How Many Pizzas Do You Need to Order?

People love pizza. The average American adult will eat almost 6,000 slices of pizza in their lifetime. Even more mind-boggling, the U.S. consumes 3 billion pizzas every year — that’s over 8 million pizzas ordered every day. For your next party or family night, skip catering and stick with America’s favorite cuisine, pizza.

In this guide, we’ll make figuring out how many pizzas to order simple with one rule. The 3/8 rule — get an idea of how many mouths you’ll be feeding, and assume each will eat about three slices of pizza.

Even with that rule in mind, you may still wonder how many pizzas you need based on what you want to order. Below, we’ll answer some of the most frequently asked questions of ordering the right number of pizzas for your party or family gathering.

How Many Slices of Pizza per Person?

Account for about three slices of pizza per person. Use this as a general guideline, and be aware that some people may consume more or less. If you’re ordering pizza for a hungry football team, you might want to order more pizzas than you normally would. Comparatively, if you’re ordering pizzas for a kid’s birthday party, you can order less than usual as kids usually eat less food than adults do.

You can best calculate how many pizzas to order by considering:

The total number of people you’re feeding
The average number of slices people eat per sitting
The age of your guests
The predicted appetite of your guests
If you’ll be ordering or serving other sides or snacks

How Many Pizzas Do I Need for 5, 10, 15, 20 or 25 People?

The best way to calculate how many pizzas you should order is by following the 3/8 rule. Each guest is likely to eat three pizza slices, and the average large pizza serves around eight slices. Remember to round up to get whole numbers and order more or less based on your party’s needs. With this rule, depending on the number of people you’re ordering for, you should order the following number of pizzas:

Five people: Order two pizzas, assuming each person eats 15 slices.
10 people: Order four pizzas, as guests will likely eat a total of 30 slices.
15 people: Order six pizzas if each guest eats three slices for 45 total slices.
20 people: Order eight pizzas, assuming all 20 guests eat 60 slices total.
25 people: Order 10 pizzas if all guests eat a total of 75 slices.

Note that how many pizzas you order for your party will also depend on the pie sizes you select.

How Many People Does a Small 10″ Pizza Feed?

A small pizza contains, on average, four slices. Therefore, small pizzas can feed around one adult or two children. Order a small pizza if you’re ordering for the children in the family or if you’re ordering a unique topping for a specific guest or family member to enjoy.

How Many People Does a Medium 12″ Pizza Feed?

Medium pizzas contain around six slices of pizza, feeding two adults or three children. You can’t go wrong with ordering a medium pizza or two for pizza night with your significant other or family. You could also order unique toppings on a medium pizza and crowd-pleasers like cheese or pepperoni on larger sizes for a big party.

How Many People Does a Large 14″ Pizza Feed?

A large pizza usually contains eight slices, while an extra-large pizza contains around 10. Following the same rule that an average adult will eat around three slices, a large pizza will feed around two adults or four children. An extra-large pizza would feed around three adults and five children. It’s recommended to order commonly loved toppings in larger sizes.

Is It Better to Get 2 Medium Pizzas or 1 Large Pizza?

Really, it depends on the number of mouths you’re feeding. Let’s break down the numbers. The average medium pizza costs around $10, give or take, for six slices of pizza. And the average large pizza costs only a few dollars more for eight slices. That’s assuming you aren’t getting toppings.

If you’re trying to feed around five people, order three medium pizzas. If you’re trying to feed less than that, say around three to four people, save money by ordering two large pizzas.

Let’s look at another scenario — if you’re trying to feed 15 people, you’ll want around 45 slices. That means you can order eight medium-sized pizzas or six large pizzas. In this case, you’ll save money by ordering six large pizzas.

Overall, what’s best for your get-together or gathering will come down to the toppings. If you need more variety in your topping offerings, medium pizzas may be the better option. If everyone’s on the same page with what they want, you could order a large instead.

How Does Pizza Type Affect the Quantity You Need?

A factor that’s commonly overlooked is the type of pizza you’re ordering. Different styles of pizzas can leave you more full than others, meaning you and your guests will eat fewer slices. Pizzas loaded with toppings or with thicker crusts might leave your guests satisfied with just a couple of slices.

When you order less filling pizza types like thin crust, you’ll want to order more pizzas to account for the higher consumption. If you order denser pizza types like deep-dish, order a bit less than you normally would.

How Long Will Your Pizza Last?

Pizza can be stored at room temperature for up to two hours before it starts going stale. If you don’t plan on eating all of your pizza within two hours, you can store it in the fridge for up to four days. If you have leftovers — or you just like having pizza on hand — store your pizza in the freezer in an airtight container for one to two months.

How Do You Keep Your Pizzas Fresh When Hosting?

You know your guests will be hungry when they arrive and you want a delicious pizza ready for them. But how can you keep your pizzas warm and fresh until they’re ready to serve?

Trap the warmth during transit: To ensure that your pizzas arrive at their destination warm, use a blanket to trap the heat in the box so it doesn’t escape and turn on your car’s heated seats.
Keep it fresh with aluminum foil: Wrapping slices in foil will hold heat and prevent the crust and cheese from drying out if you need to warm it up again.

If you’ve got leftover pizza that’s gone cold, don’t worry! You can reheat it and make it taste like fresh-out-of-the-oven pizza again. Just try these simple techniques:

Reheat the pie in the oven: Keep it in its original box or place it directly on the middle oven rack, then set the temperature to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and bake until the cheese is melted and bubbling again.
Crisp individual slices on the stove: Place individual slices on a heated cast-iron skillet or covered frying pan and melt the cheese over medium heat to keep the flavor intact.
Enjoy your slices in seconds with a microwave: If you have a few slices of pizza that you want to warm up quickly and don’t have room in the oven or time to spare, try microwaving your pizza for about 45 seconds.
Try alternative methods: Air fryers and toaster ovens are great for reheating your pizza without resorting to the microwave. Both appliances will give you a crispy crust while ensuring the toppings stay warm and the cheese gooey.

Order Pizza for Your Entire Group at Green Lantern

What makes a good pizza? At Green Lantern, we believe it comes with a rich history of pizza-making and quality ingredients. Green Lantern began decades ago in an old farmhouse. But it wasn’t any ordinary farmhouse. As a holdover from the Prohibition era, the building displayed a green lantern alongside on the outside, signifying to passersby they sold alcohol. Thus, “Green Lantern” was born!

Now, Green Lantern specializes in pizza, also serving sandwiches, burgers, submarines, salads and an array of apps and sides. For your next party or family gathering, order pizza from Green Lantern. You can choose from our specialty pizzas, like:

John’s Jumbo Supreme topped with cheese, pepperoni, mushrooms and green peppers
Tommy’s Super Special topped with cheese, pepperoni, ham, mushrooms and green peppers
Chicken Siciliano topped with cheese, tomato, marinated chicken breast, garlic butter, mild pepper rings, red onion, feta and oregano
BBQ Chicken topped with cheese, BBQ sauce, marinated chicken breast, red onion and bacon

Or, build your own pizza! Green Lantern offers toppings like pepperoni, mushrooms, bacon, Italian sausage, ground beef, black olives, roasted garlic, spinach and much more.

Find a location near you and place an order online for your next party or pizza night. Not sure how many pizzas you need? Follow the 3/8 rule, or just ask our pizza specialists! We’d be more than happy to help you figure it out.