Trader Joe's Frozen Pizzas, Ranked Worst To Best

Long before the grocery store freezer aisle was stocked with soup dumplings, arepas, and other culinary specialties, pizza reigned supreme. During my childhood, a couple of brands dominated the selection, and all the toppings, whether they were pepperoni or vegetables, were diced into minuscule cubes. When DiGiorno's self-rising crust was introduced, it was considered a game changer. The frozen pizza world has changed a lot since then, and that's reflected in the variety of pizzas available at Trader Joe's.

The options at Trader Joe's include thin-crust, Detroit-style, gluten-free, white sauce, vegetarian — and I could keep going. It's difficult to rank them because there aren't many apples-to-apples comparisons. When there were fewer options, what was available was designed for mass appeal. Now, there are flavor combinations targeted to niche audiences.

The key to ranking them was an open-minded approach. There are specifics about the methodology at the end of this article, but the broad parameter was to accept anything that has crust, sauce, and cheese as a pizza. There wasn't a line drawn between pizza and flatbread, and both tomato and cream sauces were accepted. While there are plenty of ways to make frozen pizza taste restaurant-quality, those weren't used in this testing. The pizzas were baked according to the package directions and sampled without any additives or dipping sauces.

Looking at the box made it obvious that this pizza was different from what you typically find in the frozen pizza section. It had a deep-fried crust with four Italian cheeses, roasted garlic, and a cashew-and-pine-nut pesto. Trader Joe's took a big swing with this pizza, but it failed to connect.

It was the most fragrant of all the pies, which raised expectations before dashing them with reality. The roasted garlic and rich pesto filled the house with a savory, herbal aroma as it baked. The Trader Joe's website description added to the mystique by describing it as a Naples-inspired street food with a crust that was crunchy, chewy, airy, and pillowy. Unfortunately, I would only use chewy. Even after the maximum cooking time, it was soft and doughy.

Although pesto can be a great substitute for traditional pizza sauces, it didn't work on this one. The "sauce" was clumped into six small mounds instead of spread evenly over the dough, and the oils soaked into the bread and simply made it too greasy. Even using a broad interpretation of "pizza," it was hard to accept this one into the club. The breadiness, lack of a traditional sauce, and light cheese coating made this a better fit for a garlic bread ranking than a pizza ranking. Those same factors earn it the bottom spot.m

Pizza Bianca was another selection that rode in with high expectations but failed to deliver. The labeling promised a pie made in line with Italian traditions. According to the package, the crust takes its cues from the airy crusts traditionally found in Southern Italy. The crust was topped with a Parmesan cheese sauce, mozzarella, and then more Parmesan. It was an exceptionally fragrant pizza with wafts of caramelized onion and rosemary. The aforementioned crust was thicker than most frozen pizzas and an attractive golden brown with some slight blistering (the package said it was cooked in a wood-burning oven before freezing).

The aroma and appearance had this one lined up as a contender for the top spot before the tasting began. The creamy Parmesan cheese sauce was tasty, but it was more like something you'd expect to find in a boxed macaroni and cheese rather than a pizza. The caramelized onions had an overpowering flavor that reminded me of the ones you get in a cardboard canister. The crust would have been better with marinara or the Trader Joe's pizza spread that customers can't get enough of, but on its own it was dry and chewy.

The nutritional information added to the disappointment; one serving contains 380 calories and a whopping 17 grams of saturated fat. Despite our initially high expectations, this pizza was one of our least favorites. There are other options we sampled that offered a similar (but better!) flavor profile with fewer calories and less fat.

These bite-size pizzas placed low in the rankings, but that has less to do with them being bad and more to do with them participating in a crowded category. Several of the pizzas featured "traditional" flavors, which means they're comparable to the Totino's and Red Baron pizzas that were especially prevalent in the '80s and '90s. Specifically, Spizzico di Pizza (which roughly translates to "little bite of pizza") mimics Bagel Bites or pizza poppers. 

They certainly score points for convenience. A serving of four small pizzas cooked in seven minutes in the air fryer, and their snackable size made them easy to eat. Although they weren't egregiously light on ingredients, the sauce was bland, and the cheese was mild. The other pizzas at the bottom of the ranking struck out on big swings — Spizzico di Pizza picked up a single with a bunt. It's unlikely that Bagel Bites fans will be too disappointed by these, but there are other pizzas with similar flavor profiles that ranked higher.

