Is Homemade Frozen Pizza Worth It? | The From-Scratch Math
Homemade frozen pizza has been a staple in our family for years. Friday nights have almost always meant pizza and a movie, and over the years we’ve made everything from boxed crust mixes to completely from-scratch dough. Lately, I’ve started stocking our freezer with homemade pizzas so we can enjoy the convenience of frozen pizza without relying on store-bought versions.
I don’t make everything from scratch because it’s always cheaper. I make it because I want to know when it’s worth it. Sometimes homemade saves us money. Sometimes it simply lets us buy better ingredients for about the same price. This series is about doing the math honestly, so you can decide what makes sense for your own family.
At a Glance
| Recipe Yield | 1 frozen cheese pizza |
| Cost to Make | About $3.69 |
| Comparable Store Price | $4.46–$6.99 |
| Hands-On Time | About 20–30 minutes (plus dough rising time) |
| Freezer Friendly? | ✅ Yes |
| From-Scratch Math Verdict | ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ Worth It |
Why I Tried It
Friday night has been pizza and a movie night in our family for years.
When my girls were little, homemade pizza became part of the tradition. We’ve made pizzas with just about every shortcut imaginable—boxed crust mixes, canned biscuits, refrigerated dough—and eventually graduated to making the dough completely from scratch.
Over the years we’ve mixed homemade pizzas with frozen pizzas and the occasional pizza delivery. Life is busy, and sometimes convenience simply wins.
Lately, though, I’ve found myself wanting something in between.
I love the convenience of frozen pizza, but I don’t love relying on it. There are nights when everyone is tired, activities run late, or I simply don’t have the energy to cook. On those evenings, Nate will often stop on his way home to pick up frozen pizzas, takeout, or fast food.
There’s nothing wrong with that once in a while, but I’d like those nights to happen less often.
So instead of asking whether homemade pizza is cheaper than delivery, I started asking a different question:
Could I spend one afternoon making a batch of homemade pizzas with ingredients I feel good about, stock the freezer, and have the same convenience as store-bought frozen pizzas?
That’s the math I wanted to do.
What I Compared It To
Rather than comparing my pizzas to the absolute cheapest option available, I compared them to what we’d realistically buy when we need a quick dinner.
| Pizza | Price |
|---|---|
| Homemade Frozen Cheese Pizza | $3.69 |
| Walmart Great Value Cheese Pizza | $4.46 |
| Red Baron Cheese Pizza | $4.82 |
| Lowe’s Foods Frozen Cheese Pizza | $6.99 |
Cost Breakdown
| Ingredient | Cost |
|---|---|
| Organic bread flour | $0.97 |
| Mozzarella cheese [like this block] | $1.57 |
| Tomato sauce | $0.43 |
| Cake board [like these] | $0.52 |
| Yeast, oil, salt & sugar | $0.20 |
| Total Cost | $3.69 |
Prices reflect what I paid at the time of writing and will vary by location.
Homemade vs. Store-Bought
| Homemade | Store-Bought | |
|---|---|---|
| About the same price | ✅ | ✅ |
| Organic homemade crust | ✅ | ❌ |
| Freshly shredded cheese | ✅ | ❌ |
| Control over ingredients | ✅ | ❌ |
| Customize toppings | ✅ | Limited |
| Ready straight from the freezer | ✅ | ✅ |
The Numbers
Compared to the frozen pizzas we’d normally buy, homemade costs approximately:
- 77¢ less than Walmart’s Great Value pizza.
- $1.13 less than Red Baron.
- $3.30 less than the pizzas we recently purchased from Lowe’s Foods.
If your family eats one frozen pizza each week, that adds up to approximately:
| Compared To | Savings Per Year |
|---|---|
| Great Value | About $40 |
| Red Baron | About $59 |
| Lowe’s Foods | About $172 |
The savings still aren’t life-changing, but they’re meaningful—especially considering I’m using ingredients I’d choose anyway.
Beyond the Price Tag
This is one of those recipes where the biggest benefit isn’t actually the money.
For about the same price as a budget frozen pizza, I’m able to use:
- Organic bread flour
- Freshly shredded mozzarella
- Simple tomato sauce
- Ingredients I recognize
- As much cheese as my family actually wants
- Any toppings we happen to have on hand
More importantly, I get to fill my freezer with meals that are ready for those inevitable busy nights.
Because let’s be honest—every family has them.
When everyone gets home late, the baby has had a rough day, or I’m simply exhausted, having homemade pizzas waiting in the freezer means we’re far less likely to order takeout or swing through a drive-thru.
That’s where the real value comes in.
Was It Worth It?
Absolutely.
Not because homemade pizza is dramatically cheaper than every frozen pizza on the shelf.
It’s worth it because I can stock my freezer with pizzas made from ingredients I feel good about while still spending less than the frozen pizzas we’d normally buy.
Even more importantly, those pizzas are waiting for us on the nights when life gets busy. Every homemade pizza in the freezer is one less reason to grab takeout or swing through a drive-thru on the way home.
For our family, that’s a trade I’ll happily make.
