DiGiorno vs Red Baron Pepperoni Pizza: It's a Dead Tie
Two rising-crust pepperoni pizzas, two freezer-aisle staples, and — on our grade — almost nothing between them. Both land at the same score, built from nearly the same macros and the same fundamental problem: salt and saturated fat. Here's the honest breakdown of a comparison that ends in a draw, with every number pulled live from each product's graded fact sheet.
The short answer
It's a tie. DiGiorno Pepperoni Rising Crust and Red Baron Rising Crust Pepperoni both score C+ (65/100) — the same letter, the same number. That's not a hedge; the two pizzas are genuinely separated by rounding-error margins on almost every line that matters.
The small differences cancel out. DiGiorno carries a little more protein (16 g vs 14 g per slice) and a shorter ingredient list. Red Baron carries a little less sodium (890 mg vs 951 mg), a little less saturated fat (5 g vs 6.01 g), and slightly more fiber. Trade those back and forth through the weighted formula and you arrive at the same 65/100 for both.
What they truly share is the thing that caps them both: sodium and saturated fat. Each slice is roughly 39–41% of a day's sodium, and both score an F on that dimension. These are sodium-and-fat delivery vehicles that happen to carry real protein from the cheese — not health food. So pick on taste, crust preference, and whatever's on sale, because the nutrition won't decide it for you.
Side-by-side
Note the label fractions differ — DiGiorno's serving is 1/6 of the pizza (140 g), Red Baron's is 1/4 (137 g) — but the slice weights are nearly identical, and the per-100 g rows make it apples-to-apples. Bold marks the better number on each row.
| DiGiorno Pepperoni | Red Baron Pepperoni | |
|---|---|---|
| Labelgrade | C+ 65 / 100 | C+ 65 / 100 |
| Serving (label) | 1/6 pizza · 140 g | 1/4 pizza · 137 g |
| Calories per serving | 350 | 340 |
| Calories per 100 g | 250 | 248 |
| Protein per serving | 16 g | 14 g |
| Protein per 100 g | 11.4 g | 10.2 g |
| Sodium per serving | 951 mg | 890 mg |
| Sodium per 100 g | 679 mg | 650 mg |
| Saturated fat per serving | 6.01 g | 5 g |
| Saturated fat per 100 g | 4.3 g | 3.6 g |
| Fiber per serving | 1.96 g | 2.06 g |
| Total sugar | 6.01 g | 8 g |
| Ingredient count | 45 | 57 |
| Protein density grade | C+ | C+ |
| Sodium grade | F | F |
| Saturated fat grade | B- | B |
| Sugar grade | A+ | A+ |
| Fiber grade | D | D |
| Ingredient quality grade | C | C |
Where DiGiorno edges ahead
- Slightly more protein. 16 g per slice vs Red Baron's 14 g (11.4 g vs 10.2 g per 100 g), earning a C+ on protein density to Red Baron's C+. It's a real edge, mostly from a bit more mozzarella — but two grams is two grams, not a deciding factor.
- A shorter ingredient list. 45 distinct ingredients vs Red Baron's 57. Both are long by any home-cooking standard, and both carry the same curing chemistry on the pepperoni, but DiGiorno's is the tidier label and grades a hair better on ingredient quality (C vs C).
- A touch less sugar. 6.01 g vs 8 g, a A+ vs A+ — both excellent on this dimension, since neither pizza is sweet. A minor point in DiGiorno's column.
Where Red Baron edges ahead
- A little less sodium. 890 mg per slice vs DiGiorno's 951 mg (650 mg vs 679 mg per 100 g). Both score an F here — this is the category's defining flaw — but Red Baron's is marginally lower, edging the sodium grade (F vs F).
- Less saturated fat. 5 g per slice vs DiGiorno's 6.01 g, which is a B vs DiGiorno's B-. Of all the small gaps, this is the most meaningful in Red Baron's favor.
- Slightly more fiber, slightly fewer calories. 2.06 g of fiber vs 1.96 g, and 340 calories per slice vs 350. Tiny margins, but they're in Red Baron's column.
Where they're a tie
- The overall grade. C+ (65/100) for both. Every edge one pizza holds is answered by an edge the other holds, and the weighted total comes out identical.
