DiGiorno Vs California Pizza Kitchen: Which Brand Makes The Better Frozen Pizza?

As you happily traipse the freezer aisle for pizza, you may notice that there's an abundance of pies to pick from. They vary in flavors, crusts, toppings, and even dietary options to give you a lot of wiggle room. For the purpose of this article, I wanted to test out two popular brands: California Pizza Kitchen and DiGiorno. The former began in 1985 as a pizza restaurant and has since opened over 200 stores, eventually expanding the business into selling frozen pies. The latter has been a frozen pizza brand since its 1995 inception with the goal to rival your local pizza joint — thanks to its tagline of "It's not delivery, it's DiGiorno." 

So, who makes the better pie? I followed each brand's baking instructions and would recommend taking the pizza out two minutes earlier. Both brands, when baked as directed, came out with an overdone crust — California Pizza Kitchen was hard and crisp, while DiGiorno was nearly burnt but not overly crunchy. This tip will enhance your experience considerably; oh, and definitely do not microwave frozen pizza! Okay, let's dig in.

Some recommendations are based on firsthand impressions of promotional materials and products provided by the manufacturer.

The price of these pizzas will vary based on where you're located, the store, and whether the item is on sale. I found both brands at grocery stores such as Albertsons, Vons, and Ralphs. The issue, however, was finding comparable pizzas from both brands. One retailer might have some but not the one you want, while another store has something different on stock. 

I tried to purchase the DiGiorno pizzas from Albertsons since it had thin crust versions (which is the most similar option to the California Pizza Kitchen thin crust pies), but my store was out of stock. I ended up purchasing three DiGiorno pizzas from Ralphs for $7.99 each, but two of the pizzas were rising crust, as that was all that was available. I bought the California Pizza Kitchen pepperoni and four cheese pizzas from Target for $7.99 each as they were on a promotion. Usually, the pies are priced at $8.99 at Target, while Albertsons sells them for $10.99 (not on sale). I received the CPK Sicilian Recipe pizza from the public relations team. So, long story short: Good luck finding the pizza you want without driving all around town.

Let me begin by reiterating that I attempted to get similar pies, but it just didn't work out, so one is a thin crust and one is a rising crust. When I tried and ranked 14 California Pizza Kitchen pizzas, I wasn't a big fan of the thin crust but loved the Neapolitan crust; if I were pitting the Neapolitan-style ones against DiGiorno, though, CPK would win every time. However, CPK's thin and crispy crust is exactly that; it's cracker-like and crumbly, with pieces of the bottom flaking off as you chew or cut the pizza. It doesn't offer a lot of flavor. 

CPK's Four Cheese is comprised of Fontina, hickory smoked Gouda, and two kinds of mozzarella. This creates a rich and cheesy profile that envelopes the tongue. It has a tomato and olive oil sauce duo to give it added moisture, and it was the best thin crust pizza I tried from the brand. DiGiorno's Rising Crust Four Cheese pie is thick with a crisp underside and a doughy middle. The cheese quad is made up of mozzarella, Parmesan, Asiago, and Romano; it is stringy and gooey with a good amount of sauce to add an acidic component. Aside from that, the crust is burnt, which you can rectify by taking it out of the oven earlier.

I preferred the complexity of California Pizza Kitchen's cheese, as the hickory smoked Gouda gave it a mild smoky profile. I wouldn't say it's a lot better, but it wins out because of the difference in cheeses.

Now, which brand wins when it comes to a meat lover's pizza? California Pizza Kitchen has its Sicilian Recipe, which has spicy ham, Italian sausage, and Genoa salami. I wouldn't say I picked up on the ham's heat, but I like the meat blend to provide a fatty profile and a chewy bite. The pie also has mozzarella, Fontina cheese, marinara, and a touch of sweet basil (one of many types of basil) to top it off. Again, we face the same issue with the CPK crust. If I am just eating the toppings, then yes, this pizza is good. But that's not how pizza works. 

At the same time, the DiGiorno Three Meat Rising Crust Pizza wasn't much of a stand-out either. The meat trio on this pizza consist of sausage, pepperoni, and beef, but here's the kicker: The pepperoni and sausage both contain chicken, too. So why it's not advertised as four meat pizza is beyond me. The pepperoni has a peppery flavor and fattiness, while the beef and sausage pieces are difficult to differentiate. The crust is okay and certainly better than CPK's. The issue is that there's a lot of it; I found myself eating the toppings and leaving the crust (much like CPK's pie). However, DiGiorno has a new line of wood-fired style crust that I'm pretty sure I'd love.

Neither of these pies is particularly impressive, and each has positive and negative qualities that make them even. I don't feel strongly about either to nominate one as a winner.

California Pizza Kitchen's Signature Uncured Pepperoni pizza is made with three cheeses (mozzarella, Fontina, hickory smoked Gouda), a sprinkle of basil, marinara sauce, and, of course, the uncured beef and pork pepperoni. True to its name, the pepperoni gives a peppery flavor, but unlike the four cheese pizza, the crust didn't deliver. I found myself scraping off the toppings (which are flavorful and complex) and leaving the crust. 

Given the burnt fiasco of the two DiGiorno rising crust pies, I decided to bake the Thin Crust Pepperoni Pizza for two minutes less than instructed. This was the correct choice. The thin crust is crunchy toward the border, but malleable, flaky, and almost buttery in flavor. It is better than any of the CPK thin and crispy crusts. If I had been able to try the DiGiorno thin crust pizzas for all three of these flavors, it might have come out on top — but to reiterate, CPK's Neapolitan pies would win overall because the crust and pizza were excellent. In this DiGiorno pizza, the pepperoni is a blend of chicken, pork, and beef — an intriguing trio — and offers a rich mouthfeel to the mozzarella cheese. 

Although CPK has more complex ingredients and more cheeses, DiGiorno's execution and crust are much tastier. Funny enough, this DiGiorno pizza and the CPK four cheese were both deemed as some of the frozen pizzas to avoid, despite winning each of their respective taste tests here. Do with that what you will. Which brand makes the better pizza? It will depend on the crust.