I Tried 10 Frozen Pepperoni Pizzas and This One Was My Favorite…
Did somebody say pepperoni pizza night?! 🍕
Ahhh frozen pizza. It’s what saves us on those nights when we don’t feel like cooking, it’s what makes our kids love dinnertime more, and it’s what helps us keep a few extra bucks in our wallet.
But with so many different brands and variations to choose from at the store, how on earth do you know which frozen pizza is the best one to buy? After a thorough pepperoni pizza taste-testing (because let’s face it, pepperoni pizza is a crowd-pleaser that everyone loves), I’ve bestowed a thoughtful rating to each brand (with the help of my hungry kiddos and pizza connoisseur hubby).
Each frozen pepperoni pizza has been evaluated based on flavor, fresh out of the oven impression, and price with an overall rating on a scale of 1-10. Follow along to find out which pizza brand impressed us the most and which ones got a thumbs down!
1. Freschetta
- Price: $4.99
Freschetta is one of the most popular frozen pizza brands out there for good reason. The sauce is savory, with just a touch of sweetness, there’s usually a generous amount of toppings, and the crust has a memorable texture and flavor.
During our frozen pepperoni pizza taste test, Freschetta made one of the best fresh out of the oven impressions on us. There was plenty of cheese and not too much sauce, but I wouldn’t have minded a few more pepperonis on top. The pizza was also on the doughier side and the crust overwhelmed the flavors of the pizza just a bit. Still a favorite nonetheless!
Overall rating: 8/10
2. Red Baron
- Price: $3.99
While my kiddos didn’t have any complaints about this frozen pepperoni pizza, I wasn’t the biggest fan of it personally. I thought it was too crispy and the cheese was burnt around the edges of the crust even though we followed the cooking instructions.
Aside from the overcooked cheese around the edges, I still thought this pizza was an accurate representation of the image on the box and didn’t falsely advertise the amount of cheese or pepperoni.
Overall rating: 6/10
3. Jack’s
- Price: $2.69
I’d take a $5 frozen pepperoni pizza over this budget-friendly brand any day. The sauce was very uneven on top of the pizza and there was not nearly enough cheese.
It didn’t look super appetizing fresh out of the oven and I didn’t think there was anything very noteworthy about the flavor either. While I love the price of this frozen pizza, I don’t think I’d buy it again.
Overall rating: 5/10
4. Home Run Inn
- Price: $6.49
According to my husband (who is probably one of the biggest pizza fanatics I’ve ever met), Home Run Inn’s frozen pepperoni pizza tastes just like the pizza you get from Chuck E. Cheese so if that’s something you enjoy, then you’ll love this brand!
At first glance out of the oven, this pizza had plenty of cheese with a perfectly cooked crust that was in between thin and pan crust. The uncured pepperoni slices were yummy, but I wished there was just a few more on top as each slice of pizza only had 2-3 pieces. This one wasn’t the prettiest pizza, but we were pleasantly surprised by the flavor.
Overall rating: 7/10
5. DiGiorno
- Price: $5.49
DiGiorno’s frozen pepperoni pizza HIT THE SPOT! This was one of my favorites and certainly, one of the best impressions coming out of the oven. I usually prefer fluffier pizzas, but the thin and crispy texture of this one was so good!
The amount of cheese and pepperoni slices was just right, and the crispy crust was perfection. The sauce was also really tasty and had a touch of sweetness to it. My kids loved this pizza and I would definitely buy it again even though it’s $1-$2 more expensive than competitor brands. Well done DiGiorno!
Overall rating: 10/10
6. Tony’s
- Price: $3.19
Tony’s frozen pepperoni pizza reminded me of the Jack’s brand a little bit as it was also lacking in cheese and loaded with sauce that was very overpowering. It was rather unappealing coming out of the oven and although the dough was thicker than some of the other thin-style pizzas, I just couldn’t get past the sauce situation as I thought it was WAY too much.
This wouldn’t be my first cheap frozen pizza recommendation (or even second or third), but if you like your pizza very saucy, then this one might do it for you!
Overall rating: 5/10
7. Screamin’ Sicilian
- Price: $6.99
Now we’re talking! Screamin’ Sicilian’s pepperoni pizza was super delicious and had everything that I want in a pepperoni pizza–a flavorful and distinct sauce that was slightly tangy, no shortage of pepperoni slices, and more than enough cheese.
It looked very appetizing coming out of the oven and was even better at first bite. While it’s not the most budget-friendly frozen pizza, I’m definitely a fan of this brand and like a few of their other pizza varieties too.
