10 Aldi Pizzas, Ranked from Best to Worst

Grab a quarter and your reusable bags, we’re heading to Aldi. The discount grocery store is rooted in simplicity, from its food displays and checkout process to the actual number of products it carries in its stores. But, despite its low number of SKUs — around 1,300 at any given time — the chain does happen to be stacked in some areas. The German grocery is known for its beer and wine variety and also excels in the staple foods department — a category I emphatically believe frozen pizza falls into.

A freezer section take-and-bake pizza is a grocery list essential. It’s a dish you should always have on deck in case other dinner plans fall through, new recipe ventures go awry, or when you simply need a quick dinner on the table minus the hassle and clean up. At Aldi, this kitchen asset comes in all different shapes, sizes, and flavors, mostly from Mama Cozzi’s — a fan-favorite brand sold exclusively at the chain. A few other names also pop up in the frozen aisle, but the important thing they all have in common is a great price point.

I hope you’re hungry, because I’m digging into these Aldi pies to see which one offers the best taste. While testing, I looked for a crust that holds up (whether it’s thick or thin), a flavorful sauce, and, of course, plenty of cheese. That’s really all you need for a top-notch frozen pie. But, if the brand throws something else on top, it better be well-cooked and worthwhile. Come with me to mangia, mangia, mangia!

Mama Cozzi is a machine in the kitchen. She whips up pizza after pizza in every style you can think of, from thin-crust and cheesy stuffed crust to French bread pies just like this one. I tried the pepperoni French bread pizza, but it also comes in supreme and extra cheese. 

Two French bread logs are tucked into the box. Both the apperance and taste reminded me more of a garlic bread appetizer than a main dish pizza — but hold the garlic and the flavor. The bread is clearly the focus here. If done correctly, this wouldn’t have been a problem, as the pizza would have led with a crispy-yet-doughy foundation with toppings to balance it out. But, these toppings don’t hold up their end of the bargain. The sauce is kept light and has little to no oomph. Shredded mozzarella cheese is a classic choice, yet a mild one. The quarter bits of pepperoni, made from chicken, beef, and pork, actually do provide a nice spice with a melt-in-your-mouth, yet crispy texture. However, it wasn’t enough to offset the rest, which left the pizza boats crusty and dry. Sorry Mama, but this one’s not my favorite.

Mama knows people who are gluten-free or who are watching their carb intake still want to indulge in a pizza dinner every now and then. The solution? Cauliflower crust pizza. This dough alternative is currently all the rage and is available at Aldi in several varieties, including Margherita. Here, the pure cauliflower crust is topped with tomato sauce, garlic, oregano, diced tomatoes, and a combination of three different cheeses: mozzarella, cheddar, and a medium-fat hard cheese.

I realized too late into the cooking process that I should’ve rearranged the tomatoes, as they congregated in only a few small areas and left the remainder of the circle a bit barren. When I got some of them in a bite, they were reminiscent of a bruschetta, complete with the flavors of the garlic, herbs, and juicy tomato. It would have been fairly light and refreshing if it weren’t for its mediocre vegetable base. This crust never quite crisped up, so it came out of the oven flimsy and lacking structure. It’s not overburdened by a strong cauliflower taste — I think that’s the whole point of cauliflower crust — but it also doesn’t taste like much else. At the end of the day, it’s a pie I could take or leave, but I’m not sure I would go out of my way to reach for it again.

The original thin-crust pepperoni pizza isn’t winning any awards. But, it’s a frozen pizza you can count on for a decent bite. Its no-nonsense vibes are made obvious from the start with its simple, no-box packaging. This mantra carries over into every single ingredient.

The ultra-thin and cracker-like crust isn’t bad, but it’s not necessarily top quality. The cheese here is also average. It is made with real mozzarella, so no issues there. However, it hits you with a strange consistency that lands somewhere between chewy and mushy — not necessarily the cheesy experience I was hoping for. The pepperonis and sauce, on the other hand, are more palatable. Like the cauliflower-crusted Margherita pizza’s tomatoes, the pepperoni rounds could have used some rearranging. But, they elevated each bite with a rich, oily flavor. The tomato sauce offers its own sweet savoriness. It lacks depth, but is satisfactory overall, which is just about all you can hope for from a cheap frozen pizza.

