Calories in a Slice of Pizza by Size, Crust and Topping

A slice from a large 14-inch cheese pizza with regular crust has about 317 calories, according to USDA data. The full range is wider than most people expect: 229 calories for a thin-crust cheese slice and up to 485 for a stuffed-crust pepperoni slice, before any dipping sauce. Crust, toppings and slice size decide where your slice lands.

With Dietfit, one photo of your pizza is enough: Deep Scan splits it into crust, cheese and toppings and gives each part its own calories.

Key takeaways

• A large regular-crust slice has about 317 calories for cheese and 350 for pepperoni.

• Crust moves the number most: the same cheese slice goes from 229 calories on thin crust to 358 on thick crust.

• Meat toppings add about 30 to 70 calories a slice. Vegetables add almost none.

• A whole large cheese pizza has about 2,540 calories.

• One ranch dipping cup adds about 300 calories, close to another slice.

How many calories are in a slice of pizza?

One slice of a large (13 to 15 inch) pizza cut into 8 has 229 to 426 calories, depending on the crust and toppings. The numbers below are USDA averages for restaurant and takeout pizza.

Calories in a slice of cheese pizza

A large regular-crust cheese slice weighs about 4.2 oz (119 g) and has 317 calories, 14 g of protein and 643 mg of sodium. Thin crust brings it down to 229 calories and thick crust up to 358.

Calories in a slice of pepperoni pizza

Pepperoni adds about 30 calories and 125 mg of sodium per slice compared with plain cheese. A large regular-crust pepperoni slice has 350 calories and 769 mg of sodium, a third of the daily limit.

Thin crust pizza calories

A thin-crust slice weighs about 3.0 oz (86 g), against 4.2 oz (119 g) for regular crust. Less dough means about 90 fewer calories for a cheese slice, which makes thin crust the simplest swap if you want a second slice.

Calories per slice by pizza size

A larger pizza cut into the same 8 slices gives you bigger slices. A large slice has almost 40% more calories than a medium one.

Pizza sold by the slice is often cut bigger than one-eighth of a pie. If your slice covers most of a dinner plate, count it as 1.5 to 2 slices.

Why one slice can be 229 or 485 calories

• Crust thickness. A thick-crust cheese slice weighs 4.7 oz (132 g) against 3.0 oz (86 g) for thin crust, for 129 more calories.

• Meat toppings. On regular crust, pepperoni adds about 33 calories over plain cheese and sausage or beef about 69. Vegetables add about 5.

• Stuffed crust. Cheese baked into the edge turns a 317-calorie cheese slice into a 406-calorie one.

• Dips. One tablespoon of ranch has about 65 calories. A 2.5 oz (70 g) dipping cup has about 300.

• Slice size. An extra-large slice has about 110 more calories than a medium one with the same crust and toppings.

Can you eat pizza and still lose weight?

Yes. Pizza fits in a calorie deficit like any other food, as long as you count it. The problem is usually how much people eat in one sitting. In USDA's national food survey, adults who ate pizza got an average of 744 calories from it that day, more than two large slices, plus 38% of their daily sodium. A study in Pediatrics found that teens ate 230 more calories and 484 mg more sodium on days they had pizza.

Sodium is the other catch. Pizza is the third-largest source of sodium in the American diet, according to the CDC, and two large regular-crust pepperoni slices have 1,538 mg, 67% of the 2,300 mg Daily Value.

To keep pizza in your plan:

• Choose thin crust and vegetables. Two thin-crust veggie slices have 468 calories. Two thick-crust sausage slices have 852.

• Decide on a number before you start. Put your slices on a plate instead of eating from the box.

• Add a side salad or fruit instead of a third slice.

• Skip the dip or keep it to one tablespoon.

For more restaurant and takeout habits, see our guide to eating out while losing weight.

How much pizza is 500 calories?

Roughly any of these, using large slices:

• 2 thin-crust cheese slices: 458 calories

• 1.5 regular-crust cheese slices: 476 calories

• 1 stuffed-crust pepperoni slice: 485 calories

For 400 calories, one thick-crust pepperoni slice (399) is about right.

How to log pizza with Dietfit

Pizza is hard to log by hand because the crust, the toppings and the size of the slice all change the number. In Dietfit, take a photo of your plate and Deep Scan breaks the pizza into crust, cheese, sauce and toppings, each with its own calories. In the example below, Deep Scan split a pesto and pepperoni pizza into its parts: 1,150 calories for the crust, sauce and mozzarella, 248 for the pepperoni and 165 for the pesto, 1,578 in total. If you only ate part of it, edit the grams before you log, and AI Coach Sara can suggest a lighter dinner if lunch was pizza.

Snap your slice before the first bite, and Dietfit logs the pizza you actually ate, not a generic entry.

FAQ

How many calories are in a slice of pepperoni pizza?

About 350 calories for a large regular-crust slice. Thin crust has about 257 and thick crust about 399.

How many calories are in a slice of cheese pizza?

About 317 calories for a large regular-crust slice, 229 for thin crust and 358 for thick crust.

How many calories are in a whole pizza?

A large cheese pizza with regular crust has about 2,540 calories. A medium has about 1,840 and an extra-large about 3,400.

Is one slice of pizza OK on a diet?

Yes. One large slice has 230 to 430 calories, about the same as a sandwich. Pair it with a salad or fruit and log it like any other meal.

Is thin crust pizza healthier?

It has fewer calories and less sodium per slice. A large thin-crust cheese slice has 229 calories and 464 mg of sodium, against 317 calories and 643 mg for regular crust.

References

• https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/2708615/nutrients, FoodData Central, "Pizza, cheese, from restaurant or fast food, thin crust", FDC ID 2708615

• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK589563/, Rhodes DG, Adler ME, Clemens JC, LaComb RP, Moshfegh AJ, "Consumption of Pizza: What We Eat in America, NHANES 2007-2010", USDA Food Surveys Research Group Dietary Data Brief No. 11

• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25601973/, Powell LM, Nguyen BT, Dietz WH, "Energy and nutrient intake from pizza in the United States", Pediatrics

• https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6105a3.htm, CDC, "Vital Signs: Food Categories Contributing the Most to Sodium Consumption, United States, 2007-2008", MMWR

• https://www.fda.gov/food/nutrition-facts-label/daily-value-nutrition-and-supplement-facts-labels, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, "Daily Value on the Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels"