What restaurant has the lowest calorie pizza? A Guide to Healthier Pizza Choices

While a standard slice of pepperoni pizza can pack over 300 calories, many restaurant chains now offer lighter, more customizable alternatives for health-conscious diners. When asking what restaurant has the lowest calorie pizza, the answer often depends on customization rather than a single menu item.

Quick Summary

Compare low-calorie pizza options from major chains, including specific menu builds and customization tips for a healthier meal. Learn which restaurants offer the best nutritional choices for balancing cravings and dietary goals.

Key Points

• Blaze Pizza and Pizza Hut: These two chains offer some of the lowest standard-menu calorie options, with Blaze allowing for highly customizable, healthy builds.

• Thin Crust is Key: Opting for a thin crust over deep-dish or hand-tossed can save a significant number of calories and carbohydrates.

• Veggies are Your Friend: Loading up on vegetable toppings adds fiber and nutrients without a major calorie increase.

• Customize Your Order: Building your own pizza with light sauce, less cheese, and lean protein (like grilled chicken) gives you the most control over nutrition.

• Consider Crustless Options: Papa Murphy's offers a crustless pizza, which is an excellent low-carb, low-calorie choice.

• Blot Excess Oil: A simple trick for greasier pizzas, blotting the surface with a napkin can remove a surprising amount of excess fat.

• Check Nutrition Information: Before ordering, many restaurant websites and apps provide nutritional breakdowns for custom orders, allowing you to track calories precisely.

The Lowest Calorie Pizza Chain: A Head-to-Head Comparison

When seeking the lowest-calorie pizza, the ultimate winner is often the one offering the most control over ingredients and portion size. While a single, universally low-calorie item is hard to pinpoint, several national chains consistently provide excellent options for building a healthier pizza.

Pizza Hut For a specific, pre-built option, Pizza Hut's Thin 'N Crispy Veggie Lover's is a strong contender. A small slice can be as low as 100 calories, offering a significant saving compared to its thicker-crust counterparts. The thin crust inherently has less dough, fat, and sodium. By choosing the veggie-centric option, you increase fiber and micronutrient intake while avoiding high-fat meats.

Blaze Pizza For maximum customization and a very low-calorie outcome, Blaze Pizza is a top choice. The restaurant's build-your-own model allows for complete control. A keto crust with red sauce and vegetable toppings yields an impressive nutritional profile, with one slice potentially being as low as 110 calories. Blaze also offers a Red Vine pizza with a thin crust that is notably low in calories.

Domino's Domino's offers competitive low-calorie options when ordered strategically. A small thin-crust pizza with spinach and mushrooms, for example, can have around 120 calories per slice. Smart ordering—opting for thin crust, light cheese, and extra veggies—is key to keeping the calorie count down.

Papa Murphy's This take-and-bake chain provides a unique low-calorie choice with its crustless pizza option, the Gourmet Vegetarian. This build offers extremely low calories per serving by eliminating the dough entirely. If you want a traditional pizza, the thin crust garden veggie is a good option at 180 calories per slice.

California Pizza Kitchen (CPK) CPK was an early adopter of the cauliflower crust, which provides a lower-carb and lower-calorie base. Their California Veggie Pizza on a cauliflower crust, with 90 calories per slice, is a very healthy choice for a sit-down restaurant experience.

How to Build a Lower-Calorie Pizza

To make any pizza order healthier, follow these simple principles:

• Choose the right crust: Thin crust is the easiest way to reduce calories, carbs, and fat. Other great options include cauliflower or keto crusts offered by chains like CPK and Blaze.
• Emphasize vegetables: Fill your pizza with vegetables like mushrooms, onions, bell peppers, and spinach. They add fiber, vitamins, and volume without a major calorie increase.
• Go light on sauce: Opt for a tomato-based sauce, as cream-based sauces like Alfredo are higher in fat and calories. A lighter application of sauce can also help.
• Limit high-fat toppings: Restrict high-fat meat toppings like pepperoni, sausage, and bacon. Choose leaner proteins like grilled chicken instead.
• Reduce cheese: Ask for light cheese. Cheese is a calorie-dense ingredient, and reducing it is a quick way to trim fat and calories. Using fresh mozzarella in moderation is also an option.
• Blot excess oil: For greasier pizzas, a simple dab with a napkin can remove a surprising amount of excess fat.
• Control your portion: Stick to one or two slices and pair them with a side salad to feel full without overindulging.