Overall rating: 9/10
8. Outsiders
- Price: $8.99
I was really looking forward to Outsider’s frozen pepperoni pizza as I had seen this brand on a couple of lists of highly-rated pizzas, but my husband, kids, and myself all agreed that this pizza was definitely not worth the high price and I don’t think I would even buy it if it was half the price.
The pizza style is very different as the sauce actually sits on top of the cheese and pepperoni (which I didn’t mind because it’s all going to taste the same in my mouth) but woah, this pizza was swimming in sauce. We couldn’t even taste the cheese because there was so much sauce. Plus, look at that crust! It was broken and crumbling before it even made it into the oven, which was very disappointing considering how much it cost.
Overall rating: 3/10
9. Tombstone
- Price: $3.69
Tombstone is another super affordable brand that you’ve probably seen at your local grocery store next to the Jack’s and Tony’s brands. There’s wasn’t anything very special about the frozen pepperoni pizza we tasted, but I did like it more than the other similar brands we tried.
There was a decent amount of cheese and pepperoni slices and the crust was thin and crispy. It did come out of the oven looking a little lopsided and slightly overcooked so it wasn’t the most impressionable frozen pizza but it didn’t taste too bad overall, especially for the price.
Overall rating: 6/10
10. Newman’s Own
- Price: $5.99
Surprisingly, this was a frozen pepperoni pizza brand that I’ve never tried before so I was curious how it would compare to the other popular selections we tasted, and with the $6 price tag, I figured it had to be pretty good.
As soon as I saw the herbs sprinkled over the top of the pizza, I thought for sure my kids would hate this one. They’ve never been a fan of oregano and Italian seasonings, but they didn’t have any complaints at all after finishing their first slice. They actually asked for more!
I have a feeling it was due to the sweetness of the sauce, which I happened to like as well and while I wanted the cheese to be more plentiful and melted, this pizza still stood out amongst some of the other brands.
Overall rating: 7/10
When it comes to frozen pizzas, price doesn’t always = quality.
And the best frozen pepperoni pizza award goes to… DiGiorno! Excellent flavor, great impression fresh out of the oven, and relatively cheap. This just goes to show that price doesn’t always dictate quality or flavor (looking at you Outsiders 🤨)
Of course, we all have different taste preferences and any pizza is better than no pizza in my opinion! We’d love to hear which pepperoni pizzas rank the highest on your list so please share some of your favorites!
Want more fun Hip2Save taste tests?! Here’s what we thought about 5 boxed Mac & Cheese brands we tried!
We love Sceamin’ Sicilian pizza, too. When I was pregnant, I couldn’t find frozen strombolis anywhere in our area. We noticed Sceamin’ Sicilian carried frozen strombolis on their website. We asked our local grocery store to carry them and a couple weeks later we found them next to pizza section!! All of SS strombolis taste great and I think they are better when they are cooked in the microwave.
I love Stromboli! I never thought to look for a frozen version!
I actually hated the stromboli. No sauce just grease. Dried out old meat, but the crust was okay. I love stromboli.
I’m going to try the pizza.
I’m so happy you picked this one, because we agree! It’s our go-to! So good!
My husband would laugh, but all of these look burnt to me! lol
Yeah. Home run is my favorite but when I cook it it doesn’t look like that.
LOL! I like to burn our frozen pizza – the crisper, the better. I do usually add some cheese though.
Motor City Pizza Double Pepperoni. 2 pack at Costco for $10.xx. Overall Grade: 10/10.
Yes! We finally just tried that as well and really, really liked it!
The cheese garlic bread is really good too!
This is the best frozen pizza I have ever had. I just bought more a couple of days ago.
Totino’s is my favorite!
Totinos is the only frozen pizzas I’ve ever thrown away, and we’re not a picky family! I bought 4, cooked 1 and had to throw the rest away, never a again in our house.
I love Totino’s too! Cheap easy pizza lol It’s definitely not restaurant quality, but I love it bc it’s a sentimental favorite from childhood. And the crust is unique!
Allison, so funny I was thinking the exact same thing. Sentiment since I’ve been eating it since I was a kid. Definitely not restaurant quality but so good for a quick lunch!!
They changed it! They don’t use the box anymore and it comes in plastic wrap.
It used to be my favorite and have a super thin, crunchy crust, but now it’s thick and taste completely different ~ and not in a good way.
You can’t go wrong with Aldi frozen pizza, Mama Cozzi’s. $2.50. I prefer the supreme, but the pepperoni is equally as delicious.
