Pizza Hut is arguably one of the most popular pizza chains in the world. With over 18,000 restaurants worldwide, it is the largest pizza chain in terms of location. Its first branch opened in 1958 after two brothers, Dan and Frank Carney, opened their first branch in Kansas. Almost 70 years later, the business has boomed into the popular restaurant it is today. In fact, while many countries consider it fast-food pizza, in other countries it is considered fine-dining levels of pizza.
But aside from their traditional crusts and pizza flavors on menus around the world, do you know all their different types of pizza crusts?
Some of them are fairly popular, some may strike your fancy, while some may make you wonder who was even in charge and what were they thinking when they green-lit this and made it available in certain countries.
Here are a few of Pizza Hut’s popular and infamous pizza crust types.
Pizza Hut Original Pan Crust
The OG pizza style since Pizza Hut’s inception in the late ’50s, their Original Pan Pizza was Pizza Hut’s signature premium option. Also known as their deep-dish pizza, Pizza Hut’s pan pizza has been the same for nearly 40 years.
In 2019, Pizza Hut announced that they were updating the recipe to meet with their consumers’ evolving taste buds. This included re-engineering the type of pan used to make the pizza to improve crust texture, giving it a better crispy and buttery crust. While people have mixed reactions to the change of the ever-beloved pan pizza, you can try one for yourself in any of Pizza Hut’s branches, as all stores are sure to offer this.
Pizza Hut Classic Hand-Tossed Crust
Classic Crust is the perfect middle point if you like crispy crust but find pan pizza too thick and thin & crispy too thin. It’s more commonly known as their hand-tossed crust and is the equivalent to average pizza types.
In a battle between pan pizza vs. hand-tossed, pan pizza is likely to win if you want the feeling of eating fried bread (it was baked in a deep dish, after all), but the hand-tossed reigns supreme if you prefer the classics more. You’ll find this option in most Pizza Hut menus.
Pizza Hut Thin & Crispy Crust
For people who want a less doughy pizza and a smaller, thinner crust. The main difference is that you taste less of the chewy dough and have a lighter and crispier texture. Despite the less amount of dough used to make the pizza, it doesn’t cost less as the others. It’s available in most Pizza Hut stores.
Pizza Hut Stuffed Crust
You’ll soon find out how experimental Pizza Hut can get with their stuffed crusts. But for now, here’s the OG stuffed crust that’s available in all Pizza Hut stores.
The crust is significantly thicker than the pan pizza crust, but for good reason: inside the thick crust is a five-cheese blend of mozzarella, provolone, fontina, asiago, and white cheddar. It’s perfect for cheese lovers and those who want a thicker dough but hate having to eat the flavorless crust.
Pizza Hut Hot Dog Stuffed Crust (Australia, Canada, South Korea)
Now we’re getting to Pizza Hut’s more experimental flavors.
First on our list is the Hot Dog Stuffed Crust available in Australia, Canada, and South Korea. Unlike the Hot Dog Bites here in the United States, this has whole German Franks rolled into the crust. Drizzled with tomato sauce and mustard, it’s supposed to make you feel like you had a mini hot dog right after every time you finish a slice.
Unfortunately, like many of Pizza Hut’s more experimental crusts, it was only available for a limited time, and there’s no telling if and when Pizza Hut will bring this hefty crust back.
Pizza Hut Hot Dog Bites Crust
A smaller but not necessarily lighter version of the Hot Dog Stuffed Crust, the Hot Dog Bites Crust is like eating pizza and pigs in a blanket at the same time. A large pizza has 28 mini franks wrapped in the crust and comes with a serving of yellow mustard for added flavor.
Pizza Hut Cheesy Bite Crust (Limited Edition)
Perhaps someone in Pizza Hut HQ was like “Why don’t we take our regular stuffed crust but have it made like Hot Dog Bites without the franks? So we can get tiny cheese bites we can also dip. But what’s the dip, though? Ooh, what about marinara sauce?”
And no one in the meeting had the heart to point out that it was basically a pizza surrounded by balls made with the SAME INGREDIENTS AS PIZZA. For an experimental crust, though, this one is pretty popular and has been going in and out of Pizza Hut menus.
Pizza Hut Cheeseburger Pizza
There are two cheeseburger pizzas: the Cheese Burger Crown Pizza (supposedly the first cheeseburger pizza ever made) in the Middle East, and the regular cheeseburger pizza that made its way to places like the UK and Australia.
Either way, both pizzas do not have the traditional round pizza shape. They remind me of a flower. Or a flat Ferris wheel. Or a fidget spinner.
Regardless, this pizza was panned by both health experts and people who hate restaurants that try to go over-the-top with food in the midst of global hunger, given that this pizza has almost 3,000 calories – way above the daily recommended calorie intake of an average male.
Pizza Hut Cone Crust Series (Middle East)
The Cone Crust Pizzas were available in the Middle East for a time for those who thought regular pizzas didn’t give them enough cheese to enjoy. These Parmesan-crusted cones were available in three flavors: plain Philadelphia cream cheese, honey mustard chicken, and a combination of the two.
