Pizza Toppings Tier List: Every Classic Topping Ranked
Twenty-three toppings, one pie, a lot of strong opinions. We're ranking the stuff people actually pile on their pizza, from the classics everyone fights over to the ones that should probably stay in the fridge.
This list leans on how fans and critics talk about these toppings across menus, polls and pizzeria counters, plus our own take when the debate gets heated (looking at you, pineapple people). Disagree with where something landed? That's half the fun. Build your own version and argue about it over a slice.
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SS Tier: The non-negotiables
Pepperoni
The default for a reason. Those little grease-cupped edges that go slightly crispy in the oven are basically the whole appeal of American pizza in one topping.
About Pepperoni
A spicy, slightly smoky cured sausage made from beef and pork, sliced thin and used as America's most common pizza topping. It originated in Italian-American communities in the early 20th century.
- Type
- Cured sausage
- Origin
- Italian-American
Sausage
Crumbled Italian sausage brings fat and fennel and savory depth that pepperoni can't match on its own. Chicago deep dish built an entire identity around it.
About Sausage
Usually Italian-style pork sausage seasoned with fennel and crumbled over the pizza before baking. A cornerstone of Chicago-style deep dish.
- Type
- Seasoned pork
- Common in
- Chicago deep dish
Extra Cheese
Not technically a topping, more a philosophy. But nobody's ever sent back a pizza for having too much good mozzarella, so it earns its spot at the top.
About Extra Cheese
An add-on of extra mozzarella (or a blend) beyond the standard amount, ordered when the standard melt just isn't enough.
- Type
- Dairy
AA Tier: Excellent, no notes
Mushrooms
Earthy, a little chewy, and they soak up whatever grease is floating around the pie. Pair them with sausage and you've basically made a stew on bread.
About Mushrooms
Thinly sliced white or cremini mushrooms, a staple vegetable topping known for their earthy flavor and ability to absorb grease and sauce.
- Type
- Vegetable/fungus
- Common variety
- White button
Bacon
Smoky and salty enough to cut through cheese, bacon works on everything from a classic pepperoni pie to a white pizza with ranch drizzle.
About Bacon
Smoked and cured pork, usually crumbled or cut into strips, prized for its salty smokiness on both red and white pizzas.
- Type
- Cured pork
Black Olives
Briny little discs that divide people by region more than taste. The Midwest loves them on everything, and honestly they deserve the love.
About Black Olives
Pitted and sliced into rings, black olives add a briny, salty bite and are especially popular on Midwestern pizzas.
- Type
- Fruit (botanically)
Fresh Basil
Torn basil leaves laid on after the pizza comes out of the oven is the margherita move, and it makes a simple tomato-and-cheese pie taste like it costs twice as much.
About Fresh Basil
Aromatic green herb, traditionally torn and added after baking on margherita pizza alongside tomato and mozzarella.
- Type
- Herb
- Classic pairing
- Margherita pizza
Garlic
Roasted cloves or a light mince under the cheese adds a punch that makes a plain cheese pizza feel finished. Few toppings give you this much flavor for this little effort.
About Garlic
Used roasted, minced or as a base layer under the cheese, garlic is a flavor-boosting staple topping.
- Type
- Allium
BB Tier: Reliable, situational
Onions
Sweet when caramelized, sharp when raw, onions are a solid utility topping that rarely headlines but always helps the team.
About Onions
Sliced raw or caramelized, onions are a basic savory topping found on everything from supreme pizzas to simple cheese pies.
- Type
- Vegetable
Green Peppers
The supreme pizza wouldn't be the supreme without them, even if they can turn a little bitter if the slice sits too long before you eat it.
About Green Peppers
Also called bell peppers, these are a crunchy, slightly bitter staple of the classic supreme or veggie pizza.
- Type
- Vegetable
Red Onions
Milder and prettier than the regular kind, red onions show up most on gourmet pies with goat cheese or arugula. Good, just a slightly fancier cousin of a B-tier staple.
About Red Onions
A milder, sweeter, and more colorful alternative to yellow onions, common on gourmet and specialty pizzas.
- Type
- Vegetable
Ham
Mild and a little sweet, ham mostly exists to make pineapple's case stronger. On its own with mushrooms it's a quietly solid combo.
About Ham
A mild cured pork topping best known as half of the classic Hawaiian pizza pairing with pineapple.
- Type
- Cured pork
Chicken
Grilled chicken with barbecue sauce or buffalo chicken with ranch turned this into a legit pizza category. Plain diced chicken, though, can be dry and forgettable.
About Chicken
Diced or grilled chicken breast, often paired with barbecue sauce or buffalo-style seasoning instead of traditional tomato sauce.
- Type
- Poultry
Tomatoes
Fresh slices add brightness but also water, which can leave you with a soggy middle if the pizzeria isn't careful. Worth it on a margherita-style pie, risky elsewhere.
About Tomatoes
Fresh tomato slices or halved cherry tomatoes, used to add brightness, especially on margherita-style pizzas.
- Type
- Fruit (culinary vegetable)
Jalapeños
Reliable heat that doesn't overpower the cheese. Pickled jalapeños in particular add a tang that raw ones don't.
About Jalapeños
Spicy green peppers served fresh or pickled, added for heat on specialty and spicy pizza varieties.
- Type
- Chili pepper
Spinach
Wilts down nicely and plays well with feta and garlic. Nobody's favorite topping by itself, but a great supporting player on a white pizza.
About Spinach
A leafy green that wilts down under heat, commonly used on white pizzas alongside garlic, feta or ricotta.
- Type
- Leafy vegetable
Feta Cheese
Salty and tangy, feta is basically a flavor bomb dropped on top. It doesn't melt like mozzarella, but that's the point, it stays distinct in every bite.
