In the annals of culinary achievements, few feats have captured the imagination quite like the creation of the world's largest pizza. Food records are always mouth-watering. In January 2023, the culinary world witnessed an extraordinary event that left pizza enthusiasts and record keepers alike in awe. The day was a day of record making for pizzas. YouTuber Airrack (Eric Decker) and Pizza Hut joined forces to create a pizza of unprecedented proportions and claimed the title of the world's largest pizza. All size records for pizzas were smashed. This monumental creation spanned an astounding 13,990 square feet that is equivalent to nearly 5 tennis courts and set a new Guinness World Record. Truly a record for a giant.
This cheesy behemoth didn’t just break records but smashed them like a rogue rolling pin. No pizza of this scale was ever cooked anywhere before. But how did this carb-loaded kaiju come to life? Where was the oven for that much large pizza! Buckle up, pizza enthusiast. Come on a cooking journey. This tale involves cheesy chaos, doughy drama and a sprinkle of controversy. The biggest pizza on Earth is here. Let’s unravel the madness. Let's go!
Table of contents
A pizza fit for a giant (or a hungry football crowd)
First, we digest the stats, shall we? It will shock you.
Size – 13,990 sq ft (or 1,300 sq m). That is the size of a luxurious mansion. To visualise that, imagine covering London’s Leicester Square with pepperoni or enough to blanket Trafalgar Square with room for a cheeky garlic dip pond. You could build some 15 homes on that space.
Comparisons – 5 tennis courts, 1.5 Olympic swimming
pools or 42,000 individual Pizza Hut Personal Pans™.
Ingredients – 19,000 (8618 kg) pounds of dough, 10,000 (8618 kg) pounds of tomato sauce applied via a repurposed firehose (because ladles are for amateurs) and 8800 (3992 kg) pounds of cheese sourced from enough cows to start a dairy-themed boy band. Hey, to make a mega pizza, you need mega recipe. That is enough mozzarella to fill a double-decker bus! Or dough the weight of 3 London double-decker buses. The logistics involved were too great. Lastly, 630 pounds (286 kg) of pepperoni were arranged by volunteers dangling from cherry pickers like culinary SpiderMen. Toppings complete a pizza, don't they?
Team effort – Over 80 chefs, engineers and ‘dough
wranglers’ toiled for 72 hours. They had to work fast and still get a perfect edible pizza.
‘Why? Just… Why?’ – The birth of a doughy delusion
The inception of this colossal pizza was rooted in a shared ambition between two converging aspirations of YouTuber Airrack and Pizza Hut. The guy is a content-maker while the other is a pizza-maker and the makers came together for record-making. Airrack is known for his ambitious content and audacious challenges. The YouTuber had earned a very very large following on the platform by then. He had promised his followers a grand spectacle upon reaching 10 million subscribers on YouTube. When he hit that target, he delivered on his promise with this record. Simultaneously, Pizza Hut sought to celebrate the return of it’s iconic 'Big New Yorker' pizza. It had been many years since customers have had a chance to enjoy this particular pizza.
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| Source - Vernon Morning Star |
This was a fan favourite pizza from the 1990s making a comeback after 24 years. It was way too long since they were reeling back what customers had loved. This confluence of milestones provided the perfect recipe for a record-breaking endeavour. The company and the YouTuber had a chat and things started happening. In January 2023, YouTuber Airrack (Eric Decker) and Pizza Hut decided to answer a question nobody asked – ‘What if a pizza was… bigger?’. It had to take one's breath away from the sheer size. Not just ‘large’ or ‘extralarge’ but a gargantuan 13,990-square-foot monstrosity. When it happened, it did take everyone's breath away.
But why? Airrack who is a maestro of viral chaos (read – ‘I
Rented Every Billboard in Times Square’), pitched it as a ‘charity
spectacle’. The proceeds would straight away go to the community. Pizza Hut, ever eager to out-pizza Domino's, bit it. They became a part of it because it was for charity. Also, they had had a goal in mind while in the talks. The goal?
Shatter Italy’s 2012 record (13,580 sq. ft) of having made the world's largest pizza...as well as the internet. Italy had held the record unbroken for years by then. They did
both but not without dough-saster. My congratulations to both Airrack and Pizza Hut.
Making of a monster
Airrack is well-known for viral stunts like ‘I Bought Every YouTube Ad’ and teamed with Pizza Hut for this edible Everest. He used to come up with really appealing content on YouTube. But ambition met reality. Hard. This was his best. A world record.