Looking at the photos, though, I’m a bit confused as to how this pizza should be sliced. Do people even still eat Pizza Hut’s actual pizza? Or is it all just crust now?!
Pizza Hut Crown Crust Carnival (Middle East, Canada, and US)
Another two fidget-spinner-looking pizzas. The first one, the Cream Cheese & Meatball Pizza, was part of the Crown Crust Carnival Pizza series that debuted in the Middle East before it made its way to Canada and later the US from 2012 to 2013. But instead of cheeseburgers filling each pocket of the crust, it was meatballs alternate with pockets of cream cheese.
The other pizza in the Crown Crust Carnival series is the Chicken Fillet Pizza, which was also apparently the first-ever pizza to have chicken nuggets in the crust. I’m also kind of confused about how people are supposed to cut and eat these pizzas, but at this point, I’m starting to suspect people care more about the crust than trying to equally slice the actual pizza.
Pizza Hut Gluten-Free Pizza Crust
Given that all traditional pizza is made with flour, it’s nearly impossible for those with Celiac Disease to enjoy pizza without risking their health due to its gluten content. Luckily, though, Pizza Hut also offers gluten-free pizza made with Udi’s certified gluten-free crust.
To help people with health conditions enjoy pizza safely, it’s topped with gluten-free toppings. Over 2,100 Pizza Hut stores offer this on their menu. And according to health bloggers, this is legitimately a safe gluten-free pizza, unlike other pizza chains that offer “gluten-free” pizzas that aren’t totally gluten-free. These pizzas do not share the same cookware used to make regular pizzas, so those with medical conditions are in the clear
Pizza Hut Chicken Masala Sausage Crust (India)
Given the dominant religion and its dietary restriction, it’s no surprise that Pizza Hut India took the Hot Dog Stuffed Crust idea and replaced German Franks with chicken sausages.
While the Hot Dog Stuffed Crust was a little overwhelming for me, I think that given the meat-free pizza and chicken just feels like lighter meat, it’s not going to feel as heavy as its counterpart.
Pizza Hut Hand Stretched Pizza (Philippines)
Not to be confused with Pizza Hut’s classic hand-tossed crust, hand-stretched pizza is supposed to be American hand-tossed’s thinner, artisanal, and more sophisticated cousin.
While the crust is slightly thinner than hand-tossed, it has four crust glazes customers can choose: toasted cheddar, honey crunch, toasted Parmesan, and garlic Parmesan butter. It’s not stuffed, so you get the cheesy flavor without a thick bite of gooey cheese oozing out.
Pizza Hut Chili Cheese Stuffed Crust (Philippines)
Around early 2020, Pizza Hut Philippines drew a lot of attention with its latest ad: free unlimited drinking water. People were confused as water was already served for free in all branches, until they revealed their latest product: pepper flakes mixed into the mozzarella cheese-stuffed crust.
It’s a great kick for those who love adding copious amounts of hot sauce on their pizza and want to add more spice to their cheesy crusts.
Pizza Hut Black Volcano Pizza (Malaysia)
With its tagline “Dare to Try?”, I’m genuinely curious about what this is and what it tastes like. It’s basically a Cheese Bites Pizza, but instead of brown dough and marinara sauce, the cheese-filled nuggets are black.
At first, I thought the bites got their coloring from squid ink, which is the common ingredient used for black pasta. But then I did the research and was surprised to find that the black coloring is actually charcoal added to the dough recipe. There are some supposed benefits to eating activated charcoal, so this may be perfect for health buffs interested in cheesy but healthy nuggets. Unfortunately, Pizza Hut Malaysia stopped selling these at the end of 2019.
Pizza Hut Shrimp Cheese Bite Crust (Japan & South Korea)
Someone in Pizza Hut Japan and Pizza Hut South Korea saw all the different Cheese Bite Crust variants and thought, “Why don’t we try adding seafood in it?” And so, the shrimp cheese bite crust was born.
But just when people were starting to warm up to the idea, someone else saw the Crown Crust Carnival and created the Frankenstein’s Monster that was the Crazy Pocket 4. This one took all the Cheese Bite Crust Variants (sausage, shrimp, and cheese) and turned it into a 4-in-1 pizza whose shape resembled the giant pockets of the Crown Crust Carnival pizzas.
Pizza Hut Flying Fish Roe Salmon Cream Cheese Crust (Hong Kong & Japan)
Another seafood crust invention, this stuffed crust has cream cheese, salmon, and flying fish eggs to create a sweet and salty stuffed crust. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but knowing the flavorful seafood Japan is famous for, I honestly wouldn’t mind trying a slice of this.
This is probably not all the odd crusts Pizza Huts around the world has to offer. We all have our own tastes, and, admit it, you want to try at least one of these crusts on this list, don’t you? Don’t worry, we’re not judging.