The Ultimate Ranking Of Trader Joe's Frozen Pizzas

When you need to put dinner on the table in a flash, without making a dent in your wallet, there's almost no better choice than Trader Joe's frozen meals. The nationwide grocery chain offers a multitude of one-bag or one-box dishes that are cheap, quick, and convenient, and there's one option that stands out in all of these categories: Pizza. With a core group of classic pies and a rotating selection of unique pizzas and flatbreads, you'll always be able to find something you're in the mood for, and most of Trader Joe's pizzas go from frozen to fully baked in fifteen minutes or less. Plus, you can cook them directly on the oven rack, so you don't need to sully even a single dish in preparation.

Trader Joe's offers so many different pizzas that standing there staring at the selection can bring on decision paralysis. I've experienced this more times than I can remember, so I decided to do something about it. I grabbed a dozen pizzas from the frozen aisle, of all flavors, shapes, and sizes, and tried them all one at a time to see which are winners, and which to weed out from future shopping trips. Read on to find out how they ranked, from worst to best.

I love a simple, basic cheese pizza. There's nowhere for any flaws to hide, so each element has to be done right, and the crust-to-sauce-to-cheese ratios have to be spot on. I had high hopes for Trader Joe's organic three cheese pizza, especially once I pulled it out of the oven and it looked blistered and beautiful. Unfortunately, it looked a lot more exciting than it ended up tasting.

The crust is a great combination of crispy and chewy, and has lots of substance. The sauce and cheese are layered fairly thin, though, so you get a little too much bread in each bite, and not quite enough of the other two elements to balance it out. The tomato sauce is bright and fresh tasting, but doesn't have a lot of depth, and the cheese mixture — low-moisture mozzarella, fontal, and a third that's just listed as "organic aged cheese" — doesn't pack a lot of flavor. Fontal and mozzarella are both fairly neutral cheeses, good for creaminess and melting, but very mild. Whatever the aged mystery cheese is, it doesn't seem to add much flavor, either. Overall, this is the pizza that underwhelmed me the most.

Spizzico, roughly translated in this context, means something like "little bit" or "nibble," which perfectly describes these miniature pies. Using an Italian phrase rather than just calling them "pizza bites" gives them a bit more classiness than they might be worthy of. These little hand-held pizzas are pretty simple: Just a hockey-puck-sized crust, a dollop of tomato sauce, and a handful of cheese (a mix of mozzarella, Swiss, Cheddar, and Parmesan). There's a sprinkling of dried herbs on top, too. 

The crust is soft and airy and bakes to a lovely golden brown. That's good, because at least in the box I got, these little discs are mostly crust. The distribution of sauce and cheese was nothing like the picture on the box, which shows generous portions of toppings creeping almost all the way to the edge. Because the ratio of toppings to crust was off, these came across as fairly bland and bread-heavy. The bites that were laden with sauce and cheese, though, were very tasty. I might keep these around for a kid's birthday party or as an emergency snack, but I won't be clamoring for more of them anytime soon.

I wanted to like this Organic Roasted Vegetable pizza more than I did. It has a lot of elements working for it, but somehow they just didn't all come together for me. The wheat sourdough crust is enjoyable, on the thin side with a nice crispy crunch. The sauce is thinly applied on top of that, almost as if it were gently painted on the crust rather than ladled on. Similar to the organic three cheese pizza, the sauce is simple, bright, and fresh, with not a lot of roasted flavor, spice, or depth. Not that the sauce on this style of pizza needs to be anything else — along with the cheese here, I expected these elements to play backup to the roasted vegetables.

While that certainly seems to be the intention, it only worked when everything lined up perfectly in a bite. The vegetables, while substantial, delicious, and well-seasoned, were not quite plentiful enough to make each bite, or even each slice, as flavorful as it should have been. Every vegetable was somewhat sweet — eggplant, bell pepper, zucchini, and red onion — so there wasn't a ton of flavor variety, along with the sweetness from the tomato sauce. The creamy cheese, also delicious, was sparse and unevenly distributed. Whenever I got multiple veggies, cheese, and sauce in a bite, it was excellent. Sadly, that didn't happen often enough.

For whatever reason, these small cheese pizzas are a more successful version of a plain cheese pizza than the large cheese option that Trader Joe's makes. A quick comparison of both ingredients lists shows that they're very different, even though you might assume, as I did, that these are just smaller versions of that full-sized pie. This crust is made with wheat flour and rye sourdough, and has a lot of flavor, as well as a solid but pliable texture. It's fairly thick, but it needs to be because these baby pizzas are loaded up with sauce and cheese all the way to the edges. The sauce is laid on with a heavy hand, and it's quite flavorful — while the other cheese pizza has a simple tomato puree, the bambino's sauce is concentrated and full of spices, oregano, and garlic.

