price point?
For me, this was a best buy that also had a taste worth writing home about. What I found so pleasing about this pizza was its sense of balance. The chewy crust was matched with a tasty sauce and flavorful cheese, all of which had a nice balance of herbs and salt present. Speaking of the crust, if you're a fan of the puffy, pillowy type, this pizza delivers just that. Best of all, I think this pizza can work as the perfect blank canvas for some frozen pizza upgrades, like adding in more fresh veggies.
The only reason this pizza didn't rank higher is that I wished the cheese had taken on more pretty golden bubbles in the oven instead of taking on the texture of a glossy puddle — but a hotter oven or a cast iron skillet bake may have cured this problem. For a plainly pleasant pizza-eating experience, this brand offered everything I was looking for on a budget.
4. Pizza Roncadin mushroom and truffle pizza
Next up is Pizza Roncadin mushroom and truffle pizza($14.99 for a 3-pack). Setting this pizza apart from others on this list, this Roncadin pizza is a proud product of Italy. It's also the only pizza on offer that didn't feature a traditional marinara-style pizza sauce, opting for a fragrant garlic sauce. For the topping, sliced mushrooms, herbs, and a truffled mushroom sauce take the place of meatier fare for the true mushroom lover. On the back of the box, the brand takes pains to explain that the crust is made with Italian mountain water, enjoyed a long leavening period, and was baked in a wood-fired oven — all indicators of a quality crust.
Unsurprisingly, I had high expectations for this pizza, especially as a mushroom fan, and the pizza mostly delivered its promise. The crust is definitely a triumph, tasting like it received plenty of love slowly fermenting for peak flavor. The mushroom flavor was quite good as well, as the mushrooms themselves were thinly sliced and roasted to perfection.
Alas, some of these luscious mushrooms gave up a bit of moisture that pooled to the middle of the pizza, which was a slight damper on the sophisticated crust. As for the truffle taste, it came through as more of a hint of truffle oil than that rich genuine truffle flavor. This is frozen pizza we're talking about, so these small nitpicks can be forgiven for a truly well-crafted pie.
3. Sabatasso's pizza singles
Returning to our round-up is Sabatasso's, now in the form of 6 pepperoni and 6 four-cheese pizza singles for $12.49. The benefit of these petite pizzas lie in their flexibility in cooking method and perfectly portioned sizes for single-servings. The back of the box offers directions for cooking these pizzas not only in the oven but also in an air-fryer and microwave, a nice option when you if you don't have a full oven in your place. The pizzas themselves were about 4 inches in diameter, and had plenty of cheese and quartered pepperoni slices to offer a toppings-rich pie.
As the Sabatasso's gluten-free cheese pizza had epically disappointed me, I didn't expect much from these mini pizzas. Thankfully, I was way off the mark. An authentic, gluten-filled crust made all the difference here, as the crispy little rounds of dough offered the perfect delivery system for sauce, cheese, and pepperoni. I was particularly impressed with the four-cheese pizzas, as they featured a mozzarella, cheddar, provolone, and parmesan blend that packed a satisfying cheesy punch. If you're working with a smaller household to feed, or just want to taste some surprisingly good pizza, give these pizza singles a try.
2. Kirkland Signature supreme cauliflower crust pizza
Kirkland Signature supreme cauliflower crust pizza is Costco's last and best entry on the frozen pizza list. Notably, this Kirkland Signature offering is more expensive than its cheese and pepperoni counter parts, with a price tag of $11.99 for only 2 pizzas. But the reason for the price hike is understandable when you consider this dish is offering numerous extra bells and whistles.
First, the topping features the addition of sausage, peppers, mushrooms, and roasted zucchini to the mix, and the mozzarella cheese also gets an umami boost from both parmesan and romano. Next, the crust has the distinction of being both a veggie-rich cauliflower crust and gluten-free. As a bonus, the pizza promises to be rBST-free, which means that the cows who produced the cheese for the pizza were not treated with the artificial rBST hormone.
I'm as shocked as the next person that this turned out to be one of my favorite pizzas of the bunch. The vegetable toppings were juicy but didn't make the pizza soggy, and there was a generous scattering of sausage and pepperoni throughout the pizza, allowing the customer to get a taste of something rich in each bite. The extra dusting of cheese also made this pizza more flavorful. Most surprisingly, despite featuring a gluten-free cauliflower crust, this had a perfectly thin and crispy texture. If you're looking for a supreme-style pizza that just happens to be gluten-free, this is the best option around.
1. Authentic Motor City Pizza Co. double pepperoni Detroit-style deep dish pizza
Our final entry is the Authentic Motor City Pizza Co. Double Pepperoni Detroit-Style Deep Dish Pizza ($12.99 for a 2-pack). For the uninitiated, Detroit-style pizza is like a blend between deep-dish Chicago-style pizza and the square cut Chicago tavern-style pizza. According to the back of the box, this type of pizza was born into the world when a chef baked his pizza in an automotive parts tray. Complete with its own deep-dish tray to bake in, this thick pizza also packs both diced and sliced pepperoni in combination with plenty of mozzarella cheese.
From the very first bite, I knew this pizza was going to take top honors as the best frozen pizza Costco had to offer. The double pepperoni label is not just a marketing tactic, as both chewy traditional rounds are paired with crispy, juicy cubes, creating a nicely complex textural note. The cheese was a stand-out as well, as it had the distinction of both crisping up into golden bubbles and puddling into chewy, melty pools.
But the stand-out element of this pizza is the crust. Mamma mia, that crust! Even though it exists as one of the thicker, puffier of crusts, a buttery, garlic coat helps it crisp up beautifully in the oven. I felt like a kid again, scrambling for the last corner slice at school pizza party, jonesing for that next big bite of carbs, cheese, and golden crust.
Our Methodology
Pizza selection was based on all of the frozen pizzas I could find at my local Costco. Keep in mind that distribution changes from location to location, so prices and pizza brands may vary based on your local Costco. I did not include the classic brand Bagel Bites Pizza Snacks in this list even though it was available, as that felt like a departure from a true pizza in both style and form.
All of the pizzas were cooked according to the package instructions. I baked each pizza — the Detroit-style pizza being the only exception– on a tray lined with parchment paper. The pizzas were placed in a preheated convection oven with a baking stone on the bottom to help maintain heat. If I was given the option to make the pizza in the oven, microwave, or air fryer, I went with the oven to keep up consistency. Once baked, the pizzas were cooled slightly on the tray and then sliced while warm.
For evaluation, I considered the sauce, toppings, and crust for flavor and texture. Appearance of the pizza was also noted, with special attention to detail paid to how generously the toppings were layered onto the pizza. Finally, I took into account the price points and value of the amount of pizza each deal offered, including considering how many pounds of pizza were on offer and how many individual pizzas were included.