Costco's Food Court Pizza And Its Kirkland Signature Frozen Pizza Taste Totally Different: Here's Why

Have you ever snagged a box of Kirkland Signature frozen pizza, hoping it would taste just like Costco's food court pizza? You get it home, heat it in the oven, and bite into a hot slice only to realize it doesn't taste the same. You're not alone. The consensus on social media is that Kirkland Signature frozen pizza and fresh Costco food court pizza are not the same. One Reddit commenter even pointed out that the food court pies are obviously thicker with more cheese and sauce. Most agree that the fresh slices are better.

What's needed to make a fresh pizza is typically different from what a frozen pizza needs (although it's difficult to tell with Costco's, since the fresh pizza ingredients aren't publicly listed). The food court pizza is made fresh daily with dough supplied by a brand called Lamonica. As for the toppings, we know that there's a staggering amount of cheese on Costco's food court pizza. Some customers speculate that it consists of mozzarella, provolone, or Parmesan — most likely a mix of all three.

A 2011 edition of the Costco Connection reported that 80% of the cheese was a blend of mozzarella and provolone, and the remaining 20% was Parmesan. Similarly, the magazine noted a different size and ingredient base for the Kirkland Signature Frozen Pizza. Currently, the Costco website lists it as being made with mozzarella, provolone, and a Parmesan and Romano cheese blend.

Another reason Costco's food court pizza and Kirkland Signature pizza taste different is due to the ovens they're cooked in. The commercial ovens at Costco bake pizza at much higher temperatures than a home oven, resulting in a crispier and lighter dough. Frozen pizza, which is typically cooked for longer at a lower temperature, just doesn't taste the same as freshly baked pizza.

Fresh pizza dough tends to rise airy and fluffy, while frozen pizza dough tends to come out denser and chewier. Fresh pizza dough has active yeast cultures, while the frozen dough forms ice crystals that damage the gluten in the dough, causing it to lose volume and become dryer. Fresh dough also allows the toppings to incorporate into each other, as opposed to them sitting on top of the firmer frozen dough.

The best way to get that fresh dough at Costco's food court is by ordering ahead with the convenient checkout hack. You can call your store's phone number and follow the prompts to connect to the food court, or you can order while shopping. Just wait until you're about 15 to 30 minutes from being done shopping to order a pizza, and it'll be hot and ready to go by the time you leave.