Food and Recipes Dish Pizza 15 Deliciously Popular Pizza Toppings By Mary Shannon Wells Mary Shannon Wells Mary Shannon is a Digital Associate Editor and has been on the Southern Living team since 2017. She helps run the brand's social media accounts on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, and TikTok, where she's happily behind the scenes. When she's not ruffling feathers with an etiquette poll via Instagram Stories, she's writing content for the website and assisting in various print projects like gift guides and home stories.She grew up in Mobile, Alabama, which she insists is home to the country's first Mardi Gras (not New Orleans) and now lives in Birmingham with her husband and rescue pup Rocky, whose name is unrelated to The University of Tennessee (Roll Tide). Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on November 2, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Pinterest/Macheesmo Pizza. Wonderful pizza. What's not to love about homemade bread smothered with sauce, cheese, and toppings of your choice? In our humble opinion, absolutely nothing. Even the pickiest eaters love a simple cheese pizza. For adventurous eaters, though, pizza is an endless experiment. It all starts with the bread, and there are plenty of options: flatbread, thin-crust, whole wheat, stuffed crust, French bread, deep dish, and the list goes on. Next comes the sauce, and even though red sauces are the go-to, white sauces, pesto, barbecue sauces, and other creations can set the base for the pizza. And finally, the toppings. Pizza toppings usually start with a type of cheese, but from there, you can pile on whatever your heart desires (unless your heart desires anchovies—please don't do that). Whether you're making pizza at home, ordering delivery, or visiting a local pizza joint, deciding which toppings you want can be a lengthy process. Some pizza toppings can divide a room (ahem, pineapple), but others are universally loved. These are the best and most popular pizza toppings, plus a few recipes for you try them out with. 01 of 15 Pepperoni Lew Robertson/Getty Images Recipe: Pepperoni Pizza Poll after poll, pepperoni always tops the list of America's favorite pizza toppings. When it doubt, you can't go wrong with a classic. 02 of 15 Mushrooms Photo: Melina Hammer This earthy topping can be divisive in the kitchen, but many agree that it fits right in on a pizza, and this breakfast recipe is a perfect excuse to try eggs on a pizza. Spoiler: You're going to love it. 03 of 15 Sausage Alison Miksch; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl; Food styling: Karen Rankin Some prefer mild, others spicy, and Southerners Conecuh, but sausage is consistently a favorite pizza topping of Americans. This cast-iron pizza recipe gives you another reason to love that skillet. 04 of 15 Onions Alison Miksch Recipe: Smoked Sausage, Grilled Corn, and Sweet Onion Pizza Whether they crisp up in the oven or go on the pizza caramelized, onions are a popular topping that add a little salty or a little sweet, depending how they're prepared. Red onions often accompany barbecue chicken pizzas, while white and yellow onions are popular for supreme pizzas. 05 of 15 Bacon Hector Manuel Sanchez Bacon goes well with anything (try us), so of course it's a popular pizza topping. This fresh spring recipe gets salty, meaty flavor from just a few bacon crumbles. You'll also see pizzas topped with pancetta, which is bacon's Italian cousin. 06 of 15 Extra Cheese Pinterest/Macheesmo Recipe: Deep-Dish Skillet Pizza Who doesn't love a little extra cheese for the perfect cheese-pull picture? We sure do. You might want to check with your local pizza joint to see how much cheese actually comes with an "extra cheese" order, because apparently, it's hotly debated. 07 of 15 Peppers Alison Miksch Recipe: Sheet Pan White Pizza with Salami and Peppers Green, red, yellow, or orange, peppers add a missing crunchy element to chewy, cheesy pizza. This sheet-pan recipe is the easiest way to serve pizza to a crowd, which is code for, "You should have a pizza party." 08 of 15 Black Olives Recipe: Antipasto Pizza People either love or hate olives, but even if you're not a fan, you might actually like the salty bite black olives add to a generously topped pizza. Or you'll just pick them all off. Either way. 09 of 15 Chicken Photo: Jason Wallis Recipe: Quick BBQ Chicken Pizzas The winner winner of weeknight meals goes well on pizzas, too! BBQ chicken, buffalo chicken, and chicken bacon ranch are common pizza orders that contain this protein. 10 of 15 Pineapple Photo: Johnny Autry Recipe: Grilled Ham and Pineapple Pizza Although a debate about whether or not pineapple belongs on pizza can be as polarizing as an Iron Bowl, pineapple-on-pizza lovers are devoted, so it remains a constant on menus. 11 of 15 Spinach Pinterest/Seasons and Suppers Recipe: Spinach and Artichoke Skillet Pizza Spinach is a delicious way to add a little green to your pizza. Another popular green found on pizzas is arugula. Unlike spinach, which is usually cooked with the pizza, arugula is placed fresh on top of the pizza for a fresh, peppery pop. Try our Fig Flatbread for an arugula-topped pizza recipe. 12 of 15 Fresh Basil Beth Dreiling Hontzas Recipe: Grilled Tomato-Peach Pizza Regardless what else comes atop your pizza, a few fresh basil leaves will taste amazing with it. This simple summertime pizza would make a delicious cookout appetizer or light dinner paired with a salad. 13 of 15 Ham Photo: Jennifer Causey Recipe: Fig, Ham, and Ricotta Pizza Ham is often paired with the aforementioned pineapple for Hawaiian pizzas, but it can be delicious with other toppings (we're looking at you, meat-lovers' pizza). For a fancier feel, try prosciutto, or Italian ham. 14 of 15 Pesto Photo: Jennifer Davick Although tomato-based sauces are the far-and-away favorite for pizza, pesto can make any pizza feel lighter. Even if you don't top the whole pizza with pesto, a drizzling on top of a marinara-or white sauce-based pizza tastes amazing. This quick and easy pizza recipe is made on the grill, which makes it perfect for a summer night. 15 of 15 Beef Jennifer Davick Recipe: Grilled Pizza With Steak, Pear, and Arugula In case you haven't noticed the trend, meat is always popular on top of pizzas. Whether you're going for a dressier steak pizza, a kid-friendly cheeseburger pizza, or a pizza topped with meatballs (actually a thing), beef always has a place on pizza. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit