The Pizza Chain With The Hands-Down Cheapest Stuffed Crust Money Can Buy In 2026

One fateful day in early 1995, Pizza Hut upended the industry by debuting the iconic, game-changing stuffed crust pizza. Though the chain pizza restaurant did not invent the idea, it certainly popularized it. Today, most major players in the industry have adapted to customer demands by selling it in some form (even frozen pizzas often have a stuffed crust option), but if you're looking for the hands-down cheapest choice, Little Caesars is your destination.

To fairly compare the affordability of a stuffed crust pizza between different chains, each of these prices reflects the cost of a large stuffed crust pie topped with pepperoni in western Colorado (with one exception for a restaurant in nearby Greater Denver and another for a place that only offers a medium). Little Caesars easily came out on top as the cheapest among recognizable chains at a cost of $14.29 for a 14-inch pie.

The runner-up was Cicis (Denver area), which charges $16.99 before taxes and a mandatory tip even if you're picking up the pie yourself. Domino's only offers stuffed crust for medium pizzas (which are 12 inches in diameter), but even that is $20.74. A 14-inch large from Papa Johns will set folks back $21.98, but the highest cost belongs to the OG of stuffed crust pizza. Pizza Hut demands a premium for its version at $22.79 for the same size. Of course, as we all know, sometimes a higher price correlates with better quality, but in this case, people might be best off ordering from Little Caesars in terms of both value and flavor.

Despite the murky history behind the invention of the stuffed crust pizza, it's still a satisfying favorite that people continue to order and adore, especially when they can score one for a low price. But a "large" pizza (or medium in the case of the best-selling pizza chain in 2026, Domino's) can vary depending on where you order it. It wouldn't be surprising if the cheapest available option was less substantial than more expensive pies, but that doesn't appear to be the case with Little Caesars.

From a calorie standpoint, customers are getting the most bang for their buck with Little Caesars' stuffed crust. It weighs in at 2,980 calories, outdoing Pizza Hut by over 100 calories. A stuffed crust from Domino's has 2,640 calories, and Papa John's version only has 2,160. The calorie count for a stuffed crust from Cicis is somewhat unclear.

As for the best-tasting stuffed crust pizza, every chain has loyal fans who will insist their favorite is hawking a superior pie. Still, Little Caesars devotees are pretty outspoken. In a subreddit asking whether Pizza Hut or Papa John's had the better stuffed crust, plenty of folks chimed in saying LC was actually the top dog. "Little caesars is better than both in my neck of the woods price and quality," said one Redditor. Comments like these were frequently interjected into the debate, showing there's a dedicated fandom arguing that the cheapest stuffed crust pizza available is also the best.