Pizza is one of the hardest foods to track — not because it’s complicated, but because “a slice” can mean wildly different things. A thin-crust margherita and a loaded deep-dish square are technically both pizza, but the calorie difference between them can exceed 400 calories. If you’ve ever wondered how many calories are in a slice of pizza, the honest answer is: it depends heavily on the style.

Here’s a ranked breakdown of the most common pizza styles, from lowest to highest calories per slice, plus what drives the differences.

Pizza Styles Ranked by Calories Per Slice

The estimates below are based on a standard restaurant-sized slice (approximately one-eighth of a 14-inch pie) with a basic cheese topping. Toppings can add 20–100+ calories per slice depending on what you choose.

1. Neapolitan Pizza — ~200–250 calories

Neapolitan is the lightest style. The dough is thin, the toppings are minimal (typically just crushed tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and basil), and portion sizes are small — a Neapolitan pie is usually 10–11 inches and meant for one person. A single slice hovers around 200–250 calories. If you’re watching your intake, this is consistently the most forgiving option.

2. Thin-Crust Pizza — ~230–280 calories

Thin-crust pizza cuts down on the dough, which is where most of the carbohydrate calories live. A standard thin-crust cheese slice from a sit-down pizzeria typically lands between 230 and 280 calories. The lower-end estimates apply to lightly topped versions; pile on extra cheese or sausage and you’re looking at closer to 350.

3. New York-Style Pizza — ~280–350 calories

New York-style slices are large — often a quarter to a third the size of the whole pie when you fold them — with a medium-thick crust that’s crispy on the bottom and chewy toward the center. A plain cheese slice from a typical NYC-style pizzeria runs about 280–350 calories. The size is the key variable here; some slices are genuinely enormous.

4. Hand-Tossed / Standard Delivery Pizza — ~300–380 calories

The kind of pizza most people eat most often — from chains like Domino’s, Pizza Hut, or Papa John’s — falls in the 300–380 calorie range for a cheese slice. Chain pizzas tend to use more oil in the dough and more sauce and cheese by volume than artisan pies. The good news: chain restaurants are required to publish nutrition data, so you can look up exact numbers for your specific order.

5. Sicilian Pizza — ~350–420 calories

Sicilian pizza is a thick, square-cut style with a spongy, focaccia-like crust. Because the dough is substantially thicker and often oil-enriched, a single square slice typically contains 350–420 calories. It’s dense and filling, which means most people eat fewer pieces — but it’s worth knowing the per-slice count before you grab a second.

6. Detroit-Style Pizza — ~380–450 calories

Detroit-style is similar to Sicilian in shape but even richer — the cheese is spread to the edges and caramelizes against a well-oiled pan, and the crust is thick and buttery. Expect 380–450 calories per square slice. This style has surged in popularity, so it’s appearing on more menus, and the calorie count often surprises people who assume it’s similar to regular pizza.

7. Stuffed Crust / Deep-Dish Pizza — ~420–600 calories

Chicago deep-dish and stuffed-crust variations consistently rank highest. Deep-dish pizza is essentially a cheese-and-filling pie in a thick buttery crust — a single slice can run 420–600 calories depending on depth and toppings. Stuffed-crust pies add another layer of cheese inside the rim. If you’re eating deep-dish, two slices can easily match the calorie content of a full separate meal.

What Actually Drives the Calorie Difference

Understanding the factors helps you estimate more accurately when you don’t have exact nutrition data:

Crust thickness and type — More dough means more carbohydrates and more calories, especially if the dough is oil-enriched or butter-based.

Cheese quantity — Full-fat mozzarella runs about 80 calories per ounce. A cheese-heavy pizza can easily have 2–3 oz of cheese per slice.

Toppings — Pepperoni adds roughly 25–35 calories per slice. Sausage, bacon, and extra cheese stack quickly. Vegetable toppings (peppers, onions, mushrooms) add minimal calories.

Slice size — A “slice” is not a standardized unit. A slice from a 12-inch pie and a slice from a 16-inch pie can differ by 100+ calories even if the style is identical.

How to Track Pizza Calories Without Losing Your Mind

Pizza is notoriously hard to log manually because the variables compound. Here’s what actually works:

Use chain data when available. Major pizza chains publish per-slice nutrition info — use it. A Domino’s large hand-tossed cheese slice is listed at 290 calories; that number is more reliable than a generic database entry for “pizza.”

Estimate by style when dining out. If you’re at an independent pizzeria with no posted nutrition info, use the style-based estimates above as your baseline. A New York cheese slice is unlikely to be under 250 or over 400.

Photo logging handles ambiguous situations. When you’re looking at an unfamiliar pizza — maybe a specialty slice with unusual toppings, or a style you don’t recognize — a photo is often faster and more accurate than manual searching. AI-based calorie tracking apps can estimate from a photo with reasonable accuracy, which removes the need to guess at which database entry matches what’s on your plate.

Don’t skip logging because it’s complicated. Research indicates that people who log imperfectly still lose more weight than people who don’t log at all. A close estimate is far more useful than skipping the entry.

Start Tracking with AIDente

AIDente makes pizza — and every other hard-to-log food — easier by letting you snap a photo and get an instant calorie estimate. Whether you’re at a chain, a local pizzeria, or working through leftovers at home, you don’t need to hunt through a database or guess serving sizes. Just photograph your plate and get on with your meal.