This year's pizza trends: Fewer pineapples, more pickles
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A pickle pizza from Minneapolis restaurant Young Joni, which was featured in Netflix's "Chef's Table: Pizza." Photo courtesy of Netflix
Mushrooms, pickles and maybe — just maybe — ranch dressing are the big pizza trends to watch this year, according to a new report from Slice, an ordering app for locally owned pizzerias.
State of play: Slice identified a few winners and losers in the great toppings debate by tracking orders across the 19,000 mom-and-pop pizzerias using the platform nationwide.
The findings:
🍄 Mushrooms continue to boom in popularity. They were on 8.9% more pizzas in 2022 than the year before, mirroring the larger pro-shroom trend in decor, recipes and parties.
🥒 Pickles are having a moment. "Pickle pizza went viral in 2018 and has steadily become a bigger and bigger favorite," per Slice's report.
- Case in point: A new pickle pizza at the Minnesota State Fair drew some of the longest lines the fair has ever seen.
🍍 The big loser: pineapple. Last year, Slice predicted the juicy fruit would continue to rise in pizza popularity (despite its controversial status).
- Instead, it made its way onto 6.1% fewer pizzas in 2022.
Jury's still out: Ranch. Slice saw a 9.7% surge of ranch dressing on pizza in 2022, but Uber Eats' "Cravings Report" claims the ranch bubble is bursting.
- Ranch dressing was the most-requested special instruction on Uber Eats during the height of the pandemic, but it didn't even crack the top 20 in 2022.
What we're watching: Roman-style pizza, known for its thin focaccia-like base, is on the rise, according to Slice.
Zoom out: The price of a cheese pizza at Slice pizzerias increased an average of 6.4% last year compared to 2021, the company tells us. The average cost of a pie is now $17.81, but that varies widely by state.
- Oregon's pizzas are the most expensive, with an average price of $26.94.
- Oklahoma's are the cheapest, at $12.70.
The big picture: Pizza remains the country's go-to party meal of choice, but nothing brings a group together — or tears it apart — like arguing over toppings and styles.
- So much so, Axios Local has put together the ultimate pizza bracket to crown the best pizza city. Today is the championship round between Chicago and Detroit — vote here.
The bottom line: No matter if your favorite is deep dish or thin crust or comes covered in olives (gross), we all have opinions. Voice yours and vote for Axios Local's best pizza city.
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