8 Easy Ways To Upgrade Your Frozen Pizza

by Sarah Harper MS, RD, LDN | Aug 30, 2023 | Education, How-to | 0 comments

Let's walk through how to upgrade a frozen pizza like some of the world's top chefs! We'll also discuss some of my favorite pizza combos.
Hi, I'm Sarah Harper. I am a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist who loves to cook, eat, and talk about food! Here at The Addy Bean, you'll discover an array of flexitarian recipes. My mission is to inspire and encourage others to eat and explore the world of plant-based foods!

8 Ways to Upgrade Your Frozen Pizza

I love upgrading or “doctoring up” frozen pizza. It is an easy way to get creative in the kitchen without making a mess. 

To upgrade a frozen pizza add some extra toppings like cheese, veggies, and herbs. As a bonus, you can use leftovers sitting in your fridge. Upgrading a frozen pizza is an easy weeknight meal and fantastic for individualized tastes.

So, let’s dive a little deeper into this, shall we? 

Below, I review 8 ways to Upgrade Your Frozen Pizza.

 

 

Pizza cut on a cutting board with a pesto base, tomatoes, peas, and extra cheese toppings.

The Ingredients

The below ingredients are added overtop a frozen pizza. I like to start with a clean slate, like a Banza Cheese Pizza. 

Cheese

First, and maybe most importantly, figure out your favorite pizza cheese. 

Is your favorite mozzarella, goat cheese, parmesan, feta, or dollops of ricotta cheese? Then add it! Play around with flavors, textures, and combinations. 

Veggies

My favorite category is veggies! I love to add at least one vegetable to my frozen pizzas. Some vegetables that taste great on frozen pizza include fresh or cooked spinach, tomatoes, arugula, broccoli, peppers, or mushrooms. 

Do you see the peas in the pictures? That’s a pesto pizza! It is inspired by one of my favorite dishes, Pesto Pasta Salad. 

 

Top down of cherry tomatoes with yellow and red colors. Some of the tomatoes are sliced in half.

 

Fruit

I love adding a bit of fruit to a pizza. I am a huge fan of sweet and spicy flavors on pizza. The combination of flavors provides a contrast in flavor profiles as well as balance and complexity. Some fruits to try on pizza include pineapple, pears, apples, cherries, or dried fruits. 

For more about sweet and spicy flavors, keep on reading!

 

A grey metallic bowl with golden raisins on a neutral background

 

Meat

I enjoy a salty addition to pizza, like a thick-cut pepperoni. Some other animal protein additions include pepperoni, Canadian bacon, grilled chicken, and sausage.

Eggs (think breakfast pizza)

I love making breakfast pizza and, it’s easy to upgrade a simple frozen cheese pizza to one. I rather enjoy a combination of chicken or pork breakfast sausage with a few cracked eggs. 

To make a breakfast pizza, I’ll add the sausage to the frozen pizza. Then, about halfway through baking, drop a few eggs on the pizza and finish cooking. I finish the pizza off after baking, with some fresh parsley. 

Speaking of fresh parsley…

 

brown eggs in a carton

 

Fresh Herbs

One of my favorite things to add to an already-cooked frozen pizza is fresh herbs. Sprinkled right overtop the cooked pie. I like to use herbs like basil, parsley, mint, and cilantro. 

Dried Herbs and Spices

Another easy addition that I add to all of my upgraded pizzas is dried herbs and spices. From garlic and onion powder to Oregano to thyme to fresh cracked pepper, some dried herbs and spices add flavor!

Plus, these ingredients have a long shelf life at room temperature and can be a great kitchen staple to have on hand for other recipes. 

 

A slice of pizza on a plate with a bite take out from it. Above the plate is a cutting board with more pizza slices.

 

Sweet and Spicy

Many professional chefs agree that sweet, salty, and maybe a bit of spicy is a winning combination on pizza. Maybe try a little honey, date syrup, or balsamic reduction when that pizza is hot out of the oven! You can even use jam.

Want an easy method to go about adding jam to a pizza? Start with a yummy cheese that you eat with crackers. Then think, what jam goes well with that? For example, try flavors like goat cheese and apricot jam, or brie and blueberry jam. 

For more information on how to upgrade a frozen pizza like a professional chef, check out this article by Bon Appetit!

Some other examples of sweet and spicy ingredients include:

Sweet: Honey, jam, pineapple

Spicy: Red pepper flakes, chili crisp, jalapeños

 

Pizza in a cast iron skillet with tomatoes, jalapeno, brie and blueberry jam.

 

Directions on How to Upgrade Your Frozen Pizza

It’s as easy as 1-2-3

1. Pick your base frozen pizza. I prefer to start with an easy cheese pizza. Perhaps try popping the frozen pizza in the refrigerator overnight to thaw. This step shaves off some time cooking.  

2. Then, add your additional toppings. Think about combinations of flavors and what sounds good to you. For example, one of my favorite combinations of flavors includes thick-cut pepperoni, mushrooms, and pineapple. 

I like to have some canned or frozen toppings on hand, i.e. marinated artichokes, canned beets, and even frozen peas! Having some canned or frozen foods makes upgrading frozen pizza easier because advanced planning is not required. 

3. Last, add more flavor. Before the pizza goes into the oven, I add garlic powder, onion powder, red pepper flakes, and Italian seasoning.

Optional: Add some fresh herbs or greens once the pizza is finished. This addition brightens up the pizza. Some of my favorite fresh toppings include fresh basil and arugula. 

Pizza slices on a cutting board. With toppings like peas, pesto, and peppers. A hand is taking one slice off the board.

 

Like this recipe?! Here are some others you might enjoy!

 

Another pizza-like easy recipe – Herb Focaccia

For a salad pairing – Strawberry Spinach Salad

Sarah Harper in her kitchen with a cutting board, broccoli, carrots, and a fruit bowl.
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Hi, I'm Sarah Harper. I am a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist who loves to cook, eat, and talk about food! Here at The Addy Bean, you'll discover an array of flexitarian recipes. My mission is to inspire and encourage others to eat and explore the world of plant-based foods!

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