Give Frozen Pizza 10x More Flavor With These 8 Seasonings

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Frozen pizza has come a long way since its inception, but at times it can still taste rather bland and a pale comparison to one that's freshly made. Instead of thinking of this cheap, last-minute dinner idea as a lost cause, you should think of it as a blank canvas. We live in an era of abundance when it comes to seasoning and sauces. These days, you can easily find a unique seasoning to upgrade that frozen pizza you bought to make after a long afternoon of grocery shopping. All that's needed is a little creativity and knowing what flavor profile works best with something like your favorite meat lover's pizza. And instead of using the traditional parmesan and chili flakes to liven up your frozen meal, consider gochugaru, everything bagel, or chili crisp to awaken your taste buds.

There are a lot of mistakes you should avoid when cooking up a frozen pizza, but adding a little spice is not one of them. Recent food trends are all about taking simple foods and elevating them. One of the latest involves layering heat called swicy or swangy (sweet-spicy or sweet-spicy-tangy). This type of flavor would work as an excellent upgrade for your basic pepperoni pizza. The key to experimenting with unique seasonings to add to your frozen pizza is to be adventurous. Think about how a seasoning blend from its origin country is typically used or what you usually use that specific seasoning on in your own kitchen, and match them with similar pizza toppings.

Ranch seasoning is the perfect way to add an extra punch of flavor to a bacon and ranch or buffalo chicken pizza. It can enhance the ranch sauce that is the foundation of a bacon and ranch pizza. For a buffalo chicken pizza, it recreates a buffalo wings and ranch dressing moment. Be sure to give a generous shake of this tangy seasoning to your frozen pizza before you pop it in the oven, so it bakes in.

A Hidden Valley Ranch 8-ounce shaker can be purchased on Amazon for $8.87.

Looking to level up your basic cheese pizza? Everything bagel seasoning is the perfect topper. Besides being visually interesting, the seasoning adds a little bit of texture to an otherwise plain choice. Plus, a cheese pizza has a lot of similarities with a bagel and cream cheese; simple, yet deliciously creamy.

You can purchase SPQR's 10-ounce jar of Everything Bagel Seasoning Blend on Amazon for $12.99.

Instead of sticking with the traditional parmesan topping often added to pizzas when they come out of the oven, you should try a blend of garlic and parmesan. This topping works well with any pizza that has a white sauce, giving that extra kick of flavor. You could also mix this seasoning blend with some butter and coat the crust of your frozen pizza before baking.

To try this out, grab a 4.3-ounce bottle of Weber Garlic Parmesan Seasoning for $3.97 on Amazon.

If you happen to have a frozen sausage pizza, there is nothing more perfectly suited to add some extra flavor to it than Creole seasoning. There are many Creole dishes that contain sausage, making this the perfect pairing for a new take on pizza night. Creole seasoning has a variety of peppers, garlic, and chili powder to give your pizza a little extra zip.

You can purchase a two-pack of Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning 5-ounce canisters (along with a smaller packet) for $14.99 on Amazon.

If you love a good taco or vegetarian pizza, Tajín is going to bring the flavor up to 11. This tasty chili-lime seasoning is amazing on so many different snacks and dishes, but this flavor profile added to pizza is on another level. Adding Tajín to a pizza just makes perfect sense.

You can try it out today with a 5-ounce bottle of Tajín Clásico, available for $2.97 on Amazon.

Have you been dying to try the "swicy" (sweet-spicy) trend, but haven't had the opportunity? Now's your chance. We know chili crisp isn't necessarily a seasoning, but we couldn't help but have it on this list. Chili crisp — with its spicy chili, red peppers, garlic, sesame seeds, and coconut sugar — would go well on your basic pepperoni or Canadian bacon pizza. That sweet and spicy combo will elevate your favorite frozen pizza to the point that it might taste like a dish served at your favorite fusion restaurant.

Grab the 5.5-ounce jar of Momofuku Chili Crunch from Amazon for $10.39.

Gochugaru is a red chili spice traditionally used in Korean kimchi, but we think it would make an excellent seasoning to pair with barbecue chicken or Hawaiian-style pizza. This is another "swicy" or "swangy" type pairing. You get the extra kick of the gochugaru to liven up your already sweet frozen pizza.

The 7-ounce jar of Taekyung Chili Powder can be purchased on Amazon for $9.95.

Za'atar is a Middle Eastern seasoning composed of oregano, marjoram, thyme, sumac, and toasted sesame seeds. It has a lovely aroma: earthy, bright, nutty, and floral. This seasoning blend would wonderfully enhance a simple Margherita pizza, bringing out the flavor of the tomato and adding a whole layer of unexpected complexity to a very simple pizza. If you're looking to make frozen pizza an experience, Za'atar is the way to go.

You can buy a 4-ounce package of Za'atar by Z&Z on Amazon for $14.99.