The only gripe I have is that the sauce is so intensely flavorful that it overpowers the taste of the cheese a bit, unless you get a bite that's extra cheesy. The mix of mozzarella, provolone, Parmesan, and romano is a great combination of creamy and salty, mild and intense, and I wanted to be able to enjoy those flavors more. A teensy bit less sauce and these would be the perfect small meal or midday snack.

Margherita pizza, certainly one of the most famous pizza styles in the world, is a challenge to replicate accurately. This beloved Neopolitan favorite is one of only three pizzas that has a protected government status, labeled STG or Specialità Tradizionali Garantite (Traditional Guaranteed Specialty). That means any pizza made with this label must adhere to a specific set of guidelines, which control everything from the ingredients to the process to the temperature and type of oven. In Naples, and throughout Italy, the pizza Margherita is practically sacred. This version from the frozen aisle stacks up fairly well.

Surprisingly, Trader Joe's pizza Margherita has a lot going for it. Considering the limitations of pre-made frozen pizza, they do an admirable job trying to recreate the legendary dish. That said, if you've had the real thing, you're probably not going to be floored. The Neopolitan-style crust is my favorite part, golden and blistered along the edges with a uniform thickness along the bottom and perfect pliability. It's airy and light in texture, with a pleasant chewiness and good flavor. The toppings, though, are where this falls flat for me. A true Margherita is made with San Marzano tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella, and fresh basil. This pizza doesn't have any of those things. The lack of basil flavor is the most egregious flaw — like the Italian flag, a Margherita should be vibrantly red, white, and green. The little flecks of herbs on top just aren't enough.

One thing I'll say about Trader Joe's BBQ chicken pizza: It's not lacking flavor. Every inch of this pie is loaded with toppings. No matter how hard you search, you won't be able to find a bite that doesn't have chicken, cheese, and sauce, and each of those elements is brimming with spices, sweetness, smokiness, and tang. I particularly enjoyed the barbecue sauce, which had a deeply sweet flavor reminiscent of hoisin. The chicken bits were well-seasoned, and the use of smoked Gouda in addition to mozzarella hammers home the barbecue quality nicely. 

It's an enjoyable pizza overall, and I'd happily have it again, but I couldn't find anything that wowed me. I wished there was just a little bit more spice, as the barbecue sauce came across as quite sweet, and it was generously layered atop the crust. While I really enjoyed the sauce's flavor, I did want it to have a bit more of a counterweight. Something hot and spicy, like jalapeños, or something cool and zippy, like fresh cilantro, would wake this pizza up a bit. It's solid, but just needs a little nudge.

Full disclosure, I went into this taste test assuming that mushroom and black truffle flatbread would be my favorite. I'm a sucker for all kinds of mushrooms, as well as truffles — technically a type of underground mushroom, truffles have been a culinary indulgence since ancient times. The rich, earthy aroma that filled my kitchen as I pulled this pizza out of the oven only solidified my assumption. Sometimes cheaper truffle products can smell off-putting, but this was a pleasant, somewhat subtle truffle scent. I was already prepared to give this flatbread the crown. Eating it, though, was a little bit of a let-down. 

It is very tasty, don't get me wrong. However, I feel like it's missing something. The crust is thin and golden with a great chewy-yet-crispy texture, the mozzarella cheese is rich and creamy, and the mushroom blend — a combination of button, oyster, porcini, and summer black truffles — is deeply flavorful. But after a few bites, my tastebuds got bored. There's nothing to contrast the richness. I wanted something sharp, pungent, punchy, like thyme or rosemary, or a stronger bite of garlic. One more ingredient would make this flatbread truly sing.

I'll keep this short and sweet: This is exactly the same as the bambino pizza formaggio, with the addition of pepperoni. I really enjoyed the cheese version of these small pizzas, but felt the sauce overpowered the other elements. Turns out, with just a few slices of pepperoni, balance was restored. The toothsomeness and intensity of Trader Joe's uncured pepperoni, made with pork and bursting with garlic and paprika flavors, is the perfect partner to the concentrated, flavorful sauce. The cheese ratio seemed about the same here as it was on the bambino formaggio, but works quite successfully as a background player, since the pepperoni takes center stage.

One issue does bother me. On the box, you'll see multiple slices of pepperoni covering every inch of the pizzas. That was unfortunately not the case in reality. Each bambino had only two slices, larger than the ones pictured on the box, but not big enough to cover the entire crust. If they threw one more slice of pepperoni on these little pies, they'd be pretty close to perfection.

