It’s often hard for anyone to resist a slice of pizza. When that craving hits, sometimes you just have to give in. And for those moments when a frozen pizza isn’t cutting it and you want something that will be ready to eat rather quickly, fast-food pizza comes in. You know, those chains that no matter where you are in the world, the pizza will taste exactly the same. But some of the pies and slices offered up at these eateries are just downright unhealthy for you.
So we’re here to help you out the next time you’re in the mood for a slice. That way, you can avoid these calorie bombs—especially the worst of the bunch that gets the title of the most toxic!
In order to identify the unhealthiest pizza slices, we compiled a list of the most caloric slices from some of the most popular pizza chains. The pizza slices with the most calories, in most cases, also have the highest total fat, saturated fat, and sodium contents as well. To break ties, we chose the slice of pizza that had a greater amount of at least two of the following: total fat, saturated fat, and sodium.
Here, we ranked slices of pizzas from the popular chains from bad to the absolute worst. And if you’re looking to try your hand at cooking more at home, here are 100 Easiest Recipes You Can Make.
Per slice, 14-inch large pizza: 390 calories, 19 g fat (8 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat), 940 mg sodium, 36 g carbs (2 g fiber, 4 g sugar), 16 g protein
One large slice of Domino’s ExtravaganZZa pizza amounts to just under 400 calories. This slice of pizza, which is stacked with meat, including Italian sausage, beef, and pepperoni. And let’s just say that better be the only slice you eat from this pie!
One slice of this pizza also costs you nearly 1,000 milligrams of sodium, which is almost half of your daily allowance. For context, the American Heart Association recommends you consume no more than 2,300 milligrams of sodium per day.
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Per slice, 14-inch large pizza: 390 calories, 20 g fat (9 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat), 920 mg sodium, 36 g carbs (1 g fiber, 3 g sugar), 16 g protein
The name of this pizza pie is a dead giveaway of what’s on this large slice of pizza. Pepperoni, sausage, and—as the Papa John’s website states—a generous six-cheese blend. That extra cheese is likely what contributes to the slightly higher total fat and saturated fat contents here.
Per slice, 14-inch pizza: 381 calories, 16 g fat (7 g saturated fat, 0.4 g trans fat), 785 mg sodium, 42 g carbs (2.5 g fiber, 3 g sugar), 17.5 g protein
Little Caesars’ DEEP!DEEP! Ultimate Supreme is one of the worst pizzas you can buy. Why? Not only is one slice just seven calories below 400, but it also houses a whopping 42 grams of carbs. That’s like eating a little more than two and a half pieces of Pepperidge Farm’s Italian White bread. So, imagine you eat two of these slices. That’s the same as eating over five pieces of bread in one sitting—without even adding on sauce, toppings, and cheese yet.
Per slice, 14-inch large pizza: 410 calories, 23 g fat (8 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat), 890 mg sodium, 33 g carbs (1 g fiber, 3 g sugar), 16 g protein
A slice of this bacon and chicken topped pizza crashes through the 400 calorie mark. If you’re ordering a large-sized pizza to feed a crowd of friends, but trying to watch your calorie intake, just order the large, hand-tossed regular cheese pizza from the pizza chain. Each slice clocks in at 270 calories and has only 9 grams of total fat and 4.5 grams of saturated fat. While it’s still high in calories for one slice of pizza, it is a better option even though that does mean you have to say goodbye to the toppings.
Looking for more helpful tips? Your ultimate restaurant and supermarket survival guide is here!
Per slice, 14-inch large pizza: 390 calories, 20 g fat (7 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat), 740 mg sodium, 37 g carbs (2 g fiber, 2 g sugar), 16 g protein
It’s no wonder why Pizza Hut coins this pizza pie the Supreme—just one large slice contains as many calories as you’ll find in 30 Totino’s Pepperoni Snack Bites. For a healthier large pizza option at Pizza Hut, choose the Veggie Lover’s Hand Tossed pie. Just one slice of this veggie-stacked option contains 260 calories—much less than the nearly 400 the Supreme packs.
Per slice, 14-inch large pizza: 410 calories, 20 g fat (10 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat), 1,330 mg sodium, 35 g carbs (1 g fiber, 6 g sugar), 16 g protein
To better understand just how caloric a slice of Papa Murphy’s Bacon Cheeseburger pizza, is an actual cheeseburger from McDonald’s contains 300 calories. That is over 100 calories less than a single slice of this pizza. In fact, it would be better to eat the fast food burger, because it has lower sodium (coming in at just 720 milligrams) and offers an equivalent amount of protein.
