Trader Joe’s Wood Fired Naples Style Uncured Pepperoni Pizza Review – This is one of those better late than never reviews. For the longest time, Trader Joe’s didn’t have a pepperoni pizza in their lineup, and lo and behold they released one a couple of years ago. I eagerly bought them by the gross with two growing boys to feed.
When I first started shopping at Trader Joe’s before my kids were born, I always wondered why Trader Joe’s never produced a pepperoni pizza. I didn’t know if they just wanted to be quirky with Pesto Pizzas and veggie pizzas and funky French Alsatian Tarte Flambe with a pseudo European vibe. Maybe a plain ole pepperoni pizza was a little too pedestrian for Trader Joe’s. I’ll never know why it took them so long. But of course, they released one a few years back and it’s been a mainstay of their pizza lineup since. Why not, almost everyone in the USA loves pepperoni pizza. Probably the most 2nd most popular food item behind a cheeseburger.
The Bottom Line Up Front (For the “Dinner Was Supposed to Happen an Hour Ago” Crisis)
Rating: 8/10 – This is legitimately one of the better frozen pepperoni pizzas out there, and for $4.99, it’s basically dinner salvation.
Best for: Pizza night emergencies, feeding bottomless pit teenagers, anyone who thinks pepperoni is its own food group
Skip if: You’re keeping kosher, avoiding gluten, expecting authentic Neapolitan perfection
Real talk: One pizza feeds one hungry teenager OR two normal humans who don’t eat like they’re training for competitive eating
Quick Dietary Detective Work (Because We All Have That One Family Member)
❌ NOT kosher (pepperoni puts this firmly in the no category)
❌ NOT vegan (cheese, pepperoni, and probably other dairy hiding in there)
❌ NOT gluten free (it’s literally pizza crust, so wheat central)
✅ Uncured pepperoni (no nitrates added, for whatever that’s worth)
⚠️ Made in USA (not their usual Italian imports)
Busy parent translation: This works for your omnivore family but not your plant based teenager or anyone keeping kosher. Stock up accordingly.
Let’s start off with what we have here. Trader Joe’s says the is a Naples style pizza (aka Neapolitan) that is wood fired. Like all many of Trader Joe’s pizzas, especially the ones from Italy, these are “wood fired”. Personally, I don’t know how they cook millions of pizzas on a wood fired oven, but I’ll take their word that they have some type of oven that parbakes the pizza crusts then tops them with sauce, cheese, and pepperoni.
As a side note, I want to take issue with Trader Joe’s claiming these are Naples style pizzas when that would almost be blasphemy if this were in Italy. This style of pizza is prepared with simple and fresh ingredients: a basic dough, raw tomatoes, fresh mozzarella cheese, fresh basil, and olive oil. No fancy toppings are allowed! That includes pepperoni. OK, I’ll get off my soapbox now.
Back to the pizza at hand. It’s super easy to prepare. Warm the oven to 425F degrees and throw the pizza in for about 15 minutes until the cheese is bubbly and slightly browned. Leave in longer for a crisper crust, do not put on a pizza stone since the crust is baked already. Pull out when it’s done and put it on a cutting board and use a pizza wheel to cut it into slices.
These pizzas are made in the USA as opposed to many of their Italian made pizzas. This one is thicker and has more sauce than the Italian ones. The crust is crunchy on the edges and bottom but has a fair amount of chewiness to the center. There is ample sauce and it has a nice tomato flavor with a nice rich complex base. There is a fair amount of pepperoni on it. IMHO, there is never too much pepperoni on a pizza, but if I were a real pepperoni lover, I would add more if I were you.
The Final Verdict: Solid Comfort Food Disguised as Pizza
Trader Joe’s Wood Fired Naples Style Uncured Pepperoni Pizza isn’t trying to revolutionize your dinner game or transport you to Italy. It’s trying to be really good frozen pizza that solves the “what’s for dinner” crisis without making you feel terrible about your life choices.
The sauce tastes like someone who understands tomatoes made it, the cheese melts properly, the pepperoni doesn’t taste like sadness, and the crust has actual texture instead of cardboard vibes. For $4.99, it’s dinner math that works for busy families who need reliable backup plans.
Is it going to replace your weekend pizza making adventures or your favorite local pizza place? Obviously not. But is it going to rescue your Tuesday night when everyone’s hungry and you’ve got approximately zero energy for cooking anything complicated? Absolutely.
Final Rating: 8/10 – Exactly what frozen pepperoni pizza should be
Perfect for: Pizza night emergencies, feeding hungry teenagers, anyone who needs dinner to happen without drama
Bottom line: Sometimes the most valuable relationships are the ones that show up consistently without requiring much from you. This pizza is that friend in frozen form.
Ingredients
Crust (wheat flour, water, sunflower seed oil, extra virgin olive oil, salt, yeast), tomato puree (tomatoes, salt, citric acid), provolone cheese (pasteurized milk, cheese culture, salt, microbial rennet, smoke (liquid)), uncured pepperoni, no nitrite, pork, salt, contains 2% or less of cane sugar, natural flavorings [including celery powder], spices, oleoresin of paprika, lactic acid starter culture, water, Fontina cheese (pasteurized cow’s milk, cheese cultures, salt, microbial rennet), Monterey jack cheese (pasteurized milk, cheese cultures, salt, microbial rennet), tomato paste, spices, salt.
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