5 Costco Pizza Types: Tips & Hacks to Order Pizza at Costco 

I know! I know!

Costco is mainly a shopping retailer, so how does it sell pizza? Quickly put, it does. The store offers some fantastic options for pizza enthusiasts.

You’re guaranteed a fresh, hot pizza when you choose Costco as your preferred pizzeria. And you don’t have to worry about delays and wrong orders.

The Costco pizza is famous for its enormous size. While Domino’s Pizza offers a 12-inch diameter crust size, the Costco pizza is 18 inches.

The best thing, though, is the variety of pizzas they offer. Let’s have a look at the kinds of pizza offered at Costco.

Top Pizzas At Costco

When you buy your pizza at Costco, you get either cheese, pepperoni, or a combination of both. The combo option comes with meat and veggies.

1. Cheese Pizza

Of the three pizza options, cheese is the most popular. Costco uses fresh cheese to bake the pizza, meaning you don’t have to worry about unhealthy processed cheese.

2. Pepperoni

The pepperoni pizza at Costco food court has 60 slices of pepperoni. In an effort to emulate New York-style pizza, Costco’s pizza crust is crispy, and the sauce is tomato-based. The slices are foldable too!

3. Customized Pizza

If you’ve got more time, Costco’s food court lets you make an order for a customized pizza. It takes them about 10 to 15 minutes.

4. Take-And-Bake

In addition to the cheese, pepperoni, and combo, Costco offers a Take-and-Bake option. Costco’s Deli service offers 5-cheese pizza and pepperoni you can cook at home. However, the options vary based on region.

5. Frozen

Costco’s freezing section offers varieties of pizza—from gluten-free and standard pepperoni pizza to mini pizzas. Frozen pizzas are microwavable, which is an excellent solution for a quick snack.

Other pizza varieties at Costco include Margarita pizza, cauliflower-crusted pizza, Kirkland cheese, and many other specialties. Note that some pizza options have been discontinued due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Still, it’s best to check the ones available. For instance, although Costco had initially stopped selling combo and take-and-bake pizzas, the retailer was compelled to make a comeback, thanks to a cult following.

Tips And Hacks On How To Order Pizza At Costco

First and foremost, you need to know that Costco doesn’t do pizza deliveries. You have to pick up the pizza yourself from their store.

The advantage is that their pizza is the cheapest. But there’s a catch — Costco favors customers who have subscribed to their membership card, hence the hacks.

Now, you can either do an advance call before you go and pick it up at their stores or make a 15-minute advance order while shopping around the supermarket for other things.

Call Orders For Costco Pizzas

When you decide to call, remember to call 30 minutes in advance. Yes, I know. The retailer claims to offer quick services – for about 15 minutes in advance.

However, this has proven impractical. So, to be safe, give yourself about 30 minutes before picking up the pizza.

I mean, you don’t want to get stuck in a line of people waiting for their pizza, especially if the main reason you called ahead was to avoid the long queues.

Also, if you call during busy hours, give yourself approximately an hour. Remember that all orders are for whole pizzas and not for single slices.

One-On-One Pizza Pick-Ups At Costco

The first hack isn’t much rocket science.

When you’re doing shopping rounds at Costco, remember to take a detour at the food court and place your order. Make the order just as you check-in. By the time you finish shopping, your pizza will be ready.

It’s even better if you come with a shopping companion. Have them take the detour to the food court as you finish scooping up items in the aisles.

The second hack is to meet the usher at the entrance. Ask for directions to the Costco food court. Once you’re there, place your order and wait.

If you don’t have a membership card, don’t worry. Just tell the staff you’re looking to subscribe, and they’ll let you in. I know, that’s a lie, but it works!

A surefire way of buying pizza at Costco without a membership subscription is to find a Costco whose food court is outside the store. It is where you place an order.

The subscription issue is only tricky if the food court is inside. But even then, they’ll let you in; but you’ll have to pay in cash.

The third hack is to place an order as you exit the store – perhaps you’re done shopping, but you suddenly have a pizza craving.

Pay for the pizza and go your way. Come back later and grab your sizzling hot pie. It is ideal if you don’t want to balance a hot pizza box on top of your cart.

How Costco Make Their Delicious and Gigantic Pizza

There are three things when it comes to Costco pizza: (1) a pizza dough ball, (2) robots, and (3) an enormous pizza cutter.

Since pizza crust is the foundation of a good pie, the company ensures the quality of its dough. Costco gets its base from a Brooklyn-based distributor and has it shipped to its sites. Through this, they can guarantee all of the ingredients are authentic.

