The best two-topping pizza combos pair something rich with something that cuts it: pepperoni and mushroom, sausage and jalapeño, bacon and pineapple. That is the whole science. Fat wants acid, salt wants sweet, heavy wants fresh, and a pizza that gets one from each side balances itself.
Below are eleven pairings that hold up, each with the reason it works. Order any of them on a hand-tossed NY-style crust and the math gets even better, because a thin, sturdy base lets two toppings actually taste like two toppings.
The eleven combos
1. Pepperoni and mushroom. The undisputed champ: pepperoni brings salt and rendered fat, and mushrooms bring moisture and earthy depth that soak all of it up instead of fighting it.
2. Sausage and jalapeño. Italian sausage is rich enough to need backup, and jalapeño's heat plus its faint vinegar edge cuts straight through the grease.
3. Bacon and pineapple. Salt against sweet, smoke against acid. If ham and pineapple starts arguments at your table, bacon and pineapple usually ends them.
4. Ham and pineapple. The original sweet-and-salty handshake, milder than the bacon version, which is exactly why kids and peacemakers keep ordering it.
5. Pepperoni and banana peppers. Banana peppers are tang delivery vehicles, and tang is the thing a pepperoni slice quietly begs for.
6. Sausage and onion. Onions turn sweet in the oven, and that sweetness rounds out sausage's fennel-and-fat savoriness better than any third topping could.
7. Bacon and jalapeño. Smoke and fire. The bacon fat carries the capsaicin across the slice, so the heat spreads out instead of spiking.
8. Mushroom and black olive. The strongest no-meat pairing on the board: olives bring brine and richness, mushrooms bring body, and the slice never feels like something is missing.
9. Ham and mushroom. Gentle salt, gentle earth. This is the diplomatic order for a table that vetoes anything spicy.
10. Pepperoni and sausage. Salt on salt, fat on fat. It breaks the balance rule on purpose and lets the house-made sauce do all the balancing work. Some nights you just want the meat.
11. Green pepper and onion. Crunch and sweetness that still taste like actual vegetables, and a combo humble enough to let a good crust and sauce carry the slice.
The formula, if you want to freelance
Every pairing above follows one rule: pick a rich topping, then pick its opposite number.
- Rich: pepperoni, sausage, bacon, ham
- Cutters: jalapeños, banana peppers, pineapple, onion
- Middle ground: mushrooms, green peppers, black olives
Take one from the rich column and one from anywhere else and you will land somewhere good. Two from the rich column works too; just know the sauce is now doing the acid work alone, and pour a cold drink accordingly.
The reverse also holds. Two cutters with no rich anchor, say jalapeños and pineapple, reads great on paper and eats like a fruit salad with a grudge. Give the acid something to cut.
One more move worth knowing: the half-and-half order. Run one combo on each side of the same pie and a two-person household with irreconcilable topping politics gets to eat in peace. The crust does not care, and neither do we.
Sizing the thing
Big Jim's bakes five sizes: 12", 14", 16", 20", and 24". A two-topping 12" feeds one hungry person or two polite ones. The 24" feeds a garage full of people and ships in a box that barely fits through a standard door. Cheese starts at $11.99 for a 12", so a two-topping build stays an easy call on the wallet.
Browse the full topping roster on the menu, or skip the drive entirely and have it delivered anywhere in Amarillo.
A short defense of stopping at two
Three or more toppings start crowding the crust and steaming each other, and by five you are eating a casserole with a handle. Two toppings stay distinct. You taste each one, plus the crust, plus the sauce, in every bite.
There is a ceiling on this philosophy, and we built it: the Big Jim's Special runs pepperoni, ham, bacon, mushrooms, onions, and green bell peppers from $16.99, for the nights restraint loses the vote.
Pick your pair, call (806) 352-5050, and stay saucy.
FAQs
What is the best two-topping pizza combination?
Pepperoni and mushroom is the most reliable pairing. Pepperoni brings salt and rendered fat while mushrooms add moisture and earthy depth, so every bite balances itself.
What two toppings go well together on a pizza?
Pair one rich topping like sausage, bacon, or pepperoni with one that cuts richness, like jalapenos, banana peppers, pineapple, or onion. Fat against acid and salt against sweet almost always works.
What sizes can I order a two-topping pizza at Big Jim's?
Big Jim's Pizza Co. in Amarillo bakes five sizes: 12, 14, 16, 20, and 24 inches. Cheese pizza starts at $11.99 for a 12 inch, with toppings added from there.
What is on the Big Jim's Special pizza?
The Big Jim's Special comes loaded with pepperoni, ham, bacon, mushrooms, onions, and green bell peppers, starting at $16.99. It is the house answer for nights when two toppings feel like restraint.
