These Toppings Mesh A Classic Hamburger With A Beloved Pizza (And Taste Delicious)

Decision fatigue plagues us all, especially when it comes to choosing what to make for dinner tonight. Particularly if it's a gorgeous weekend for eating outdoors or a perfect evening to make something comforting and delicious for your friends and family, the age-old question is often this: burgers or pizza? The good news is you don't have to choose between firing up your grill or your pizza oven, you can have the best of both worlds with pizza-inspired burger toppings.

In terms of ingredients, there's already some helpful overlap between a classic hamburger and traditional slice of pizza. They're both often a combination of bread, meat, and cheese; you can throw a tomato or red onion on either; and you could controversially add ranch dressing (or pineapple) to both. But to meld the two staples together most seamlessly, we recommend topping your burger with a component from one hugely beloved pizza order first and foremost — pepperoni.

After prepping your preferred homemade burger, top your beef patty with a generous sprinkling of mozzarella cheese. Or, for an even gooier cheese pull, place a couple mozzarella pearls inside your burger patty before shaping and grilling it. Next, replace your usual ketchup and tomato with pizza sauce. Marinara can also work, but note that these sauces aren't the same; for one, pizza sauce has a little more sweetness to mimic that of ketchup. While crispy bacon is a classic burger upgrade, pan-fried pepperoni is a game changer. Let the pepperoni crisp up in a pan before adding it on top of the pizza sauce spread (this will help it stay in place). A few leaves of slivered basil will round out the perfect pizza parlor experience.

A few more perfect pizza toppings to bring to your burgers

Now that the lid is off of the jar, there are tons of pizza toppings that would taste delicious on a burger — and many of them can be found in your refrigerator or pantry already. Instead of spreading out a dollop of pizza sauce, mix jarred or homemade pesto with mayo for a burger-friendly spin on aioli (not to be confused with plain mayo). Sun-dried tomatoes, thinly sliced garlic, chopped Calabrian chiles, or even Calabrian chili oil would all taste delicious on top of melty mozzarella cheese for an extra-Italian burger spin.

Fresh or pickled jalapeños dotted on top of pepper jack cheese could add some delicious heat, while banana peppers or pepperoncini would add some exciting acidity. Grilled pineapple is already a burger favorite, but pair it with crispy bacon or Canadian bacon for a remix on Hawaiian pizza. If you're an olive lover, spread a salty, briny olive tapenade on your burger bun. Or, if you're a mushroom fan, add sliced and sautéed mushrooms on top of your burger patty.

As it turns out, almost anything you'd put on a pizza tastes delicious on a burger. Just be sure to skip the anchovies.

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