Gluten-free pizza has come a long way. Not too long ago, the most popular description of the wheatless crust was “tastes like cardboard.” Not exactly mouthwatering. But now there are multiple brands offering fully assembled frozen pizzas, and guess what? They’re freakin’ great. Seriously.
Far from tasting like packing material, gluten-free pizza crusts can achieve a range of wheat-like crust qualities, like crispy, soft, chewy, thick, or thin. If you have gluten sensitivities, or you’re just looking for a new pizza to love, try one of these excellent gluten-free options available at supermarkets.
Best gluten free pizzas
I found this selection of frozen pizzas in my local ShopRite, and available for delivery from Amazon Fresh or the Whole Foods nearby. Since I was primarily targeting the flavor and texture of the gluten-free crust, I selected plain cheese pizzas when I could. If that was unavailable, then I chose one with toppings. All of the crust ingredients I mention were ascertained from the ingredient list on the packaging. The best pizzas are alphabetical, with a small section at the end for an honorable mention.
Banza
I first discovered Banza products as pasta (another traditional princess of wheat) but instead of using wheat, Banza uses beans. Chickpeas and tapioca, more specifically. The Banza pizza crust has a medium thickness and tastes fluffy and light. It’s actually one of the only crusts of the group that isn’t extremely thin. Since it’s garbanzo-based, I was expecting a bean-y flavor but there was nothing strange about it. The crust was crisp, and the entire pizza was flavorful and delicious.
California Pizza Kitchen
Another stellar choice is the gluten-free pizza from the ever-popular brand California Pizza Kitchen. I couldn’t find a plain cheese available near me, so I selected the uncured pepperoni, mushroom, and sausage. (Alas. How sad for me.) This crust is made primarily from cauliflower, which the front of the package makes very clear. The crust is ultra-thin, crispy with a few soft areas, and not chewy at all. Overall, a great frozen pizza. And the toppings don’t hurt either.
Caulipower
I first had Caulipower's gluten-free crust on its own. They sell their crust in the freezer section as a make-your-own-pizza component, and it’s great. The sold-separately crust is very crisp, almost cracker-like. I was surprised that their complete frozen pizza presents a much softer crust. As you might have guessed, theirs is primarily cauliflower. Like Banza, I initially wondered if this meant the flavor would be “off” (farty)—after all, cruciferous veggies and legumes have a reputation. Caulipower plain cheese pizza has no weird flavors at all. The strength of the crust holds up well, and it’s ideal for a person who likes a crust that’s easy to bite through. There’s no chew, crunch, or fight in this base. I do suggest adding your own toppings or maybe choosing a variety they offer with vegetables or meats, as the plain was a tad bland.
Daiya
This brand originally gained popularity as one of the best dairy-free cheese makers available, and they’ve since moved into gluten-free frozen pizzas. They did an excellent job with this one. This is the other pizza I had with toppings, since plain “cheese” wasn’t available. I must say, the toppings had a pleasant smokiness and added a lot to the flavor department.
Anyway, back to the crust. This one is made from a mix of starches and flours including tapioca starch, rice flour, and potato starch. The mixture results in a thin, crispy crust, with the slightest chewy interior. Overall, this one was my favorite.
Feel Good Foods
This one is the only Detroit-style, square pan pizza on the list. If you like deep dish crust pizza, this is one’s for you. Using primarily cornstarch, rice flour, and potato starch, this pizza has a thick and sturdy crust that tastes pretty good. Granted, it doesn’t exactly mimic a traditional, gluten-full Detroit-style pizza well enough to replace it if you don’t have gluten allergies—but for those who do, you will get the comforting feeling of a large, saucy, square slice. The crust isn’t chewy, but it tastes good and it’s a nice change from the other brands that tend to lean paper-thin with their crusts.
Freschetta
Freschetta’s gluten-free pizza was the first one I had that made an attempt at a chewy crust. It’s a quality I was resigned never to experience, since gluten-free flours tend to lack binding power that gluten provides. Freschetta uses tapioca starch and rice flour as components in their crust and these starches produce a very noticeable chewy texture. I liked it. At first I was unsure because it borders on gummy, however it also has the same texture as melted mozzarella. It’s kind of like you’re eating a cheese-stuffed crust.
Milton’s Craft Bakers
Cauliflower is probably the most popular crust ingredient for pizzas, and I understand the allure. The flavor is neutral, and you can achieve a decent gluten-free crust that holds together. Milton’s actually includes cheese in their crust, so unlike how Freschetta seems cheesy, this one actually uses cheese to create chewiness in their crust. The plain pizza did not skimp on the cheese, but Milton’s also offers a margherita and pepperoni flavor.
Udi’s
Udi’s gained popularity as a gluten-free bread loaf option, so it tracks that they would branch out to frozen pizzas. Unlike almost every other pizza on this list, I appreciated that Udi’s offers a big pizza. Mine was just shy of 12 inches across, while most on this list averaged 9 to 10. The pizza crust is crisp, light, and extremely thin. It includes brown rice flour, tapioca flour, and egg whites, which held up nicely and made for a crust that didn’t flop. Udi’s offers a pepperoni pie and a supreme pie which I look forward to tasting one day.
Honorable Mention: Cappello’s
Cappello’s dabbles in several gluten-free products, including cookie dough and pasta. This is the only pizza that used eggs and almond flour as the leading ingredients. The crust had a soft, flaky texture to it, with a hint of crisp along the edges. Generally that was fine, especially if you like to fold your slice. Sadly, this pizza was the only one of the group to give me an “off” flavor. When I tasted the crust alone, it had a distinct saltiness to it. This isn’t a bad thing, and the pizza was anything but bad, but the unusual taste along with the salt was not for me. That said, you might find the flavor enjoyable and the flexibility of the crust a plus.