The $1.25 Dollar Tree Find I Can’t Get Enough Of

Have you ever walked into Dollar Tree for something specific, like hand soap or wrapping paper, only to discover a childhood favorite food product? Coming across Celeste Pizza in the frozen food aisle on a recent trip, I was instantly transported back to the ’90s, sitting in front of the TV, watching Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead for the hundredth time. For some reason, the movie moment where they use a frozen Mama Celeste pizza to determine their fate has always stuck with me. Maybe it’s because those pizzas were a staple of my sleepovers and occasional weekend treats.

And judging by TikTok, I’m not the only one who remembers it. There’s a whole wave of nostalgia around this pizza. So, of course, I had to grab a few. They’re not gourmet pizza by any stretch, but I’m happy to report they hit just as hard now as they did back then. Dollar Tree sells personal-size pizzas “for one” for $1.25, and I use them like a dinner (or lunch) emergency button. They’re cheap, comforting, and with a bit of finesse, way better than they have any right to be.

Why I Love Dollar Tree’s Celeste Frozen Pizza

Nostalgia aside, there are practical reasons why I like these little pies. Now that my son is three and a half and my life is normalizing (a bit), we’ve restarted our pizza-movie night tradition. Typically, this involves making pizza from scratch or, occasionally, ordering in. But sometimes, we settle for the in-between option with an upgraded frozen pie.

I like that I can easily add to these pies to make them a more nutritious and balanced meal. My kids love it—my daughter begs to have it in her lunchbox—and it’s ready in just a few minutes. They’re small (about 5 ounces each), so feeding my family means buying multiples—about 4 to 5 pizzas for my family of four—but even at that quantity, we’re still talking dinner for under $7. 

How to Jazz Up a Celeste Frozen Pizza

I like to buy the “Original” pizza, which is just sauce and cheese, because it acts like a blank canvas. My go-to upgrade is the “protein and greens” approach. Before cooking, I’ll add some shredded rotisserie chicken or other leftover meat for protein, a handful of sliced mushrooms, bell peppers, or other leftover veggies for color, and a sprinkling of Italian seasoning or chili flakes. Once it’s hot and bubbly, I top it with a handful of arugula dressed simply with olive oil, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt for extra greens and healthy fats. I love the freshness and peppery acidity of the greens against the richness of the pizza.

The cooking method makes all the difference. While the box suggests microwaving (which works in 2 minutes if you’re desperate), the air fryer transforms them into something delicious. Five to six minutes at 400°F gives me crispy edges, melty cheese, and none of that soggy microwave texture. A conventional oven works well, too (about 10 to 12 minutes at 400°F), but the air fryer hits that sweet spot between speed and quality when I’m only making one or two pies.

I’d never tout it as authentic, sophisticated Italian pizza, but it’s a lovely, quick, and easy meal I can make even better with the tiniest bit of effort. We all need an emergency-button meal, and these Dollar Tree pizzas are a reminder that, with a few bucks and a little creativity, anyone can have a satisfying meal on the table in 20 minutes.

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