5 Delicious Toppings to Enhance Your Frozen Pizza

If you’ve picked up a less-than-desirable grocery store frozen pizza, all hope is not lost when it comes to serving a tasty meal. Whether you’re drizzling warm slices with balsamic vinegar, adding a quick sprinkle of Maldon salt and freshly chopped garden herbs, or turning up the heat with hot honey and grilled fruit, even a lackluster store-bought pizza has the potential to taste sweet. Though you may equate pizza with a more savory tasting profile, a few key additions can turn that pre-made pie into a sweeter thing of beauty, and you’ll have a delicious dish to impress friends at tonight’s party.

Consider yourself warned, however. After sampling some of our suggestions, you may find yourself embracing the sweeter side of life the next time you pull frozen pizza out of its package. Sometimes inspiration is hiding in plain sight, and we’re here to shine a light on some pretty sweet opportunities. After all, with the right preparation, frozen ingredients never have to equate to culinary disappointment.

If you have already tasted the savory addition of prosciutto on a pizza slice, just wait until you sink your teeth into a pie topped with maple-cinnamon candied bacon. This sweet-and-savory addition can be just the ticket to transform a run-of-the-mill store-bought pizza into a gourmet dish, even if your oven is broken and you’re forced to cook the pie on the stove.

Slathering bacon in maple-cinnamon sauce to bake will fill your home with the kind of aroma that is sure to get your mouth watering. The recipe can be tailored to your palate’s desires with sprinkles of black pepper to bring extra warming spice to your creation. Alternatively, you can adjust the level of sweetness with varying ratios of maple syrup and honey. Not only will these bacon bits elevate your frozen pizza, but you can also set some of the batch aside to crumble on top of the next morning’s pancakes or cornbread. This is the kind of culinary upgrade that will keep on giving.

No one at your dinner party needs to know that the pizza you are serving came out of a package, and a few artful placements of fresh or dried figs is all that you need to morph that packaged pie into an Instagram-worthy presentation. Fresh, juicy figs can be grilled to bring added caramelization to each piece, and slices of dried figs can boost a textural disappointment into a meal that is enjoyable to swallow.

To enhance fig-topped pizzas even further, drizzles of honey and dollops of ricotta cheese can blur the line between treat and meal. Sprinkle a handful of toasted pistachios or walnuts on top to add an additional bit of crunch to your impressive creation, or finish your ingenious upgrade with a spoonful of pesto. Herbs like thyme and rosemary can send this pizza recipe out of the park, or maybe invite a whisper of heat to your improvised meal with a quick shake of red pepper flakes. This is the kind of dish that can easily find its way onto your list of repeat recipes that come out of your kitchen.

We get it. Sometimes you can’t be bothered to collect or prepare any additional ingredients and simply want to get pizza into your mouth as soon as possible. If you can summon nothing else before you start shoveling your frozen pie, a quick spoonful of hot honey can elevate your frozen dish. Even the simple effort of dressing up that store-bought pepperoni pizza can fill you with some sense of creative culinary accomplishment, regardless if you can’t seem to get the rest of your life in order.

For the days you do feel inspired to tinker with more ambitious kitchen-based tasks, try making your own hot honey and tailor the level of heat to suit your taste buds. Paprika, cayenne, and chipotle powder can all add a bit of punch to your sweet creation. That way, the next time you’re faced with a packaged pie, you’ll have the exact garnish to take each slice up several levels on the satisfaction scale.

Using balsamic vinegar on your pizza offers another quick fix for a pie in need of extra “oomph.” A fast drizzle drawn on top of your ready-to-serve pizza is all you need to turn up the dial of flavor and presentation. Suddenly, an item that was clearly pulled out of a package becomes a marvel to serve, and when layered with other added ingredients — think extra crumbles of goat cheese, a handful of chopped chives, or parmesan flakes — you’ll have a meal that is all but promised to deliver in both the taste and aesthetics departments.

From thicker, syrupy products to caramelized flavors, there are a variety of balsamic vinegars to choose from. Stock up on a few different types to set out at your next party and let guests dress up their pizza slices with artisan, industriale, and condimenti vinegars. For those inclined to go the extra mile, put together some roasted balsamic bruschetta to accompany your elevated store-bought ‘za.

Some of the best ingredients to add sweetness to pizza include fruit. Yet, instead of slicing up peaches or tossing fresh blueberries directly onto your pie, give those sweet pieces a quick grilling before doing so. The tempting combination of smoky, caramelized fruit on top of a pizza of any kind is an upgrade that needs little convincing to get behind. Choose fruits of the season, like strawberries and nectarines, or confidently reach for default options, like pears and grapes, to grill and top your pre-made pizza. You may want to grill fruits in bulk and build skewers of pieces. Not only will you have plenty of fruit to crown each slice of pie, but you’ll also have a bit of leftovers to nibble on as dessert.

A quick dusting of flaky sea salt is all you need to press the pedal of flavor on this delicious upgrade. Although, you can also pair grilled fruit items with quick drizzles of hot honey or balsamic vinegar and a smattering of dried garden herbs. To dial up the wow factor, plop a dollop of fresh burrata cheese smack in the middle of the pie for a pizza that brings flavors of Europe straight to your home, no passport required.