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Per slice, 14-inch pizza: 434 calories, 21 g fat (9 g saturated fat, 0.4 g trans fat), 908 mg sodium, 40 g carbs (2 g fiber, 2 g sugar), 19 g protein
This thick crust pizza pie is stacked high with three kinds of meat: pepperoni, Italian sausage, and bacon. One slice packs one gram more of saturated fat than what one Hershey’s chocolate bar contains. At least with the chocolate bar you’re eating about 200 less calories.
Per slice, 14-inch large pizza: 440 calories, 24 g fat (9 g saturated fat, 0.5 g trans fat), 850 mg sodium, 37 g carbs (3 g fiber, 2 g sugar), 19 g protein
This pizza pie is sure to please any pepperoni lover, but is it worth all of the calories? If you really love pepperoni but don’t want to lose 440 calories over it, you could opt for the normal pepperoni large original pan for 370 calories, 6 grams of saturated fat, and 680 milligrams of sodium. It’s not the best option you could eat, but it’s the lesser of two evils here.
Per slice, 14-inch large pizza: 470 calories, 27 g fat (10 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat), 970 mg sodium, 37 g carbs (2 g fiber, 2 g sugar), 19 g protein
It’s pretty obvious where this slice of pizza gets its calories from, right? Pizza Hut’s Meat Lover’s pizza has got it all—pepperoni, Italian sausage, ham, bacon, pork, and beef. One large slice of this pizza contains more calories and total fat than a double cheeseburger at McDonald’s.
Per slice, 16-inch large pizza: 520 calories, 27 g fat (9 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat), 1,390 mg sodium, 46 g carbs (2 g fiber, 3 g sugar), 31 g protein
Rule of thumb: Pizzas that are loaded in meat inevitably have more calories, fat, and sodium. Mellow Mushroom’s Mighty Meaty pizza is the perfect example with pepperoni, sausage, ground beef, ham, and bacon, which hikes up the calorie count to over 500 for a single slice.
Per slice, 16-inch large pizza: 520 calories, 31 g fat (11 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat), 1,070 mg sodium, 50 g carbs (3 g fiber, 3 g sugar), 25 g protein
Mellow Mushroom, how does a slice of cheese pizza surpass 500 calories? It turns out, this option contains a lot more than just your standard shredded mozzarella. Here’s what the site says is on the caloric slice: “Olive oil and garlic base with sun-dried roasted tomatoes, provolone, feta cheese, seasoned ricotta, fresh basil, mozzarella, roma tomatoes, and onions.” Did you drool? Hopefully, you didn’t, because one slice makes up just over a quarter of your daily calories—yes, that is only for just one slice!
Per slice, 16-inch large pizza: 550 calories, 34 g fat (9 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat), 1,630 mg sodium, 48 g carbs (2 g fiber, 2 g sugar), 28 g protein
Mellow Mushroom strikes again with yet another high-in-calories pizza. Not only does the Buffalo Chicken variety cost you over 500 calories per large slice, but it also costs you 1,630 milligrams of sodium. For perspective, that’s as much sodium that’s in about 17 Snyder’s Pretzel Rods.
Per XL slice, 17-inch large pizza: 552 calories, 23 g fat (10 g saturated fat, 1 g trans fat), 1,459 mg sodium, 61 g carbs (5 g fiber, 9 g sugar), 25 g protein
Technically, this is an extra-large pizza slice, but we thought we would toss this classic slice of pepperoni in the lineup because of how caloric it is. It’s shocking! Not to mention, if you’ve ever popped into a Sbarro, you’ll notice that it’s the only size you can get, which subjects you to more calories, saturated fat, and sodium, without giving you a choice to opt for a smaller slice. Yikes!
Per slice, large pizza: 650 calories, 46 g fat (14 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat), 1,260 mg sodium, 33 g carbs (1 g fiber, 2 g sugar), 26 g protein
Who doesn’t love a slice of Chicago deep-dish pizza? However, be warned, because this pizza is packed in calories—over 600, to be specific. What’s even more concerning is the saturated fat content at 14 grams. The American Heart Association recommends that adults who are at high risk of heart disease should only about 13 grams of saturated fat per day. With this slice of pizza, you wipe out that entire recommendation in one hit.
Per slice, large pizza: 680 calories, 42 g fat (11 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat), 1,490 mg sodium, 35 g carbs (2 g fiber, 3 g sugar), 26 g protein
There’s a reason why this pizza is called the Meat Market, and why we consider it to be the worst pizza. Topped with layers of steak, meatballs, sausage, pepperoni, and mozzarella, this slice of pizza from UNO is chock-full of sodium. In fact, you’d have to drink more than two cups of Swanson’s Chicken Broth to achieve the same amount of sodium.
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