Best Frozen Pizza Rankings: What to Buy and What to Skip

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best frozen pizza

I Tried 5 Affordable Frozen Pizzas: Here's My Top Pick

For many, frozen pizza evokes nostalgia, reminiscent of childhood when meals felt simpler and tasted best in their plastic shrink-wrap. As adults, the craving for that perfect combination of crust, sauce, and cheese can strike at any moment, whether you're in need of a quick meal or just want to indulge. Fortunately, frozen pizza can be a satisfying option for lunch or dinner—served straight from the oven or enhanced with a few extra toppings.

With an overwhelming array of frozen pizza brands available, selecting the right one can be challenging. That's where our budget-friendly frozen pizza taste test comes in.

How We Tested

To help you find the best value pizza for your next grocery trip, we sampled several popular brands available at most grocery stores, focusing on the cheese variety to keep the competition fair. We purchased a selection of well-known frozen pizzas, preheated the oven, and rated each one on a scale from 1 to 10.

Frozen Pizza Taste Test Results

DiGiorno Rising Crust Four Cheese Pizza: 4/10

I had high hopes for this pizza, having longed for it since childhood and recalling its appealing commercials. Unfortunately, it failed to deliver. The sauce, cheese, and crust were disappointing. The crust was excessively thick and doughy, resulting in an unpleasant layer of soggy dough between the sauce and the base. Despite cooking it for the recommended time, it still tasted undercooked. The sauce was bland, and the cheese had a highly processed flavor that pulled away from the slice on the first bite. Additionally, this DiGiorno pizza was nearly twice the price of the others on this list, making it the only one I ended up tossing after just a few bites.

Jack’s Original Thin Cheese Pizza: 5/10

This pizza embodies the classic “no-frills” vibe—perfect for late-night snacking or when kids demand a quick meal. While it’s nothing fancy, it holds its own as an average option. The sauce and cheese are mild in flavor, with nothing particularly remarkable about either. However, the crust was surprisingly crispy, which was a pleasant surprise for tasters.

Tombstone Five Cheese Pizza: 6/10

Another contender in the “plastic-wrapped” category, this Tombstone pizza fared decently in our taste test. Its blend of five cheeses likely contributed to its favorable flavor and presentation. While the crust lacked standout flavor, its crispiness made it easier to overlook its blandness. The biggest drawback was the unwrapping process—loose cheese fell everywhere as soon as the box was opened. Maybe five cheeses are a bit excessive for this pizza?

Red Baron Classic Crust Four Cheese Pizza: 7/10

This pizza was a pleasant surprise; I found myself enjoying an extra slice even after the taste test. Its crust had a distinct yeasty flavor that evoked genuine pizza dough rather than plain flour. Unlike the overly sweet sauces of DiGiorno and Tony’s, Red Baron’s sauce offered a satisfying savory note without tasting like canned tomatoes. The only downside was the cheese, which had a distinct powdery texture that didn’t fully melt, leaving a chalky feel in each bite.

Screamin' Sicilian Bessie's Revenge Cheese Pizza: 9/10

“Wow! This tastes like real pizza!” was the immediate reaction from the table after trying this one. The crust was perfectly crispy with a pleasantly oily texture, fluffy yet not gooey, and crunchy without being overly cracker-like. While the sauce was the saltiest among the pizzas tested, it provided a welcome contrast to the bland and overly sweet alternatives. Its distinct notes of dried oregano and basil added to its appeal. The highlight was undoubtedly the cheese, which tasted remarkably like fresh mozzarella. In contrast, the other pizzas merely tasted cheesy. The only downside was that I could only find the smaller, personal-size option at my local store, making the full-size pizza pricier compared to Red Baron and Tony’s.

The Bottom Line

Frozen pizzas are a reliable option to keep in your freezer for those “what’s for dinner?” nights. Whether you devour the entire pie or save some for later (here’s how to reheat pizza perfectly), it's a meal that generally satisfies—provided you choose a tasty option.

Here’s our final verdict on which affordable frozen cheese pizzas to have on hand for emergencies:

What We’ll Buy Again: Screamin' Sicilian Bessie's Revenge Cheese Pizza and Red Baron Classic Crust Four Cheese Pizza
What We’ll Avoid: Jack's Cheese Pizza and DiGiorno Rising Crust Four Cheese Pizza

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