No matter how seriously someone takes pizza, you will likely still find at least one frozen pizza hiding in their freezer at all times. You can spend all weekend making dough from scratch, simmering sauce and carefully layering fresh mozzarella, only to end up grabbing a backup pizza from the freezer a few days later so you don’t have to do the whole process every time you want a pie. You’re not alone either—even professional chefs have their go-to frozen pizza options for those nights when a multistep production just isn’t in the cards.
That’s what made us curious about exactly which frozen pizzas chefs actually buy for themselves. Not the answers you’d expect professional chefs to give, but the frozen pizzas they genuinely keep in their own rotation when they want something comforting, convenient and consistently good.
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In our talks with five chefs about the best frozen pizzas, there were definitely a few cheffy answers involving Neapolitan-style crusts and carefully sourced ingredients, but not every pick was an artisan-level pie. More than one chef shared that certain grocery store frozen pizzas still genuinely hit the spot after a long day.
We also learned that chefs have strong opinions when it comes to how to make frozen pizza properly. Nearly everyone had a clever trick or finishing touch they swear makes a huge difference, from adjusting oven temperatures to adding fresh ingredients after baking.
After hearing the best frozen pizza choices and easy at-home upgrades five chefs swear by, we’re never making pizza the same way again. Here’s what they had to say.
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Our Panel of Chefs
To find out which frozen pizzas are worth buying, I asked chefs, pizza pros and food experts which frozen pies they genuinely keep in rotation at home.
Here’s who weighed in:
- ChefRocco DiSpirito is the James Beard Award-winning chef, cookbook author and television personality behind Bar Rocco. DiSpirito trained at the Culinary Institute of America and has authored multiple New York Times bestsellers.
- ChefJoe Powers is the lead pizzaiolo at Jay’s Artisan Pizza, which was ranked the fourth best pizzeria in the U.S. in 2025 by Italy’s 50 Top Pizza guide. Powers trained with the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana (AVPN) and specializes in Neapolitan-style pizza.
- Chef Chris Ayala is the executive chef at Indaco Nashville, known for its wood-fired pizzas and Italian-inspired menu. Ayala trained at the Culinary Institute of America and has led restaurant kitchens across Nashville and Florida.
- Chef Dylan Werth is the executive chef at Typhur and former executive chef at MEATER. Werth has spent more than a decade working across food media, culinary production, and food styling for cooking shows and digital food brands.
- Chef Emma Sullivan is a recipe developer and home cooking expert at DailyCookingRecipe.com. Sullivan regularly tests grocery store products and develops practical cooking tips for home cooks.
5 Chefs’ Favorite Frozen Pizzas
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These are the seven frozen pizzas these chefs recommend.
1. Genio Della Pizza Margherita
Chef Joe Powers says Genio Della Pizza stands out because it approaches frozen pizza with the same ingredient-focused mindset found in traditional Neapolitan pizza making.
“What stands out is the restraint,” Powers says, noting that it uses “quality dough, balanced sauce and thoughtful ingredients without trying to overload the pizza unnecessarily.”
Powers said he gravitates toward frozen pizzas with shorter ingredient lists, balanced toppings and cheeses that brown naturally instead of turning greasy. As someone trained in Neapolitan-style pizza, he also pays close attention to crust texture and caramelization.
To make it even better at home, Powers recommends fully preheating the oven and baking directly on a pizza stone or steel whenever possible. He also likes finishing frozen pizza with fresh basil, Parmigiano, olive oil, chili flakes or hot honey after baking.
“At the end of the day, even frozen pizza is best when the focus stays on balance, texture and ingredient quality rather than excess toppings or shortcuts,” Powers says.
2. Kesté Frozen Margherita Pizza
Chef Rocco DiSpirito recommends Kesté’s frozen Margherita pizza because he likes how simple and balanced it feels.
“A lot of frozen pizzas are overloaded with cheese and sugar-heavy sauce,” DiSpirito says. “Kesté keeps it simple and lets the dough, tomato and mozzarella do the work.”
He says that “the crust has real character, the tomatoes taste like tomatoes and it’s one of the few frozen pizzas that still feels connected to actual Neapolitan-style pizza.”
His biggest recommendation is thoroughly preheating a pizza stone or pizza steel before baking and finishing the pizza under the broiler for extra blistering and caramelization on the cheese and crust.
He also almost always adds olive oil, basil, oregano, chili flakes or Parmigiano-Reggiano after baking.
“My general advice: ignore the exact bake time on the box,” DiSpirito adds. “Frozen pizza gets dramatically better when the crust has real color and crunch.”
3. DiGiorno Rising Crust Pepperoni Pizza
Chef Emma Sullivan says the DiGiorno Rising Crust Pepperoni Pizza still holds up surprisingly well, even compared to more expensive frozen pizzas.
“I’ve tried fancy brands, but this one actually crisps up without turning into cardboard,” Sullivan says. “The crust gets legitimately fluffy inside.”
Sullivan recommends moving the oven rack to the bottom position and baking the pizza about 25 degrees hotter than the box instructions recommend to help the crust crisp properly.
