I Tried 4 Brands of Frozen French Bread Pizzas and This Was the #1 Best

Born and raised in Buffalo, New York, now living closer to NYC, I believe I'm knowledgeable when it comes to good pizza. You can't watch a Buffalo Bills game without having a steamy, cheesy pizza paired with a side of crispy wings. I know good pepperoni must be paired with the right sauce, and the cheese simply has to be melted and sprinkled evenly.

That said, sometimes you just want enough for yourself without having to run out to grab a small pizza or pay for expensive delivery fees. Having some staples in your freezer comes in clutch. As long as they nail the proper amount of cheese, include crispy pepperoni, and the sauce is seasoned properly, you pretty much know what you're getting with most French bread pizzas when it comes to the texture of the crust. So I tried 4 French bread pizzas to find out which one is the best. Here they are, ranked from my least favorite to the number one.

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Lean Cuisine Favorites French Bread Pepperoni Frozen Pizza

At first glance right out of the box, the pizza looks thinner, the cheese looks wrinkly and withered, and there's only four pieces of pepperoni for the entire pizza. It's not looking too promising, but let's cook it and give it a try! You can either cook it all the way through in the microwave or in the oven. I opted for the microwave where you just remove the plastic, and cook the pizza for 2 1/2 minutes on high.

The Look: When I opened the microwave, it looked a little sad to be honest. The pepperonis don't split into bite-size pieces like other pizzas, but I will say they're thick cut and they did look like they crisped up nicely in the microwave. The cheese melted a bit, but it was barely enough to cover the whole pizza, leaving a lot of empty space and saucy bites. Not ideal. It looked a bit floppy, but that's sort of to be expected with the microwave. Now let's give it a try.

The Taste: Not to be dramatic, but I hated it. I'll always be fair when considering a leaner option, that it might not taste as good as the regular French bread pizzas. That said, there was an odd funky flavor to it that had an overwhelmingly strong cheese flavor that wasn't supposed to be there and an odd seasoning to the sauce. There was barely any cheese and it might be worth mentioning that this is the only box that I didn't see 100% real cheese stamped on the front. The pepperoni was pretty good, but all-in-all, this is not one that I would get again. Lean Cuisine does make some amazing meals that are good in a pinch, but this isn't one of them in my opinion.

Price Point:

• Cost for the box: $2.99

Aldi Mama Cozzi's Pizza Kitchen Pepperoni French Bread Pizza

I've always been a huge fan of Aldi. Their prices are fair, and they're frozen pizza is some of the best, so I went into this with big expectations when it comes to their French bread pepperoni pizzas. The box has cooking instructions to just microwave, just use the oven, or a combined micro-bake. Whenever there's a microwave combined with baking option or a microwave and air fryer option, I always find that that is the quickest way to get it tasting like its been baked fresh without having to waste a half an hour, so I opted for the micro-bake.

The Look: The pepperoni was the most evenly spread out of all of them. After popping it in the microwave for one minute and 15 seconds, I put the pizza into a preheated oven at 425° to finish it for about 8 minutes or until the cheese melted. It came out looking crispy, with the cheese covered in bubbly brown bits.6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e

The Taste: Although it's not my favorite, Mama Cozzi's a solid option. This is my first time trying their French bread and the pepperoni is crispy and full of flavor, with a slight kick to it. The cheese has a creamy texture and a slight pungent flavor from the cheese. Overall, I would definitely get this pizza again in a pinch, but I'd prefer other options to it.

Price Point:

• Cost for the box: $3.09
• Cost for the box: About $1.55

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Stouffer's Pepperoni French Bread Pizza

Stouffer's is well known when it comes to frozen food for a reason. They don't even give purchasers an all microwave option under the instructions, you can choose between oven, a mix of microwave and air fryer, and a mix of microwave or baking. I love my air fryer and when I'm pressed for time, I generally want it cooked as quickly as possible, so I went for the microwave and air fryer option. I preheated the air fryer to 300° before popping the pizza into the microwave for 1 ½ minutes. Once that cooked, I put the pizza in the preheated air fryer for another 4 minutes.

The Look: At first glance, all the pepperoni kind of shifted to the one side, so I had to pluck it off and move it around. They come in little triangles, but they were all in rounds still, so I pieced it apart and spread them out. When it came out of the microwave, it felt floppy and soggy, so I popped it right into the air fryer for its 4 minute cook time (it smells awesome by the way)! The first thing I noticed after pulling the pizza out of the air fryer is that the cheese is not anywhere near as melted as it is on the box, but let's see how it tastes.

The Taste: That said, the flavor is certainly there. The pepperoni is delicious on its own, the sauce is seasoned nicely, the crust isn't too hard or too soft. It's not bland and the flavor profile flows nicely. Overall, this is a really good option that I would definitely get again. I would probably dress it up a bit, adding a little sprinkle of extra cheese before I put it in the air fryer, but this is a great option.

Price Point:

• Cost for the box: $3.48
• Cost for the box: $1.74

Red Baron Pepperoni French Bread Personal Frozen Pizza

Red Baron is another heavy hitter when it comes to the French bread pizzas. Almost every store I went into had Red Baron and Stouffer's at least. It comes in a two pack with instructions on microwaving and then finishing it in the oven for about 8 minutes. I started by heating one of the pizzas for a minute in the microwave and then transferring it to a baking sheet for 8 minutes (or until the cheese melts) in an oven set to 425°.

The Look: Right off the bat, the pepperoni looks delicious and all of the ingredients look even. After taking it out of the oven, the pepperoni looks crispy, with a slight greased gloss and the crust has a firm feel to it, not too hard or overcooked, so the directions were spot on.

The Taste: This is my favorite so far, truly a 10/10. Not only is the pepperoni crispy and incredibly flavorful, but the cheese is creamy and melted, so you get a little of each element in every bite. There aren't a lot of blank spaces on the bread itself, and the flavor profile meshes well. I also love the sauce and how it's seasoned, and I can definitely see why Red Baron is a top contender when it comes to frozen French bread pizzas.

Price Point:

• Cost for the box: $4.14
• Cost for the serving: $2.07

Of all the frozen French bread pizzas to try, Red Baron is the top pick!