A solidly delicious, well-balanced pizza, Trader Joe's burrata, prosciutto, and arugula flatbread is a top-tier choice. That said, there are a few little snags that hold it back from the number one spot. A lot of it works really well, starting with the crust — a beautiful, even golden brown, it's got just the right amount of crispiness on the edges while still soft inside. The flatbread comes topped with arugula and cheese, of which there's plenty. Burrata, mozzarella, fontal, and mascarpone combine to make a creamy, rich base, while pecorino romano and Parmigiano Reggiano add salt and umami. Thin slices of prosciutto, cured Italian ham, come packaged separately, so that you can add them after the pizza is baked.

I tried to make mine look like the picture on the box, letting my prosciutto slices curl into little flower-like shapes. Turns out, that's not the best option. The prosciutto is necessary in every bite, to achieve the right balance, so what you'll want to do is either tear the ham into small pieces and sprinkle it across the entire flatbread, or lay the slices flat so that the surface is completely covered. Without the salty, meaty bite of prosciutto, the cheese and arugula pizza is fine, but not very exciting. Spread out that ham and you're in for a treat.

If I had to choose one type of pizza to eat for the rest of my life, a simple pepperoni would probably be at the top of my list. While I love classics like Margherita and complex pizzas with unusual toppings, there's something deeply satisfying about a straight-up, no-frills pepperoni pie. Trader Joe's does an exceptional job with their version with — as usual — a great crust that comes out of the oven beautifully blistered and golden brown. The cheese mix here consists of provolone, fontina, Jack, and Parmesan, a flavorful combo that adds dimension to the classically simple pizza. The tomato sauce is straightforward, bright, and tangy.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with this pizza. Plenty of pepperoni slices adorn the pie, sometimes layered on top of each other, which is always a good thing. I will be enjoying this pizza again, no question. I've had delivery and take-out pepperoni pizzas that cost five times as much, and weren't this good. While this pizza didn't earn the top spot, it's more than deserving of the bronze medal.

This pizza made me incredibly happy and incredibly annoyed at the same time. Incredibly happy because it's delicious, and incredibly annoyed because I've paid a lot more money for mediocre pizzas that tried to be like this but weren't nearly as good. Trader Joe's pizza parlanno took me back to my childhood in the best way — it smells like a classic pizza parlor, and as soon as I took a bite, I was transported to hanging out after school, playing arcade games, drinking buckets of cola, and fighting over the last slice. This pizza is usually called "the works" or "the combo," with both sausage and pepperoni, onions and peppers, flavorful tomato sauce, and plenty of melty cheese.

What I love about this pizza is that there's so much flavor, that even if a bite is lacking an element or two, it's still satisfying and balanced. There's savory, peppery, and sweet going on just in the sausage. The pepperoni is meaty and spicy. The peppers and onions add some high notes and sweetness, and cheese and sauce cover the whole crust from end to end. The crust is classic, and perfect to hold up the toppings. This is a tough one to beat.

This is what pizza is all about. Trader Joe's roasted garlic and pesto pizza is simple and elegant, with every element in place and at the top of it's game. One thing Trader Joe's has really nailed is how to get good crusts on frozen pies. I'm generally impressed by them, but the crust on this pizza took things to a whole new level. Based on pizza fritta, a traditional street food from Naples, this pie's actually made there too using an authentic and labor-intensive process. Whatever they're doing to achieve this astoundingly good crust, it's worth it. While it may look overly thick, it's full of air pockets that make it soft and airy, while the fried exterior is solid enough to keep sturdy under the toppings.

I could go on and on about the crust, but the toppings are also exceptional. I'm not always a fan of hot pesto — generally, I prefer fresh, uncooked basil — but this pesto works well on the pizza, maintaining an impressive brightness. It's packed with flavor, combined with the creamy blend of burrata, mozzarella, and provolone cheeses for a balance that's pure magic. A deep, satisfying roasted garlic flavor lingers at the end of each bite. When it comes down to it, more than any of the rest, this is the pizza I'll be tempted to throw into my cart every time I visit Trader Joe's.

As a long-time food writer and Italian cuisine enthusiast, I've tasted my fair share of pizzas, from the greatest pizzas in the world at Pepe in Grani and pizzerias throughout Naples and Rome, to street vendors in New York City and late-night Domino's orders. When I assess pizza, I consider a lot of criteria. The ratio of crust to sauce to toppings is key. How well the sauce and toppings are distributed is also a major factor, determining whether you get the complete experience of the pizza in every bite.

The crust makes or breaks a pie — does the thickness and structure match the style they're going for, and how well does it hold up under the chosen cheese, sauce, and toppings? Cheese shouldn't be rubbery or overly greasy, and should have good flavor. Sauce should be similarly flavorful, and should match up with the intensity of the other ingredients. Then there are the toppings —how well distributed they are, how complementary they are to one another, and how well they match up to the rest of the elements are all things to consider. Overall, you want balance between all of these components, to create a harmonious whole where nothing seems out of place. I took all of these criteria into account in my rankings, but what it really came down to was one question: How badly do I want another slice?