How Many Calories in a Slice of Pizza

How Many Calories Are in a Slice of Pizza?

The honest answer is that it depends on the size, the crust and the toppings — but as a reliable baseline, a slice of regular-crust cheese pizza (one-eighth of a 14-inch pie) has about 285 calories. That number climbs with meat toppings and thick crusts, and drops with thin crust and vegetable toppings.

Pizza calories are driven by three things: the dough (the more crust, the more carbs), the cheese (the main source of fat) and the toppings (pepperoni and sausage add fat and salt, vegetables add almost nothing). A single slice is rarely a problem on its own — it is the three-or-four-slice serving that adds up fast.

Calories by Pizza Type (Per Slice)

Pizza slice (1/8 of 14-inch)	Calories	Carbs (g)	Protein (g)	Fat (g)
Thin-crust cheese	~200	22	9	8
Regular-crust cheese	~285	36	12	10
Pepperoni	~315	36	13	13
Sausage	~325	35	14	14
Veggie (regular crust)	~265	35	11	9
Meat lovers	~370	37	17	18
Deep-dish / stuffed crust	~430	42	17	22

These are per-slice figures for a standard 14-inch pizza cut into eight slices. A 12-inch (small) pie yields smaller slices with proportionally fewer calories, while a 16- or 18-inch (extra-large) pie produces noticeably bigger slices.

What Makes Pizza Calories Add Up

The crust and cheese do most of the work. A regular crust contributes the bulk of the carbohydrates, while a generous layer of mozzarella can add 80 to 120 calories of mostly fat per slice. Processed meats like pepperoni and sausage layer on additional fat and a heavy dose of sodium. Vegetable toppings — mushrooms, peppers, onions, spinach — add fiber and vitamins for almost no extra calories, which is why a veggie slice can actually be lighter than a plain cheese slice from some chains.

Lighter Ways to Enjoy Pizza

You do not have to skip pizza to manage calories. Choosing thin crust instead of regular saves roughly 80 to 90 calories per slice. Asking for light cheese or “extra veggies” cuts fat without sacrificing volume. Blotting the surface oil with a napkin removes a surprising amount of fat. And pairing one or two slices with a large salad lets you fill up on lower-calorie food, so you naturally eat fewer slices.

Calories in a Whole Pizza

If you are tracking a shared pizza, it helps to think in whole-pie terms. A 14-inch cheese pizza totals roughly 2,000 to 2,300 calories, and a large pepperoni can top 2,400. Splitting that across the eight slices is what gives you the per-slice numbers above — and it is also a useful reminder that finishing half a large pizza by yourself can mean a full day’s worth of calories in one sitting.