I was HOPING someone would mention Aldi!! My kids are in a two day private school, and three days at home, so I am in a wonderful routine of Tuesday mornings at Aldi. I think I’ll add one to the list for tomorrow. Thank you!!
I couldn’t agree more with this comment 🤣
we love mama cozzi’s !!
Yes I agree it’s really good.
Yes the Mama Cozzi rising crust pizza yum…my kids even said it was better than Digiorno
Thanks for the suggestion! I’ll have to try that one!
We just re-tried mama cozzis fresh deli style pizza (supreme), and even my picky pizza eater that only likes digiorno liked it! It’s much bigger than digiorno at 16″ so it’s definitely worth it!
Yes – I have been getting the cheese one and it makes a great, easy, quick lunch or dinner. For the price the flavor and texture is great!
Agreed the BEST
Mama Cozzi’s is my favorite frozen pizza! I usually buy 4 or 5 at a time. They are by far better than DiGiorno. The crust cooks all the way through and rises beautifully.
I LOVE Aldi Mama Cozzi’s cheese pizza, it my favorite!
Home Run Inn and its not even close!
I love the new croissant pizza that Digiorno sells
Yes!
That sounds yummy! 😋 Thanks for sharing!
I love Freschetta. I think it’s because it was the pizza we always ate at sleepovers when I was a kid. The nostalgia factor! Sam’s Choice frozen pizzas are REALLY good too.
Thanks for letting us know what you have liked best!
Schwans has the best frozen pizza! The self rising crust 4 cheese is amazing!
I agree! We love the new thin crust pepperoni, had one last night actually. Surprisingly, the GF ones are good too. They are very thin and crispy and the cheese brown perfectly.
Schwan’s is Red Baron
Schwan’s parent company also makes Tony’s pizza.
Our whole family agrees that Digiorno is best.
DiGiorno is one of our favorites too!
OH my goodness…love this post! And I totally agree with you regarding DiGiorno and Screaming Sicilian. Those two are by far our favorites also. Sometimes Kroger has some great deals on Screaming Sicilian. Please Hip2Save keep these tested and reviews posts coming! I totally love them. And if you ever need a tester I am available 😉😉
You bet! Thanks so much for your feedback, Jackie! Happy you are loving these posts!
We love Culinary Circle and Digiorno.
I love Culinary Circle- the stores here don’t carry it anymore.
I’m so glad you guys have a girl doing a good post for once!! We like food too!
I agree. It seems like only Stetson gets to eat lol.
I meant food* oops. But yeah, he does them all!
whole foods pizza is 50% off right now.
Thanks for the reminder! GREAT deal! https://hip2save.com/2020/10/21/50-off-frozen-pizzas-for-amazon-prime-members-at-whole-foods-organic-gluten-free-more/
I live in Sacramento. Our Costco now carries a 2 pack of a deep dish style pizza. It delicious and about $12 per box. So, $6 each. Give it a try!
Thanks for the tip!
Should have tried Walmart Great Value self-rising crust…YUM-O
Yes, we like this one too, and the price is great. Would also be interested in a review of the Kirkland frozen brand.
Our Walmart Great Value Self-Rising Crust pizza has changed this year. Last year, it was always good. This year, Every Pizza I have purchased (I keep hoping that they will return to their previous deliciousness), has Not been good. The dough does not rise — it stays gooey. Very disappointing. I contacted Customer Service at Walmart to complain, but they won’t even respond. $2.78 for a 30.7 oz Supreme pizza is hard to beat the price, but I had to stop buying them since their quality has really gone downhill.
Oh yes! I’ve tried that one before too! Yummy! Thanks for commenting, Nana!
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I love the Nice barbecue chicken frozen pizza at Walgreens. It is thin crust which is the only kind I like.
Know your oven for a better tasting pizza. A pizza like Jacks with a very thin crust needs to be placed higher in the oven than a DiGiorino. The directions on the pizza box are only a very rough guideline I’ve found.
I’m not sure if these are available everywhere because they’re made here in MN, but Heggie’s is the best pizza. They do carry them at Costco in my area as well!
I totally mentioned Heggie’s in my post too, Amy! They’re one of our top pizza choices in our house! Super good frozen pizzas!
I love the hand tossed style DiGiorno pizzas. The crust is the best. But Freschetta has some great flavors like Canadian Bacon & Pineapple and the spinach & mushroom brick oven roasted pizza.
Aldi mama cozi rising crust. Second I like digorno pan. These are for those who like lots of crust, not too much sauce and great toppings.
