Frozen Pizza Hacks That Will Make Your Midweek Meal So Much Better

We think that frozen pizza gets a bad rep. Yes, it’s never going to quite be a gourmet experience, but honestly, whether you’re opting for a thin crust or a deep dish, there are some excellent frozen pizzas out there these days. That said, we all know that this is a food that’s built for convenience, not necessarily culinary excellence – and unless you’re willing to spend big money, you’ll likely end up with something that tastes and feels pretty similar to every other frozen pizza out there.

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That’s not necessarily a bad thing – predictability can be comforting, right? – but if you want to make your meal a bit more interesting this evening, here are some hacks for your frozen pizza that require barely any effort. Let’s go. 

Baste Your Crust

One of the biggest problems with frozen pizza is that even if the cheese and toppings taste good, the crust can often let you down. It can be cardboard-y, pale, tasteless, and lacking in any life whatsoever. No wonder so many people don’t eat them. 

Next time you’re cooking a frozen pizza, though, give the crust a quick brush with some olive oil, or even some egg wash. This will deepen the color and flavor of the crust, making it way more palatable. You can also daub it with some melted garlic butter when it comes out of the oven (just don’t do this beforehand, though, as the butter may burn while it’s cooking).

Thaw Your Pizza Before Cooking It

This frozen pizza cooking hack comes courtesy of the Inside Trader Joe’s podcast. Shortly before you’re ready to cook your pizza, take it out of the oven and allow it to thaw slightly. You don’t need it to be completely room temperature; you just want it to soften and warm up a little. 

This slight thawing process ensures that your pizza cooks more evenly, and also that it develops a touch more color and flavor. It also gives you more scope to customize your pizza and add extra toppings, which will incorporate into the pie more, as opposed to just sitting on top and cooking at a different rate. 

Throw On Some Extra Seasonings

Over on Simply Recipes, a trio of chefs shared their favorite frozen pizza hacks – and all of them agreed that adding additional ingredients can make all the difference. For chef Charlie Ray, those ingredients are simple seasonings. “I always add dried oregano, salt, and pepper before I bake it,” she said. A quick tweak, but one that enhances the flavors already present on the pizza, and gives it some extra herbal notes.

Poke Holes In Your Pizza

Need a hack that also acts as a stress reliever? Here’s one for ya: Before you cook your pizza, allow it to come up to room temperature slightly. Then, poke some holes in the bottom of the crust before popping it in the oven.

This might sound strange, but these holes allow steam to escape the pizza more effectively, thereby giving you a more evenly cooked result. Just don’t poke too many in the pizza, or make them too big: You don’t want to tear the whole thing apart, after all.