She also brushes the crust edges with olive oil and adds fresh herbs during the final few minutes of baking.
Another tip? Let the pizza rest before slicing.
“The cheese needs time to set or it slides the second you cut it,” Sullivan says.
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4. Pizza King Pepperoni Pizza
Chef Dylan Werth said Pizza King remains one of his favorite frozen pizzas because it doesn’t skimp on toppings or sauce.
“It’s the perfect frozen pizza to reheat,” Werth says. “They pride themselves in having both sauce and toppings go all the way to the crust.”
Werth also praised the overall balance and portion size, especially for the price.
One of his favorite ways to upgrade frozen pizza is by using flavored oils after baking.
“You can never go wrong with flavored oils,” he says, recommending herb oils, garlic oils and spicy oils like chili crisp.
“To sneak a fourth option in there, I have to recommend a good ol’ fashioned hot honey,” Werth adds. “From vegetarians to meat lovers, it ALWAYS hits.”
5. Antico Casa Margherita Pizza
Ayala also shouted out Antico Casa’s Margherita Pizza as one of his favorite frozen pizzas to grab at Costco.
“It tastes good, and I can get it from Costco, where I shop for most of my groceries,” Ayala says. “It’s also the best price for the quality.”
His approach to improving it is simple: a little olive oil before baking, and fresh toppings afterward.
6. Newman’s Own Uncured Pepperoni Thin Crust Pizza
Sullivan says Newman’s Own Uncured Pepperoni Thin Crust Pizza is one of her favorite frozen pizza options.
“It’s lighter than DiGiorno, but the pepperoni quality is noticeably better,” Sullivan says, adding that it’s “good for when you want something that doesn’t feel heavy.”
Like the other pizzas she mentioned, Sullivan still recommends using higher heat and the bottom oven rack for a crispier crust on this one too.
7. Trader Joe’s Pizza Formaggio
The Trader Joe’s Pizza Formaggio is another frozen pizza Sullivan says she genuinely keeps in rotation.
“It’s four-cheese, thin crust and extremely reliable,” she says. “I’ve served this to people who didn’t realize it came from a box.”
To help the crust crisp more evenly, Sullivan recommends baking frozen pizzas hotter than the box instructions suggest and letting them rest a few minutes before slicing.
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5 Chef-Approved Ways for Making Frozen Pizza 10x Better
Roberto Machado Noa / Getty Images
After talking to all of these chefs, one thing became very clear: almost nobody is making frozen pizza exactly according to the box instructions. Nearly every chef had a finishing touch or cooking method they swear makes a dramatic difference in texture, flavor or crispiness.
Here are the frozen pizza upgrades these chefs kept coming back to again and again.
1. Use a Pizza Stone, Pizza Steel or Preheated Baking Sheet
Multiple chefs said one of the easiest ways to improve frozen pizza is to bake it on a properly preheated surface instead of a cold sheet pan. Powers and DiSpirito both recommended using pizza stones or pizza steels to help the crust develop better texture and caramelization.
If you don’t own either option, Werth suggests preheating an upside-down baking sheet in the oven before placing the pizza on top. That extra heat underneath helps crisp the bottom crust much more evenly.
2. Don’t Be Afraid To Bake It Longer
Several chefs mentioned that frozen pizzas are often underbaked when people follow the box instructions too closely.
DiSpirito says many brands intentionally recommend shorter bake times to prevent people from accidentally burning the pizza, but that extra browning is exactly what gives frozen pizza better texture and flavor.
Sullivan also recommends increasing the oven temperature by about 25 degrees and moving the pizza to the bottom oven rack for better crust crispiness.
3. Finish With Fresh Ingredients
One of the most common chef tricks to better frozen pizza was adding fresh ingredients after the pizza comes out of the oven.
Fresh basil, olive oil, chili flakes, oregano, Parmesan, pecorino and cracked black pepper came up repeatedly. Several chefs said these finishing touches help brighten frozen pizza and make it taste less flat or processed.
Werth also strongly recommends flavored oils and hot honey.
4. Let the Pizza Rest Before Slicing
Sullivan says one of the biggest mistakes people make is slicing frozen pizza immediately after it leaves the oven.
“The cheese needs time to set or it slides the second you cut it,” she says.
Even just letting the pizza sit for a few minutes can help the cheese settle and keep the toppings from sliding everywhere.
5. Keep the Toppings Balanced
One of the more interesting takeaways was that chefs consistently preferred frozen pizzas that kept things balanced.
Both Powers and DiSpirito praised frozen pizzas that avoided excessive toppings, overloaded cheese and overly sweet sauces. While it’s tempting to pile on extra ingredients at home, too many toppings can weigh down the crust and make frozen pizza soggy instead of crisp.
Final Thoughts
After getting the inside scoop on the best frozen pizzas and how you can easily upgrade any of them at home, it’s safe to say we’re never making frozen pizza on autopilot again. After hearing how much attention these chefs pay to crust texture, oven setup and finishing touches, it’s hard not to look at frozen pizza a little differently. With their easy tips in mind, you can turn a decent freezer pizza into something genuinely craveable.
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