Thanks for this! I don’t get frozen pizzas for this reason, bcus most aren’t very good,?especially for the price! Good to know Digourno made the cut. I personally prefer thin crust and slightly burnt edges, so also good to know which ones offer this.
You’re most welcome! SO glad this list was helpful!
Home Run is a cult classic here in Illinois!
My hubby & I tried Home Run pizzas years ago because of the hype, and haven’t looked back since!
The crust is crunchy, the toppings taste really fresh, and there’s always the perfect amount of
sauce and cheese. It costs right around $6 at Walmart, and frequently goes on sale at the grocery stores
for $5. We always have 4 or 5 in the freezer : ) Grab some garlic bread & make a salad…
YUM!!!
My top 2 pizzas are 1. Winn Dixie brand pepperon 2. California Kitchen Pizza.
Thanks for letting us know what your top favorites are, Casey!
Member’s Mark Thin and Crispy Pepperoni Pizzas are soooo good. They come in a 4 pack for only $10.48. I cook them directly on the grate of my Cuisinart air fryer oven and they come out perfectly crispy and bubbly on top. They have a good amount of toppings and my whole family loves them. They rival the thin crust offerings at Domino’s and Pizzahut.
Home Run Inn is a renowned pizzeria in Chicago and their frozen pizza is a top choice in my part of Illinois!
My husband and I tried their pizza years ago and since then it’s the only one we buy. Toppings are fresh tasting and plentiful. We always have 4 or 5 in our freezer…yum!!!
We accidentally got a Sam’s Choice* rising crust pizza on our order one time, and I’m so glad! They are delicious! Like you wouldn’t expect a Walmart brand to be that good but they’re better than any frozen pizza we ever tried. They even have stuffed crust, and specialty pizzas like Margherita. I won’t buy anything else now! *Not Great Value
Love this post. Love pizza. Now I want to go out and buy all these highly recommended frozen pizzas to try. Thank you.
You’re welcome! Enjoy!
Do any of these have a spicy sauce? The sweet sauce is not a favorite in our house.
We bought a pizza stone and we use this on the gas grill or oven. We have found that using the stone really makes a huge difference on the way the pizza is cooked either frozen or home made. The oven or grill is cranked up to 500 and it takes about 5-7 minutes for the pizza to cook. The pizza cooks evenly and the crust gets really crispy. Even frozen pizzas taste really good and homemade pizza are now next level. I would recommend anyone getting a pizza stone it will change the way you cook pizza.
I’ve been looking to get a pizza stone. Is there a one that you recommend? Thank you.
They all should be pretty much the same: a boring porous ceramic stone, though shapes, sizes, and accessories vary. I replaced my first “plain” round one with one that had a metal “holder” (to make it easier to remove from the oven), only to find that I really didn’t want to remove the stone from the oven. I also bought a couple sets of small square tiles, which I’ve discovered I don’t use all that much, and when I do, I push them together like one big stone. If I were buying yet another stone, I’d probably go with a bigger than typical rectangular one, simply because I’m messy and it saves oven cleanup when you spill toppings and because I make bread and I’d like to try baguettes right on the stone. You will want a scraper of some sort, though. You don’t want to wash a stone with soap–you just scrape off baked-on debris. And stones get really ugly, so be prepared!
I got this one. I love the big spatula that come with it and its not too expensive.
https://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-CPS-445-Pizza-Grilling-Set/dp/B00F3BH9Y6/ref=sr_1_4?dchild=1&keywords=Best+Pizza+Stone+for+Grill&qid=1603745801&sr=8-4
For frozen pizzas, Lottza Mottzas are the best followed by Heggies (closely) and then the rest are like way way behind. I think Heggies might be an upper-midwest-only brand though since they’re made in a little rural MN city and I haven’t really seen them anywhere outside of Wisconsin, Minnesota, and North Dakota.
Rising crusts like digornos are sort of in a different league too… and it’s not really fair to compare them with normal frozen pizzas. It’s almost like comparing bagels and throwing a donut in there because it looks similar. Lol. It’s a different type of food in my opinion – I like rising crust frozen pizzas (digornos are good and deserve the high ranking you gave), but it doesn’t scratch the same crispy frozen pizza itch if that makes sense.
Totinos “party pizzas” are borderline inedible. Ha ha.
Love this debate. There’s a good mythical morning episode where they do a frozen pizza show down, and (I think) they also picked digorno as the top pizza.
Yes Lottza Mottza in WI! The topping is so good. We try to get them when they’re on the good sales at Pig or Woodmans. Normally $9-$10 but $5 is the best sale or $6 decent too. Emil’s are good too!