What One Pizza Night Costs
We typically eat pizza once a week. If we’re making homemade pizza or ordering Domino’s, we usually get three pizzas. When we’re using store-bought frozen pizzas, we often bake two.
That makes our actual dinner totals look like this:
| Typical Pizza Night | Number of Pizzas | Total Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Homemade frozen pizza | 3 | $11.07 |
| Great Value frozen pizza | 2 | $8.92 |
| Red Baron frozen pizza | 2 | $9.64 |
| Lowe’s Foods frozen pizza | 2 | $13.98 |
| Domino’s medium pizzas | 3 | $20.97 |
At first glance, two of the budget frozen options cost slightly less for the whole meal—but they also give us one fewer pizza.
To make the comparison fair, here is what three pizzas would cost from each option:
| Three-Pizza Comparison | Cost for 3 | Homemade Savings |
| Homemade frozen pizzas | $11.07 | — |
| Great Value frozen pizzas | $13.38 | $2.31 |
| Red Baron frozen pizzas | $14.46 | $3.39 |
| Lowe’s Foods frozen pizzas | $20.97 | $9.90 |
| Domino’s medium pizzas | $20.97 | $9.90 |
Interestingly, the three Domino’s medium pizzas we usually order cost the same as three of the $6.99 Lowe’s Foods frozen pizzas.
That means every time we pull three homemade pizzas from the freezer instead, we could save almost $10 compared with either of those options.
The From-Scratch Math Verdict
⭐ Worth It
Making homemade frozen pizzas won’t revolutionize our grocery budget overnight, but it does three things that matter to our family:
- It saves us money compared to the frozen pizzas we’d typically buy.
- It lets us use better-quality ingredients, like with our chocolate syrup.
- Major Bonus Points: We can avoid more expensive takeout on those hectic evenings when cooking just isn’t happening.
Sometimes “worth it” isn’t about finding the absolute cheapest option.
Sometimes it’s about spending a little time upfront to make busy nights easier, healthier, and a little less expensive.
And for our family, that’s exactly what homemade frozen pizza does.
Weekly and Annual Savings
Since pizza is a weekly meal in our house, even modest savings per pizza night can add up.
| Compared With | Savings Per Week | Savings Per Year |
| Great Value frozen pizzas | $2.31 | $120.12 |
| Red Baron frozen pizzas | $3.39 | $176.28 |
| Lowe’s Foods frozen pizzas | $9.90 | $514.80 |
| Domino’s medium pizzas | $9.90 | $514.80 |
We won’t necessarily replace every frozen-pizza or takeout night with homemade pizza. But this shows the potential.
Even replacing one Domino’s or higher-priced frozen-pizza night each month would save us about $118.80 per year. Replacing two each month would save about $237.60.
And if the homemade pizzas become our regular weekly option, the savings could be considerably higher.
Have You Tried It?
Do you keep homemade pizzas in your freezer?
I’d love to hear what your family’s favorite toppings are—or what freezer meals help save your busiest weeknights.
The Running Total
The individual savings on homemade pizza may not seem enormous when compared with the least expensive frozen pizza. But our real goal is also to reduce the nights when exhaustion leads to a more expensive purchase.
| From-Scratch Swap | Typical Homemade Cost | Typical Store-Bought Cost | Potential Annual Savings |
| Homemade frozen pizza vs. Great Value | $11.07 for 3 | $13.38 for 3 | $120.12 |
| Homemade frozen pizza vs. Red Baron | $11.07 for 3 | $14.46 for 3 | $176.28 |
| Homemade frozen pizza vs. Lowe’s Foods | $11.07 for 3 | $20.97 for 3 | $514.80 |
| Homemade frozen pizza vs. Domino’s | $11.07 for 3 | $20.97 for 3 | $514.80 |
Running Pizza Savings Tally
- Conservative savings: $120.12 per year
- Savings compared with Red Baron: $176.28 per year
- Maximum potential savings: $514.80 per year
- Savings each time homemade replaces Domino’s: $9.90
For the official running tally, I’m using the conservative comparison to Great Value. That keeps the math realistic without assuming that every homemade pizza night would otherwise have been takeout.
Amount added to the From-Scratch Math running savings total: $120.12 per year
Any time these pizzas prevent an unplanned Domino’s, takeout, or fast-food purchase, the real savings will be even greater.
Challenge Progress
46% Complete
$456.52 of $1,000
| From-Scratch Project | Annual Savings | Added to Challenge? |
|---|---|---|
| Greek Yogurt | $300.00 | ✅ |
| Chocolate Syrup | $0.00 | ❌ (Quality upgrade) |
| Oatmeal Bread | $36.40 | ✅ |
| Homemade Frozen Pizza | $120.12 | ✅ |
| Running Total | $456.52 |
🏡 From-Scratch Challenge
My goal is simple: replace convenience foods with homemade versions when it actually makes sense. Some recipes save a lot of money. Others simply give us better ingredients for about the same price. I’ll keep a running total here as the challenge grows.
Current Progress: $456.52 of $1,000 in annual savings (46% of the way there!)