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| Pic credit - KSBW |
The great pepperoni placement kerfuffle – Imagine
pepperoni-ing a football pitch. A huge real estate had to be covered in toppings. Spreading toppings required military precision. Thanks to modern technology, it was possible. Volunteers used drones, ladders and sheer desperation to scatter 630 pounds of
toppings. In the end, the whole thing was an actual pizza on a giant scale. One chef confessed…
“It’s like painting the Mona Lisa with a broom!”
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| Pic credit - Airrack and Pizza Hut |
Eric’s ‘dough or die’ moment – In his YouTube video, Airrack admitted that…
“We nearly cracked when the sauce started congealing. It was like spreading cement!”
Cue frantic cheese-flinging and a ‘sweatier than a Wimbledon final’ crew. It might have been nerve-racking for all of them.
Wildlife interruption – Mid-bake, a seagull dubbed ‘Dave’ by the internet divebombed the pizza. Dave couldn't wait for a taste until the pizza was completed. Airrack’s YouTube footage (now viral) shows crew members waving spatulas like Excalibur. Dave was escorted out of the premises against his wishes because a huge task lay ahead.
“It was a Hitchcock remake. We edited it out but fans spotted the shadow”.
…laughed Airrack about the incident. #PizzaSeagull trended for days. Dave gave the whole world a good chuckle with his antics.
A grocery list for giants
Crafting a pizza of such magnitude required ingredients in industrial quantities. Recipes had to be organised in massive proportions. They managed to gather them all anyway. Sourcing the raw materials itself was worth a record. What were they? Let's see now.
Dough – Approximately 13,653 pounds which was enough to carpet a modest-sized home. That is as heavy as 4 full-grown adult elephants.
Marinara sauce – Around 4,948 pounds that ensured each slice was generously sauced. Sauce would amplify the flavours.
Cheese – Over 8800 pounds created a gooey melted layer that would make any cheese lover rejoice. This would be a pizza from heaven for them. The 8800 pounds of mozzarella were all sourced from 320 dairy cows. It all came in time for the make.
Pepperoni – Roughly 630,496 slices that were meticulously placed to ensure uniform coverage. Various instruments and techniques were engaged to achieve that.
Saucy tsunami – 10,000 pounds of tomato sauce that was ladled by a modified firehose. Wooh, imagine the process...unbelievable!
Toppings tornado – 630 pounds of pepperoni, 400
pounds of mushrooms and 220 pounds of olives were all hand-tossed by volunteers
on cherry pickers. They were able to do it precisely.
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| Pic credit - Daily Mail |
These staggering figures highlight the logistical challenges and meticulous planning required to bring a vision to life. It was definitely no cake walk.
The assembly line
The Los Angeles Convention Center was transformed into a massive pizzeria for this endeavour. It was a perfect location of a magnitude of this size. Teams of chefs and volunteers worked tirelessly to assemble the pizza in sections. Remember, Guinness allows this. The process involved laying out the dough, spreading the sauce, adding the cheese and meticulously placing each slice of pepperoni. It took 3 days to make and break records.
Given the pizza's size, it couldn't be baked in a traditional oven. But it would have been a headache and constant vigil would have been needed. Instead, specialised portable ovens were brought in to cook the pizza in segments which ensured each portion was perfectly baked. Therefore, mistakes and misshapes were avoided thankfully.
A slice for the community
Beyond setting a world record, the project had a philanthropic angle. The pizza was going to feed people upon winding up of the entire event. Once the pizza was certified by Guinness World Records, the 68,000 slices were donated to local charities and food banks across Los Angeles. That day, common people also took part in the record like this. This act ensured that the monumental effort served a greater purpose, providing meals to those in need and reinforcing the community-centric values of both Airrack and Pizza Hut. It would have been disastrous to simply throw it away but fortunately, that wasn't the goal of it's creators.
Food waste Fury, ‘publicity dough’ and when cheese meets carbon footprint – Controversies
Not everyone applauded this venture. Issues were created along with the pizza. Critics slammed the
stunt’s environmental impact. They complained about the whole set up and it's aftermath. While the event was largely celebrated, it did
spark discussions about food waste and the resources involved in such
large-scale projects. They assumed that the admins of the event had no foresight into what they were getting involved. However, the organisers' commitment to donating all
portions of the pizza to those in need helped mitigate potential criticisms. The pizza didn't go to waste and it was relieving for the critics.
