15 Ways To Upgrade Your $10 Costco Food Court Pizza At Home

Purchasing a whole pizza from Costco's food court is a great deal no matter how you slice it. An 18-inch, 12-piece pie costs just $9.95, a price that has remained unchanged since 1989. That makes each piece only 83 cents, much cheaper than the per-slice cost at the food court. The only downside is that Costco warehouses in the U.S. only offer two pizza varieties: cheese and pepperoni. Luckily, there are plenty of ways to upgrade your Costco food court pizza at home.

Whether you want to prevent a greasy pizza, reheat it to perfection in the oven or air fryer, add some extra cheese, or recreate the gone-before-its-time Combo Pizza, your options are near endless. With a little bit of time and creativity, additions like barbecue chicken, hot sauce, ranch dressing, and fresh veggies can turn a basic, inexpensive pizza into a gourmet masterpiece. Really, the only limit is your imagination.

To find the best Costco food court pizza hacks to recommend, we gathered advice from members and food court fans on social media, including Facebook, Reddit, TikTok, and Instagram. We've also added some of our own personal tips and tricks as savvy pizza lovers who have been shopping at the warehouse for decades. In the end, we found 15 mouthwatering ways to upgrade a $10 Costco food court pizza at home to make it more flavorful than ever.

No matter how close you live to Costco, your pizza will be cold when you get home and you'll need to reheat it. The best ways to revive a cold pizza are to put it in the oven at 400 F for about five minutes, or until the cheese is bubbling and the crust is hot to the touch. You can also put a slice or two in a hot skillet on the stove, add a couple drops of water, and cover with a lid to crisp the crust.

While taking your food court pizza home, the steam from the hot pizza gets trapped in the cardboard box, turning it into a greasy, soggy mess. You can use a Costco pizza ordering trick to prevent a soggy crust, or just easily fix the issue when you get home. Preheat your oven to 350 F for about 15 minutes with a pizza stone or aluminum pizza pan inside. Then pop the pizza on the surface and heat it for around five minutes. The hot stone or pan will crisp the crust and revive the pizza.

This is the most basic, elementary takeout pizza hack: Add extra cheese. Its simplicity is deceptive, however, because added cheese makes such a monumental difference to the flavor, texture, and overall appeal of the pizza. Costco cheese pizzas contain a pound and a half of mozzarella and parmesan, but that shouldn't deter you from supplementing your pie with more. It's best to use freshly grated cheese, however, because it will melt better. After sprinkling it on top, reheat the pizza in a 400 F oven until the cheese is melty and bubbly.

Costco's fan-favorite Combo Pizza has been gone since 2020, with little chance of it returning. If you miss it, you'll have to recreate the discontinued Combo Pizza yourself at home. Make sure you have all the necessary toppings on hand, or grab them while you're at the warehouse: sausage, red onions, green bell pepper, black olives, and mushrooms. Order a Pepperoni Pizza at the food court, and add the toppings when you get home. To truly optimize the experience, pop it in a 400 F oven for five minutes after adding the toppings.

If you plan on sharing the pizza with someone else, you might not agree on what toppings you want. One fun fact about Costco food court pizza is that you can order one with half cheese and half pepperoni, but your customization options pretty much end there. Until you get home, that is. There isn't anything stopping you from adding the toppings of your choice to each side of the pizza to make it truly appeal to your palate. Go wild with fresh herbs and veggies, fancy meats, extra cheese, and finishing sauces.

Just because you're ordering pizza from a retail warehouse doesn't mean it can't be a restaurant-quality experience. You just need to add some gourmet toppings to give your pizza an upgrade. Start with extra cheese (freshly grated is best) and sprinkle dried oregano, salt, and pepper on top. Next, add some flavorful toppings like roasted garlic, dried salami, Prosciutto di Parma, candied bacon, spicy sausage, or red pepper flakes. Finally, finish it with a drizzle of high-quality olive, chili, or truffle oil.

