New York started the thin crust pizza trend, but thin crust pies have found a home in every region of the U.S. New York-style pizza is what comes to mind for many, but thin crust pizza describes any pizza baked with thin or spread out dough.

Thin is in – dig into delicious New York-style, New Haven-style, St. Louis-style, or tavern-style pizza to get the perfect dough-to-cheese ratio you crave.

Thin crust pizza is a favorite pizza type for many. We all love thin, crispy edges, yet soft and foldable slices, perfectly charred and delicious.

But what is a thin crust pizza really?

Thin crust pizza Variations

To understand it better, it’s best to list the different types of thin pizza crust. Thus, we have:

Neapolitan Thin Crust Pizza

We all know pizza originates from Italy, right?

Well, at least the pizza we all know, love, and eat today does. Naples is the birthplace of the eponymous Neapolitan pizza.

The Neapolitan pizza is thin and soft, made from a few simple ingredients like tomatoes (often just crushed or sliced), cheese (or not, if preparing a Marinara), with few extras as garlic, basil, oregano, and extra-virgin olive oil.

Besides, both Marinara and Margherita are just other alternatives to the Neapolitan pizza.

This thin crust pizza is traditionally baked in a wood-fired oven at temperatures around 800 to 1000 degrees Fahrenheit. Consequently, small bubbles appear on the top of the crust, and some spots get charred.

New York-Style Thin Crust Pizza

The most loved (and replicated) American-style of pizza is the New York-Style pizza. Created by Italian immigrants in the early 1900s, the New York-style pizza is the American reinvention of the Neapolitan pizza.

It has the same thin crust, but while it is soft and pliable in the center, it is distinctly crispy at the edges. The authentic flavor of the New York-Style pizza is attributed to the minerals and pH value of New York’s tap water and the high-gluten flour used for the dough.

The New York-Style pizza can be made as an individual pie or can be sold by the slice. You can choose between plain, cheese, or regular pizza (all are names for a pizza with tomato and cheese), or have many additional toppings.

St. Louis Thin Crust Pizza

The Italian immigrants that came to St. Louis brought with them their beloved recipes for pizza, but not Neapolitan, yet Sicilian-style pizza. This Sicilian inspired pizza is today’s St. Louis pizza with a thin but crispy crust, almost like a cracker. They get this consistency since local pizzaiolos don’t use yeast for the dough.

Because of the unique crispy crust, St. Louis pizza is cut into three- or four-inch rectangles known as “party” or “tavern” cut.

The cheese used for this type of thin crust pizza is Provel - a combination of Cheddar, Swiss, and Provolone cheeses.

Chicago-Style Thin Crust Pizza

Sure, we all associate Chicago with its famous deep dish pan pies, but The windy city has some thin-crust aces up its sleeve. The Chicago thin crust pizza is very crispy and therefore it cannot be folded (like the NY-style slices).

This is because the dough is rolled and tossed and is baked longer to get to that specific crunch. That’s why Chicago-Style thin crust pizza is usually cut into rectangles and squares instead of triangles. This pizza-style is also known as tavern-style pizza.

Bar-Style Thin Crust Pizza

Bar pizza is very similar to the Chicago-style thin crust pizza (and sometimes even mistaken for it), but it is slightly thinner than the NY-style pizza. The crust is chewy and crispy and it can get folded easily.

Thin Crust Pizza Ingredients

The dough for the thin crust pizza (all of the above) has almost the same ingredients. High-gluten flour (or gluten-free for a gluten-free thin crust pizza), water, yeast (except the St. Louis-style), little olive oil, sugar, and salt.

It is usually hand-tossed and left to rise and proof for hours (some restaurants proof the dough a few days). This way, we can enjoy a light, airy pizza, soft but at the same time firm enough to hold the toppings and not become soggy.

Nutrition Value of Thin Crust Pizza

The calories in a thin crust pizza can vary, depending on the toppings. For example, a slice of Neapolitan Margherita pizza has an average of 300 calories, a slice of NY-style cheese pizza has around 400 calories, and the St. Louis thin crust cheese pie has around 330 to 350 calories.

The calories in the thin crust pizza are mostly from the carbs (33%) and fats (48%), and a small amount comes from the proteins (19%).

Thin Crust Pizza Near Me

Looking for a delicious thin crust pizza for pickup of delivery? Find the best thin crust pizza near you via Slice.

If in Philadelphia order a traditional hand-tossed pizza from Mario’s Pizza, or a thin crust pizza from Villa Palermo when in Chicago. Both available for pickup and delivery in the Slice app.