Costco's Best And Worst Frozen Pizza Options Ranked

Whether you've got a pizza stashed in your freezer for your emergency I-can't-even dinner, or it's a regular source of your weekly sustenance, there's no question that frozen pizzas are a staple in the American diet. It's true: frozen pizzas account for $4.4 billion of spending each year. It doesn't take a genius to recognize their hallowed place at the dinner table, since literal grocery aisles are devoted to every possible pie you could crave.

You'd think the selection at Costco would be far smaller, considering the retail giant is known for a slimmed-down selection of just a few brands per product. (Even Costco's jarred pasta sauce options are normally limited to two or three different varieties.) However, Costco aficionados know that the warehouse keeps a healthy stock of frozen pizzas on hand. Forget just choosing between pepperoni, cheese, or supreme: To have something for everyone, there also needs to be a gluten-free version, along with cauliflower crusts and single-serve options. If you're looking for those, fret not, because Costco has them all.

If you have the luxury of choosing between all the selections, which one is the best? I visited Costco and stocked up on the nine frozen pizza brands the chain offers, taste-tested each one (with extra input from friends), and ranked them according to flavor — and whether or not we'd buy them again. Here are the best (and worst) frozen pizzas Costco offers.

Customers looking for gluten-free pizza might be tempted by this vegetable-forward offering from Costco. Unfortunately, it wasn't a shining star in the group. There were minor bright spots: The crust crisped well while baking and wasn't overpowered by cauliflower flavor, despite the veggie being the first ingredient on the list.

The main issue with this pizza was that it was fairly ho-hum. (And if cauliflower crust is a requirement for you, there's a much better version coming.) The seasoning from the crust, sauce, and cheese was fine, if a tad bland. The veggies on top were a good size, but nothing to rave about. In other words, it's a standard, run-of-the-mill option. It was also the most expensive offering on our list (per pizza). The box of two sold for $13.89 at our local Costco, which is about $6.95 each. In our view, it wasn't worth the inflated price tag.

There are perhaps two redeeming qualities that could appeal to buyers. If you need a vegetarian option, this is the only one on our list besides two plain cheese varieties — all of the rest have some sort of meat toppings. If you're already a Milton's loyalist, the only other reason to pick this up is because it's much cheaper than a single version sold at nearby grocers: There you'll get one pizza for $11.99, significantly more than the price per pie at Costco.

I'm a mom of small children, so I'm no stranger to the benefits of Costco shopping. I'm also very familiar with the chain's basic four-pack of cheese pizzas, since it's a fan favorite of the under-five crowd in my household. These frozen pizzas are a great value, but they're pretty subpar when compared to other frozen pizza brands.

A word to the wise: Baking these pizzas on the oven rack according to box instructions could yield a very dark — nay, charcoaled — crust. This is one where you might be better off cooking it on a baking pan for a little more leeway, especially if you tend to set a timer and forget about it until you hear the dings.

Blackened crust aside, the cheese flavor is decent but standard, and the sauce is fairly bland. The crust, when not burnt, has a good crispy edge to it, but can become overly crispy quickly. It's a lot of maintenance for a very low-budget pizza.

That said, you absolutely cannot beat the value. (It's frankly why it's not last on our list.) A box of four pies costs just $11.59, or about $2.90 each. If you're feeding a crowd — especially if they've got less discerning taste buds — these can still make the cut. Since I eat the same pizza my kids do, these days I tend to hold out for a (better) version on sale at my local grocery store.

Sabatasso's pizza is owned by Schwan, which also owns pizza brands like Red Baron, Tony's, and Freschetta. This is one of a few versions Costco sells from the brand, and its French bread crust was a welcome change in our lineup of mostly thin-crust varieties. It's also unique because the box includes nine single-serve pizza baguettes rather than whole pizzas.

The instructions for these pizzas had you microwave the pizza for a bit before finishing in the oven — first to thaw it, then to crisp it up and brown the toppings. Though it required an extra step, speed was king for this version, since it went from the freezer to a dinner plate in less than 10 minutes.

