Review: Trader Joe's New Frozen Detroit Style Pepperoni Pizza Does The Motor City Proud

If you are a child of the '80s, it's highly likely that frozen pizza was a cornerstone of your food rotation. It could be a meal, an afternoon snack, or a late-night one when you're a bit older. Every household has its go-to brand. For us, it was Ellio's, and I can taste it just thinking about it. It's horribly wonderful, and if you understand the lure of skating rink pizza (bowling alley french fries too), then you get it. I also dabbled with my mother's Lean Cuisine French Bread pizza, and our freezer was always stocked with Bagel Bites. If '80s me could see the amount of store-bought frozen pizza varieties today, it would blow her mind.

There's thick, thin, round, square, and a bajillion other kinds. You also have New York, Chicago, and Detroit styles. They are all great and offer something different, and there's plenty of room for all of them in the frozen pizza market. Trader Joe's entire frozen pizza selection is impressive. There are so many choices, and none of them are bad. Among all of Trader Joe's exciting new products, the popular grocery chain recently released a frozen Detroit-style pepperoni pizza. I tried it, and I have a lot of thoughts. If you have not experienced Detroit-style pizza, please put it on your list immediately. The thick buttery rectangular crust with perfectly crisp edges and melty cheese is top-notch. It's like if deep dish and Sicilian had a pizza baby, and it's fantastic.

I bought the Detroit-style pepperoni pizza at my local Trader Joe's and cooked it exactly as the directions instructed, 425 degrees Fahrenheit for 23 to 25 minutes. I ate it hot as it came, without any condiments or dipping sauce. My review is based on the overall quality, flavor, the sauce, cheese, toppings, and crust.

The woman checking me out at Trader Joe's was practically beaming when she saw the Detroit-style pepperoni pizza. The frozen pizza comes in a disposable baking pan. A lot of the pepperoni shifted to one side, so I quickly rearranged them and popped the pie in the oven. Before the nitty-gritty of the review, I need to set expectations. You cannot compare any frozen pizza to a fresh one. They are not and can never be equal.

Let's talk about Trader Joe's frozen Detroit pep pizza from top to bottom. The uncured pepperoni cooks up nice and crispy, as any good pep should. It's topped with mozzarella, romano, and parm and could produce a good cheese pull. The simple red sauce works for the pizza. The crust is somewhere between a New York and a Sicilian slice. It's nice and rich with every bite of the buttery crust. If you are a corner-slice person, you will reap the most benefits from the crunch factor. The majority of the Detroit-style crust was a bit dry. 

Many frozen pizzas don't cook evenly. It's a good thing I like it well done, since it was that way at the lower end of the recommended cooking time. The Trader Joe's Detroit pie can be an appetizer for guests or a meal. The box says it serves five, but that depends on how big you cut the slices. There are many ways to reheat old pizza, and Detroit-style is one of the best for reheating since it typically maintains its crispiness.

I know I already called it out, but the baking pan situation scores major points and deserves another shout-out because it makes the cooking part simple and quick. Plus, there's no crusty baking pan to scrape clean when you are finished. Trader Joe's made an enjoyable Detroit-style frozen pepperoni pizza. I'd easily put it in a higher category than many other frozen pizzas because the flavor is there, and it pretty much captures what Detroit-style should be. 

In the hierarchy of frozen pizzas, I would give the Detroit-style from Trader Joe's a solid eight out of 10. One thing I would do differently next time is deviate from cooking directions since some people swear by defrosting a frozen pizza before cooking. I might also add burrata to the frozen pizza or experiment with other hacks. As long as you remember that you are dealing with a frozen pizza and not expecting Michelin-star miracles, it's 100% worth the purchase. I would not hesitate to grab it again.

Trader Joe's Detroit-style pizzas are currently available, but my store had very low stock, so it looks like the product sells out quickly. In my area, the price is $7.99 for a 24-ounce pizza offering five servings.