A slice of cheese pizza from a large (14-inch) pizzeria pie with regular crust, cut into 8, has about 317 calories, according to USDA data. That slice weighs about 4.2 oz (119 g). The same slice is about 229 calories with thin crust and 358 with thick crust, and pepperoni adds roughly 30 to 40 more. The size of the pie and the thickness of the crust move the number much more than the topping does.
This article is general information about calories in food. It is not medical advice. If you have a health condition or follow a medical diet, ask a doctor or a registered dietitian.
Cheese pizza calories per slice, by pie size and crust
USDA’s Food and Nutrient Database for Dietary Studies (FNDDS) has separate entries for restaurant and fast-food cheese pizza with thin, regular and thick crust, and it lists the weight of one piece for each pie size. Here they are side by side.
| Pie size | Slices per pie | Thin crust | Regular crust | Thick crust |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small (8–10 in) | 6 | 157 kcal · 2.1 oz (59 g) | 213 kcal · 2.8 oz (80 g) | 244 kcal · 3.2 oz (90 g) |
| Medium (11–12 in) | 8 | 168 kcal · 2.2 oz (63 g) | 229 kcal · 3.0 oz (86 g) | 252 kcal · 3.3 oz (93 g) |
| Large (13–15 in) | 8 | 229 kcal · 3.0 oz (86 g) | 317 kcal · 4.2 oz (119 g) | 358 kcal · 4.7 oz (132 g) |
| Extra-large (16–18 in) | 10 | 261 kcal · 3.5 oz (98 g) | 340 kcal · 4.5 oz (128 g) | 377 kcal · 4.9 oz (139 g) |
USDA calls regular crust “medium crust”. The slice counts aren’t printed in the database; they’re what you get when you divide USDA’s whole-pie weight by its one-piece weight. If your pizzeria cuts a different number of slices, use the per-square-inch method further down. A whole large regular-crust cheese pizza comes to about 2,540 kcal.
One large regular slice also gives you about 14 g of protein, 40 g of carbs, 12 g of fat and 640 mg of sodium.
Pepperoni, sausage, veggie and stuffed crust compared
On the same large (13–15 in) regular-crust slice, the topping changes the total by less than most people expect, until you get to extra meat or stuffed crust.
| Large slice, regular crust | Weight | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Cheese | 4.2 oz (119 g) | 317 |
| Pepperoni | 4.4 oz (124 g) | 350 |
| Cheese with extra vegetables | 5.4 oz (152 g) | 336 |
| Sausage or other meat | 4.9 oz (138 g) | 386 |
| Extra meat | 5.3 oz (150 g) | 411 |
| Stuffed crust, cheese | 5.2 oz (148 g) | 406 |
| Stuffed crust, pepperoni | 5.8 oz (164 g) | 485 |
Two things stand out. The veggie slice isn’t lighter than the cheese slice: per ounce it has fewer calories, but the vegetables make the slice heavier, so the total ends up a little higher. And the stuffed crust adds about 90 kcal to a cheese slice, more than switching to pepperoni does.
On thin crust the gap between cheese and pepperoni is about 28 kcal per large slice (229 vs 257), and on thick crust about 41 (358 vs 399). A slice loaded with more pepperoni than USDA’s average will be higher: one round of sliced pepperoni weighs about 2 g and carries about 10 kcal.
Why two slices of pizza can be 200 calories apart
The calories in any slice come down to four things, and only one of them is the topping.
- The weight of the slice. USDA’s cheese, pepperoni and meat pizzas, from restaurants and from the freezer, all fall between 263 and 287 kcal per 100 g, or about 75 to 81 kcal per ounce. Pizza is pizza, per bite. A heavier slice has more calories, almost regardless of style.
- The crust. USDA’s entry for the cheese-and-sauce topping alone works out to about 5 kcal per square inch of pizza. A regular-crust cheese pizza is about 16 kcal per square inch in total. By that arithmetic, roughly two-thirds of a regular cheese slice’s calories are in the crust, which is why thin vs thick matters so much.
