Pickles Could Be the Pizza Topping Coming for Slices Everywhere in 2023

Though it was originally an Italian dish, it’s possible there’s no more all-American food than pizza. Americans consume 3 billion pizzas yearly—around 24 billion slices, give or take a few. With so many pizzas eaten and so many people enjoying the occasional (or not-so-occasional) slice, it’s no surprise that people have opinions on what goes on those pies—strong opinions.

According to the annual Slice of the Union report from independent pizzeria delivery app Slice, a new pizza topping is set to conquer pies in 2023: pickles.

The Slice of the Union report describes pickle pizza as a “briney pie ... most often baked with garlic sauce, topped with mozzarella, and dipped in ranch.” While that may leave a sour taste in some mouths, others think pickles are the real dill!

Pickle pizza first went viral in 2018 and has become more and more popular, the Slice of the Union report claims. More recently, the 2022 Minnesota State Fair included pickle pizza, with people lined up to get a slice of this cheesy, vinegary combo, often made with garlic sauce and served with ranch dressing for dipping.  And at the Indiana State Fair, pickle pizza was a highly-anticipated new addition to the usual fair, um, fare.

Intrigued? Pickle pizza is popping up across the country, so you may not need to go far to find your very one pickle pizza pie. If pizzerias near you haven’t quite caught up with the times (or you’re feeling a little nervous about going all-in on a pickle-covered pie), you can try making your own pizza at home with limited pickles on top—our Loaded Cheeseburger Skillet Pizza is a great place to start, or you can try our own Pickle Pizza recipe if you’re ready to go all-in.

Other predictions from Slice’s Slice of the Union 2023 report include an increase in popularity of Roman-style pizza. Slice also found that mushrooms increased in popularity in 2022, with 8.9% more pizzas ordered with mushrooms on top. Ranch dressing also jumped in popularity, with 9.7% more orders including a request for ranch in 2022.

On the other hand, the ever-controversial pineapple is losing ground as a favorite topping, with a drop of 6.1% in pineapple topping orders during the same time. (Requests for pineapple as a topping increased 76% in 2021, though, so there’s still a ways to go before pineapple disappears off pizzas completely.) And even if pineapple topping has fallen out of favor, keep ordering your pizzas with it if you love it. Or anchovies. Or extra cheese. If a pizza can’t be fun to eat, what can?