The small triangle-shaped pepperoni were slightly concentrated toward the center of the pizza (and somewhat difficult to redistribute) but the pizza still had good pepperoni flavor throughout. I thought the pizza could have had slightly better cheese coverage, and the cheese it had was fairly bland, but it was a solid offering in terms of flavor and seasoning. Despite the welcome change to the crust at first, after even a few bites this became a more dense piece to eat than other competitors. If you're looking to fill up on carbs, this is a fine way to do it. It's also cheap: The box retails for $12.49, or $1.39 per single serving. Otherwise, we might stick with slightly better pepperoni options.

Costco's food court pizza has a cult following — myself included. However, some of their frozen options just aren't quite up to the same standard of craveability. That includes their store-brand pack of pepperoni pizzas.

I will say this: There is a difference in quality between the cheese and pepperoni versions, so if you've tried the cheese and don't like it but do appreciate the value, try the pepperoni instead. The crust is a more standard thin crust, and isn't as prone to burning as the cheese version. It has a good crunch with your last bites that make you want another piece. The pepperoni coverage is very good, and the sauce is well-seasoned. The cheese can be a bit skimpy on some pizzas from these boxes, but it doesn't detract from the overall product. If you employ some frozen pizza hacks with these pies, like adding a bit more cheese or extra toppings for pizzazz, it's easy to elevate this relatively blank slate.

I've bought these before, and I'll likely buy them again even though there are better pepperoni pizzas out there. The reason comes down to cost: The pizzas aren't going to blow your mind, but they're also not actively bad. I use them as my emergency stash at a low price point. A box of four costs $13.69, or about $3.42 per pizza. Even frozen pizza from Aldi can't beat that.

Sabatasso's is the chief brand at Costco when it comes to single-serve pizzas, and these mini rounds are an improvement over the French bread version. The box serves up 12 mini pizzas (six cheese and six pepperoni) that are perfect for an adult snack or kids' lunch. They'd even be great cut into quarters as appetizers for a casual hangout with friends.

The sauce on these pizzas isn't too sweet, but just slightly spiced. At first, I thought cheddar was an odd choice of cheese along with the mozzarella, but the flavor ended up being one of the better choices when it came to the plain version. (This is technically a four-cheese blend with Parmesan and provolone as well. Those two cheeses weren't predominant in flavor, but clearly helped to balance out the flavors overall.) The real star on these is the crust: Each round has slightly raised edges that get perfectly crispy and add welcome texture, and the crust itself has a good chew factor to it.

These mini pizzas apparently have a following. One Reddit commenter called them "the best damn frozen pizzas in the world," saying that they're always surprised when they sneak a bite of their kids' servings and want more for themselves. I wouldn't go quite that far. I enjoyed others on this list more, but they're a solid choice, especially for affordable, quick meals and snacks. A box of 12 sells for $12.59, or just $1.05 each.

This was the only stuffed-crust pizza on Costco's shelves, and I was excited to try it. I will admit I was disappointed when I opened it, since the crust was fairly thin to contain a solid ring of mozzarella around the outside. However, I withheld judgment until I could taste it.

Overall, this was a fun twist on a standard thin-crust pepperoni, and I wouldn't be sad to eat it again. The pizza had sliced and diced pepperoni on it that ensured bold pepperoni flavor throughout each slice. I don't think the diced pepperoni added much to this version, since the cheaper Kirkland version achieved the same pepperoni flavor, but it was a nice difference in texture. The sauce and the cheese flavors were good, if a bit routine.

The unique factor was indeed the crust. I appreciated that this version had more chewiness compared to other thin-crust varieties. The mozzarella was definitely present, and didn't melt away into oblivion during the baking process. However, given the thinner crust, there also wasn't an overabundance of it. When I think "stuffed crust," I picture a gooey cheese pull when you tear it, and there was none of that here. It did taste delicious, though, and would have been even better with herbs or seasoning on the crust itself. A box of two sells for $11.89, or $5.95 each, putting it in the middle of the pack price-wise.

I would have never guessed that the best cheese pizza on this list would be the gluten-free version, but Sabatasso's knows what it's doing. This cheese version had a unique chewiness in the crust thanks to its rice flour base, which elevated it above most thin-crust versions.