- How the pie is cut. A large pie cut into 12 squares instead of 8 wedges gives slices of about 211 kcal instead of 317. “One slice” means nothing until you know how big the pie was and how many ways it was cut.
- Extras on top or on the side. An extra ounce of whole-milk mozzarella adds about 85 kcal. A tablespoon of melted butter for dipping the crust adds about 102 kcal, the same as spreading it on toast. I go through butter and oil numbers in calories in a tablespoon of butter and oil.
Work out any slice from its size
USDA also lists a “surface inch” portion for each pizza: the weight of the pizza under one square inch of its surface. That lets you calculate a slice that doesn’t fit the table, such as a wide New York slice or a square cut.
| Crust | Cheese, kcal per sq in | Pepperoni, kcal per sq in |
|---|---|---|
| Thin | 12 | 14 |
| Regular | 16 | 18 |
| Thick | 19 | 21 |
| Stuffed | 21 | 25 |
For a round pie, the area of one slice is 3.14 × (diameter ÷ 2)² ÷ number of slices. Then multiply by the number from the table.
Worked example: a New York–style slice. New York–style pies are often 18 inches across and cut into 8, so take that size.
- Area of the pie: 3.14 × 9 × 9 = 254 sq in.
- Area of one slice: 254 ÷ 8 = about 32 sq in. That’s about 65% more pizza than a 14-inch slice (19 sq in).
- Calories: 32 × 12 (thin, cheese) = about 380 kcal. If the crust is closer to regular thickness, 32 × 16 = about 510 kcal.
A thin, foldable slice sits near the low end. A slice with a puffy rim, extra cheese or a lot of oil on top sits higher.
Square and sheet pizza: measure the side. A 4 × 4 inch square of thick-crust cheese pizza is 16 sq in × 19, or about 300 kcal.
Chicago deep dish: USDA has no deep-dish entry, and a deep-dish slice is built very differently from a thick crust, so the per-square-inch numbers don’t apply. The most reliable route is to weigh the slice and use about 77 kcal per ounce (USDA’s thick-crust cheese value) or about 81 for pepperoni, and treat the result as an estimate. A slice that weighs 8 oz would be roughly 615 kcal.
Frozen pizza: use the Nutrition Facts label, and check how many servings the box says the pizza holds. USDA’s frozen thin-crust cheese pizza is 263 kcal per 100 g, close to the restaurant versions. Chain restaurants: chains with 20 or more locations have to show calories on the menu (FDA). Use their per-slice number when it matches the size you ordered.
Logging pizza without guessing the slice
The details that matter for pizza are the ones a photo can’t fully see: how big the pie was, how thick the crust is underneath, and how many ways it was cut. So I’d give them to the app directly.
In CaloriePix you can photograph your slices or describe them, for example “2 slices of pepperoni pizza, regular crust, from a 14-inch pie cut into 8”. You’ll see the estimate on a review screen before anything goes into your diary. Ate one slice instead of two? Change the portion and the calories and macros follow. The app’s USDA food search covers FNDDS too, so the pizza entries in this article are there if you’d rather pick one yourself.
For a frozen pizza, scan the Nutrition Facts label instead and set how much of the pizza you ate. If Friday is always the same order from the same place, save it with Save to my foods the first time; after that it’s a single tap. For homemade pizza, weigh the whole pie and your slice, as in how to count calories in homemade food.
A photo can’t see garlic oil brushed on the rim or a second layer of cheese under the toppings, so the slice size and crust are the two things worth checking before you save.
Pizza slice calories to remember
For a typical slice from a large 14-inch pizzeria pie, count about 230 kcal for thin crust, 320 for regular and 360 for thick, and add 30 to 40 for pepperoni. For a bigger slice, a different cut or a style that isn’t in the table, use the per-square-inch numbers or weigh it at about 75 to 81 kcal per ounce. To see how a pizza night fits your day, the calorie calculator gives you a daily target.
This article is general information and is not medical advice.
