Little Caesars, one of the most well-known pizza restaurants, has a menu packed full of flavor. However, these delicious meals don't always translate into healthy dishes. In most cases, you are better off eating a homemade pizza or buying a healthier frozen pizza than ordering take-out from a pizza place. However, if you want to enjoy a night off from cooking, and Little Caesars is in your meal rotation, we've simplified the menu to make it easier to navigate their best and worst items.
Pizza is generally a high-calorie food that starts with a carbohydrate-heavy base of bread, includes cheese that can pack on the calories, and meats that provide no shortage of fat grams. While this makes for a tasty meal, it may not be great for your health on a regular basis. For a healthier pizza, look for options like thin crust, and light cheese, and trade the fatty meat for lean options like ham and chicken. To add more nutrients to your pie, load up on vegetables or add a side salad for more volume.
Read on to learn about the 14 best and worst menu items at Little Caesars. Then, check out The 'Healthiest' Orders at 7 Major Fast-Food Pizza Chains.
ExtraMostBestest, Specialty, Classic & Thin Crust
Best: Pepperoni Thin Crust Pizza
Nutrition (Per large pizza):
Calories: 2,130
Fat: 128 g (Saturated fat: 50 g)
Sodium: 4,270 mg
Carbs: 148 g (Fiber: 9 g, Sugar: 5 g)
Protein: 94 g
A classic choice, this thin-crust pizza is one of the better choices when it comes to ordering pizza from Little Caesars. The thin crust keeps carbohydrates and calories lower than most other options while still providing some fiber. Going with a thin crust is almost always a lower-calorie bet than a classic or deep-dish style pie.
Best: Cheese Thin Crust Pizza
Nutrition (Per large pizza):
Calories: 1,980
Fat: 109 g (Saturated fat: 48 g)
Sodium: 3,390 mg
Carbs: 150 g (Fiber: 10 g, Sugar: 3 g)
Protein: 99 g
An even better option is the plain Cheese Thin Crust. It provides nearly 20 grams less fat than the pepperoni option, with an additional gram of fiber and less sugar. This combination makes it slightly healthier. Even without the pepperoni, it still provides some protein, allowing it to be a filling meal.
Best: Cheese Classic Pizza
Nutrition (Per large pizza):
Calories: 1,950
Fat: 65 g (Saturated fat: 31 g)
Sodium: 3,690 mg
Carbs: 248 g (Fiber: 12 g, Sugar: 12 g)
Protein: 95 g
The lowest-calorie pizza option on the menu is the Classic Cheese Pizza. It is lower in fat than the thin crust option, but higher in carb. Based on your nutrient needs, either option would be a decent choice at Little Caesars. This option also has the lowest saturated fat content of the pizza choices, helping it to make our best list.
Best: Veggie Specialty Pizza
Nutrition (Per large pizza):
Calories: 2,240
Fat: 84 g (Saturated fat: 38 g)
Sodium: 5,370 mg
Carbs: 267 g (Fiber: 20 g, Sugar: 20 g)
Protein: 100 g
Although there are lower calorie options on the menu, the Veggie Pizza made our best list largely due to its fiber content. At 20 grams, it has one of the highest fiber contents of all of the pizza options, allowing it to be more filling than lower fiber choices. Additionally, it still packs plenty of protein without meat, and you get the extra nutrients from toppings like mushrooms, olives, and green bell peppers.
Worst: Stuffed Crust Pepperoni Specialty Pizza
Nutrition (Per large pizza):
Calories: 2,980
Fat: 153 g (Saturated fat: 70 g)
Sodium: 6,980 mg
Carbs: 259 g (Fiber: 13 g, Sugar: 15 g)
Protein: 144 g
It's likely no surprise that the extra cheese stuffed into the crust of this pizza makes it less healthy than other options. While cheese is a source of protein and calcium, two important nutrients, it also provides saturated fat and sodium. A healthy diet should be moderate in these two nutrients, leading this menu option to make the worst list.
Worst: 3 Meat Treat Specialty Pizza
Nutrition (Per large pizza):
Calories: 2,870
Fat: 148 g (Saturated fat: 61 g)
Sodium: 5,370 mg
Carbs: 252 g (Fiber: 13 g, Sugar: 15 g)
Protein: 135 g
Italian sausage, bacon, and pepperoni make up the meats on this pizza and also contribute to the whopping 148 grams of fat in this pie. If you like meat on your pizza, check out the Hula Hawaiian option that uses ham. It contains less than half the fat in this option and is only slightly higher in carbohydrate content.
