When it comes to pizza, one of the biggest concerns for many people is the calorie count. Pizza is often seen as an indulgent food that can quickly add extra calories to your daily intake. If you’re watching your weight or simply trying to make healthier choices, knowing how many calories are in a single slice of pizza can help you stay on track.
The Basics of Dominos Pizza Nutrition
Domino’s is one of the most popular national pizza chains in the United States. The calories for a single slice of their pizza will depend on the specific type of pizza you order. In general, Domino’s hand-tossed pizza tends to be higher in calories than the thinner crust pizzas. Toppings will also impact the calories per slice.
On average, one slice of a medium Domino’s pizza contains the following calories:
| Type of Pizza | Calories (1 slice) |
| Hand-Tossed | 285-350 |
| Thin Crust | 230-290 |
| Brooklyn Style | 260-320 |
As you can see, hand-tossed pizza from Domino’s tends to have the most calories per slice. The thinner crust options are lower in calories. Brooklyn style fits somewhere in the middle.
Factors That Impact Calories per Slice
There are a few key factors that determine the calorie count for a slice of Domino’s pizza:
- Size – The larger the pizza, the more calories per slice since the slices are bigger.
- Crust – As mentioned above, thinner crusts tend to be lower calorie than thicker, crisper crusts.
- Cheese – Extra cheese adds a significant amount of calories.
- Toppings – Higher calorie toppings like pepperoni, sausage, bacon etc. increase the calories.
- Cooking method – Hand-tossed pizzas tend to be oilier than the thin crust, resulting in more calories.
Let’s take a closer look at how each of these factors impacts the calorie counts.
Pizza Size
Domino’s offers pizza in small, medium, and large sizes. A small is generally around 10 inches, a medium 12 inches, and a large 14 inches. The larger the pizza, the bigger the slice, and the more calories that slice will contain.
For example, here are the calories for one slice of a cheese pizza from Domino’s based on different sizes:
| Pizza Size | Calories Per Slice (1/8 pizza) |
| Small (10″) | 220 |
| Medium (12″) | 260 |
| Large (14″) | 305 |
As shown, the medium pizza has about 15% more calories per slice compared to the small. The large pizza has over 25% more calories per slice than the small.
Pizza Crust
Domino’s offers a few different crust options that can impact the calories:
- Hand-Tossed – This thick and airy crust goes through a kneading and tossing process to give it a soft, chewy texture.
- Thin Crust – A thinner, crispier crust that is rolled out instead of tossed by hand.
- Brooklyn Style – A cross between New York style and thin crust pizza. It’s stretched out thin but has some chewiness like a hand-tossed crust.
- Gluten-Free – Uses a gluten-free pizza crust to accommodate gluten sensitivities.
The hand-tossed crust has the highest calories, followed by Brooklyn style, thin crust, and gluten-free crusts which are the lowest calorie options at Domino’s.
Cheese
Cheese is one of the main sources of calories in pizza. Standard pizzas at Domino’s come with regular cheese, but you can request extra cheese or double cheese to make it extra cheesy.
Here’s how the calories change if you add extra cheese:
| Cheese Option | Calories (1 slice) |
| Regular Cheese | 260 |
| Extra Cheese | 305 |
| Double Cheese | 350 |
That’s about a 15-20% calorie increase for each level of extra cheese added. The extra dairy fat and protein adds up quickly.
Meat & Veggie Toppings
Toppings can also make a significant impact on the calories in a slice of pizza. Meats like pepperoni, sausage, bacon, chicken, etc. will bump up the calories more than vegetable toppings.
Here are some examples of how meat vs. veggie toppings change the calorie amounts:
| Topping | Calories Added |
| Pepperoni (per slice) | +40-50 |
| Sausage (per slice) | +30-40 |
| Chicken (per slice) | +30-40 |
| Bacon (per slice) | +10-15 |
| Onions (per slice) | +5 |
| Mushrooms (per slice) | +5-10 |
| Green Peppers (per slice) | +5 |
As you can see, those meat toppings like pepperoni and sausage add a substantial number of extra calories compared to veggie toppings. So opting for veggies over meats can help trim some calories off your pizza slice.