If you’re looking for a comparison, I’d say the original thin-crust bears a resemblance to TombStone’s frozen pizza. Both fall into the category of there-when-you-need-them za’s — an option you would keep stocked in the back of your freezer for meal emergencies.

This is one sad-looking supreme. When I think of a supreme pizza, I think of a garden of vegetables and meats sitting atop a sauce-coated crust. But, on Mama Cozzi’s original thin-crust rendition, you get exactly nine pepperonis, scarce sausage crumbles, a small handful of green pepper bits, and chopped white onions that are barely visible against the white mozzarella cheese.

Luckily, the pie’s taste somewhat makes up for its lousy presentation. Just like the crust on the thin-crust pepperoni, this one is crunchy and more like something you would find on a charcuterie board. Its ingredient additions, despite their scant application, do give each slice a boost, though. The onion pieces are small but mighty, and add a bit of sweet pungency into the mix. It’s just cheesy enough and the combination of pepperoni and sausage offers a greasy heartiness. I could take or leave the green peppers. But overall, it’s a pie that builds on the standard recipe of the thin-crust pepperoni and isn’t at all unsavory when all the ingredients meet up in one big bite.

The stone-baked veggie pizza has the vibrant look I was expecting from the supreme. It’s topped with a flurry of colors, including grilled peppers, grilled zucchini, red onion, and spinach. These veggies are applied so heavily that it’s difficult to even see the mozzarella cheese and tomato sauce hiding underneath.

Considering the level of visual stimulation from this pie, I also expected it would have a bright and bold flavor. But, that sensation never came. Texture-wise, everything checks out. The peppers and onions are cooked just enough to be soft, but they also maintain a light crispness. Meanwhile, the spinach and zucchini avoid falling into a slimy trap. And, all of the toppings sit on a not-too-thick-not-too-thin crust with just enough fluff between the crunchy edges. 

The problem is that nothing tips the taste scale. Each ingredient flies under the radar, giving another garnish the opportunity to shine — but nothing does. The sauce? Light. The cheese? Hardly noticeable. The peppers? Lacking zest, like they were picked out of season. The red onion was really the only saving grace — go figure.

Despite this flavor snafu, I do have to give the pizza credit for its freshness, or at least facade of freshness. It makes it seem like you’re at least getting some nutrition out of your pie instead of just munching on a heap of greasy bread, cheese, and sauce.

Who could resist a stuffed crust? This beloved creation is like two dishes rolled into one. First, you start with a standard pizza, and then end off with a cheese-filled breadstick. Perfection. In this Mama Cozzi’s rendition, the cheesy crust is nearly a dead ringer for the Bosco Sticks I remember being served in a school cafeteria — a fact that I saw as a positive.

Beyond the crust, the pie appears to be overloaded with cheese (namely mozzarella, but with some Asiago and Romano thrown in as well). If you look closely, though, you’ll see that the cheese combines with ranch dressing to give it that white all-over appearance. The taste is creamy, tangy, and lightly herby. It’s quite nice if you can get over the strange and somewhat off-putting sensation of warmed-up ranch dressing.

The bone I have to pick with this pizza has to do with the meats: the bacon and chicken. The latter tastes and looks like it was boiled — a very real possibility. The bacon bits, on the other hand, hardly look like they were cooked at all, resulting in a droopy, chewy texture. Both were also meagerly applied, which may have been for the best. Just leave me with the cheesy bread, cheese, and ranch. That’s all I need.

I associate rising crust with DiGiorno. Probably because the brand was the one to invent this revolutionary way to frozen pizza in 1995. These kinds of pies are made with a dough that actually rises while it’s baking. This Mama Cozzi’s version did just that. As I bit into it, my initial thought was that the crust could have been a DiGiorno product. It came out pale and puffed up with soft dough in the middle and an audible crunch on the fringes.

In terms of toppings, the most noticeable feature on this pie is the oil that pools in the center. I felt the need to dab it off with a napkin to avoid some of the greasiness. Oil aside, the taste is peppery and salty and the cheese pulls are something to behold, thanks to the chewy and thickly-applied mozzarella. Pepperonis cover nearly every square inch of the circle; some of the other za’s should take note. The pepperoni, which are made of pork, chicken, and beef, are thick-cut and fatty in the best possible way. Every slice is made better by their deep smoky essence. It’s a solid pie through and through.

