16 Store-Bought Frozen Pizzas, Ranked Worst To Best

When life gets hectic, it's nice to know that there is a stash of frozen pizza waiting in the wings for you. Whether you're looking to satisfy the hunger of unexpected guests or just need a break from slaving in the kitchen, frozen pizza offers the kind of comfort you can count on. Even people who are cooking for themselves can enjoy a halved frozen pizza on occasion and it's not hard to transform the blank frozen canvas into a gourmet masterpiece with a few budget-friendly tips. 

But not every brand of pizza can deliver what you really want. As the frozen pizza market is an 18.8 billion dollar business, there are a lot of options for the home shopper to choose from. So how do you decide what will be the best choice for your dinner emergencies? 

In order to help my fellow foodies find the best buy, I sampled many of the brands available in stores right now, from classics like DiGiorno to a gourmet entry from Italy. I also sampled the top options from Costco, bringing in some bulk choices for the shopper looking to buy big. Without further ado, let's find out which pizzas are worth precious space in your freezer.

Probably one of the more iconic brands on this list, Totino's is more commonly associated with kid-friendly pizza rolls than pizza. Well, that and the increasingly edgy and hilarious Super Bowl spoof ads that have run on "Saturday Night Live." Still, the brand's Party Pizza is a classic crispy pepperoni offering, and the cheapest buy on this entire list. 

Unfortunately, the cheapness could be tasted in every bite. The pepperoni had a minuscule presence and the shredded cheese weirdly never melted, crisping into individual, bland strands on top. But the worst aspect of this pizza was the sauce, which could only be described as an inedible take on ketchup rather than marinara sauce. I recommend this gets a hard pass for your household unless you plan on feeding a pack of hungry, undiscerning teenage boys. 

One of the most affordable options on the list, Tombstone is one of the few pizzas that comes in plain plastic wrap rather than a cardboard box. This made it easier to store in the freezer, which was immediately a plus in my book. Though there were plenty of flavors to choose from, including chipotle chicken and Canadian bacon, I selected the original pepperoni with thin crust, which claims to pack a quarter pound of cheese and two layers of pepperoni. 

Flavor-wise, this is a perfectly mid-range pizza. The pepperoni and cheese got a nice, golden sear and had an adequate flavor. The crust was crispy, if uninspired in taste. My only genuine dislike was a sauce that proved a bit too sweet for me, but otherwise, it was inoffensive on the palate. As a cheap option, it's not so much unbearable as it is painfully bland. Some hot honey could help, but I personally wouldn't go out of my way to buy it again. 

Any pizza that comes from a pie mecca like Chicago automatically has a bit of a reputation to uphold. Such is the case with Home Run Inn, a family-owned business that first started out as a tavern in Chicago's South Side in the 1920s. The brand's specialty is thin-crust pizza, and it's particularly proud to offer very fresh ingredients, including California-grown tomatoes and freshly shredded mozzarella. For testing, I went with the classic cheese pizza. 

For a pie that had a lot to prove, I was sad to find a fatal flaw with the pizza. While the cheese was very nice and tasted top quality, the crust had an odd, beer-like flavor to it, overwhelming everything else. Perhaps it was because the crust had fermented for too long, as alcohol is a flavorful byproduct during the fermentation process. Normally, this just makes dough, and pizza dough in particular, taste all the better, but it went too far here. Though this may be a one-off, I'm wary of buying another Home Run Inn pizza. 

Pep's Drafthaus is a pizza brand all about delivering pies that are inspired by gourmet microbreweries around the country. Marked by an overwhelming amount of toppings, the flavors run from the zany (The Fiesta Taco Michelada) to the truly inspired (Honey Sriracha Chicken). Of its extensive line, the meat and veggie-laden Prohibition Special Pizza is supposedly the brand's best-seller. I found this two-pack version of the Prohibition Special Pizza at Costco and was excited to try something so delightfully overloaded with toppings. 

Alas, what attracted me to it became the main issue with it. Mushrooms, pepperoni, sausage, bell peppers, cheese — with this many toppings, it was inevitable that it became soggy. Even if you cooked this pizza for an extended time, the toppings would get burnt and the crust would only just be getting crisp.

When one thinks of frozen pizza, it's inevitable that DiGiorno enters the conversation. Heck, most Millennials can recite the brand's tagline by nostalgic memory: "It's not delivery. It's DiGiorno." As arguably the most well-known frozen pizza brand, DiGiorno has a flavor lineup that borders on the ridiculous. The brand's most recent entry, the Croissant Crust Pizza line, has both intrigued and repulsed me when I've laid eyes on it at the grocery store, but I decided to stick with something more classic. I tested the three-meat option with rising crust. 

The issue with DiGiorno is that I always feel like there's too much crust. That's not necessarily surprising, as the bulky "Rising Crust" option is the brand's signature original style. Even setting that aside, this was a super doughy pizza, easily eclipsing the many ingredients on top. I also found the sauce to be overly sweet, further sinking this pizza in my estimation. Overall, I feel like DiGiorno is trading more on brand awareness rather than good-quality pie.