It's probably obvious from the name, but this is a French-style flatbread. The description on the box didn't try to claim this was a pizza, instead calling it a "pizza-like savory dish". The inspiration comes from tarte flambée, a dish from Alsace, which is a region of France that shares a border with Germany. In that region, it is often topped with bacon and sautéed onions. According to the packaging, toppings can vary, but the base must be crème fraîche. Trader Joe's version used cherry tomatoes.

The extra-thin crust was decoratively braided around the edges. The cream sauce provided a rich flavor, but didn't do any favors for the texture. The edges had a nice crunch, but the flatbread was noticeably softer toward the middle. The dish uses brie cheese, which was a luxurious addition to the crème fraîche. All the flavors worked well together except the cherry tomatoes. They were overly acidic and completely overwhelmed the subtle flavor in the sauce and cheese. The bites without any tomatoes had a better flavor than those with them. This French flatbread showed a lot of potential but didn't manage to live up to it. But stay tuned — a different variation of the flatbread ranked much higher.

There were some very good components in this flatbread that pushed it toward the top of the ranking, but there were also some negative aspects that pulled it back down. Starting with the good: The prosciutto came in a separate pack, which was shredded and added on top after the pizza baked. That added a fresh quality that's uncommon in frozen pizzas, plus a hint of sophistication. Additionally, the blend of burrata, mascarpone, Romano, and Parmesan cheeses melted into a gooey layer that had more pull to it than the other pizzas.

The lack of sauce was noticeable, but the blend of cheeses and oils was enough to keep it from being dry. The most disappointing aspect of the flatbread was the arugula. Maybe it should have come in a separate pack like the prosciutto because, instead of the herbal, peppery flavor I expected, there was a dominant flavor of frozen spinach.

Also working against this flatbread was that it took the longest to prepare. There's an argument for defrosting frozen pizza before baking it, and the folks at Trader Joe's must have bought it because the cooking directions call for at least 20 minutes on the counter. Add in 12 minutes of baking time and a few minutes to decorate with prosciutto, and it easily takes over half an hour to finish. The extra effort, prominent spinach flavor, and lack of a proper sauce combine to anchor down what could have been a phenomenal contender.

Trader Joe's Organic Roasted Veggie Pizza was loaded with a plethora of frozen vegetables. Many of them had shaken loose during transit and needed to be redistributed before baking. The pizza had a thin and slightly chewy crust. Unlike some frozen pizzas, where the crust is just a mechanism to carry the toppings, there was enough heft to know you were eating dough without feeling like you were munching on a breadstick. The tomato sauce was reminiscent of skating rinks, bowling alleys, and almost anywhere else that hosts children's birthday parties. It was slightly sweet, but less bland than the previously sampled tomato sauces.

The veggies consisted of eggplant, zucchini, onion, red and yellow bell peppers, and garlic. They were cut into long strips and piled on top of the mozzarella and hard-aged cheese. There were almost too many veggies. Instead of complementing the flavor, the veggies overpowered the cheese and sauce. It's borderline sacrilegious to criticize a frozen pizza for having too many toppings, but the sheer quantity of vegetables detracted from the pizza rather than adding to it. This was an enjoyable pizza, but as we near the top of the ranking, even a small mistake can be costly.

We've already seen evidence that the Trader Joe's frozen pizza lineup is diverse. It includes different shapes, sauces, and flavor combinations. It can be fun to explore the exotic options, but sometimes you're craving a classic, no-frills red-sauce frozen pizza. The Bambino Pepperoni plays that role in the lineup.

It didn't look like much coming out of the oven, but looks were deceiving. The crust was thinner than it appeared, with plenty of pepperoni and tomato sauce hiding under the cheese. Bambino Pepperoni was brimming with nostalgic flavors that were as familiar as Saturday morning cartoons. There wasn't anything fancy going on with it, and that was the point.

The box contained four individual-size pizzas that fit in a toaster oven and cooked in 10 minutes. The small size meant it didn't need to be sliced and was easy to eat as a handheld snack. Each pizza contained a reasonable 290 calories and wasn't off the charts in total fat or cholesterol. This pizza didn't have the more adventurous ingredients found in some of the others, but its nostalgic flavor and simple preparation make it a great option for classic frozen pizza cravings.

