Stuffed Crust Pizza Showdown: Domino's Vs Papa John's Vs Pizza Hut

For many years, Pizza Hut was the only fast food chain to offer stuffed crust pizza. However, as is the case with most things, its popularity led other pizza places to develop recipes of their own. Eventually, Papa John's followed suit, and just recently, Domino's added a stuffed crust pizza to its menu — but who does it best? Are Domino's and Papa John's Stuffed Crust Pizzas cheap knockoffs? Or did Pizza Hut do it right the first time?

As a die-hard fan of stuffed crust pizza, I had to know if Domino's beat out Papa John's and Pizza Hut with its new stuffed crust recipe, so I ordered one from each pizza chain (half plain and half with toppings), and let the showdown begin. A closer look at my methodology can be found at the end, but, as you can probably guess, the stuffed crust itself was the determining factor when it came time to declare a winner. Flavor and texture weighed heavily on the results, as well.

I've eaten both Papa John's and Pizza Hut Stuffed Crust Pizzas countless times in the past, so I thought I already knew where they stood in a head-to-head competition, but adding the new Domino's version to the mix threw me for a loop. Was it a good or bad one? Let's find out.

The appearance of Domino's, Papa John's, and Pizza Hut's Stuffed Crust Pizzas may seem trivial. After all, the way a particular dish looks doesn't directly translate to flavor or texture, but as the saying goes: Our eyes eat first — so it's important, and guess what? Domino's wins this round of the showdown by a long shot. The main reason for this is that the crust on Domino's Stuffed Crust Pizza is dusted with grated Parmesan cheese. There's garlic in the seasoning mix too, but it's the Parmesan that grabs your eye. In addition, the entire pie was cooked to perfection, and the crust just looked plump, crispy, and delicious. It drew me in, and honestly, by this point, I was starting to salivate.

As for Papa John's and Pizza Hut, their pizzas just catch my eye like Domino's. Papa John's still looked crispy and delicious, but it was no match for the extra seasoning on Domino's crust. Unfortunately for Pizza Hut, its pie was the least enticing based on sight alone. The crust was noticeably lighter in color, and the stuffed portion wasn't nearly as plump as the other two pizzas. The pizza itself looked drier, too. It wasn't actually dry. I mean, there was grease on top, but something about it made it look like it would shrivel up upon cooling. As it turns out, I wasn't wrong about that either, but more on that later.

The first, and potentially the most important trait to consider when comparing stuffed crust pizzas is, you guessed it, the crust. Unfortunately for our competitors, only two pizzas made it out of this round unscathed: Domino's and Papa John's. Pizza Hut wasn't so lucky.

When we're talking crust, my favorite of the three pizzas was Domino's by far. The stuffed crust portion was phenomenal. It was crunchy, chewy, plump, and filled with lots of yummy cheese. Plus, it was garnished with a garlic and Parmesan cheese mix that makes it pop with flavors. The crust under the rest of the pizza was nice too. It wasn't too thick or too thin. Call me Goldilocks, but it was just right. Trailing close behind is Papa John's. Honestly, it was quite similar, albeit a touch thicker. Still, it lacked the seasoning found on Domino's Stuffed Crust Pizza, so the winner was pretty clear-cut.

Pizza Hut was a serious letdown regarding the crust. The stuffed part was pretty good, but the rest of the pizza's crust gave me serious cardboard vibes. It was thin and tough. Yuck. I wasn't expecting more than a basic pizza dough, but man, it was bad, and it was by far the worst part about this pizza. I eventually reheated a slice, and the issue only got worse — and no, I didn't reheat it in the microwave – that's obviously a recipe for cardboard crust.

From sweet to savory, the sauce on each stuffed crust pizza offered something different. Well, kind of. Pizza Hut's tomato sauce was on the sweeter side, especially when compared to Domino's and Papa John's. They both featured a more savory tomato sauce. While both sweet and savory tomato sauces are common, I prefer a savory flavor, so Pizza Hut was my least favorite of the bunch.

Regardless of the minor differences in flavor, one thing is for sure: None of the pizzas lived up to my saucy expectations, because there wasn't nearly enough of it. This could be my personal preference, but with all that extra stuffed crust, who wouldn't want some more sauce? Let's say we take that argument off the table and forget about the crust — there still wasn't enough sauce. Full disclosure, I often order my pizzas with extra sauce, but Pizza Hut in particular had barely any sauce to speak of. Papa John's and Domino's weren't much better either.

My recommendation? If you want to make the most of your next stuffed crust pizza (regardless of where you order it from), click that handy little box on the online form that requests extra sauce. If you're more of a call-to-order type of person, just ask, they'll be more than happy to oblige, and you'll be glad you did.

While the cheese inside the crust is super important for this style of pizza, the cheese on the rest of the pizza obviously matters, too. Fortunately, this is one of the areas where none of our competitors failed. Did one stand out as the best? Yes, Papa John's, but the other two weren't trailing far behind. For me, Papa John's Stuffed Crust Pizza was adorned with the perfect amount of cheese. It blended with the other toppings nicely, and the flavor and texture hit the mark as well. Yes, please.