I usually draw the line at two meats per pizza — any more starts to become overkill. But, I’ll make an exception for this Aldi specialty. It starts with the time-honored pairing of pork pepperonis and sausage made with pork and chicken. Then, rounding out the triple threat is a ground beef crumble. The pepperoni are my favorite part of the pie, with their strong waves of umami and paprika-like kick. The sausage is standard and nothing to write home about. But, the pure beef picks things up with an all-around heartiness.

And, I haven’t even touched on the best part: the cheesy stuffed crust. It’s has all the same merits as the chicken, bacon, and ranch pizza’s crust. Though, the three-meat pizza box divulges that there are 2½ total feet of cheese in the crust, meaning that every slice ends in a crescendo of mozzarella bliss. The bread itself also has a bit of a flaky quality to it, which was a welcome surprise.

Since it’s smothered in so many different meats, an oily film is inevitable. But, it was nothing compared to the rising crust pepperoni. My only other complaint was that the sauce was a bit runny. Otherwise, it’s a filling and flavorful pick.

Tavern-style pizza is an ode to Chicago bars. It originated in the Windy City and is known for its thin crust and square cuts — which is very different from Chicago’s other pizza icon, the deep-dish. This tavern-style pie from Mama Cozzi’s is said to be extra loaded with 100% real Wisconsin mozzarella and white cheddar cheese. And, I can attest to its immense cheesiness.

In the oven, it bubbled up to the skies before taking the shape of a cheese Danish or something of the sort. Then, as I dug in, cheese pulls were on full display. Mozzarella combines with the cheddar for extra chewy bites that are creamy, buttery, and the slightest bit sharp. As promised, the crust is razor-thin. It provides a rewarding crunch, and is a great vessel to carry the sauce and cheese to your lips. Speaking of sauce, the one hiding under all that fromage is thick, almost like a creamy tomato, which pairs perfectly with the cheese.

As a whole, this combination of crunchy crust, sauce, and immense cheesiness reminds me of Chuck E. Cheese or the pizza you would buy at an amusement park. You know, the kind that always tastes unexplainably delicious after a long day of fun. 

Sasquatch has been spotted in Aldi’s freezer aisle. At this size, he’s hard to miss. This pizza comes in a double-wide rectangular shape that features pepperoni on one side and cheese on the other to satisfy everyone’s preferences. It’s so big that the box warns not to approach it alone. I did not heed this advice and had plenty of leftovers.

I was so excited to try this monstrous pie and am happy to report that it did not disappoint. The crust is the best one Aldi had to offer. It’s not quite a deep-dish, but it’s bulky and has a doughy inside and a crisp bottom. The garlic and flavor-infused sauce is the same throughout, and then we get to the best part: the toppings. I honestly couldn’t decide between the plain cheese or the pepperoni side of the pizza. The pepperonis are nice and plump with an oily juiciness exuding from all of their edges. The pork and beef slices have a great umami taste with the slightest bit of spice. It’s hard to beat. But on the opposing plain cheese really had a chance to shine. Sasquatch is a simple creature and just adds mozzarella to the dish. But, in this amount, it can only be described as indulgent.

I truly think this classic makeup would rival most delivery pies. It’s flavorful with all the right textures and has plenty to go around. It’s scary good, and I thank Aldi for turning the Sasquatch legend into an accessible reality.

Typically, frozen pizzas don’t inspire high expectations. They’re more of an “I just need some kind of fuel and fast” kind of meal. However, with recent innovations, like rising crusts and improved ingredient quality, frozen pizzas have started to challenge this stereotype.

To fairly evaluate the pizzas from Aldi — primarily from Mama Cozzi’s and the Sasquatch brand — I focused on the essential components of a great pie. First and foremost was the crust. Regardless of its thickness, the ideal crust must strike the right balance of texture: crispy on the outside with a doughy interior, and never dry or brittle. Next came the sauce, which needed to be flavorful (extra points for garlicky notes) and never watery. My philosophy on cheese is simple: The more, the better, and gooier is always preferable. I evaluated the meat pies based on the taste and texture of the protein. Surprisingly, they seemed to hold their own on most pizzas. Finally, I considered the freshness and integrity of the toppings where applicable. There shouldn’t be any mushiness, and the accoutrements should add something to the flavor of the pie. With these criteria in mind, it quickly became obvious which Aldi pizzas are worthy a spot in my freezer and which are not.