How Many Calories Are In A Slice Of New York-Style Pizza?

Whether you live in the Big Apple or plan to visit sometime in the future, eating your way through New York's five boroughs' popular food choices is a given. Next to bagels, pastrami, and cheesecake, sizable meat-and-cheese-covered pizza slices have become tied to the city since Lombardi's restaurant opened in the early 1900s. Hand-tossed crust and large foldable slices are defining factors of New York-style pizza. Once you add your favorite toppings to that thin layer of pizza sauce and finish with a shake or two of parmesan, you're ready to consume one delicious, legendary snack.

However, if you're someone who regularly counts calories or pays extra care to the nutritional aspects of certain foods, you may be wondering how these massive pizza slices hold up to your standards. Since the city that never sleeps is flooded with New York-style pizza joints, finding a one-size-fits-all calorie count for one piece of pizza is nearly impossible to achieve. On a comparative scale, Brooklyn-born Grimaldi's 18-inch pizza has 1820 calories, making ⅛ of the pie, or one slice, 228 calories without added toppings. Yet, users on Reddit guestimate one large slice of Caprese pizza from Joe's Pizza ranges between 300-500 calories. If you're worried about potentially consuming too many calories from one New York slice, monitor the amount of extra toppings and pizza slices you consume.

Even though you can't decipher the exact amount of calories in your next slice of New York-style pizza, you can still practice mindful consumption. Instead of trying to control or minimize the two ingredients that set New York pizza dough apart, choose healthier toppings for your pizza, such as spinach, peppers, and fresh tomatoes. Nutritionix estimates that one slice of New York-style pepperoni pizza has roughly 500 calories, 38% of which is labeled as calories from fat. MyFoodData claims 1 ounce of pepperoni contains 13 grams of fat, so you can minimize the calories you consume by choosing healthier extras.

Since standard New York City pizza slices are quite large, you can start with half a slice and eat another half or more if you're still hungry. You can also opt for a whole slice and skip the crust. Calorie counters on Reddit advise pizza lovers to always allot more calories to standard New York pizza slices than you might initially guess. Yet, regardless of the caloric intake behind your next slice, beyond being judicious with your choices, truly enjoying this renowned snack is the most important part of the entire pizza-eating experience. After all, these large and chewy, cheese-covered slices are famous for a reason. If you're going to eat New York-style pizza, live a little and enjoy every last bite.