Cooking Method
The way the pizza is cooked can also impact the calorie counts. For the traditional hand-tossed pizzas at Domino’s, oil is applied to the pans to prevent sticking and help facilitate the tossing process.
More oil means more fat is absorbed into the crust as it cooks. The thin crust pizzas don’t require as much oil since they are stretched and flattened instead of tossed.
So the cooking method used for hand-tossed crusts adds more fat and calories vs. the thin crust options.
Lowest Calorie Options at Domino’s
If you’re looking for ways to cut calories at Domino’s, here are some of the lowest calorie options for one slice:
- Thin crust pizza with light cheese, loads of veggie toppings
- Brooklyn style crust with light sauce, reduced cheese, lots of veggies
- Gluten-free crust with chicken or veggies instead of higher fat meats
- Avoid extra cheese, double cheese, and high-calorie meats like pepperoni and sausage
- Get a small or medium pizza instead of a large
- Ask for light sauce and a thin, well-done crust to further reduce calories
Using combinations of these tweaks can help you get down to around 200 calories per slice for thin crust, and 250 for Brooklyn style at Domino’s.
Highest Calorie Options at Domino’s
On the flip side, here are some ways to build a super high-calorie slice if you’re craving an indulgent pizza:
- Order a large hand-tossed pizza for a bigger slice size
- Get double or extra cheese
- Load up on high-fat meats like pepperoni, sausage, and bacon
- Ask for extra sauce which has added sugar and fat
- Add a cheesy crust edge for even more calories
Combining these options can easily push you over 350 calories or more for a single slice! If you’re getting an extra cheesy and meaty pizza, just be mindful of your portion sizes.
Tips for Building a Healthier Pizza
You can still enjoy pizza while cutting back on calories by following these tips:
- Opt for thin crust instead of hand-tossed
- Load up on veggies as toppings instead of fatty meats
- Ask for less cheese or just regular cheese instead of extra
- Avoid the cheesy stuffed crust options
- Order a small or medium size instead of large
- Request light sauce to trim fat and sugars
- Avoid dipping sauces like ranch, garlic butter, etc.
- Only eat 1-2 slices instead of half a pizza
You can easily shave off around 100 calories per slice just by making pizza choices with weight loss in mind. Balance is key – you can still enjoy a slice of pizza without wrecking your diet if you go for healthier crusts and toppings.
Calorie Ranges for Common Domino’s Orders
To give you a better idea, here are the typical calorie counts for some of the most popular types of pizzas from Domino’s:
| Pizza Type | Calories Per Slice |
|---|---|
| Cheese | 260-350 |
| Veggie | 220-320 |
| Meat Lovers | 320-420 |
| Pepperoni | 300-400 |
| Hawaiian (ham & pineapple) | 270-370 |
| BBQ Chicken | 280-380 |
| Supreme (pepperoni, sausage, etc) | 300-400 |
The lower end is for thin crust pizzas with light cheese. The higher end is for hand-tossed crust with extra cheese and toppings.
As you can see, meat-heavy pizzas or those with extra cheese easily top 300+ calories per slice. Veggie pizzas are your best bet for keeping calories in check.
Dipping Sauces
One final consideration is dipping sauces! Adding sauces like ranch, garlic butter, or marinara for dipping can tack on an additional 50-100+ calories per serving.
Opt for a squeeze of lemon or red pepper flakes instead of heavy, creamy sauces if you are watching your calorie intake.
The Bottom Line
So how many calories are in one slice of Domino’s pizza? The answer can range wildly from 220 to over 400 calories depending on the size, crust, toppings, and sauces.
On average, a slice of Domino’s cheese or pepperoni pizza will fall around 300 calories for thin crust, and 350 for hand-tossed crust. Adding extra meat or cheese can push you closer to 400+ per slice.
The best way to minimize calories at Domino’s is opting for thin crust or Brooklyn style crusts, loading up on veggie toppings, and avoiding extra cheese or high-calorie dipping sauces.
Being mindful of portion sizes is also key – stick to just one or two slices instead of half a pizza!
Conclusion
Domino’s pizza can absolutely be part of a healthy diet if you make smart choices to cut back on calories. Focus on veggie toppings, lighter sauces, smaller portions, and thinner crusts instead of deep dish. Consider the calorie counts for different slice options as a guide for building your own lower calorie pizza.