About Feta Cheese
A tangy, crumbly brined cheese of Greek origin, often used on Mediterranean-style pizzas with spinach and olives.
- Type
- Brined cheese
- Origin
- Greece
CC Tier: Hit or miss
Meatballs
Great in concept, inconsistent in practice. Too often they're sliced too thick and turn the center of the pizza into a chore to eat.
About Meatballs
Sliced or quartered Italian-style meatballs, a heartier topping popular on red-sauce pizzerias' specialty pies.
- Type
- Beef or pork
Banana Peppers
Tangy and fine in small amounts, but they get lost under heavier toppings and can make a slice taste more like a sandwich bar than a pizzeria.
About Banana Peppers
Mild, tangy pickled peppers that add a vinegary kick, often found on deli-style or specialty pizzas.
- Type
- Pickled pepper
Artichoke Hearts
Great on a white pizza with garlic and spinach, a little out of place anywhere else. Also just not something most pizzerias stock, so it's rarely an option anyway.
About Artichoke Hearts
The tender inner part of the artichoke, usually marinated or canned, common on white and gourmet pizzas.
- Type
- Vegetable
Sun-Dried Tomatoes
Concentrated and chewy, they add a sweet-tangy punch in small doses but can turn leathery and overwhelming if the kitchen goes heavy-handed.
About Sun-Dried Tomatoes
Tomatoes dried and often packed in oil, giving a concentrated sweet-tangy flavor used on gourmet pizza varieties.
- Type
- Preserved fruit
DD Tier: Proceed with caution
Anchovies
The most argued-about topping on this list, and the fans lose the argument more often than they win it. Salty, fishy, and polarizing even among people who genuinely love seafood.
About Anchovies
Small, intensely salty cured fish fillets, a traditional Mediterranean topping that remains one of the most polarizing choices in pizza culture.
- Type
- Cured fish
FF Tier: Fighting words
Pineapple
Yes, we know, people genuinely love Hawaiian pizza and will fight for it. But broad consensus still puts warm, juicy fruit next to greasy pepperoni in the loser's bracket, so it lands at the bottom here.
About Pineapple
Sweet tropical fruit topping made famous by Hawaiian pizza, which was actually invented in Canada in 1962.
- Type
- Fruit
- Famous pairing
- Ham
How we ranked them
We weighed how well each topping actually works with melted cheese and dough: flavor payoff, texture, how it holds up in the oven, and how often it shows up on "best pizza topping" lists versus "worst." We also factored in how divisive a topping is. Something can rank lower not because it's bad, but because it needs the right company to shine. Consensus from pizzeria menus, food forums and general pizza-nerd chatter did most of the heavy lifting.
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Rank these yourselfFAQ
What is the most popular pizza topping?
Pepperoni is consistently ranked the most popular pizza topping in the US, found on more pizzas than any other single topping.
Is pineapple really the most hated pizza topping?
It's one of the most divisive. A large and loud fanbase loves Hawaiian pizza, but it still polls near the bottom in most broad surveys and forum debates.
What toppings go best together?
Classic combos like sausage and mushroom, or pepperoni and extra cheese, tend to top most lists because the flavors and textures balance each other without competing.
Are anchovies actually bad on pizza?
Not objectively bad, just intensely salty and fishy in a way that doesn't suit every palate. People who like them tend to really like them.
What's the healthiest pizza topping?
Vegetable toppings like spinach, mushrooms, onions and tomatoes add flavor and nutrients without piling on extra fat the way meats and extra cheese do.
More rankings
Image credits
- PepperoniPhoto: Jonathan Cutrer from San Angelo, United States, CC BY 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons) · License · Source
- SausagePhoto: Conan, CC BY 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons) · License · Source
- Extra CheesePhoto: Ser Amantio di Nicolao, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons) · License · Source
- MushroomsPhoto: George Chernilevsky, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons) · License · Source
- BaconPhoto: Made20rder555, Public domain (Wikimedia Commons) · Source
- Black OlivesPhoto: Newyorkadam, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons) · License · Source
- Fresh BasilPhoto: Photo by David J. Stang, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons) · License · Source
- GarlicPhoto: Ivar Leidus, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons) · License · Source
- OnionsPhoto: HungryHuy, CC BY 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons) · License · Source
- Green PeppersPhoto: Airypedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons) · License · Source
- Red OnionsPhoto: darwin Bell from San Francisco, USA, CC BY 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons) · License · Source
- HamPhoto: Mack Male from Edmonton, AB, Canada, CC BY-SA 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons) · License · Source
- ChickenPhoto: Rajeeb Dutta, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons) · License · Source
- TomatoesPhoto: © 2005 User:FoeNyx, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons) · License · Source
- JalapeñosPhoto: Mayur Panchamia, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons) · License · Source
- SpinachPhoto: Nillerdk, CC BY 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons) · License · Source
- Feta CheesePhoto: JJ Harrison (https://www.jjharrison.com.au/), CC BY-SA 2.5 (Wikimedia Commons) · License · Source
- MeatballsPhoto: Obsidian Soul, CC0 (Wikimedia Commons) · License · Source
- Banana PeppersPhoto: Vegan Feast Catering, CC BY 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons) · License · Source
- Artichoke HeartsPhoto: Alabama Extension, CC0 (Wikimedia Commons) · License · Source
- Sun-Dried TomatoesPhoto: Andrew Deacon, CC BY 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons) · License · Source
- AnchoviesPhoto: Nesnad, CC BY 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons) · License · Source
- PineapplePhoto: PattayaPatrol, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons) · License · Source