Nutritional Comparison: Low-Calorie Restaurant Pizza

Here is a quick look at some of the best low-calorie options from popular restaurant chains. Note that serving sizes can vary, so these figures are approximations based on available nutritional information.

Restaurant	Pizza (Serving Size)	Calories (approx.)	Notes
Pizza Hut	Thin 'N Crispy Veggie Lover's (Small Slice)	100	Very low calorie for a traditional slice.
Blaze Pizza	Keto Crust, Red Sauce, Veggies (1/6 of an 11")	110	Fully customizable, allows precise control.
Domino's	Thin Crust with Spinach & Mushroom (Small Slice)	120	Great for a classic pizza chain experience.
Little Caesars	Thin Crust Cheese (Slice)	148	Good low-cost, low-calorie choice.
CPK	Cauliflower Crust California Veggie (Slice)	170	Excellent for those avoiding gluten or white flour.
Papa Murphy's	Thin Crust Garden Veggie (Large Slice)	180	Take-and-bake convenience with a solid nutritional profile.

Making Informed Choices

Choosing the lowest calorie pizza is a personalized decision that depends on your preferences and available restaurants. While Pizza Hut's Thin 'N Crispy Veggie Lover's often wins for a single item, Blaze Pizza's customizable options provide the most flexibility for a truly low-calorie meal. Ultimately, the healthiest pizza is the one you customize yourself, focusing on a thin or alternative crust, light sauce, and plenty of vegetable toppings. These simple adjustments allow you to enjoy your favorite food without compromising your diet. For more tips on making healthy choices while dining out, explore resources like the CDC's guides on healthy eating.

Conclusion: Making Informed Choices

No single chain will always have the lowest calorie pizza across its entire menu, as the final calorie count depends heavily on your choices. However, chains that offer thin crusts, alternative doughs like cauliflower or keto, and allow for maximum customization, like Blaze Pizza and California Pizza Kitchen, are your best bets. Even at traditional chains like Pizza Hut and Domino's, a simple swap to a thin crust and piling on vegetable toppings can drastically reduce calories. By understanding the factors that influence a pizza's calorie density—crust, cheese, and toppings—you can make an informed decision and enjoy pizza as part of a balanced and healthy diet.

Visit the CDC for more information on making healthy eating choices when dining out.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which chain has the absolute lowest-calorie pizza item?

Pizza Hut's small Thin 'N Crispy Veggie Lover's pizza is among the lowest, with some slices containing only 100 calories. However, customizable options at Blaze Pizza can also achieve very low-calorie counts, depending on the build.

Is thin crust pizza always the healthiest option?

Thin crust is generally healthier than thicker, deep-dish, or stuffed crusts because it contains fewer calories and carbohydrates. Paired with the right toppings, it’s an excellent choice for a lower-calorie meal.

Can I make a healthy pizza at Domino's?

Yes, you can. Start with a thin crust, choose a tomato-based sauce, ask for light cheese, and load up on vegetable toppings like spinach and mushrooms. Lean chicken can also be a healthier protein choice.

What's the best keto-friendly pizza option at a restaurant?

Blaze Pizza offers a keto crust that, when combined with a red sauce and veggie toppings, is a highly recommended low-carb and low-calorie pizza option.

Does cauliflower crust reduce pizza calories?

Yes, cauliflower crusts significantly reduce both calories and carbohydrates compared to traditional white flour dough. California Pizza Kitchen's cauliflower crust is a popular option that is both tasty and healthier.

How can I reduce the calories in a meat-lover's pizza?

To reduce calories in a meat-lover's style pizza, choose a thin crust, ask for a lighter amount of cheese, and opt for leaner meats like grilled chicken or lean ham instead of sausage and pepperoni.

Are chain restaurant salads healthier than their pizza?

Not necessarily. While salads offer greens and nutrients, many restaurant salads can be high in calories due to heavy dressings, high-fat cheeses, and fried toppings. A custom-built low-calorie pizza can sometimes be a better choice.

What is Papa Murphy's crustless pizza?

Papa Murphy's Gourmet Vegetarian crustless pizza is an extremely low-calorie and low-carb option that removes the dough entirely and uses a bed of vegetables instead.