If you lost your pizza box or just want to see some cooking time comparisons with other pizzas, this article is for you!
Cooking time will differ from one frozen pizza to another. Factors like the pizza’s diameter and thickness (thin crust, regular crust, thick crust), as well as the type of oven you use will all affect the cooking time. The table below will discuss this further.
So, which oven rack is best to cook a frozen pizza on, how do you know if it’s done, and how do you prevent cheese and other toppings from dripping and burning at the bottom? Discover the answers below!
How Long to Cook a Frozen Pizza [By Temperature]
Some frozen pizza brands recommend not thawing the pizza and baking it straight from the freezer. Others, on the other hand, don’t indicate anything.
Curious about the best way to handle frozen pizzas? Wondering if you can still cook and eat thawed frozen pizzas? It’s a common question among pizza lovers looking for the perfect slice.
We recommend thawing the pizza in the refrigerator to help cook the pizza evenly and avoid undercooked parts, especially in the center. If you choose not to thaw, pre-heat the oven beforehand.
Even if you’ve thawed the pizza, using a preheated oven is also okay. Either way, preheat the oven.
Then, check the pizza for any unwanted ingredients that shouldn’t belong there but don’t remove the freshness wrap. This should save you time.
Cooking times will depend on the type of oven you have, as well as the type of pizza. Let’s discuss each one.
There are 3 main types of ovens where you can cook a pizza: conventional, convection, and microwave.
Conventional or regular ovens use a physical heating element that radiates heat from the bottom up. Convection ovens use fans to circulate the heat evenly from a heat source and air doesn’t just go from the bottom up, but rather around.
A microwave, on the other hand, uses short radio waves from a magnetron which results in ultra-high vibrations and temperatures to cook food (source: University of Florida Extension, USDA, CNET).
If ranked according to what oven can cook frozen pizza faster, first would be a microwave, followed by a convection oven, and a conventional oven as last. However, quality varies.
Both conventional and convection ovens can efficiently cook frozen pizzas, especially deep-dish or Chicago-style pizza. Microwave ovens can only cook so much. In fact, they can’t brown the crust of the pizza and make it crispy (source: Foods Guy).
Pizzas contain bread in the form of a crust. Most, if not all commercial frozen pizzas contain yeast in their doughs. Yeast-crusted bread cook at an internal temperature of 210° F (99° F).
If your pizza has meat, it will safely cook at an internal temperature of 145 °F (62.8 °C) to 165 °F (73.9 °C). Vegetables will cook faster. This means that the pizza has to reach at least 210° F (99° F) to cook the bread.
Now, if you’re wondering why the pre-heat temperature of most frozen pizzas is high, that’s because the special instruction is to directly pre-heat the frozen pizza straight from the freezer. No thawing.
Moreover, there’s the case of the size of the entire pizza (diameter), and the type of pizza based on the crust (thin crust, regular crust, deep dish).
All these factors may be confusing, not to mention, a lot to remember. So, we made a table on the temperatures and cooking times of frozen pizzas based on their sizes and types, and the type of oven used:
Conventional and Convection Ovens
Pizza Size | Cooking Time | Oven Temperature |
9 inches | 10–13 minutes | 400° F (204° C) |
10 inches | 13–15 minutes | 425° F (218° C) |
Thick crust pizza | 19–25 minutes | 400° F (204° C) |
11 inches | 10–13 minutes | 450° F (232° C) |
12 inches | 17–19 minutes | 425° F (218° C) |
20 inches | 9–10 minutes | 450° F (232° C) |
(source: Based on data from different frozen pizza brands on Walmart’s website)
Note that these temperatures are cooking temperatures and not heating temperatures.
However, we recommend trying out what works best and experimenting with temperatures and length of pizza cooking time.
Conventional ovens are 25–30 degrees cooler than a convection oven that has the exact same temperature. You will need to adjust the temperature. Moreover, convection ovens also cook food faster than conventional ovens (source: CNET).
Microwave Oven
Here are the cooking times for frozen pizza using a 1,100-wattage microwave in its high setting:
Pizza Size | Cooking Time |
8–9 inches | 4–6 minutes |
Mini pizzas | 5–7 minutes |
10-11 inches | 5–7 minutes |
Thick crust pizza | 7–8 minutes |
11-12 inch pizza | 7–11 minutes |
(source: Foods Guy)
Keep in mind that these are estimates based on our research and data we could find from different brands.
Exploring various ways to cook pizza opens up a world of culinary experimentation. Wondering if you can cook a frozen pizza in a frying pan or skillet? Explore our guide for an alternative method to prepare everyone’s favorite frozen treat!
Which Oven Shelf Should You Cook a Frozen Pizza On?
Frozen pizzas are best cooked on the middle rack as this will ensure even cooking and a crispy crust (source: Dogtown Pizza).
How Do You Know When a Frozen Pizza is Done?
The cooking instructions on the packaging are reliable and should be the best indicator of doneness. This is because these recipes have been tested and standardized.
But another way to know that your pizza is done is when the cheese changes its color into a light golden brown and it starts to bubble consistently (source: Bacinos).
Do You Need to Preheat the Oven for a Frozen Pizza?
Many frozen pizza manufacturers recommend heating the pizza in the oven beforehand. This is to help the frozen pizza cook faster and have even cooking.
Do You Cook Frozen Pizzas Straight from Frozen?
Thawing will help soften the pizza in preparation for cooking process. But if you don’t have the time or don’t want to thaw, it’s best practice to preheat the oven according to package instructions.
What You Should Put Under a Frozen Pizza in the Oven
To prevent cheese and other additional toppings from dripping and burning at the bottom of the oven, you can add an aluminum foil tray, nonstick baking sheet, or cookie sheet on the rack beneath the pizza.
While the package instructions are the best form of control, it’s always good to have another guide. We hope you found this article helpful!
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