“frozen hawaiana pizza” by goodiesfirst is licensed under CC BY 2.0 
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You might be wondering what happens if a frozen pizza thawed, especially if you left it out for a while. Can you still eat it? Is it safe?
Depending on where it defrosted and how long, you might be safe… but that’s why you need to keep reading.
We go into detail letting you know if your frozen pizza is still good or not.
What Happens if a Frozen Pizza Defrosts?
“Frozen pre cooked pizza” by domantasm. is licensed under CC BY 2.0 .
There are a couple things things that can happen if a frozen pizza has thawed before you’ve had a chance to bake it.
- The texture might change
- You can bake it as it is
- You will have to throw it away
The most important factors in deciding whether you can bake a frozen pizza that has thawed, is where it defrosted and for how long.
The Texture Might Change
Depending on the brand of frozen pizza you have, the instructions generally say to bake the pizza directly from frozen.
However, if it has thawed and you want to bake it, the properties of the dough might change. It might not be as firm and the pizza might not rise as much.
The taste and texture of the dough might also change, where the crust is now tougher and chewier.
Mind you, frozen pizza is not the pinnacle of gourmet cuisine, so a change in texture might not be noticeable…especially if you’re hungry 😋
Did it Defrost in the Refrigerator? (You Can Bake It As Is)
If you left your frozen pizza in the fridge for a few hours or overnight and it thawed, don’t worry. You can still bake it and enjoy it without any safety concerns.
You will be able to pop it into the oven according to the package directions and in a couple of minutes, you’ll have a hot, fresh and delicious pizza.
The texture or taste of the pizza might be slightly different from one that was baked straight from frozen.
Did It Defrost at Room Temperature? (You Probably Will Have to Throw It Away)
If you took your frozen pizza from the freezer, but left it on the counter for a couple of hours and it thawed, you don’t necessarily have to throw it away.
Between 1-2 hours, you can cook it as normal (just be aware the texture/taste might change as we mentioned earlier). If it’s been more than 2 hours, especially if the room was hot, then you probably have to throw it away.
You might be screaming “I’m not throwing away my pizza”, but the danger in baking a frozen pizza that has thawed for hours is that you can get sick…really sick.
Food Poisoning is Real!!!!
The reason you can get food poisoning from eating thawed frozen pizza is that when it’s sitting out at room temperature, bacteria starts to grow.
According to the USDA, bacteria grows most rapidly between 40° F and 140° F, doubling in number in as little as 20 minutes, this is called the ‘Danger Zone”.
In the Danger zone you have nasty bacteria such as salmonella, Escherichia coli (E. coli), etc multiplying at an alarming rate.
These bacteria can make you sick, from vomiting, diarrhea and nausea…trust me, it’s not worth it.
Dump the thawed frozen pizza if it’s out too long and grab something else to eat.
Final Thoughts
Leaving out a frozen pizza to thaw is not the best idea. If it’s only been sitting out for a for a few minutes to an hour, you should be fine. if it’s been longer, especially if it’s been in a warm room, it might be time to dump that pizza.
Getting sick from eating food that’s been compromised, especially if there is a ton of harmful bacteria growing on it is not fun.
It’s always better to be safe than sorry when it comes to food safety. When in doubt, throw it out.
