The Crunchy Topping That Makes Pizza Night 10X Better

Americans eat three billion pizzas per year, according to the Economic Times, so it's a safe bet there are almost no topping variations that haven't been tried by someone. Most pizzas don't offer much texture variation in those toppings, though. You might get a little crunch from well-done pepperoni, but for the most part, it's the crust that does all the heavy lifting when you need something crispy. But it doesn't have to be that way. The secret to adding a burst of flavor and crunch is crispy onions.

Whether you make them yourself or use a brand like French's crispy fried onions, they can elevate any pizza. The best way to use them is to sprinkle them on a finished pizza while it's still hot, right before serving. You don't want to add them as a topping before you bake the pizza, as that will cause them to soften up. If you want them to stick better, you can grate enough cheese on top of the onions to cover them. Then flash the pizza under a broiler just long enough to melt the cheese without softening the onions. Otherwise, you can sprinkle the onions on the same way you would extra Parmesan or red pepper flakes.

Crispy onions are a perfect textural contrast to soft, melty cheese, or chewy pizza dough. The salty, umami flavor works with tomato sauce just as easily as a white sauce, pesto, or barbecue. They bring a new dimension to any time-tested classic pizza in a way that takes a good thing and makes it even better.

Onions are found all around the world, in every kind of cuisine, so they're not one of those niche items like pineapple that cause a lot of controversy. Even if you would never eat a whole onion on its own, chances are you eat them all the time as components of other dishes. Unlike some potential toppings that could add crispiness, onions are probably already incorporated as a flavor in the sauce and possibly even as a topping. That's what makes crispy ones perfect, they're building on what's already there.

Crispy onions pair well with chili crisp to double down on crunchy texture while boosting flavor and adding some heat. You don't want to use too much chili crisp because it can be overpowering, but a small amount mixed with crispy onions can enhance a pizza that seems too plain.

If you want to increase the crunch but don't want to overwhelm your pizza with onion, mixing the crispy onions with a sprinkle of panko bread crumbs is another way to up the crunch factor without losing the flavor of the pizza itself. There are other ways to add some additional crunch to your pizza, including unexpected ingredients like almonds. Don't worry if it sounds unusual at first. It's just because we're used to eating pizza the same way. Look around the U.S., and you'll find many unique, regional pizza toppings. Give crispy onions a chance, and they just might become your favorite new thing.