Red Baron is another famed frozen pizza brand that you're probably already familiar with. With an aviator mascot complete with a jaunty red scarf, Red Baron has been slinging pizza since 1976.  Full disclosure: I've got a certain guilty fondness for its French bread singles, similar to my juvenile weakness for Hot Pockets. As for the brand's standard pizza, I decided to test the brick oven crust pepperoni pizza, featuring pepperoni made from a blend of pork, chicken, and beef.  

Topped evenly with cheese and pepperoni, I enjoyed the subtle kick of spice that this pizza had. After a few weirdly sweet pizzas, it was refreshing to get some heat. The crust took on a great texture and had a nice balance of salt. Overall, while this pizza isn't breaking the mold, it's certainly good enough for casual enjoyment. Combined with an affordable price point, this is a fine option for shoppers who aren't looking for anything fancy. 

One of the few cauliflower-crust options on this list, I grabbed this two-pack of Milton's roasted vegetable pizza at Costco. Milton's specializes in cauliflower crust pizzas, offering almost every traditional flavor out there, only with a veggie, gluten-free crust. The cauliflower crust market is definitely growing, but it does seem to narrow the field a bit when it comes to customers. After all, the rich, chewy crust is half the draw for pizza lovers. 

I appreciated how tender and juicy the vegetables were on this pizza, rather than water-logged and soggy. The cheese was also high quality. I also found the crust just fine, even if it couldn't properly compete with a gluten-filled option. I think this is a solid pizza choice for someone looking to either cut carbs or adhere to a gluten-free diet. But there are better cauliflower crust brands out there, and one is even featured on this list. 

California Pizza Kitchen is more famous for being a full-blown restaurant rather than a frozen pizza brand, but, much like the Cheesecake Factory, the popular chain has branched out into the grocery store. I've dined here before, and while it doesn't eclipse my love for Mellow Mushroom, I found its pies perfectly satisfying. For its frozen foray, I decided to try the beloved tomato and mozzarella-topped Margherita pizza. 

I was particularly impressed with the juicy quality of the tomatoes, not an easy feat for a frozen meal. The mozzarella cubes bubbled into nice little melty puddles as well. My only gripe with this is that I think the thin crust couldn't necessarily hold up to all the juicy toppings. This thin crust is very typical of California-style pizzas, of course. Still, even an extra millimeter of dough would help. Overall, if you're a fan of the restaurant, I think you'll be equally pleased with its frozen pizza. 

This is probably the most authentic Italian pizza on this list — after all, it's imported from the home of pizza. Proudly made in Italy with mountain spring Alpine water, Pizza Roncadin takes great pains to explain on its website and boxes that its pizza is a special treat, cooked in a wood-fired oven and made with a dedication to the pizza craft. I got this three-pack of the Mushroom and Truffle Pizza at my local Costco, and was interested to see if it could live up to its many claims. 

Admittedly, you need to love mushrooms to love this pizza, but if you're a crust aficionado, this is the kind of pizza you will adore. The crust benefited from a slow fermentation, which meant it had an incredible depth of flavor. Add to that great roasted mushroom flavor and chewy cheese, and you have a pretty solid frozen pie. The only issue? It can get a little soggy with the excess truffle oil and vegetable juice and — it must be said — this pizza is truly inedible if you don't like mushrooms. 

You are probably already familiar with the brand Amy's as it spans well outside the frozen pizza aisle. The health-conscious brand first began with a pot pie back in 1987 and since then has gone on to offer organic options from soup to burritos. Its line of pizzas carries on the vegetarian and organic mission, offering 10 different pies that don't sport a single slice of pepperoni or morsel of sausage. I decided to go with the spinach pizza for testing, as I thought it seemed a harder flavor to pull off than the classic Margherita.  

Lo and behold, this is easily my favorite veggie pizza option on the entire list. From the mix of mozzarella and feta cheese to the crust to the epic spinach and tomato sauce, it all blended perfectly together to create a well-balanced bite. As a base, I could even see myself adding some eggs to this pizza to pump up the protein. If you're looking for a proper veggie pie, Amy's is the brand to go to. 

Although it has humble beginnings in small-town Minnesota, Sabatasso's is owned by the same conglomerate, Schwan's Company, which also owns three other frozen pizza brands: Red Baron, Freschetta, and Tony's. So, it's already got some competition within its own brand family. My first experience with Sabatasso's was with its gluten-free four-cheese pizza, and it wasn't impressive showing. However, even if it was a dud in the gluten-free crusted pizza arena, the pepperoni and four-cheese pizza singles more than make up for that deficit. 