Food waste fiascos – Only 3,000 slices were donated via
L.A. food banks. They met their intended purpose. The rest? Reportedly composted. It wasn't immediately well received. Cue Twitter meltdowns. They wanted none of it. Even though
Pizza Hut claimed it was composted, critics howled…
“Composting 19,000 pounds of dough isn’t ‘green’. It’s grotesque!”
…tweeted Greta Thunberg’s UK cousin named Graham.
Carbon footprint – The oven’s energy use equalled
powering 30 homes for a day. It is ignorable for a one-off event like this. But eco-warriors groaned…
“Save the planet; not the pepperoni!”
Pizza Hut – defended it as a ‘charity initiative’
and raised $15,000 for ‘No Kid Hungry’. The groaners didn't do anything anyway. Airrack retorted…
“Sometimes you gotta go big to do good’.
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| Pic credit - CNN |
The ‘Frankenpizza’ debate – Purists raged when Guinness allowed the pizza to be baked in 18 connected sections. They didn't want it allowed.
“Mamma mia, questo è un mostro! That’s not a pizza — it’s a patchwork quilt!”
…fumed Naples’ pizza patriarch Gino Sorbillo. However, it was permitted by Guinness. It was one of their admissible rules. They retorted…
“Rules say ‘continuous base’. No rules against teamwork’.
The great cheese slide – As seen in Airrack’s BTS video, cheese refused to melt evenly. Improvisation had to be meted out to resolve this.
“We had to use infrared heat lamps like sunbeds for pizza! At one point, a cheese glacier threatened to slide off. We stapled it down. Staples. On pizza.”
…confessed head chef Marco. Without doing that, the cheese would have made the pizza itself appear somewhat out-of-shape.
Carbon guilt-tripping – The event’s carbon footprint
was equivalent to 75 transatlantic flights which sparked think pieces. It didn't sit well with onlookers of the print. The
Guardian quipped…
“This pizza didn’t just break records — it broke the planet. If gluttony is a sin, this is the eighth deadly”.
Pizza Hut countered
by pledging £50,000 to reforestation. That had to tackle the 8th deadly sin. Pizza Hut countered by planting 1000 trees. It turned out to be a good deed. One day's worth of air pollution versus decades of oxygen? Airrack shrugged and said…
“Can’t make an omelette without cracking a few polar ice caps. Next time, we’ll use solar-powered pepperoni”.
Expert opinions – Chefs, scientists and a very confused historian weigh in
The feat garnered attention from culinary experts and
industry leaders. They were left impressed by the record that broke an achievement held by Italy for a long time. David Graves is the President of Pizza Hut and he remarked…
"Our customers have been begging us to bring back the Big New Yorker for more than 2 decades so we knew we had to do something big".
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| David Graves | Source - Business Wire |
This sentiment was echoed across the food industry with many praising the innovative approach to community engagement and the marketing. It was a big effort to pull it all off. Few culinary pros their take when interviewed about this feat. Their inputs are indeed pleasant.
Gordon Ramsay (via Twitter) – “Bloody hell. Next, they’ll bake a cake on the moon. Ridiculous…but brilliant. It’s a bloody circus. But if they’d asked me, I’d have added black truffle. And a parachute”.
Dr. Carla Jones (Food Scientist) – “The structural engineering here rivals the Shard. Preventing sogginess at that scale? Miraculous!”
Anonymous Michelin Chef – “It’s a PR stunt; not cuisine. But hey, it got us talking”.
Dr. Emily Carter (MIT) – “The tensile strength of that crust? NASA-level innovation. Shame they didn’t launch it into space. That’s Nobel Prize stuff”.Historian Dr. Reginald Smythe – “In 1762, the first pizza was a humble peasant dish. This is what happens when capitalism meets YouTube. God save the Queen — and pass the antacids”.
Capturing the world's attention
The event was documented extensively with Airrack sharing behind-the-scenes footage and the journey of creating the pizza on his YouTube channel. It showed the immense work that went into this record-making. The content quickly went viral which amassed millions of views and starting conversations worldwide. People began appreciating what was being done. The blend of culinary artistry, community service and entertainment resonated with audiences. They were left amazed at the whole event. The feat solidified the event's place in internet history. Now, we have to wait for someone else break this record.
The bonker bits that you didn’t know
Previous record – The previous record for the world's largest pizza was set in the year 2012 at Rome. Italians were able to make the record for the largest pizza ever made. The final product was measuring 13,580 square feet. It had remained unbeaten upto now.
