- I tasted a plain, cheese pizza from the chains Domino’s Pizza, Pizza Hut, and Papa John’s Pizza to see which had the best pie.
- Papa John’s pizza was the most expensive, but I felt it had the least amount of flavor and seasoning.
- Pizza Hut’s pie had a great, fluffy crust but it didn’t have nearly enough sauce.
- Overall, Domino’s pie was my favorite because it had a nice balance of flavors and plenty of seasoning.
- Visit Insider’s homepage for more stories.
Although local pizza purveyors have elevated pie crafting to a transcendent art, national chains have worked tirelessly to make it simple and easy for you to get a cheap, mass-produced pizza at any time of the day or night.
In the pantheon of pizza, the utility pie has its place, and I decided to see which major chain produces the best one.
So I ordered a plain, cheese pizza from Domino’s Pizza, Pizza Hut, and Papa John’s Pizza. In order to keep everything fair, I ordered one cheese pizza from each chain and had them delivered at the exact same time.
Here’s how all of the pies stacked up.
Papa John's was the most expensive, but it had the least amount of flavor and seasoning.
If their slogan is to be believed, Papa John's supposedly has better ingredients than the other two contenders, but better ingredients does not necessarily mean better pizza.
The tomato sauce was bland and under-seasoned. It didn't have the acidic kick or wave of sweetness that comes with a great sauce.
Papa John's pizza crust is dusted with a pinch of flour.
The crust, while pillowy, was also underwhelming in the flavor department. It had the light dusting of flour that you'd expect from a neighborhood pizza joint, but it didn't have any of the character.
Coming in at a total price of $16.85, Papa John's was the most expensive of the bunch, but the flavor wasn't quite worth the price for me.
Pizza Hut had a fluffy crust but was woefully under-sauced.
At a total of $15.64, Pizza Hut was the middle-of-the-road price-wise as well as flavor-wise.
Pizza Hut would have been a strong contender for the top spot if its pie simply had more sauce. As it was delivered, it was closer to cheesy bread than it was a proper pizza.
What sauce was available ended up being pretty tasty and complemented the cheese well. It had a tang to it which gave each bite a bit of excitement and character.
Flakes of powdered garlic and oregano on the Pizza Hut pie make for a tastier finish.
Pizza Hut's crust was sparsely seasoned which made for an enjoyable finish, or beginning if you live in a backward world, to each slice.
Domino's Pizza fit perfectly in that Goldilocks area with just the right amount of sauce and tasty seasoning.
Domino's Pizza ticked all the right boxes of flavor, sauce application, and crust texture.
As the leader of the pack, your basic plain pie from Domino's combines the low price of $13.99 with the perfect ratios of cheese, sauce, and seasoning.
The sauce is tangy and spread evenly throughout the pizza. The cheese complimented the sauce well and was warm and melty upon delivery.
Up close, I could see bits of garlic and oregano seasoning where the crust meets the cheese.
The crust may just be the very best part. Liberally dashed with seasoning and crispy without being burnt, it makes finishing a slice just as good as taking your first bite.
Nearly a decade ago, Domino's revamped its recipe in the hopes to garner new customers and it has really worked.
The verdict: Domino's Pizza is the perfect choice if you're looking for a quick and tasty cheese pie.
Of all the pies I tasted, Domino's had the most flavor and the best balance of ingredients.
Sure, it's not as great as a local, homemade pizza, but it's pretty great in a pinch. Plus, of the pies I tried, it has the most bang for your buck.
Read More:
- I tasted 5 different frozen pizzas, and the best also cooked the fastest
- I tried every single burger at Burger King and ranked them from worst to best
- I made French toast using 3 celebrity chefs' signature recipes, and the best one cost over $40 to make