You and I both know that pizza is one of the most delicious foods out there, however I do understand the reluctance for some people to eat pizza when they are watching their calorie intake. So, in this guide I will answer how many calories are in a pizza, and what are the variables we need to consider.
I do understand. As a pizza addict, I need to spend time exercising, etc to try to balance at least some of my pizza intake out. I’m quite interested to know all of this myself too, so let’s get into it!
So, how many calories in a Pizza?
There’s more to this question than meets the eye. See, not all pizzas are the same (thankfully!). After hours of painstaking research into how many calories are in a pizza, here’s what I have discovered.
In order to be able to understand how many calories are in a slice of pizza (or a whole pizza), we need to look at the nutritional information, and then try to get them all on the same line. It seems different countries have different requirements, and what one place says Calories, another uses Kilojoules, etc.
Pizza Calories, Kilojoules and more
OK, this may seem like a science class, but I promise it’ll be quick and relatively painless. I mean, you can skip it and just read the next section if you want just the answers and not the ‘working out’ as my maths teacher used to call it.
Calculating Calories to Kilojoule (Kj)
For an approximate result, divide the Calorie energy value by 239.
Calculating Calories to Kilocalories (KCal)
To calculate calories to kilocalories, you need to divide the Calorie energy value by 1000.
How many carbs in a slice of pizza?
Another question that is often asked, is how many carbs in a slice of pizza? Carbohydrates are an interesting one too. I have included these in the details below.
How many calories are in a standard large pizza?
To work this out, I collected data from a range of three pizzas at four different chain store pizza companies in Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States.
The reasons I chose chains were that individual stores don’t often have the budget or expertise to work out how many calories is a slice of pizza, for example.
All of these pizzas were using their ‘standard base’, no special crusts or added ingredients and all say 8 slices per pizza.
How many calories should we be eating?
Before we get to the calories per pizza, we should also be asking how many calories each of us should actually be eating. To give you an idea, they say the recommended daily calorie intake is 2,000 calories a day for adult women and 2,500 calories for adult men.
A person who weighs 155 pounds (70 kilograms), a reasonable speed of walking for half an hour will burn about 149 calories.
How many calories are in garlic bread?
On average, there are approximately 96 calories in one medium slice of typical garlic bread.
How many calories are in a slice of pizza?
Using the same three pizzas from four different pizza brands, we can see the calories, carbohydrates, etc for one slice of pizza. So, how many calories in one slice of pizza? Here’s a table for you to review.
How many calories in a whole pizza?
We all know that nobody actually believes the nutritional information panel that says one serving is one slice. In fact, I guarantee we all eat more than two slices. Then there’s the garlic bread and drinks that naturally go with a delicious pizza.
In any case, here’s the per whole pizza (8 slices) table, for your viewing pleasure.
What about individual toppings?
When we are looking at how many calories in a pizza, these are the big factors in measurement. It really depends on what you are putting on your pizza, when you ask how many calories in a piece of pizza.
This is very interesting. Here are some common pizza toppings, along with their recommended serving size and calories per serving.
Cheeses
By far, the most important ingredient on pizza is cheese. However, typical pizza cheeses do contain a fair few calories.
| Topping | Serving size | Calories |
| Bocconicini | 100 grams | 277 calories |
| Cheddar | 100 grams | 402 calories |
| Feta | 100 grams | 264 calories |
| Goats Cheese | 100 grams | 364 calories |
| Mozzarella | 100 grams | 280 calories |
| Ricotta | 100 grams | 174 calories |
Meats
Meats add a lot to the numbers, when measuring how many calories in a pizza.
| Topping | Serving size | Calories |
| Bacon | 100 grams | 541 calories |
| Chicken | 100 grams | 239 calories |
| Ham | 100 grams | 145 calories |
| Prosciotto | 100 grams | 145 calories |
| Salami | 100 grams | 226 calories |
| Salmon | 100 grams | 208 calories |
Vegetables and herbs
When researching how many calories on a pizza, you’ll be pleased to know you can totally load a mountain of herbs and vegetables onto your pizza with little calorie gains.
| Topping | Serving size | Calories |
| Basil | 100 grams | 22 calories |
| Black olives | 5 olives | 25 calories |
| Onion | 100 grams | 40 calories |
| Pineapple | 100 grams | 50 calories |
| Red peppers | 100 grams | 20 calories |
| Rocket | 100 grams | 25 calories |
| Fresh tomato | 100 grams | 18 calories |
In Summary
We now know how many calories in a pizza is more affected by the toppings than the pizza itself. When trying to calculate how many calories in a pizza, use the toppings and serving portions (slices) to get a more accurate figure.
At the end of the day, all food should be consumed in moderation. Some dieticians may disagree, however as long as you are not eating a whole large pizza every two days, you should be OK not measuring the exact calories.
Sources
Thank you to the following companies for sharing their nutritional information so clearly to help us know how many calories in a pizza…
https://www.dominos.com.au/menu/nutritional-information
https://littlecaesars.com/en-us/nutrition/
https://www.papajohns.com/company/nutritional-details/index.html