Thanks for this post! We eat a LOT of pizza in our house, and I have to vote for Kroger’s Private Selection as our overall favorite. They are really good for a store brand! There’s also a new organic brand, Alex’s Awesome Sourdough, that’s pretty good (especially if you can find it on sale).
For a lower priced pizza, Wild Mike’s is pretty good, too!
We like the Brew Pub Lottza Mottza Bacon Cheeseburger variety best for frozen, on sale at $ 4.50 at times, and of course they do stick on coupons for $1 off at times, on the packages.
Screamin is ok if its in the $3 range, We will buy the 3 cheese thicker version, when coupons and sale meet up. They have a email club, so we get $1 email coupons and save them for a decent sale.
The rest on this list do not come close, we used to get Tombstone and Jacks since they were so cheap, Menards still has Jacks at 5/$ 10, and of course a 11% rebate.
At a much higher price, Uno has a real good frozen deep dish pizza, but they are pretty pricey
Screamin Sicilian is my favorite. Glad you rated it highly. I trust your taste buds now 🙂
Unfortunately a lot of the pizza chains serve pizza, not even as good as the frozen brands listed.
I buy my pizza from the old fashioned Italian style grease spoons. The sauce and crust is made there and real Mozzarella cheese. This is getting harder to find since Covid.
My family does not eat meat and so we have limited options with frozen pizzas. We get the 4-pack frozen cheese pizza from costco and add extra veggies and extra cheese to it. Turns out good enough for us. Not too much sauce and not too thick crust.
Lotzza Mozza Brew Pub pizzas are our favorites. Try those next!
The Outsiders pizza looks like your typical Chicago style pizza. I have never tried it, but in Outsiders defense, you were comparing apples to oranges. It’s like the New York vs. Chicago pizza debate.
Screamin’ Sicilians are BOGO next week at Kroger starting Wednesday. And one you did not try that is very good is Connie’s and if you like ALOT of cheese on your pizza Lotzza Motzza will make you happy.
I like this post, very useful. Thanks you. We eat red baron nearly once a week I am going to try some of the ones rated higher and see what we think. I usually buy pepperoni pizza and add chopped olives and onions, and garlic powder on the crust.
Lotza mozza gets my vote!!
After reading all the posts, I see no one mentioned Palermos. Their frozen pizzas are available in a box or a plastic wrap. Seems the box ones taste much better than the plain plastic wrapper. The Supreme is great with a super thin crust.
California Pizza Kitchen has a few yummy options. We like their frozen bbq version. Not sure if they are in fact sold outside of CA or not.
They are sold in Madison WI, I like the bbq chicken Cal pizza, We do enjoy them, but we have moved on to Brew Pub as our normal frozen.
I was hoping to find Palermo’s Primo Thin Pepperoni Pizza on this list somewhere, or even in the comments. My kids and I just love this pizza. Pepperoni two ways (sliced and diced), a yummy sauce, crispy crust. And at only 340 calories for 1/3 of the whole pizza, it doesn’t completely ruin the diet either.
We take a Jacks pizza add Italian sausage, onion and bell peppers, pepperoni, and add Italian cheese on top sprinkle some lawrys garlic salt and Italian seasoning cook at 425-450 till golden brown on top this takes frozen pizza to a different level
We have doctored up Jacks as well, We would slice up Bratwurst, and cook them with onions, then add onto the Jacks near the end of baking, also add some cheese on top. It makes a cookout pizza, Wisconsin style.
There is a 20% Circle offer at Target right now for the Screamin Sicilian pizza!
Awesome! Thanks a ton for the heads up!
Home run inn pizza was cooked too long! This is a Chicago pizza and it does not taste like no chucke cheese pizza lol smh
We really like the Outsiders. It’s Chicago style with sauce on top, more like a pie. Reminds me of Pizzeria Uno and Gino’s East. We haven’t had issues with the crust. I suppose it’s an acquired taste.
Great post! I’d like to see you guys review/compare some generic store brand pizzas. Lidl has self-rising pizzas that taste just like Giornio self rising, but they’re $2.75!
For digorno sometimes price chopper will have a coupon cheap
I love Freschetta and Red Baron, but I always find DiGiorno to be pretty bland.
The trick to enjoying most frozen pizzas is to find a good pizza seasoning you like. Add a little bit of that to jazz it up and you have a winner. I randomly wandered into a spice shop on vacation once and found some pizza seasoning that became a staple in our house, but there are others you can find online or in grocery stores. Even my little brother was pulling out the pizza seasoning when it was his turn to make the pizza.