Pizza is probably up there in my top 5 favorite foods. It’s almost impossible to get a straight answer when it comes to how many calories are in a slice of New York style pizza (the gold standard… obvs)
I mean, we can access nutrition facts from pizza chains like Domino’s or Pizza Hut but we all know that that’s not really the real deal. It doesn’t even come close to the doughy, cheesy deliciousness of a slice of real NY style pizza (and you don’t HAVE to be in NY to get it).
Traditionally, I’ve always told my clients to use the nutrition facts from Sbarro when estimating the calories/macros in pizza. After all, a slice of Sbarro’s pizza is pretty close to the size of a traditional NY slice.
To give you an idea, here are different sizes of pizza and what they’re considered:
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8″ Pie: Personal Size
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10″ Pie: Small
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12″ Pie: Medium
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14″ Pie: Large
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16″ Pie: Extra Large
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18″ Pie: NY Style
Sbarro’s pies are 17″ so the closest I could find to a NY pie.
Here’s what I could dig up:
Sbarro’s Cheese Slice: 430 Calories, 15 g Fat, 51 g Carbs, 3 g Fiber, 21 g Protein Sbarro’s Pepperoni Slice: 550 Calories, 23 g Fat, 61 g Carbs, 5 g Fiber, 25 g Protein Sbarro’s BBQ Chicken Slice: 560 Calories, 18 g Fat, 73 g Carbs, 2 g Fiber, 28 g Protein
So it’s pretty safe to say that a typical slice of NY cheese pizza is somewhere in the range of 430 calories a slice.
That said, there are SO many options when it comes to pizza these days that being on a “diet” doesn’t necessarily mean a life without pizza.
Check out some of my favorite ways to enjoy pizza on the lighter side!
…And once in awhile, don’t feel bad about indulging in the REAL THING. Just know how to balance it!
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Cauliflower Pizza Crust: Check out my recipe here! But be careful here! Some store bought cauliflower crusts still contain a ton of carbs– read your labels! And when you’re eating out, if your restaurant has cauliflower pizza crust, you could pretty much assume if it tastes too good to be true… it probably is
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Chicken Pizza Crust: Check out my recipe here! This is one of my all time FAVORITE ways to enjoy pizza on a low carb diet!
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Joseph’s Lavash Bread Toaster Oven Pizzas: I’ve been a fan of these Joseph’s lavash breads for years. They’re BIG and contain only 120 calories and 8 grams of net carbs per entire lavash. I top this with Rao’s Tomato Basil sauce and some shredded part skim mozzarella, pop it in the toaster oven and I’m good to go!
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Portabella Mushrooms: Check out this classic recipe for “Pizza-bellas” from Hungry Girl
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Zucchini Pizza Bites: Another favorite low carb pizza swap. Try this recipe from Skinnytaste! They also make a great party appetizer.
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BBQ Chicken Pizza on a Protein Pizza Crust:I first found these Golden Home Ultra Thin Protein Pizza Crusts on Netrition and have been a fan ever since! These are the perfect individual size crusts and they each contain only 110 calories but pack 16 grams of protein.To make a BBQ chicken pizza:
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Preheat your oven to 375 Degrees F
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Grill your chicken
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Spread 1-2 TBSP of your favorite BBQ sauce on your Golden Crust. (I like Stubb’s!)
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Top with diced red onion and cheddar cheese
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Bake for 5-10 minutes until the crust starts to brown & the cheese is melted.
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Top with fresh cilantro
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GG Cracker Pizzas: This recipe was made famous by Tanya Zuckerbrot MS, RD and the F-Factor Diet Learn how to make them here!Get your GG crackers here.
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High Fiber English Muffins, Low Carb Pitas or Low Carb Tortillas:Make your pizza your own!Start with one of my favorite bases:
Add your sauce: Try my Skinny Pesto, Rao’s Tomato Basil Sauce, Cucina Antica Vodka Sauce, Stubb’s Original BBQ Sauce
Add your cheese: Part Skim Mozzarella, Dairy Free Cheese
Add vegetables: Raw or cooked (or make a salad pizza!) Add protein: Grilled Chicken, Turkey Pepperoni, BBQ Chicken, Sausage, etc
