How Much Sugar Is in Pizza?

Pizza contains calcium, zinc and niacin.

Pizza contains calcium, zinc and niacin.

Pizza may taste savory, but there is sugar lurking in most slices. Many recipes for pizza dough include sugar, which reacts with the yeast to help the dough rise. The sauce also contributes sugar to your slice. Watching your sugar intake is one way to protect the health of your heart and reduce your risk of gaining weight.

Sugar in Pizza

A slice of the average frozen cheese pizza contains about 5 grams of sugar. An average piece of pizza with meat, such as pepperoni or sausage, has closer to 6 grams. One culprit is the pizza sauce, which can have up to 1.1 grams of added sugar per 1/4-cup serving. The crust also contains added sugar.

Sugar Functions and Dangers

Sugar fuels your body and gives you energy, but you only need a tiny amount. Most diets include far more sugar than necessary, and that can lead to health problems. When you eat a lot of sugar, you can gain an unhealthy amount of weight which, in turn, can increase your risk of high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol and heart disease. Too much sugar also raises your triglycerides, which means it's harder for your body to get rid of excess fat in your arteries. Elevated triglycerides puts you at a higher risk for heart disease. Sugar contributes to tooth decay, too. According to, women shouldn't have more than 6 teaspoons, or 24 grams, of sugar per day. Men should limit themselves to 9 teaspoons, or 36 grams, each day.

Additional Sugar Sources

If you enjoy pineapple and ham on your pizza, expect your slice to contain between 7 and 7.5 additional grams of sugar. A 1-ounce serving of Canadian bacon adds about 1 gram of sugar. The sauce on a barbecue chicken pizza adds about 5.5 grams of added sugar per tablespoon. Add 1/4 cup of pickled jalapenos to your pizza and you'll get about 0.75 gram of extra sugar.


To keep your intake of sugar lower, order a thin crust pizza. Because you get less crust, you'll also get much less sugar. Ask that your pizza be made with half the sauce as another way to cut its sugar content. Even better, make your own pizza. Boil whole tomatoes until they're soft. Remove the skin and puree them with herbs such as oregano or basil to make a sauce. Choose the right toppings, too: Low-fat cheese, lean meats and fresh vegetables are all naturally low in sugar, making them among your healthiest options.

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  • pizza image by Christian De Grandmaison from
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