A Trusted Friend in a Complicated World

11 Crazy New Pizza Toppings You Won’t Be Able to Resist

Sure, you've been eating your pizza with extra cheese, pepperoni, and mushrooms for years, but that's child's play compared to the craziest new pizza toppings out there. Forget pineapple, there's a ton of other wild stuff happening out there.

1 / 11
corn
Aleksandrs Samuilovs/Shutterstock

Corn

Does corn pizza seem totally crazy to you? You’re probably more used to veggie pizza toppings like sun dried tomatoes or olives, but some fresh roasted sweet corn is actually delicious on a classic pizza thanks to its delicately sweet flavor. If you want add a little zest to your corn, try adding some chili flakes to give your pie a sweet heat.

2 / 11
crab
Asya Nurullina/Shutterstock

Crab meat

Remember that old adage that seafood and cheese never go together by Italian culinary tradition? Apparently, American pizza experts are throwing that to the wind, because trend-setting pizza chains like Artichoke Basille Pizza in New York are topping their famous pies with real lump crab meat and people are loving it. Crab meat is loaded with zinc, so you can tell yourself a slice isn’t the worst decision you could make today.

3 / 11
Sriracha
AS Food studio/shutterstock

Sriracha

People are going crazy for Sriracha sauce-topped pies, thanks to the gentle heat of this popular pepper-infused topping and low-calorie content. Asian and Italian flavors may not seem like a natural fit for pizza toppings, but one bite of a fresh pizza drizzled in spicy Sriracha sauce will make you question what other weirdly wonderful flavor combos you’ve been missing out on. If you’re wondering how to pronounce it, you’ll want to read this guide to hard to pronounce popular foods.

4 / 11
Kale
Pinkyone/shutterstock

Kale

If you’re not the type to order a salad on your pizza, think again—kale is delicious when cooked. It’s one of the best pizza toppings for veggie lovers thanks to high vitamin C and fiber content. Kale-topped pies are currently trending in veggie-friendly areas like Los Angeles, where a popular local joint, Pitfire Pizza, tops their pizzas with black kale, field mushrooms, cheddar, chilies, and garlic. Yum!

5 / 11
Hummus
its al dente/Shutterstock

Hummus

Hummus sounds like one of the crazier pizza toppings, doesn’t it? It should, but the truth is, it’s gaining steam in the health-conscious food blogger scene, and even brands like Sabra have created limited-time pizza-flavored hummus lines because surprisingly, the flavors pair really well together.

6 / 11
cashew
Pikoso.kz/shutterstock

Cashew cheese

It turns out cashew cheese is the vegan cheese of choice for foodies these days, and some pizza shops are going to great lengths to satisfy their vegan and dairy-free customers’ pizza cravings. Matthew Kenney, a vegan chef and expert who teaches workshops on going vegan at Turnberry Isle Miami, has been leading the cashew cheese pizza topping movement in New York and Florida.

7 / 11
nectarines
EvgenyZinoviev/Shutterstock

Nectarines

Nectarines, peaches, and other stone fruit have a tangy-sweet flavor that is similar in some ways to the flavor profile of BBQ sauce. If you’re the type who likes a good BBQ-themed pizza, you need to try a pie topped with nectarine slices and an especially sharp or bold cheese. Milo & Olive, a popular pizzeria in California, has been serving up a salty-meets-sweet nectarine and bacon pizza that’s topped with Fontina, thyme, balsamic glaze, and deliciously ripe stone fruit. Here are 10 other ways to top your pizza the healthy way.

8 / 11
cheese
Goskova Tatiana/Shutterstock

Spicy mac and cheese

Mac and cheese is already great, and adding spice is always the next level of excitement, but if you haven’t tried adding fresh jalapeños and gooey mac and cheese to your arsenal of pizza toppings, have you even really lived? Vinnie’s, a popular local pizza spot in Brooklyn, has lines out the door for their magical, new-age comfort food slices. Not in the mood for takeout? Try these 11 healthy homemade alternatives to takeout pizza.

9 / 11
egg
Africa Studio/shutterstock

Eggs

Cooked, runny, semi-solid—you name it. Eggs are one of the best weird pizza toppings to be found in both the United States and Italy, the birthplace of pizza. Eggs are healthy, too, so adding a few to your pizza gives you an excuse to have a slice for a responsible brunch.

10 / 11
mexican
AS Food studio/shutterstock

Entire Mexican dishes

Why add just a little Mexican seasoning to your pizza when you can throw an entire plate of chilaquiles right on top of your favorite simple pie. This recipe was the brainchild of Chef Martin Gonzalez in San Diego, California, and includes crunchy tortilla chips, warm green tomatillo sauce, red onion, and queso añejo (a Mexican cheese that is very similar to Parmesan) and crema fresca. There’s no reason this can’t be recreated at home, and you’ll be a hero for combining the world’s most addictive flavors.

11 / 11
Avocado
YuliiaHolovchenko/shutterstock

Avocado

Your favorite, trendiest salad addition is also great on pizza. Avocado’s creamy texture is actually similar to that of some soft cheeses, and the mildly nutty flavor pairs well with everything from tomatoes to garlic. Avocado is one of the best pizza toppings you never expected because it can easily be combined with all the other weird toppings too, like corn, crab, and even Sriracha. Next, find out the 27 things your pizza guy won’t tell you.

Bryce Gruber
Bryce Gruber is an expert in gift ideas, shopping, and e-commerce. You've likely seen her work across a variety of women's lifestyle and parenting outlets and on TV shows. She lives and works in New York's Hudson Valley with her five small children.