Now moving on to the robots! You might be wondering what kind of machines are working for them. Is it like the Astro-type robot that walks in the kitchen? To satisfy your curiosity, these are just simple stationary machines that press the dough and distribute toppings evenly. Through this, Costco can maintain an equal-sized crust without spending too much time on manual labor.

Aside from their advanced tools, the company uses a specialized pan to cook their pizza. It has holes that allow the crust to become crispier and bake faster.

And when it comes to their toppings, we’re sure they never skimp on the ingredients! From a medley of Italian sausages, pepperoni, and vibrant veggies, you’ll surely get the good stuff. Would you believe their whole combo pizza weighs almost 5 pounds?

Lastly, to deliver that evenly cut slices, the employees place the cooked pizza under a pizza cutter. The precise cut feature a massive slice of one-sixth of an 18-inch pizza. That is about 500 to 700 calories per slice. So be careful not to indulge too much in the pie.

In a nutshell, everything can get done with a push of a button. No wonder they can deliver orders very fast!

Costco Pizza FAQs

Let’s now go ahead and discuss some of the frequently asked questions regarding the Costco pizza.

How Much Is The Costco Pizza?

The price of pizza at Costco’s food court goes for $1.99 per slice. The whole box costs $9.95. The pricing applies across its 700 branches countrywide. If you subscribe to Costco’s membership of $60 annually, you’ll enjoy discounted prices.

The cost is fair due to the lack of deliveries. Also, Costco is firstly a shopping outlet; therefore, its pizza and food-selling options are not meant for profit. It explains the low costs.

Does Costco Offer Frozen Pizza?

Yes, it does. Even though the Costco food court offers hot pizza, you can still buy their frozen alternatives.

The retailer tends to offer discounts on frozen pizzas, so check their social media platforms to see if they’re giving out promo codes.

The Costco pizza box offers 12 slices, which splits evenly – 6 slices with pepperoni and 6 with cheese. The frozen pizza is microwaveable, making it a perfect snack if you got hungry kids.

Since it’s frozen, you can unfreeze the pizza using an air fryer. It does not only adds flavor to the pie but also crisps the slices in minutes.

To further improve the pizza’s taste, you can break apart one of its slices and use the pre-cooked bacon as a topping before baking. It adds a ton of flavor to the pizza.

Of course, you can also get creative and add your sauce or any other flavored ingredient. That’s the perk of getting a frozen pizza from Costco.

Do I Need A Costco Membership To Buy Pizza At Costco?

During the initial stages of the Covid-19 pandemic, Costco changed its membership policy. It required pizza enthusiasts to subscribe to the $60 annual membership to buy food from the retailer.

However, the retailer is no longer strict with this policy. There are several hacks and better ways to shop at Costco without a membership.

For example, if the Costco food court is outside the store, they’ll let you get a pizza without checking for a membership subscription.

On the other hand, if the food court is inside the store, you are not out of luck. You can walk right in and tell them you need a pizza. In this case, they’ll require you to pay in cash. Also, without a membership, you can only buy a whole pizza and not slices.

Note: Costco’s food court membership is $60. It lets you get $1.5 hotdogs and even cheaper pizza.

Even though the $60 subscription may seem like a splurge, you can save a lot annually. Depending on you’re membership type, you’ll probably recoup the membership fee from Costco’s frequent discounts, offers, and promo codes.

How Good Is The Costco Pizza?

You’ll agree with me that taste buds are different. And what is “good” for me may be different for you. Generally speaking, though, the Costco pizza is just as good as other pizzerias.

The cooking is different based on your location. Of course, Costco’s branches use a similar method to cook the pizza, but the chefs are different from one region to another, some of whom may use different ingredients.

The objective is to emulate a New York-style pizza. As a result, the sauce is tomato-based, and the crust is crispy, flexible, and foldable.

The only downside with the Costco pizza is the lack of options. Unlike Domino’s or Pizza Hut, Costco Pizza is not meant to specialize in pizza variety. The Costco pizza is incredible, nonetheless. [Costco Pizza Calories & Nutrition Facts]

Final Thoughts

To wrap things up, Costco offers three main pizza varieties – pepperoni, cheese, and a combo that contains meat and veggies.

The pizza at Costco is delicious and tasty, with a crispy crust and foldable slices. The pizza emulates a New York style in its preparation, meaning its sauce is tomato-based.

Costco is famous for its gigantic 18-inch pizza, which beats the likes of Domino’s and Pizza Hut, whose pizzas offer 12 inches in diameter.

Better yet, when you buy pizza at Costco, you don’t have to worry about delays. It is because Costco’s pizza market is very niche.