California Pizza Kitchen Margherita Crispy Thin Crust Pizza: Labelgrade C+ (68/100)

The short answer

California Pizza Kitchen Margherita Crispy Thin Crust Pizza delivers 12g of protein and 299 calories per 1/3 pizza (146g) (USDA FDC 2768999). Per 100g that’s 8.2g of protein; per oz, 2.3g. The Labelgrade is C+ (68 / 100): Low sugar load.

Why this Labelgrade

How it compares

Its real edge: the lowest sodium in the aisle

If there’s one number that earns this pizza its place, it’s sodium. At 460mg per serving, CPK’s Margherita is the lowest-sodium frozen pizza on this site — well under the Newman’s Own margherita (650mg) and the Red Baron pepperoni pie. On a per-ounce basis the gap is even starker — 89mg/oz versus ~141mg/oz for Newman’s — so however you slice it, this is the pizza that goes easiest on salt.

That matters more than it might sound. Sodium is the single dimension where most frozen pizzas fall apart, and it’s where this one quietly does best. If you eat frozen pizza with any regularity and you’re watching your salt — for blood pressure or otherwise — CPK’s Margherita is the defensible pick among these options specifically because of that 460mg figure. It’s the genuine reason to reach for this box over the others.

The catch: saturated fat and a long additive list

The low sodium doesn’t make this a clean pizza, and it’s worth being honest about where it slips. It carries 7g of saturated fat per serving — the most of the three pizzas here, ahead of Newman’s (4.51g) and the Amy’s bites (2.5g). That’s roughly a third of a day’s saturated fat in one slice-and-a-half, and it’s why this dimension scores a B-, the weakest sat-fat mark of the group. The three-cheese blend (mozzarella, part-skim mozzarella, and fontina) plus a touch of palm oil is what drives it up.

The ingredient list is also the longest of the three at 38 items, and it includes phosphate additives (sodium acid pyrophosphate and monocalcium phosphate, from the baking powder), which is what pulls ingredient quality down to a C+. None of that is alarming on its own, but it’s the reason this pizza ties Newman’s at the C+ tier rather than climbing higher: it trades a sodium win for a saturated-fat and additive loss. The honest verdict is that it’s the lowest-sodium frozen pizza here and a reasonable margherita — but pair it with a vegetable side and don’t lean on it daily, because the saturated fat adds up.

Scope

This page covers California Pizza Kitchen Margherita Crispy Thin Crust Pizza (15.5 ONZ), UPC 00071921290535, as represented in USDA Branded Foods FDC 2768999. California Pizza Kitchen sells multiple variants in this product line — other sizes, flavors, or fat levels may have different macros and Labelgrade scores. Manufacturers periodically reformulate; always cross-reference the actual package label, especially if you have allergies or dietary restrictions.

Ingredients (from the USDA Branded Foods entry)

ENRICHED WHEAT FLOUR (WHEAT FLOUR, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMIN MONONITRATE, RIBOFLAVIN, FOLIC ACID), WATER, TOMATOES, MOZZARELLA CHEESE (MILK, SKIM MILK, CHEESE CULTURE, SALT, ENZYMES), LOW-MOISTURE PART-SKIM MOZZARELLA CHEESE (PART-SKIM MILK, CHEESE CULTURE, SALT, ENZYMES), TOMATO PASTE, FONTINA CHEESE (CULTURED MILK, SALT, ENZYMES), EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL, 2% OR LESS OF OLIVE OIL, BASIL, SUGAR, HERB BLEND (BASIL, OREGANO, THYME), PALM OIL, SPICE BLEND (SALT, SUGAR, SPICES), ROASTED GARLIC, SALT, BAKING POWDER (SODIUM ACID PYROPHOSPHATE, BAKING SODA, CORN STARCH, MONOCALCIUM PHOSPHATE).

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Scope: This page applies specifically to Margherita Crispy Thin Crust Pizza (15.5 ONZ) · UPC 00071921290535. Other sizes, flavors, or formulations may differ.