I Tried 4 Gluten-Free Frozen Pizzas Under $10: Here’s the Best
There’s not much I like about moving or helping someone else move, but the one highlight I can always count on is cold beer and pizza at the end of the day. But when I made my last move into a house in Nashville with my partner (after dealing with the loss of our belongings in a trailer fire — that’s another story), I realized I could not order the celebratory pizza.
Why? Because my partner has celiac disease, which means he cannot eat foods with gluten or foods that could have potentially been cross-contaminated with gluten. It makes dining out a little more complicated.
More pizza joints now offer gluten-free pizzas, but they are typically smaller and slightly more expensive than normal. And because the toppings still run the risk of being contaminated, my partner and I tend to save the money and bake pizzas at home.
This has made us quite the experts in the frozen aisle at the grocery store. We have sampled just about every gluten-free pizza we can find. Over time, we have discovered favorites — and some pizzas we will pass on.
In the interest of saving money while simultaneously getting as much pizza into my always-hungry belly as possible, I sampled four gluten-free pizzas that I could get for under $10.
Because it’s difficult to consistently find gluten-free pizzas with toppings other than cheese, I purchased the cheese offerings for all the available brands. My partner and I tend to spice these up with pepperoni, chicken, veggies and more cheese, depending on how we’re feeling that day.
My ratings below factor in both taste and price:
4. Amy’s Gluten Free Rice Crust Cheese Pizza
Cost: $7.99
Size: 12 ounces
Price per ounce: 67 cents
Where I bought it: Kroger
My partner didn’t mind Amy’s rice crust pizza, but I did not even clean my plate. The crust, while not bad, just wasn’t what I was expecting. The consistency was dry and crumbly, even for gluten-free.
The size of the pizza would have been problematic for me, as I tend to eat a whole frozen pizza by myself, but since I was not a fan, I hardly noticed how little there was to go around. Despite the small size, this pizza is still among the most expensive in the under $10 category.
Rating: 2 out of 5 toppings
3. Udi’s Gluten Free Three Cheese Pizza
Cost: $6.99
Size: 10 ounces
Price per ounce: 70 cents
Where I bought it: Whole Foods
Udi’s gluten-free food is among the best. If I had to choose one gluten-free bread to eat every day, it would be Udi’s. Unfortunately, its quality has earned it a much higher price. The $6.99 I spent on this pizza got me a tiny 10-ounce pie, which is not nearly enough for two people to share. Heck, it’s not enough for me alone.
The crust, however, was strong and tasty. Both the cheese and sauce tasted fresher, though I liked the cheesy flavor of the No. 1 pizza slightly more.
I should note, Whole Foods also offers a 16.1-ounce pizza for $12.99 and a three-pack of them for $17.99, which is easily the best deal. The price per ounce for the three-pack drops to just 37 cents.
Rating: 3 out of 5 toppings
2. Kroger Gluten Free Extra Thin Crust Four Cheese Pizza
Cost: $5.99
Size: 17.5 ounces
Price per ounce: 34.2 cents
Where I bought it: Kroger
It’s difficult to find food in my house that isn’t Kroger brand. I have been a Kroger Plus member longer than I have been a licensed driver, and I stay loyal to the brand, usually because it offers really good deals. (Check out the natural peanut butter — it’s cheap and delicious.)
My Kroger began to carry a gluten-free pizza late last year, and while it is not the most delicious pizza in the world, it does the job for a cheap price. My complaints about the ingredients are the same I would have for their regular frozen pizzas: The sauce and cheese are of noticeably lower quality (the sauce tastes like it came out of a can) than top-shelf pizza brands, but for $6, I can look past that. Dressing this one up with some pepperonis, peppers and onions transforms Kroger’s pizza.
Rating: 3 out of 5 toppings
1. Freschetta Gluten Free 4 Cheese Medley Pizza
Cost: $9.99
Size: 17.5 ounces
Price per ounce: 57 cents
Where I bought it: Publix
Hands down, Freschetta has the best gluten-free pizza at my desired price point. The ingredients taste fresh when you bake the pizza, and the crust holds together remarkably well.
And at the $10 mark, this pizza comes in right on budget.
While the local Kroger tends to only have the cheese variant available, I have been fortunate to find the pepperoni pizza for the same price at Publix.
Rating: 4 out of 5 toppings
Unfortunately, the best gluten-free pizzas are going to exceed $10, though Costco has some bulk options in the $15 to $20 range that I would also recommend: Per pizza, they technically fall below the $10 mark, much like the Udi’s combo pack.
The quality ingredients of brands like Against the Grain are definitely something you should treat yourself to now and then (try Whole Foods for this delicious pie), but for your cheap Thursday night dinner, these pizzas should do the trick. (Well, maybe not Amy’s rice crust pizza, but the others get my approval.)
Don’t need to eat gluten-free? The Penny Hoarder staff also sampled six regular frozen pizzas under $6 in a similar quest. Read the results here.
Timothy Moore is a writer and editor in Nashville who loves to eat. In fact, he’s been doing it since the day he was born. His favorite foods are burgers, peanut butter, mashed potatoes, ice cream, sour cream and jalapeños — but never all together.