Worst: 5 Meat Feast Specialty Pizza
Nutrition (Per large pizza):
Calories: 2,830
Fat: 142 g (Saturated fat: 58 g)
Sodium: 7,090 mg
Carbs: 252 g (Fiber: 13 g, Sugar: 16 g)
Protein: 140 g
Speaking of meat, this pizza packs bacon, sausage, ham, pepperoni, and ground beef. Not only does this contribute to its high calorie, fat, and saturated fat content, but it also makes it to highest sodium pizza in the specialty category. Even just a single slice of this pizza will contribute significant sodium to your day, so consider skipping this option altogether.
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Worst: Italian Sausage ExtraMostBestest
Nutrition (Per large pizza):
Calories: 2,660
Fat: 128 g (Saturated fat: 53 g)
Sodium: 5,620 mg
Carbs: 252 g (Fiber: 13 g, Sugar: 14 g)
Protein: 129 g
The ExtraMostBestest category of pizzas are made with more cheese and meat than the classic pies. This may make them more delicious, this it also makes them higher in calories, fat, and sodium, like this Italian Sausage Pizza, for example. Although the name is fun and enticing, you're better off skipping the ExtraMostBestest section of the menu.
Detroit-Style Deep Dish & Detroit-Style Deep Dish Specialty Pizzas
Best: Cheese
Nutrition (Per large pizza):
Calories: 2,500
Fat: 85 g (Saturated fat: 38 g)
Sodium: 4,170 mg
Carbs: 317 g (Fiber: 16 g, Sugar: 14 g)
Protein: 118 g
The plainness of this pizza allows it to be the best option in the Detroit-Style Deep Dish category. This deep-dish style means more crust, which also means a higher calorie and carb count. Unfortunately, this higher carb count doesn't come along with much more fiber. Although this is the best of the deep-dish options, you're still better off with a thin or classic crust.
Worst: 5 Meat Feast
Nutrition (Per large pizza):
Calories: 3,500
Fat: 172 g (Saturated fat: 69 g)
Sodium: 8,090 mg
Carbs: 322 g (Fiber: 16 g, Sugar: 18 g)
Protein: 171 g
The same 5-meat pizza we recommended avoiding earlier is also available with a deep-dish crust. This only makes the pizza worse, from a nutrition standpoint. While delicious and a staple in some parts of the country, deep-dish pizza is better to avoid if you are trying to stay mindful of nutrition. Especially options loaded with meats that pack saturated fat and sodium.
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Sides
Best: Crazy Sauce
Nutrition (Per sauce cup):
Calories: 30
Fat: 0 g (Saturated fat: 0 g)
Sodium: 530 mg
Carbs: 7 g (Fiber: 2 g, Sugar: 0 g)
Protein: 1 g
Although not to most interesting side on the menu, the Crazy Sauce is the best for your waistline. It is simply a tomato dipping sauce made with herbs and spices that can add flavor to your meal for a few calories. Dip your pizza in this sauce for a flavor boost, or grab some raw veggies from home, like baby carrots, to enjoy with the dip.
Worst: Pepperoni Cheese Bread
Nutrition (Per 10-breadstick order):
Calories: 1,520
Fat: 71 g (Saturated fat: 27 g)
Sodium: 2,840 mg
Carbs: 155 g (Fiber: 7 g, Sugar: 7 g)
Protein: 66 g
These breadsticks are essentially pizza in a different form. This means they come along with the high-calorie count and fat, saturated fat, and sodium associated with pizza. If you really want bread with your meal, go with the Crazy Bread for nearly half the calories.
Caesar Wings
Best: Oven Roasted
Nutrition (Per order):
Calories: 510
Fat: 35 g (Saturated fat: 9 g)
Sodium: 1,740 mg
Carbs: 3 g (Fiber: 0 g, Sugar: 0 g)
Protein: 47 g
When in doubt, keep your order simple. These plain Oven-Roasted Wings don't have a sauce, but that allows them to be much lower in sodium and sugar than other wing options. They pack plenty of protein to make for a filling side and have a reasonable saturated fat count. A slice of pizza with a couple of wings on the side makes for a more balanced meal than several slices of pizza.
Worst: BBQ
Nutrition (Per order):
Calories: 620
Fat: 35 g (Saturated fat: 9 g)
Sodium: 2,300 mg
Carbs: 32 g (Fiber: 0 g, Sugar: 24g)
Protein: 48g
The sauce makes all the difference in the wings. This BBQ sauce option may provide the same amount of fat as the oven roasted wings, but they also contain 24 grams of sugar. These empty calories make the BBQ wings the least desirable of the wings option. The Buffalo and Garlic Parmesan option provides zero grams of fat, making them a better bet.
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