Domino's Cheeseburger Pizza: What To Know Before Ordering
Let's go out on a limb and say that 2020 will go down in history as one of the Worst. Years. Ever. It started with Australia on fire. Then a Minneapolis white cop killed a Black man, George Floyd, sparking months of racial unrest across the country. There were catastrophic hurricanes in Central America, and the West battled its own fires. Did we forget something? Oh, yes. How about that unrelenting virus leading to a global pandemic?
Domino's, beloved by chef David Chang and the largest pizza company in the world (via Fortune), had the biggest slice of the U.S. market coming into the pandemic. Per Nation's Restaurant News, in August 2020, Domino's decided to release two new specialty pizza flavors — Chicken Taco and Cheeseburger — something they haven't done in over a decade. Art D'Elia, Domino's executive vice president, said that the pizza giant's goal was to eliminate those feelings of regret we all have when our food doesn't arrive as expected. We've all sighed and groaned after opening our Door Dash orders of soggy tacos and hard, cold overcooked burgers, "now friends and family who are craving a taco or cheeseburger on pizza night won't be disappointed," said D'Elia (via Domino's).
We've all had our share of late night Mexican pizzas. But cheeseburger on dough? Let's delve into all the delectable details. Maybe by the last word you'll be lifting a cheeseburger-y slice straight into your mouth.
What's on the pizza?
Is it a pizza masquerading as a cheeseburger? Or is it a cheeseburger masquerading as a pizza? Anyway, Domino's Cheeseburger Pizza lives under the Specialty Pizzas category on the website and has all the fixin's of the American classic: American cheese, ketchup-mustard sauce, beef, fresh onions, and diced tomatoes, topped with shredded provolone and cheddar cheeses.
But hold the phone...where are the pickles, Domino's? They're not included and not available to order. A cheeseburger pizza without pickles is like peanut butter without jelly, strawberries without chocolate, fries without ketchup...must we go on? Speaking of pickles, this isn't the Cheeseburger Pizza's first rodeo. Per Eater, back in 2018, U.K. Domino's released a Cheeseburger pie with...wait for it...sweet pickles. The horror!
If you're picky about crust, Domino's has a total of five crust styles to choose from, depending on what size Cheeseburger Pizza you're ordering. You can get all four sizes (10-inch, 12-inch, 14-inch, and 16-inch) in Hand Tossed, their most popular buttery-rich style, and the 10-inch is also available gluten-free.
Their "perfectly foldable" Brooklyn style crust is available in 14-inch or 16-inch due to the hand-stretched technique, and a deep dish fan can choose the Handmade Pan style. For those who like their pizza crust more like a cracker, the Crunchy Thin crust comes in 12-inch and 14-inch sizes and is party cut by default.
What does Domino's Cheeseburger Pizza taste like and is it good?
From "truly epic" to "it comes pretty close despite its lack of pickles ... All said, does it make for a good pizza? Yep" (via Thrillist), reviews of the pizza are mostly positive. Overall, as far as taste goes, Domino's sweet and tangy ketchup-mustard sauce was the key ingredient folks kept coming back to, with the mustard note coming through a tad more than the ketchup. So if you aren't a mustard fan, you might want to pass this pizza opportunity up.
The chargrilled beef reminded some "of eating cheeseburgers from Burger King [as] a kid" (via BurgerBeast), and the American cheese, onions, and diced tomatoes really brought that cheeseburger flavor home. But, some fans complained that they'd have liked to see more beef on the pie. One Washington Post reviewer even resorted to bringing back the old familiar Wendy's tagline, "Where's the beef?"
If the lack of pickles is really bugging you, just order the Double Cheeseburger Pizza from Papa John's. This pie is covered with that zesty, dill pickle punch and was re-released soon after the Domino's version. Papa John's can experience FOMO too, it seems.
How much is the pizza?
What pizza lovers across the country might not know is that almost all Domino's stores are owned and operated by independent franchisees who can set their own pricing. So, as egalitarian as we want pizza to be, price does vary by location.
When it comes to the Cheeseburger Pizza, a 14-inch large will set you back $17.99 in Cincinnati, Ohio; Beverly Hills, California; and Summit, New Jersey, according to the Domino's site. The same pizza in Hauula, Hawaii, costs $20.99. This is probably because everything costs more in Hawaii since it has to be imported. The question is, would you give up Domino's Cheeseburger Pizza for beach life and piña coladas?
The easiest way to pay ahead of time is through the chain's app or website. Dom (we get it, Domino's designer), the restaurant's bot, can help you place your order, track an order, or even reorder. With Domino's pizza tracker, you can follow your delivery driver's journey from the store to your door. And if you set up your Pizza Profile, you can join the Piece of the Pie Rewards Program. Order $10 or more, and you'll get 10 points. Once you get 60 points, you'll score a free medium two-topping pizza.
Is Domino's Cheeseburger Pizza bad for you?
Pizza isn't usually high on a person's health food list. It's loaded with saturated fat, carbs, and cheese. Lots and lots of cheese. Remember, the Cheeseburger Pizza from Domino's has not one...not two...but three cheeses. If you really insist on checking out the nutritional value of your Cheeseburger Pizza and all the chain's offerings, Domino's serves up a host of tools in order to help you decide if you want to indulge and add to your waistline, avoid gluten, watch out for food allergies, inspect ingredients, and more.
According to Domino's cal-o-meter, a large slice of Cheeseburger pie with Hand Tossed crust has 380 calories, 35 grams of carbs, and 19 grams of fat (9 grams of saturated fat). You can cut a few calories and carbs (35 grams) with a thinner crust, but the fat content is the same. That means if you're superhuman and can stick to one slice of pizza, you'll be fine with the Mayo Clinic's prescribed max amount of saturated fat we need a day. But if you aren't superhuman and eat more than one slice like the rest of us ... well, you know what they say, everything in moderation, right?
Can you make Domino's Cheeseburger Pizza at home?
Considering its popularity, it didn't take long for fans of Domino's Cheeseburger Pizza to come up with their own copycat recipes. A quick internet search for "copycat Domino's cheeseburger recipe" will offer up over 9 million recipe choices you can make at home for less dough (pun intended). Even Mashed shared a copycat cheeseburger recipe that uses store-bought dough and takes around 30 minutes to make. The Mashed test kitchen points out that the copycat recipe will work with homemade dough, too, but their much quicker version doesn't sacrifice taste. Also, please add pickles.
It might sound like heresy, but if you want to try making a healthier version with no meat, Hot for Food has a recipe that uses all vegan ingredients. Instead of the ketchup-mustard sauce used in the Domino's version, this vegan version whips up a Big Mac-inspired sauce for its base and then uses veggie ground round, vegan pre-made dough, and vegan cheddar cheese as toppers. It's definitely not as indulgent, but it might be kinder on your arteries.