The crust wasn't overly seasoned itself, so it relied on the sauce and cheese toppings to carry the day in terms of flavor. Both certainly delivered. The sauce was well-balanced with a touch of spice that I look for in a good frozen pizza, and the cheese was very flavorful. The blend included mozzarella, fontina, Parmesan, and asiago cheeses, and worked together to create a noteworthy cheese flavor that was anything but bland. This was by far the most interesting cheese option available at Costco, in terms of both texture and flavor.

One baking note: Crust ingredients like tapioca starch can be somewhat gummy in other uses, so for best results it's important to bake this one directly on the oven rack. I tried this pizza with and without a pan, and the version using a pan was entirely too soft to enjoy without further crisping. The pack itself is pricier than others at $16.99, but since it has three per box, each one is a reasonable $5.66. Most gluten-free options at my local grocery store cost between $9.99 and $11.99, so this Costco pack is a terrific value.

Full disclosure: I hadn't tried frozen pizzas with a cauliflower crust before this foray into ranking Costco's offerings, but it's safe to say this Kirkland version has ruined me for all others. I would have never known the crust's main ingredient was cauliflower, or that it was gluten-free, unless the box told me so. It was seasoned incredibly well, and the herbs throughout the crust and on top were an added flavor component I didn't know I wanted. The edges of the crust were perfectly browned (again, we'd recommend the box directions for cooking on the oven rack) and added a great crunch.

The topping sizes for the roasted vegetables, sausage, and pepperoni were generous, and added crunch and texture variety to each bite. They were also incredibly well distributed and covered the entire pie. The cheese was perhaps the least noteworthy topping, but melted well and added good flavor throughout.

If we had any critique, some people I was eating with thought this variety was a tad salty. At 39% of your daily recommended sodium content, it certainly packs a well-seasoned punch. That said, it was less sodium than Kirkland's pepperoni version, and within the same ballpark as most other brands we tried. One friend, who had also never had a cauliflower crust before, said they would deliberately seek this box out the next time they visited Costco. A two-pack retails for $11.99, or $5.99 each.

I tried this pizza on a whim about a year ago when it was on sale at Costco, and was amazed by how flavorful it was coming out of a box. I was excited to try it again in a head-to-head battle with the other brands to see if it held up. Clearly, it did.

This variety is a Detroit-style deep dish pizza, which are typically baked in an oiled steel pan and feature a thick, airy crust. If prepared correctly, some of the cheese will seep down into the sides, creating a caramelized, crunchy texture on the edges that pairs perfectly with the rest of the chewier crust.

The Motor City version bakes up in a disposal tray, so you don't need additional cookware. The sliced and diced pepperoni add incredible flavor throughout, and the sauce is perfectly balanced with a bit of spice. Hands down, it's the closest thing Costco gets to true pizzeria flavors in its frozen aisles.

This pizza might not be for everyone: It can be a touch greasy compared to its thin-crust friends, and it's easy to overbake the crust without realizing it. For the flavor and texture in this pizza though, a little extra monitoring is worth it. A two-pack costs $12.99, or about $6.50 each. It's on the pricier end, but the pepperoni version sells for $8.99 at other retailers, still making this a good deal.

To rank Costco's nine frozen pizza options, I picked up every frozen pizza they offered in both standard pie and personal-sized varieties in my local store, though Costco can notoriously carry different brands and products by region. (We excluded products like Bagel Bites and pizza bombs which, while wonderful, we considered to be more appetizer-esque than a normal frozen pizza.) I baked each one in the oven according to the temperature and methodology described on the box, then tasted them for texture and flavor. Overall, the pizzas were evaluated for those criteria, along with their overall appearance and value.

A note about the value: Prices can vary by location and shopping method. (For example, the prices at my local Costco were higher online for delivery than for shopping in person, which is what I chose to do.) If I compared the costs of certain pizza brands to the single pizza options from local grocers, it was within the same area to ensure prices were adequately comparable.

I'm a regular Costco shopper and have tried some of these brands before, but tried each one again for this ranking to ensure the current iteration of those products stayed true to my previous opinions. I also included the opinions of six other adults who tried the various brands.