The Best Frozen Pizza To Buy At Costco Is Worth The Higher Price

Costco already gets plenty of acclaim for its beloved and easy-to-hack food court pizza, but frozen pizza from Costco's freezer aisle deserves a deeper look. When it comes to the available options, well-stocked is an understatement. Costco's frozen food items range from Detroit-style pies to cauliflower crust pizzas, with toppings that range from the familiar, like cheese and pepperoni, to the upscale, like truffled mushroom sauce. Size-wise, they have options fit to serve a family or just yourself. They even have Bagel Bites (though those might be excluded as not actual pizza).

If you've ever wondered if you should reach for the classic Kirkland Signature brand or more artisanal types, fear not as Chowhound writer Kyle Grace Mills has found out for you. Based on which brands were available at her local warehouse, Mills taste-tested and ranked nine of Costco's frozen pizzas to determine which is the best. Her study encompasses all crust types: thick, thin, gluten-free, and cauliflower-forward, as well as numerous and varied topping options. Every pizza was cooked in a preheated convection oven according to the package's instructions.

Her rigorous rubric takes the flavor and texture of each pizza's crust, sauce, and toppings into account, as well as how the pizzas look and how generously the toppings are appointed. She also took value into consideration, calculating how much pizza each brand delivers for the cost. Mills's top three might surprise you, but her winner is clear: Authentic Motor City Pizza Co. Double Pepperoni Detroit-Style Deep Dish Pizza. Here's why this mouthful of a product name delivers the best mouthful of frozen pizza Costco can provide.

At $12.99 for a two-pack, Authentic Motor City Pizza Co. is a pricer option per pound of pizza than some of the other frozen pizzas at Costco. But its thick crust and filling heft, plus its quality toppings, more than make up for its higher cost. 

If you've never tried it, Detroit-style pizza is a thick, square-cut deep dish pizza that's usually baked in a high-sided baking dish (as opposed to a sheet pan or cast iron). Authentic Motor City Pizza Co. Double Pepperoni Detroit-Style Deep Dish Pizza stays true to its name by providing a deep dish tray to bake the pizza in. For Kyle Grace Mills, this was one of several standout factors. Thanks to the baking tray, the thick, puffy crust crisps up marvelously in the oven. The crust also features a distinct buttery, garlic flavor that makes it delicious to eat, even on its own.

As Mills notes, "double pepperoni" isn't just a marketing slogan. The deep-crust pie features traditional sliced pepperoni as well as flavorful, tender cubes of diced pepperoni, which add a welcome texture. Between the standout crust and the stellar toppings, you might expect the cheese to play a background role, but it doesn't. Salty, mellow mozzarella pools lusciously into the pizza's hollows while crisping up into golden glory along the edges and ridges of the pie. No matter how you slice it, Costco's Detroit-style deep dish frozen pepperoni pizza is worth every penny.