Putting toppings underneath the cheese actually has a major effect on how the pizza tastes. Whether you order a traditional cheese pizza or a pepperoni one, you can use this tip when you get it home. Just lift up the cheese and place the toppings of your choice underneath. If you don't want to use that method because it's too messy, add more toppings and then cover them with freshly grated cheddar, mozzarella, parmesan, Asiago, or pecorino. Then reheat the pizza in your oven or air fryer until the cheese is melted.

According to a pizza chef, there are four underrated pizza toppings that will transform a Costco food court pie: whole-milk ricotta, fresh basil, grated parmesan cheese, and a drizzle of hot honey. This technique was shared by @itsdoughguy on Instagram, where he offers step-by-step instructions. Order a Pepperoni Pizza and ask that it not be cut into slices. At home, preheat the oven to 500 F and pop the pizza in for five minutes or until the cheese browns. Then add your toppings, slice it up, and enjoy.

A traditional Buffalo chicken pizza is made with Buffalo sauce instead of marinara. You can turn a Costco Cheese Pizza into a worthy version by adding the necessary toppings and then drizzling the sauce over it. Either buy your favorite brand at the store, or make your own Buffalo sauce with butter, hot sauce, apple cider vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce. Top the pizza with shredded rotisserie chicken and any other toppings you'd like, such as onions, blue cheese or ranch dressing, and bacon bits. Finish it with a generous drizzle of Buffalo sauce.

Because the Costco food court only offers cheese and pepperoni pizzas, it may not appeal to families that like a little more variety. That shouldn't dissuade you from taking advantage of this $10 meal, however. Just turn it into a fun, interactive pizza-making experience at home. Have everyone slice and dice their favorite pizza toppings and add them to their own personal section of the pie. You can even make it a contest — who can decorate their part the fastest, or who can be the most creative with their toppings or design.

A Margherita pizza, or Neapolitan-style pizza, is topped with fresh tomatoes, mozzarella, basil leaves, and a drizzle of high-quality olive oil. It's easy to turn one of Costco's cheese pies into a Margherita pizza by adding these toppings. However, it's important to use fresh ingredients, as they will be the most flavorful. Slice your tomatoes and wash your basil leaves right before assembling your pizza, and use either mozzarella pearls or sliced mozzarella rather than pre-shredded cheese. Toast the pizza in the oven or air fryer just long enough to melt the cheese before eating.

You can transform your Costco pizza with items from the food court, like sliced hot dogs or diced white onions. You can also find creative toppings while shopping in the warehouse. For instance, you can upgrade your food court pizza with two fan-favorite items you probably just bought: a Kirkland Signature rotisserie chicken and Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ Sauce. This combo results in a pizza that is tangy, sweet, and savory. Plus, it only costs around $24 total, or less than the price of a large, two-topping pizza delivery from most chains.

This is another great tip from a Costco pizza aficionado on Reddit. In a post asking for recommendations for food court pizza toppings to add to "bougify a Costco pizza," they respond, "Extra cheese, banana peppers, caramelized onions, and Italian sausage are my go-to add-ons!" This combo elevates the flavor and texture of the pizza. You'll get a hint of acidity and spice from the peppers, while Italian sausage adds a savory, herby, umami-flavor profile. The caramelized onions add sweetness and depth, balancing out the richness of the meat.

A meat-lover's pizza can be topped with virtually any type of meat you love, from sausage, salami, and pepperoni to ground beef, ham, and bacon. You can even go wild and create a gourmet-style meat-lover's pizza using sliced Wagyu or duck, Jamón Ibérico, or Artisanal Mortadella combined with caramelized onions, pickles, fresh herbs, and grated Pecorino Romano. And if you have any leftover deli meats or charcuterie, don't let them go to waste — you can use them to dress up your Costco food court pizza.

In 2025, Costco introduced a Combo Calzone to its food court menu, likely to appease fans of the long-gone Combo Pizza. The experiment wasn't a success, but that doesn't mean a calzone can't be delicious. After all, as Ben Wyatt says, it's a "delicate little dough pocket filled with tomato sauce, cheese, and seasoned meat. Just a stunning culinary innovation." As one Redditor noted, you can make your own monster calzone by placing one Pepperoni Pizza topping-side down on top of the other. It sounds crazy, but it just might actually be genius.