Little Caesars' New Stuffed Crunch Crust Didn't Need To Happen

Stuffed-crust pizza is nothing new. Pizza Hut introduced a cheese-filled pizza crust to the masses in 1995, but the origins of stuffed crust pizza go back even farther, to a Brooklyn pizzeria's 1987 patent for the idea. Nearly 40 years later, and a full 30 years after Pizza Hut made it a household hit, people still can't get enough stuffed crust.

According to DataEsential's 2024 Pizza Keynote Report, 48% of consumers — and more than 60% of millennials and Gen Zers — are interested in stuffed-crust pizzas, yet only 21% of pizza operators surveyed offer the style. The data is clear: People want cheese in their crust, and they want it now. Thankfully, one chain is upping its stuffed-crust game with a new offering.

Little Caesars has introduced the Stuffed Crunch Crust Pizza to the menu, joining the already popular Stuffed Crazy Crust. The Crunch Crust features a toasted, cheese-stuffed crust brushed with buttery garlic flavor, finished with herbs and breadcrumbs. Like some past Little Caesars inventions, this pizza is only around for a limited time, so Little Caesars sent me a Stuffed Crazy Crust and a Stuffed Crunch Crust so I could try both and see which cheese-packed pizza reigns supreme. Read on to find out which one should be the stuffed-crust star of your next pizza night.

Like most good things in life, the Stuffed Crunch Crust is only here for a limited time, though Little Caesars hasn't put an end date on the item as of this writing. You can snag one for $9.49 through the Little Caesars app and starting Monday, November 24, in stores from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. as a Hot-and-Ready option.

Believe it or not, adding copious amounts of cheese and garlic butter to a pizza does not reduce its calorie content. A large Stuffed Crunch Crust pizza topped with pepperoni contains 2920 calories, which is actually less than the 3140 calories in the large pepperoni Stuffed Crazy Crust. Those values drop down to 2510 for the Crunch Crust and 2720 for the Crazy Crust cheese versions. So if you're counting calories with your stuffed-crust pizza — probably not a winning proposition to begin with — the Crunch Crust is probably the one you want to order.

On its own, the Stuffed Crunch Crust is a good pizza, but it simply doesn't hold up to the Stuffed Crazy Crust. Even looking at the two, it's easy to tell that the Crazy Crust has more going for it, with a thick dusting of Parmesan cheese around the edge. The Crunch Crust, on the other hand, looks a little naked, with crunch pieces here and there but not fully covering the crust. Maybe this was a one-off on the pizza that I received or perhaps it's simply harder to get the larger crunch pieces to stick compared to the lighter, finer parm.

From a taste perspective — beyond being two of the greasiest pizzas I've ever received — the Cunch Crust has less flavor than the original. The crunchy bits are good when you get them, but they're mostly a textural experience, not a flavor one. Meanwhile, the parm made me want to go crust first on the Crazy Crust because of the added salty, cheesy flavor.

In the end, the Crunch Crust isn't bad, it's just unnecessary. Little Caesars has a great stuffed-crust option in the Crazy Crust and by comparison, the Crunch Crust feels underdeveloped. There's nothing wrong with this pizza, but its unique feature is hardly a standout.

I appreciate that Little Caesars is trying to give the world more stuffed-crust, but this is just reinventing the wheel. The crunchy breadcrumb pieces are good, but not nearly as good as Parmesan. A better use for the pieces may actually be as a topping. I would love to add a little crunch to my pizza, so rather than using it as a crust coating, Little Caesars should package a to-go cup on the side of each stuffed-crust pizza and let customers add their own crunch. As long as we get stuffed-crust, we're happy, but adding a little extra texture without messing with the crust would be a huge bonus.

Little Caesars sent me a large pepperoni Crazy Crust and a large Crunch Crust to compare shortly after the new pizza became available. I snapped a few pictures and then dug in, basing my review on taste, texture, and overall cohesiveness.