I tried and ranked store-brand frozen pizzas from Costco, Whole Foods, and Wegmans. My favorite reminded me of the version I make at home.
- I compared frozen pizzas from Costco, Whole Foods, and Wegmans.
- I wouldn't go out of my way to pick up the Costco or Wegmans options again.
As a picky eater growing up, I went through a phase where I practically lived on microwaved frozen pizza. Now that I'm a full-fledged adult, I've obviously cut back on it.
However, I still like to keep some stocked in the freezer for an easy lunch or an alternative meal for my kids when I'm cooking something they don't like.
To find out which supermarket's frozen pizza deserves a spot in my freezer, I bought house-brand pepperoni options from Costco, Wegmans, and Whole Foods.
Here's how they ranked, from worst to best.
Prices may vary by location.
Costco’s Kirkland Signature thin-crust pepperoni pizza came in a pack of four.
Costco is known for selling items in bulk, so it's no surprise the Kirkland Signature thin-crust pepperoni pizza came in a pack of four.
At about $14, though, this was the least expensive of the three brands when considering the price per pizza. But committing to a four-pack also meant clearing out a lot of valuable freezer space.
When I got home, I noticed a lot of the pepperoni shifted in transit, but that was easy to fix. It took about 12 minutes to bake in the oven at 425 degrees.
I wouldn’t go out of my way to buy Costco’s pepperoni pizza again.
The Kirkland Signature option met my expectations for a frozen pizza — the cheese melted, the edges of the crust browned, and the pepperoni formed shiny little pools.
However, I didn't think it was very tasty. Although it wasn't notably bad in any way, the pepperoni didn't have much spice, and the sauce wasn't particularly flavorful. The thin crust had a nice, crispy texture but was otherwise bland.
I wouldn't go out of my way to buy Costco's frozen pizza again, though I could imagine picking up a box if I were cooking for a large group or needed a dish to appease picky children.
The Wegmans thin-crust pizza with uncured pepperoni was the most expensive of the three I tried.
Wegmans had a fairly extensive variety of frozen pizza choices, but I chose the thin-crust pizza with uncured pepperoni because it most closely matched the Kirkland option.
I paid about $5 for the pizza, which was the most expensive of the three I tried — though not by much.
When I opened the box, the crust appeared to be pre-cooked and already browned around the edges.
After 10 minutes in the oven at 400 degrees, it was ready to go. Of the three pizzas I tried, the Wegmans option looked like it had the most pepperoni, with circular slices on top and chunks of meat mixed into the cheese.
I liked the final product enough to want to check out Wegmans' other pizza options.
Wegmans' thin-crust pizza with uncured pepperoni was the most boldly flavored of the three I tried. The pepperoni had noticeably more kick than the pepperoni on the other two pizzas, and the sauce had a nice tomato flavor with a pleasantly mild sweetness.
It was a bit on the greasy side, possibly due to all the pepperoni. The crust stayed crispy around the edges but softened under the grease in the center.
Because I don't have a Wegmans nearby, I wouldn't go out of my way for the store's pepperoni pizza. However, I liked it enough to want to explore the store's other frozen-pizza options next time I'm there.
The Whole Foods thin-crust pizza with uncured pepperoni had the thickest cheese and softest dough.
The 365 by Whole Foods Market thin-crust pizza with uncured pepperoni cost $4.50 at my store. It was similar in size to the Wegmans pizza, but the layer of cheese was noticeably thicker than it was on the other two.
Out of the package, the dough was the softest of the three. It also took the longest to cook — 16 minutes at 400 degrees.
Whole Foods’ take on frozen pepperoni pizza ended up being my favorite.
Whole Foods' pepperoni pizza was fairly light on flavor. The pepperoni was salty but not at all spicy, and the sauce was thinly spread and very mild.
However, the cheese tasted way better than the pizzas from Costco and Wegmans. It had a milky quality that just wasn't there on the other two.
I also liked the crust best because it was a touch doughier than the others and not quite as crispy at the edges. It also had a hint of yeastiness that the others lacked.
The Whole Foods option was most similar to the pizza I make at home with fresh mozzarella. It wasn't especially exciting, but I'll likely buy it again.
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