The same complement cannot be extended to Pizza Hut though. The best I can say about the cheese on it is that it got the job done. There wasn't a ton of it, but there was enough to cover the less-than-ideal crust below. Domino's pizza was a bit different, and honestly, I can't tell if I mean this in a good or bad way. There was more than enough cheese on my Domino's Stuffed Crust Pizza, something cheese lovers will revel in. However, there was something about the flavor and texture that didn't rub me the right way. It had a spongier texture than the cheese on the other two pies, and the flavor was bland at best. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't bad by any means, and with enough toppings, who cares? Still, it could be better. Papa John's is proof of that.

In order to level the playing field, I ordered three identical pizzas from Domino's, Pizza Hut, and Papa John's. I went for half plain and half jalapeño pineapple on each pie so I could accurately evaluate both the basic building blocks and the additional toppings. I know some of you out there are thinking, what? You put pineapple on pizza?! But I don't care that pineapple is a controversial pizza topping. I love it paired with jalapeños. You can say and think what you want, but when it comes to evaluating the toppings from our three pizza chains, pineapple and jalapeño are just as good as any other options.

Admittedly, the toppings are where my three pizzas showed the least variation. All the pies had about the same amount of toppings. It was also tricky to detect a difference in texture and flavor. Although I did notice that the jalapeños on Pizza Hut's Stuffed Crust Pizza were slightly drier, something that led to a tougher texture. My guess is this is because the brand uses a lower-quality product, but it doesn't really matter what the reason is if the texture isn't there. After reheating a slice the next day, the jalapeños only became drier and tougher too. So, once again, Pizza Hut came in last place. Oh well.

Comparing the prices on Domino's, Papa John's, and Pizza Hut Stuffed Crust Pizzas isn't so straightforward. If you are familiar with ordering from any of these chains, you probably already know that they offer a myriad of special deals at all times. So, while I paid between $17 and $20 for each pie, it may have actually been cheaper if I ordered two pizzas. Really, it just depends on how you work the specials. So, when it comes to price, the difference in price between each stuffed crust option is marginal at best. However, there is some variation in size.

Both Papa John's and Pizza Hut make their stuffed crust pizzas in a large, 14-inch size. Domino's, on the other hand, offers the recipe in a medium, 12-inch size. Depending on the specials of the day or week, this might make Domino's less of a deal, but again, it's hard to say due to the frequent price fluctuations. One thing is for sure though: If a medium-sized pie isn't enough to feed your group, and you don't want to order more than one, Papa John's and Pizza Hut have you covered.

Drumroll, please. The champion of our stuffed crust pizza showdown is none other than Domino's. Papa John's managed to secure a close second, but didn't have what it takes to beat the new kid on the block. As for Pizza Hut, it may have been the first brand to offer this unique style of pizza, but now its recipe is just outdated — it was the obvious last-place contestant. Really, it wasn't even a consideration, it got knocked out of the running long ago.

The overall flavor and texture of Domino's and Papa John's Stuffed Crust Pizzas are on point, so they both got full marks there. However, as we know, Domino's takes flavor a step further by dusting the stuffed crust portion with a garlic Parmesan cheese seasoning mix — and it takes flavor to drool-worthy heights. Of course, Papa John's pizzas come with a little cup of garlic butter that's ready to step in, but as-is, Domino's has it beat.

I will say that the cheese flavor and texture on Papa John's Stuffed Crust Pizza was a smidge tastier. If you're going to name a style of pizza for its crust, it better nail that element, so Domino's stays in the lead. Neither is a bad choice though, especially if you remember to take my recommendation and order them with extra sauce. Delish!

I remember when Pizza Hut first dropped its revolutionary stuffed crust pizza in 1995. Unfortunately, I even remember some of the cringeworthy commercials that came along with it (if you know, you know). Suffice it to say, I've been a fan since way back, so I was pretty stoked when Papa John's followed suit. And now, there's a stuffed crust pizza at Domino's too — I'm in heaven. All this being said, I was the perfect person to taste, review, and determine a winner between the three fast food chains' stuffed crust pies.

In order to see who does it best, I ordered a stuffed crust pizza from each pizza chain, half plain and half jalapeño pineapple, as you already know. Then, I tasted each version several times, paying close attention to the differences, similarities, and quality as a whole. In the end, the stuffed crust pizza with the best overall flavor and texture, and above all else, the best stuffed crust, earned bragging rights for the foreseeable future.

The next time frozen pizza simply won't do, give one of my two favorite stuffed crust pizzas a try and see what I mean. Spoiler alert (in case you skipped ahead to the end): Pizza Hut may have done it first, but it certainly did not do it best. Sorry, not sorry, Pizza Hut. You've officially been replaced.