It's been a long day at work, and you just want to eat something hot and delicious in 15 minutes. Takeout isn't in the budget, so frozen pizza from the grocery store is our rescue. But I have to be so real with this — some frozen pizza is amazing (almost like real pizza), and others are simply terrible and taste like the freezer.
So which options are worth it?
To put it to the test, I compared six different frozen pizzas from major Canadian grocery stores: Costco, Walmart, No Frills and Loblaws. I pulled some of my friends together for a very official taste-testing situation, and I'm here to report the results. I think they'll surprise you.
Here's which grocery store frozen pizza is worth your dollars and what should be put out of circulation altogether (unlike Delissio, which did not deserve its fate).
The lineup
To make sure I sampled a variety of frozen pizzas, I chose a selection of flavours from the four main grocery store brands (Kirkland, Great Value, President's Choice and No Name), plus two Dr. Oetker options (one of Canada's most prolific frozen pizza makers).
Here's what I tried:
1. Great Value deluxe pizza
- Purchased at Walmart
- $5.84 for 340 grams ($1.72 per 100 grams)
2. No Name spinach pizza
- Purchased at Loblaws (also available at Superstore and No Frills)
- $3.50 (on sale) for 411 grams (85 cents per 100 grams)
3. Dr. Oetker Ristorante pepperoni pesto pizza
- Purchased at Loblaws (available at most major grocery stores except Costco)
- $6.99 (on sale) for 360 grams ($1.94 per 100 grams)
4. President's Choice wood-fired pepperoni pizza
- Purchased at Loblaws (also available at Superstore and No Frills)
- $6 for 378 grams ($1.58 per 100 grams)
5. Kirkland cheese pizza
- Purchased at Costco
- $15.99 for four 517-gram pizzas ($3.99 each, 77 cents per 100 grams)
6. Dr. Oetker Giuseppe four-meat pizza
- Purchased at Walmart (available at most major grocery stores except Costco)
- $5.84 for 494 grams ($1.18 per 100 grams)
The ranking
I cooked each pizza according to the box instructions and then served them to my friends in a blind taste test. We didn't know which one we were eating, but we numbered the pizzas from one to six and asked everyone to give the pizza a rating out of five:
- 1 = would never buy or eat again
- 2 = would eat again if served or super hungry with no options
- 3 = fine, but not a first choice
- 4 = solid pizza, would buy again
- 5 = amazing, can't tell it's frozen
1. Great Value deluxe pizza
- 21.5/35
- The crust is nice and crispy, and the flavour is decent, but nothing overly memorable or creative.
2. No Name spinach pizza
- 17/35
- Polarizing because some people don't like spinach, but it had a really nice cheesy flavour alongside the spinach, plus a thin, crispy crust. Good for veggie lovers!
3. Dr. Oetker Ristorante pepperoni pesto pizza
- 27.5/35
- Really flavourful with the pesto and pepperoni; notably more toppings than the comparable Great Value and No Name thin crust options. The thin, flaky crust was excellent. I've had a lot of Ristorante pizzas before, and they're always solid.
4. President's Choice wood-fired pepperoni pizza
- 31/35
- The standout favourite for everyone. The crust was absolutely perfect, with a fluffy outside section and a thin, almost cracker-like bottom. The texture was ideal, with tons of real cheese and crispy pepperonis. Somehow, this actually tasted like it was cooked in a wood-fired oven. My personal favourite — five stars.
5. Kirkland cheese pizza
- 20.5/35
- I was truly shocked this didn't score much higher, given how popular Kirkland pizza is. Most people felt it was more of a cheesy bread than a real pizza, and the crust was too soft and doughy. I personally really enjoyed it and gave it 4.5/5 because I love cheese.
6. Dr. Oetker Giuseppe four-meat pizza
- 14/35
- Unanimously the worst option. To quote one friend: "It tastes like a freezer." Everything tasted fake, and the texture was rubbery. Surprisingly bad from a popular brand name like Dr. Oetker.
The winners
So, what would I buy again?
President's Choice is the standout winner here. On flavour and texture alone, we all loved it. And then at only $6 a pop, it's a great deal available at Loblaws locations in Canada. Major win.
While the lack of Delissio has left a hole in our hearts (and shopping carts) for years now, I would go as far as to say this is better than our long-lost favourite.
Dr. Oetker's Ristorante pizza came in second. It's tasty with a great crust, though at $6.99 (on sale, so even more regularly) it's a pricier option. You're paying for the quality here.
And while the Great Value pizza technically came in third, I'm overruling my friends and putting Kirkland's pizza in third place. At 77 cents per 100 grams, it's the cheapest by a long shot, and unless you're catering to people who don't enjoy cheese, I don't see how you can go wrong.
Just steer clear of Dr. Oetker's Giuseppe pizza (what a disappointment) and you'll be able to enjoy some frozen pizza from your local grocery store tonight.
The opinions expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Narcity Media.