Sometimes less is more, which is why this plain pizza outranked the loaded veggie one. There wasn't much going on with Trader Joe's Gluten Free Cheese Pizza, but each component was well executed. It was the only pizza in the lineup advertised as gluten-free and the only one that used one of the alternative types of pizza crust. Fortunately, it was also one of the tastiest pizzas in the lineup, and those who can't eat gluten don't need to suffer from FOMO. The cauliflower crust had a neutral flavor and a classic frozen pizza crunch. The sauce was on the sweet side, but it was good.

The nutritional profile was fairly positive for a frozen pizza. A serving size is half a pizza and contains just under 400 calories. Of course, one way to alter the nutritional profile is to use the plain pizza as a canvas. The crisp crust, tangy sauce, and melted mozzarella and provolone cheese form a solid foundation, but there's no pizzazz going on with the basic model. The Trader Joe's website recommends perusing the aisles to find an endless supply of potential toppings. The plain pizza is good enough to rank in the top three on its own, but with the addition of a few toppings, it could easily leap to the top spot.

I was nervous to rank this one because I am not a mushroom lover. I don't hate them, but I prefer smaller quantities and won't be asking for extras. Surprisingly, the French-inspired Tarte aux Champignons is the one I'm most likely to keep stocked in the freezer. The opulent flavor and pleasant crunch set it apart from other frozen options. Trader Joe's took big swings and had big misses with some of the earlier pizzas, but connected for a home run with this one. 

It had a cracker-thin crust layered with crème fraîche and a velvety cheese sauce. It was finished with white and oyster mushrooms and a dusting of Parmesan cheese. The pizza had a rich umami flavor that tasted a bit like a mild truffle oil. Despite the visible chunks of mushrooms, the flavor wasn't overly discernible, and it lacked the spongy texture that many mushroom haters complain about.

While this is the pizza that is likely to stay stocked in my house, it is also more likely to be served as an appetizer or side than as a pizza. The crispy crust was easy to cut into small squares, and the cheese sauce was spread evenly across the surface, creating consistent bites. An entire pie contains only 580 calories, so it is easy to share as an appetizer without filling up. This was one of my favorites, but the lack of a proper tomato sauce keeps it from claiming the top position.

It's not surprising that the Detroit Style Uncured Pepperoni Pizza did well in our ranking since the Trader Joe's pizza also received rave reviews when it debuted. It had the signature focaccia-style crust with crispy edges that Detroit-style pizza is known for. The airy crust was smothered in a blend of Parmesan, Romano, and mozzarella cheeses. The rectangular pie came in its own baking pan, which was sprinkled with cheese before the dough was added to recreate the crispy, oily bottom crust of a Detroit-style pizza.

Flavor-wise, the biggest drawback of the pizza was an inconsistency in crispiness. The edge pieces, especially the corner pieces, had a crunchy and delicious texture, but the center was soft and doughy. Even with that, this pizza tasted the least like a frozen pie. Bringing something unique yet familiar to a beloved food item is a feat worth recognizing. Layering pepperoni on top of the cheese is another nice touch that lets the meat get crispy and adds more crunch to the texture. Trader Joe's scored a grand slam with this pizza.

Like many Americans, I am intimately familiar with pizza and have eaten more frozen pies than I care to admit. However, I was a newbie to Trader Joe's pizza. This was an advantage because it let me approach the taste test without any preconceived notions. The ranking was based on a taste test of one fresh-baked slice from each pizza (or, in some cases, a singular mini pizza). 

Everything in the frozen pizza section at Trader Joe's was considered a "pizza" for this ranking. Some of the ones we sampled were clearly labeled as flatbread, but that alone was not a knock on the product. However, the crust, sauce, and toppings were all considered during the taste test, and some flatbreads were docked for their lack of sauce. The pizzas sampled represented every option that was available at my local Trader Joe's on the day I visited. 

Obviously, I have personal pizza preferences. However, this ranking is not based on how much I enjoyed the pizza — it's based on how well the pizza delivered on the style it promised. To further mitigate bias, I recruited another tester who kept their own notes and rankings. Flavor was the primary criterion for ranking, but nutritional profiles were also considered.