Should you’re searching for the healthiest pizza chain, you’re deluding your self—or gamely trying to make the least unhealthy alternative, nutritionally talking. It’s OK to acknowledge that chain pizza is unquestionably not good for you. And generally it doesn’t even style good. However sometimes you simply crave a greasy guilty pleasure that solely the likes of Domino’s can present. Don’t fear, we received’t decide.
When it comes to the quality and ingredients in fast food pizza, we determined to do some analysis by having a look on the dietary content material of a basic, medium-sized cheese pie at every of those 4 widespread chains:
- Papa John’s
- Pizza Hut
- Little Caesar’s
- Domino’s
Whereas not one of the quantitative data shocked us (pizza is excessive in carbs and sodium, duh!), we had been shocked by the best way during which these chains conveyed this data. Some relied on imprecise well being claims, advertising spin, and the ever-present lure of vine-ripened tomatoes. Others opted for a subtler “no remark” method. Regardless of the way you slice it, the dietary hype, or lack thereof, speaks volumes to every model’s id. We break it down under.
Be aware: Dietary data is displayed per slice.
As we’ll see, the dietary breakdown of the 4 main pizza gamers in america are pretty comparable. Papa John’s is simply as a lot a carb-y, salt bomb as the remainder of its rivals. The truth is, Papa John’s takes the cake (err pie?) for having the very best sodium depend for a fundamental cheese pizza, although not by a lot so don’t let that sway your resolution. All these slices are on equal footing.
Nevertheless of all of the chains, it makes among the boldest claims concerning the high quality of its ingredients. In response to their web site, their pizza is all the time made with dough that’s recent, not frozen; vine-ripened tomatoes (wait, don’t all tomatoes develop on vines?!); and top quality, part-skim, mozzarella cheese. Their web site additionally makes use of the adjective “actual” to explain the cheese, which absolutely is a reduction. (We wouldn’t need any of that pretend dairy tainting our pie.) Studying an internet site this additional is exhausting.
Papa John’s additionally goes a step additional and affords up “Papa’s Quality Guarantee,” as a result of if there’s one factor I need my pizza to be graced with, it’s the blessing of a faceless, imaginary entity named after controversial blowhard and default company mascot, former CEO Papa John Schnatter (no longer with the company, however his identify lives on). On the off likelihood you don’t get pleasure from your order, be sure you save the receipt as proof of buy for a alternative pizza. However chances are high should you’re ordering from Papa John’s, your requirements aren’t that prime to start with.
Energy 210
Fats 7g
Sugar 3g
Protein 8g
Sodium 520mg
So far as chain pizzerias go, Domino’s has its justifiable share of loyalists. Even Momofuku founder and culinary contrarian David Chang has vouched for the model, not less than when it comes to its nostalgia worth. As the largest pizza model and seventh-largest fast food brand on this planet, they’ve clearly earned numerous goodwill and, because of their measurement and half-century lengthy historical past, Domino’s web site and promotional supplies are quite a bit much less flashy than Papa John’s. They merely don’t have to scream about actual cheese or tomatoes from vines, with the desperation of a model that bought dropped by the NFL.
As an alternative, Domino’s dietary data opts for subtlety. You possibly can learn the ingredient breakdown for any ingredient. It’s fully devoid of context or meaningless descriptors, which after scrolling by way of infinite pages of Papa John’s hype is certainly a candy reduction.
Domino’s does provide one helpful vitamin instrument, nonetheless: the uncharacteristically and goofily named Cal-O-Meter, which one should think about is a holdover from the ’90s pre-Atkins world when the whole lot was excessive and to the max. Since Domino’s boasts over 34 million completely different mixtures of choices, the Cal-O-Meter permits you to uncover the dietary data for a custom-made order. You possibly can enter a variation of pizza sizes, crusts, and toppings, and determine what works greatest to your dietary wants. It’s really fairly helpful for one thing with such a dumb identify.
Energy 200
Fats 8g
Sugar lower than 1g
Protein 8g
Sodium 360mg
Pizza Hut additionally has a customizable nutrition tool, although it lacks a goofy identify. Thankfully there may be nonetheless loads to mock on their website, as an example: Their doth-protest-too-much insistence on the truth that they “are a restaurant at coronary heart.” Was anybody mistaking them for one thing else? Then there’s the “Hut Life Weblog” and the existence of a more recent menu merchandise (mainly calzones) dubbed the P’ZONE. Presumably, they aren’t really pronounced “pee zone” however they’re baked with toasted parmesan on prime, which may be sufficient to tempt anybody into ordering them for his or her subsequent weekend Netflix binge.
Energy 250
Fats 10g
Sugar 1g
Protein 11g
Sodium 450mg
Little Caesar’s ties with Pizza Hut for calorie depend, with barely much less fats and sodium however just a little extra sugar. It’s a toss-up, actually.
However when it comes to advertising hype, Little Caesar’s not less than focuses (for now) on their neighborhood involvement and contactless supply choices reasonably than making an attempt to feed us rejected GOOP articles. And nutritionally, they only lay out the information; they know that you just need a fast slice, and aren’t underneath the impression you’re ordering well being meals.
In spite of everything, after we order from any chain pizza place, we aren’t anticipating artisanal masterpieces. If solely company America would cease making an attempt to faucet into aspirational way of life lingo and promote their product for what it truly is—a greasy pie that hits the spot in a pinch.
Energy 250
Fats 9g
Sugar 3g
Protein 12g
Sodium 440mg
Should you’re feeling bold, see how to make the best pizza crust at dwelling (you possibly can even proof it in your Instant Pot).
