I have learned to enjoy gluten free pizza. Making the choice to go gluten free almost 5 years ago was not and easy one, but a necessary one for the good of my health. I found out I have Celiac disease which is the root of all the mystery symptoms I had going on for all these years.
Since then, I have struggled to find good food. I mean, I’m a born and raised German food farm girl. THIS was going to be interesting! As anyone who has made the switch knows, there is a big learning curve to find good foods to replace the ones you’ve been used to all your life.
One of the hardest for me has been PIZZA! I love pizza…a lot! Pizza is a Friday night staple at our house for Friday night pizza night. I’ve come up with a pretty decent home made pizza crust recipe (I’ll share that in another post) but I wanted to give my thoughts on the different gluten free pizzas I have tried over the years both from the freezer section at Walmart to the chain restaurants.
I honestly can’t say I’ve found one that comes even close to the crispy, chewy, thick crusts I was raised to love, but I have found some that will get me by. Pretty much every gluten free crust is tiny and very thin (and way to expensive) , but as long as it’s got great sauce and toppings, I can make it work.
Store Bought Frozen Pizza
- Udis
- Freschetta
- California Pizza
- Against the Grain
- Schwans
- Amy’s Gluten Free/Dairy Free
- Daiya Gluten Free/Dairy Free
Almost all of these pizzas will do when it comes to satisfying your pizza cravings. Udis and Freschetta are my favorites.
The gluten free pizza crusts are all pretty similar in texture and taste. They are thin crusts with a little bit of chew and plenty of crunch if you bake them long enough. I wasn’t a huge fan of the Against the Grain crust – it was too rubbery for me which is a bummer because it’s one of the only Grain Free crusts out there. Schwan’s was good but definitely the most expensive at around $14.00
Amy’s and Daiya were ok in terms of crust, but I wasn’t a fan of the dairy free cheese (still looking for a good gf/dairy free pizza).
Restaurant/Take – Out Pizza
- Papa Murphy’s
- Marco’s
- Dominos
- Pizza Ranch
These 4 restaurants are the only ones near me so they are the only ones I’ve had experience with so far.
Marco’s is hands down my favorite followed very closely by Papa Murphy’s. While the crusts are still the thin standard crusts that most pizza joints use, the sauces and toppings from these 2 restaurants are so delicious and fresh! They can definitely crush my most intense pizza cravings (even though I sometimes still miss that thick, chewy crust…I don’t think that will ever change!)
I like the sauce on Dominos pizza. Theirs just tastes a little different and “not just like all the others” so that’s kinda cool. Pizza ranch is good as well but their crust always seems to be a bit underbaked. Their sauce and toppings are good though.
So, while going Gluten Free isn’t easy in the beginning…It’s not the end of the world!
And you can still eat pizza! I’m amazed at how far foods in the gluten free scene have come in the last 5 years. It can still be a challenge sometimes, but it’s great to see the improvements that have been made. Choices are growing…now if the prices could just go down a bit… haha!
Oh and you know what goes great with pizza of any kind? A great red Wine! I had an amazing red with my Pizza Ranch pizza the other night. It made all the flavors of the toppings just pop!! I think I will drink wine with my pizza all the time now! See my choice of wine HERE and turn your pizza night into an event!
**Keep in mind…all the opinions here are just that – MY opinions. You may taste them completely differently than I do.