Caulipower Margherita Pizza Review

Almost all of the brands offering ready-made pizzas on cauliflower crusts have their own version of a Margherita pizza, and Caulipower is no exception. Caulipower’s Margherita pizza is one of the eight combinations of cauliflower-crust pizzas the brand offers to the gluten-free community.

Unlike their plain crust, the Margherita pizza leaves no room for customization, so you eat it as is or don’t eat it at all.

For that reason, we’ve given this pizza a closer look to see how it fares against other ready-made gluten-free Margherita pizzas, and in this pull-no-punches review, we’ll tell you everything you would want to know about it— the good, the not-so-good, the in-betweens and all the other things.

Let’s start with the bottom line.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Making pizzas on alternative crusts such as veggie-based ones is always a balancing act.

On the one hand, the pizza has to taste convincing enough so EVERYONE will want to eat it, regardless of whether they follow a gluten-free diet or not.

On the other hand, for those who do have to eat gluten-free, the pizza has to be good enough so they don’t feel like they’re missing out on taste and texture.

Caulipower’s Margherita pizza has done an okay job meeting both of these criteria.

Now, let’s go over the good, the not-so-good and any in-betweens you should know about:

The Good

-In just 13 short minutes of baking time, you get a Margherita pizza with the crispiest cauliflower crust among all the brands offering similar products.

-At only 350 calories for half the pizza, you’ll be getting one of the lighter cauliflower crust Margherita pizzas out there.

-It tastes realistic; your kids won’t be able to tell the crust is veggie-based.

-The cooking instruction on the box is right on point. There is no need for adjustments, but be sure to read our cooking tips below for the best result.

-It’s available at most of your local supermarkets and there is no need to order online or hunt it down at a specialty store.

The Not-So-Good

-The sauce’s taste empowers the tastes of other ingredients. It almost feels like you’re eating the crust with only pizza sauce on it.

-The cheese isn’t very flavorful and the handful of chopped small tomatoes gets lost in the mix with no taste contribution.

-The crust gets dry and cold fast. Eat it within minutes after it’s cooled down from the oven.

In-Between

-The cauliflower taste is a bit more apparent compared to their plain crust, but it’s tolerable and not overwhelming.

Unboxing and First Impressions

Caulipower Margherita Pizza Unpackaged

In terms of packaging, the frozen pizza is placed on cardboard and wrapped in clear plastic.

When you unwrap the pizza, you will sense a mild cauliflower smell, but it’s not overwhelming and it won’t linger.

The sauce and cheese are evenly spread. But, the chopped tomato pieces are topped unevenly, and quite frankly,  there aren’t enough of them to contribute to the overall taste.

Caulipower Margherita Pizza’s Taste, Texture and More

Taste

Caulipower Margherita’s taste is a bit unevenly balanced. The sauce’s taste is too dominant, while the cheese and tomato flavors are subdued.

The crust is the only thing that delivers a consistent flavor throughout each bite. However, the cauliflower taste is slightly more apparent in the Margherita combination than in their plain crust, but it’s not overwhelming or off-putting in any way.

Overall, the pizza tastes fine, but if you’re expecting a fresh Margherita experience, you might want to look elsewhere or just make your own.

Texture

The texture is where Caulipower’s crusts shine the most. Their crusts are always crispy. The Margherita’s crust is no different; it’s thin and has a good crunch to it.

The only issue with Margherita pizza’s crust is that it gets dry and cold fast. So, you’ll want to eat it while it’s still warm.

Also, as recommended in our baking tips below, be sure not to keep the pizza in your oven longer than the recommended time because the crust overcooks and drys really fast.

Smell

During unwrapping the pizza, you will sense a mild cauliflower smell, but it dissipates quickly as the pizza is exposed to open air.

Size

Caulipower’s Margherita is a 12″ thin-crust pizza and it doesn’t change in size nor volume after baking.

Realistic-Tasting Score (Scale of 1 to 10)

Number 5

A big part of Caulipower’s success is its realistic tasting cauliflower crust. The crust really pulls its weight in the ready-made pizzas. 

But, the uneven balance of sauce to cheese and tomato toppings are demerits that hold this pizza back from tasting more realistic.

Overall, a score of 5 is a fair rating for what this pizza tastes like.

Our Baking Tips

Caulipower Margherita Pizza Fully Cooked

The cooking instruction on the Caulipower Margherita pizza box is right on point. But, for optimal results, you should consider the following two tips based on our experience.

First, the cooking instructions recommend an oven baking length of 13 to 16 minutes. We took out our pizza right at the 13th minute and the pizza was dry. The crust was at its crispiest and the cheese was golden brown.

So, although baking lengths will vary from oven to oven, you may want to start checking on the pizza past the 12th-minute so you don’t end up with an overcooked, dry crust.

Second, Caulipower’s cooking recommendation says the pizza can be put on your oven’s middle rack with no pans or baking racks required.

We don’t disagree, but cauliflower crust pizzas will always result in a better cook if you use a baking rack or a vented pan to support the crust evenly. This is especially important if you have added more toppings to your crust.

Where to Buy Caulipower’s Margherita pizza

You can find Caulipower’s Margherita at most supermarkets such as Ralphs groceries, Whole Foods Markets, Albertsons, Vons and Walmarts.

To check on location or product availability near you, visit Caulipower’s website and use their where-to-buy feature, which will list stores based on your zip code.

You can also buy this pizza in a pack of 4 from Amazon.

The price fluctuates depending on the store, but it’s usually between $6.45 to $7.99 for one pizza.

In the End

Caulipower’s Margherita is a decent gluten-free frozen pizza. Its positives outweigh the negatives.

When preparing it, be sure not to overcook this pizza, or else the already crispy crust will become too dry and taste burnt.

But, all in all, you don’t have much to worry about with Caulipower’s Margherita; it’s a quick and easy pizza meal that’s also gluten-free. Just don’t expect it to taste like a fresh, gourmet Margherita pizza.