The Best Frozen Pepperoni Pizza Comes From This Popular Grocery Store

A frozen pepperoni pizza is a super-convenient meal to stash in the freezer for those days when cooking from fresh feels like a mission. However, a frozen pie doesn't have to equate to low quality nor a lack of flavor. There are plenty of premium pizzas in the chiller aisle that have a delectable crust, balanced ratio of toppings, and an inviting aroma. However, there was one particularly good supermarket offering that took the top spot in our ranking of pepperoni pizzas — the uncured pepperoni pizza from Trader Joe's.

This loaded pizza had a pillowy crust that was sturdy enough to hold all the luscious toppings. Featuring mozzarella, provolone, and parmesan cheeses, it had a scrumptious flavor and texture that was second to none. In fact, the generous portion of mozzarella created pools of melted cheese on the surface that tasted like burrata, lending it a lusciously creamy character, and the slices of pepperoni were abundant. The sauce was zesty and the pizza had a roasted quality and smoky vibe to it, making it a true copy of a Neapolitan-style pie. 

To top it off, this pizza was one of the best value items we tasted, which meant we had to call it in as the ultimate champion. The second place pizza we sampled — Urban Pie's uncured pepperoni with creamy rosa sauce — was of a similar quality but instead of a classic tomato base, it featured marinara and alfredo.

The Trader Joe's website states that its uncured pepperoni pie is pre-baked in wood burning ovens that use oak and beech from the mountainous area between Emilia-Romagna and Tuscany. This nugget of info explains why this product of Italy had such a wood-fired character and smokiness. If you aren't a fan of pepperoni on your pizza, Trader Joe's margarita pizza is also baked in wood-burning stone ovens and is flash frozen before it's shipped over from Italy, suggesting it has the same charred flavor. 

Alternatively keep some packets of Trader Joe's pizza dough in your freezer that you can deck out however you fancy. While this ready-made dough is found in the refrigerator aisle, it's suitable for freezing. When you're craving a pizza, simply allow it to defrost, then shape and scatter on your favorite toppings to make a bespoke meal. You can even hack your Trader Joe's pizza dough into a delectable breakfast treat and turn it into a batch of aromatic cinnamon buns by slathering it in cinnamon butter, rolling it up, and dividing it into individual bundles before baking. 

The loser in our ranking was Market Pantry's pepperoni thin crust pizza because it had too much sauce, was stingy on the cheese, and had a base that was as thin as a cracker. Opt for the Trader Joe's instead.