Meta Description: Discover the best frozen pub-style pizzas that deliver authentic bar pie flavors, with tips for baking up crispy, saucy, cheesy pies at home using your oven and standard kitchen tools.
Pub-style pizza is an essential part of American cuisine. With its crispy thin crust, hearty tomato sauce, and generous amounts of mozzarella cheese, there’s no wonder why so many people love this style of pizza. While you could always order a delivery or go to your local pizzeria to get authentic pub-style pie, more high-quality options are becoming available in grocery store freezers. I taste-tested all the major frozen pub pizza brands to find the best ones you can bake at home.
What Makes Pub-Style Pizza Special
But before we look into some of the top frozen varieties, let’s talk about what makes pub-style pizza good. This type of pizza was first served in bars and pubs as a cheap way for patrons to eat something while they were drinking. Since then it has become it’s own style with distinct characteristics:
- Thin, crispy crust: Rather than having a chewy thick base, this version has a thin and crispy one that allows for more toppings per slice.
- Hearty tomato sauce: Canned tomatoes are used for this type of sauce along with minimal seasonings like garlic and oregano. Due to this combination it has a deeper flavor than regular pizza sauce.
- Good balance of cheese: Cheddar and mozzarella make up the blend that is used on pub pizzas, with cheese being put on moderately instead of being piled high so other ingredients don’t get drowned out.
- Toppings on top: Toppings are placed over the cheese instead of under it so they don’t get soggy from the sauce. Popular sides include sausage, mushrooms, pepperoni, black olives and green peppers.
- Greasy bar aesthetic: The real stuff has a greasy quality that you can’t resist. In some spots the crust gets crispy-crunchy while staying a bit floppy in others, and it’s all saturated with oils and cheese grease.
Now let’s get into how the top frozen brands compare.
Jack’s Original Thin Crust Pepperoni Pub Pizza is a great frozen pizza. It gets crispy without being dry. The pub-style pie is only 300 calories a slice, that’s not bad.
Summary of Frozen Pub-Style Pizza
Brand | Crust Description | Sauce Description | Cheese Quality | Toppings | Calories Per Serving | Rating (Out of 5) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Jack's Original | Thin, crispy | Not specified | Moderate, mozzarella | Pepperoni | 300 | 4.0 |
Red Baron Classic Crust Pepperoni Pizza
The Red Baron Classic Crust pizza tries to bring the taste and texture of a pub-style pie to your freezer. Here’s how it did:
- Crispy yet tender crust: The bottom of the crust is crispy like a cracker with a soft top half.
- Herby sauce: This sauce tastes like canned tomatoes with Italian seasoning. They put chunks of tomato in there which I thought was nice.
- Good cheese flavor: Their cheese blend comes with mozzarella and cheddar. It doesn’t bake greasy either.
- Pepperoni goes all the way out: For flavor in every bite, they make sure their pepperonis reach all the way to the edge.
Overall, Red Baron makes a good budget pizza. It will work for an easy dinner or snack at 250 calories per serving.
Home Run Inn Classic Pizza
Home Run Inn promises pizzeria quality but from your freezer. Let’s see if they live up to their claim:
- Cracker-like thin crust: I didn’t like this crust very much because it was so thin and crunchy.
- Smooth, sweetish sauce: Theirs head way less flavor than Red Barons even though you can tell it’s still trying to be tangy.
- Not enough cheese: There wasn’t enough melted mozzarella or cheddar on mine.
- Sparse sausage: If you love sausage, then I’d avoid this one since there isn’t much meat on it.
I think Home Run Inn missed the mark completely here and would recommend against it if you want something similar to real pub food.
California Pizza Kitchen Crispy Thin Crust Pizza
Instead of sticking to traditional pub flavors, California Pizza Kitchen infuses their pie with some trendy ingredients. Here’s how that went:
- Ultra-crispy crust: They take the thin crust concept way too far by making it so crispy. I think it tastes like a chip.
- Tangy barbecue sauce: It doesn’t have the classic pub-style pizza flavor but it does taste good.
- Unique cheese blend: This mix was surprisingly tasty. It comes with mozzarella and cheddar along with smoked gouda for a nutty flavor.
If you’re looking for something that’s not like typical pub-style pies, this is for you.
- Trendy chicken topping: Chopped grilled chicken gives this a fresher, lighter feel than pepperoni or sausage. Adds a trendy, California cuisine flair.
CPK’s crispy thin crust barbecue chicken pizza puts an innovative spin on the pub pizza concept. While not very traditional in flavor, the ultra-crispy crust and creative toppings make for an elevated frozen pizza experience. If you want something more adventurous than straight-up pepperoni or sausage, this innovative pie is worth a try.
Amy's Margherita Pizza
Amy’s Kitchen puts a gourmet spin on pub-style pizza with their Margherita variety. Made with organic ingredients, Amy’s pizzas promise restaurant quality from your own oven. Here’s how Amy’s Margherita pub pizza fared in terms of authenticity:
- Tender, foldable crust: Amy’s achieves a crisp yet pliable crust similar to brick oven pizzeria-style. Sturdy enough to support the toppings.
- Fresh tomato herb sauce: The tomato sauce tastes like it’s made from fresh tomatoes with a fragrant blend of basil, oregano, and garlic. Complex flavor.
- High-quality fresh mozzarella: Instead of shredded mozzarella, Amy’s uses creamy slices of fresh mozzarella. Oozes and melts with wonderful rich flavor.Â
- Minimal, high-end toppings: Simple Roma tomato slices and basil leaves add freshness without weighing down the thin crust.
Overall, Amy’s gourmet ingredients and attention to quality make for an incredible frozen margherita pizza. While not very pub-style with the chewy artisanal crust and fresh toppings, the organic ingredients and scratch-made flavors are fantastic. If you appreciate high-quality frozen pizza, Amy’s Margherita is a great choice.
Tips for Baking Frozen Pub-Style Pizza
Tip | Description |
|---|---|
Use a pizza stone or steel | Replicates the effects of a pizza oven for the crispiest crust. |
Now that you know the best frozen varieties for satisfying that pub pizza craving at home, here are some tips for baking up the crispiest, tastiest pies:
- Use a pizza stone or steel: Baking the pizza directly on a hot stone or steel replicates the effects of a pizza oven for the crispiest crust.
- Start with a hot oven: Preheat your oven to the highest temperature possible, ideally 500°F if your oven goes that high. The initial blast of heat ensures the crust crisps and browns.
- Don’t overload toppings: Follow the package directions and avoid piling on extra toppings that would weigh down the thin crust and make it soggy.
- Finish under the broiler: For extra crisping on top, finish the pizza under the hot broiler for 1-2 minutes once bottom is crisped and cheese melted.
- Let it cool slightly: Allow the pizza to cool for 1-2 minutes before slicing so the crisp crust has a chance to set. Skipping this step can make it soggy.
- Re-crisp leftover slices: To re-crisp refrigerated leftover slices, bake them on a sheet tray at 400°F for about 5 minutes before serving.
Wrapping Up
With right baking techniques and best quality frozen varieties, you can enjoy delicious, crispy pub-style pizza without leaving your kitchen. For an effortless night in, pick up a pack of Jack’s Thin Crust pies or other top-rated frozen pizza and get all satisfaction of that indulgent pub pizza flavor. Just be sure to pair your homemade pie with an ice-cold beer or cocktail to complete the experience!