To begin with, the miniature size is very attractive for those looking to enjoy single portions of their frozen pizza. Second, the pizzas themselves are much tastier than their diminutive size would suggest. When you look at individual-sized pizzas, you probably think you're working with something on the same level as Totino's or Hot Pockets. But with a sophisticated cheese blend, divinely crispy crust, and quality pepperoni, these tiny pizzas eclipse the quality of plenty of other full-sized pies on this list. Still, if you're feeding a crowd, this might not be the best option for you. 

While Costco has plenty of frozen pizza brands for a shopper to choose from, the store offers at least three different flavors in its Kirkland Signature brand. Admittedly, Kirkland's most famous pie — the pepperoni pizza offered in both the frozen food aisle and the Costco food court — doesn't bring much to the table beyond cheap eats. But the cheese pizza showed a nice uptick in flavor, proving that the brand had some potential. Finally, when I got around to the Supreme Cauliflower Crust Pizza, I knew I'd struck gold. 

The crust may not fool a connoisseur, but a casual pizza lover may not even notice that this fairly crispy crust lacks chewy gluten. The vegetables present were tender and flavorful without waterlogging the crust. That, paired with quality pepperoni, sausage, and an epic three-cheese blend, I'd enjoy this pizza over plenty of gluten-rich options present on this list.  

Freschetta is all about pushing fresh ingredients in the frozen food game (hence the punny name). The brand has several frozen pizza options on the market, including a square-shaped brick oven pizza, a gluten-free pizza, a thin crust pizza, and a naturally rising crust-style pizza. I selected the last of these, opting for traditional pepperoni. 

This was the sleeper hit of the list. I didn't expect to like this pie nearly as much as I did, but it had undeniably one of the best crusts of any of the other pizzas. Fluffy but not doughy, this is what the DiGiorno rising crust pizza wishes it could be. The cheese and pepperoni were solid as well. My only gripe would be that the sauce was a little on the sweet side, but the other high points make up for this minor low point. Combined with an affordable price, I can see Freschetta showing up in my rotation again.  

Everything about the Urban Pie Pizza Co. screams artisan, from the steep price tag to the fancy ingredient list. Though it's definitely on the pricey side for frozen pizza, it still beats the cost of a pizza delivery. Plus, I found that the brand had plenty of enticing options for me to choose from, including flavors that I wouldn't be able to find on the menu at my local fast-food pizza chain. Case in point, the pepperoni pie I selected used uncured pepperoni and a special rosa sauce, which was a blend of Alfredo and marinara sauces. 

The good news is you could definitely taste the quality of this pizza. The cheese, pepperoni, and herby seasoning all smacked of gourmet. And the sauce has me considering other interesting ways to combine marinara and Alfredo. It was a sophisticated take on a comfort classic, which is nice for the dedicated foodie, if not the casual pizza eater. If you don't mind paying a little extra for it, this is a high-brow pizza you can count on delivering artisan flavor. 

The pizza brand with the most aggressive pizza packaging — it does indeed scream at you — Screamin' Sicilian will grab your attention if nothing else. The hollering Sicilian in question is Papa Palermo, an Italian immigrant who landed in Wisconsin and started making authentic pizza. His business eventually became the brand we know today, and it offers up some pretty hedonistic flavors, like the cheese-heavy Bessie's Revenge and porky Hunky Hawaiian. I kept it simple and selected the Holy Pepperoni pizza. 

This one is for pepperoni lovers. I mean, just look at how overloaded with pepperoni this thing is. I appreciated that the brand didn't skimp on the toppings. What I appreciated even more was that it tasted fantastic. The crust was crispy, the cheesy was gooey and fragrant, and the pepperoni was manifold. For a true-blue nostalgic pepperoni pizza experience, you can't get more traditionally delicious than Screamin' Sicilian pizza. 

For the uninitiated, Detroit-style pizza is defined by its thick yet crispy crust that is shaped into a rectangle or square. As the name suggests, Motor City Pizza Co. specializes in this absolutely revolutionary type of pizza. At Costco, I found the two-pack for the double pepperoni flavor, but I'm happy to say you can find this brand in other stores like Walmart or Target, so you don't have to have a membership card to buy this gem. 

I once said this is the best pizza you can get at Costco. Now, I'll take it a step further and say it's also the best frozen pizza you can get from any other store too. Featuring two styles of crispy pepperoni and the best garlic bread-meets-pizza-crust I've ever tasted, it's hard to see how any other pizza in the frozen food aisle can compare. From the crust to the pepperoni, Motor City Pizza Co. just can't be beat. 

When selecting my brands, I tried to stay away from cauliflower crust and gluten-free options (outside of special options from Costco) as they can have a tough time competing with traditional pizza crusts. All of these pizzas were available at my local Walmart, The Fresh Market, or Costco. I tried to stick to basic flavors like meat lovers, pepperoni, cheese, and Margherita, as I know flavors like Hawaiian and Buffalo chicken can be divisive for some. Each pizza was cooked according to the package instructions in a preheated oven.