- The fundamental problem. Both are pinned at a C by sodium (F on both) and held back by saturated fat. Cured pepperoni, salted low-moisture mozzarella, and a salted, conditioner-laden dough are common to both recipes — same construction, same ceiling.
- The real protein. Both use genuine low-moisture part-skim mozzarella, which is where most of the protein comes from on each. That's what keeps both off the floor and a notch above a cheese-light junk pizza.
Which should you buy
Buy DiGiorno Pepperoni Rising Crust if you want the marginally higher protein, a slightly shorter ingredient list, and you happen to prefer its crust and sauce. The differences are small, but if you're optimizing for protein-per-slice among two near-identical pizzas, DiGiorno is the one.
Buy Red Baron Rising Crust Pepperoni if you want the marginally lower sodium and saturated fat, or it's simply the better price on a given week. On the two numbers most worth minimizing in this category — salt and saturated fat — Red Baron is the slightly lighter pick.
Honestly, though, this one's a coin flip. Both score C+ (65/100), both are sodium-and-saturated-fat heavy, and the gaps between them are smaller than the difference one extra slice makes. Choose on taste and price with a clear conscience — the nutrition is a wash. And if you want a frozen pizza that actually grades better, the move isn't picking between these two; it's going thin-crust and ditching the cured pepperoni. See the full ranking in our frozen pizza report card.
How they were graded
Both products use the v3 6-dimension Labelgrade formula (see /methodology): protein density 23% + ingredient quality 21% + saturated fat 18% + sodium 15% + sugar 15% + fiber 8%. With near-identical macros, the dimension-level wins offset almost perfectly, which is why both land at the same 65/100. DiGiorno data from USDA FDC 2091622; Red Baron data from USDA FDC 2032003. Every figure on this page is read live from each product's record at build time, so the numbers can't drift out of sync with the individual fact sheets.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is better — DiGiorno or Red Baron pepperoni pizza?
It's effectively a tie. Both the DiGiorno Pepperoni Rising Crust and the Red Baron Rising Crust Pepperoni score C+ (65/100) on our v3 formula — identical. Their macros are nearly the same too: per 100 g, DiGiorno is 11.4 g protein and 679 mg sodium; Red Baron is 10.2 g protein and 650 mg sodium. DiGiorno has a touch more protein; Red Baron has a touch less sodium and saturated fat. Pick on taste and price — neither is health food.
Why do DiGiorno and Red Baron get the exact same grade?
Because their wins cancel out. DiGiorno is slightly ahead on protein (16 g per slice vs 14 g), on the sugar dimension (A+ vs A+), and on a shorter ingredient list. Red Baron is slightly ahead on sodium (890 mg per slice vs 951 mg), saturated fat (5 g vs 6.01 g), and fiber (2.06 g vs 1.96 g). Add it all up under the weighted formula and both land at exactly 65/100. It's a genuine draw, not a rounding coincidence.
Which has less sodium, DiGiorno or Red Baron?
Red Baron, but barely — and both are high. A Red Baron slice has 890 mg of sodium (39% of the 2,300 mg daily limit) versus DiGiorno's 951 mg (41%). Per 100 g it's 650 mg vs 679 mg. Both score an F on the sodium dimension (Red Baron F, DiGiorno F) — cured pepperoni, salted mozzarella, and a salted dough stack up the same way on both pizzas. The difference is too small to choose on.
Which frozen pizza has more protein?
DiGiorno, slightly: 16 g per slice versus Red Baron's 14 g. Per 100 g that's 11.4 g vs 10.2 g — both moderate, both mostly from real low-moisture mozzarella. DiGiorno clears the FDA "high in protein" threshold a little more comfortably. But the protein rides in with 350 calories and 951 mg of sodium per slice, so it's a bonus on a slice you were going to eat, not a reason to treat pizza as a protein source.
Are either of these a healthy frozen pizza?
No — and that's the honest read on both. Each is a sodium-and-saturated-fat delivery vehicle that happens to carry real protein from the cheese. A single slice runs 350–340 calories with 890–951 mg of sodium, and almost nobody stops at one. Both are fine as an occasional convenience dinner; neither belongs in heavy rotation. If you want a cleaner-graded frozen pizza, go thin-crust and skip the cured meat — we rank the whole category in our <a href="/report-card/frozen-pizza">frozen pizza report card</a>.