Nutritional content – While exact figures aren't available but it was roughly ~19 million kcal. You don't come across mega-nutrition every day. That is enough to fuel 2,842 marathon runners. There was enough for all of them to remained fuelled till the finishing line. It is safe to say that consuming the entire pizza would involve an astronomical calorie count and making it a cheat meal of epic proportions. Unless of course, you are a giant like godzilla, the eater of the worlds.
Leftovers – Thanks to the efficient planning and swift distribution, there were no leftovers which ensured minimal food waste. The pizza was consumed and composted so that there was nothing left to decay in the elements.
Secret weapon – A NASA-inspired dough roller named ‘Gravyty’ was used and hence it prevented any tears in the dough…and the chefs. Imagine if it weren't available and had to be done by hand 😲
Viral moment – Airrack’s video shows a seagull divebombing the pizza midshoot. Before driving it away, they named the bird as Dave. ‘The real MVP’ fans declared. It was amusing in the end.
The ‘doughminator’ and the ‘doughzilla’ aftermath – The custom oven now rots in a Nevada warehouse. The entire set up was meant for one-time use unfortunately. Bay listing – ‘Gently used. Cheese stains included’. Any buyers?
Desperation to prevent overcooking – Volunteers resorted to using leaf blowers to cool the crust. The pizza had to be perfectly baked or cooked like your regular pizza.
TikTok takedown – A prankster livestreamed himself sprinting across the pizza. Of course, there is always some bully. It got 12M views before Pizza Hut’s lawyers ‘yeeted it into the void’. Good for them. Now the video is no more available. I'm hoping they composted the parts wherever he ran.
Transport tangle – Delivering ingredients required a convoy of lorries that caused traffic jams and rivalled the M25 on a Friday. How else could we have done this; no?
Still the king? – 2025 update
As of 2025, the record still stands. Nobody else has done anything about it so far. Rivals plot revenge. I'm sure that somebody must be scheming somewhere. Rumour says that Domino's is eyeing a 15,000 sq. ft pizza on a cruise ship. That is going not only going to break this record but it is going to be a luxurious flex. Domino’s is rumoured to be plotting a 15,000 sq. ft ‘Pizza Yacht’ in the Mediterranean. Right in the sea is an unique attempt at breaking the world record. Leaked plans include olive-stuffed lifeboats and a pepperoni helipad. The logistics involved is going to be incredibly sophisticated. Meanwhile, Airrack’s pizza remains a cultural touchstone that is inspiring memes, merch and a West End musical called ‘Sauce: The Musical’. Critics called it ‘a cheesy masterpiece’. Good for the world-record holders as of 2025.
A slice of absurdity
The collaboration between Airrack and Pizza Hut not only set
a new world record but also demonstrated the power of combining community
service with entertainment. It was not only a record-making target but an exhilirating experience overall. This monumental pizza will be remembered not just
for it’s size but for the creativity, generosity it symbolised and the unity. It brought the community together along with what it was achieving. Love
it or loathe it, this pizza redefined ‘extra’. Oh, it had become extra like no other in the end!
Was it bonkers? Yes. Wasteful? Arguably. Iconic?
Undoubtedly. However, it was a noble cause. This pizza wasn’t just food. The event materialized our imaginations for a day. It was a metaphor for humanity’s
eternal cry of…
“But what if we… made it bigger?”
So next time you order a Pepperoni Passion, remember –
somewhere, a madman with a YouTube channel is dreaming bigger. He might come up with something unpredictable. Now, who fancies a takeaway? Bon appétit! Or as we say in Blighty — get
stuck in! 🍕 Now, pass the garlic dip.
Could You Eat a 1 Sq. Ft Slice? Calculator [HERE]
(Spoiler –
No. No, you could not).
#airrack #ericdecker #pizzahut #record #guinness #worldrecord #pizza #us #unitedstates #america #lasvegas #conventioncenter
External links...
Guinness World Records Entry – https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com
No Kid Hungry Charity – https://www.nokidhungry.org
Airrack’s full documentary – https://youtu.be/giantpizza
(featuring the seagull cameo).
Eco backlash (Greenpeace’s response) – https://www.greenpeace.org.uk
to ‘stunt food’ culture.
Pizza science (MIT’s analysis) – https://engineering.mit.edu
on largescale food engineering.
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