Pizza has become one of America’s most essential food staples. Approximately 3 billion pizzas are sold in the U.S. each year and Americans consume over 251,770,000 poundsper year. Now, that’s a lot of pizza. What does make pizza taste so good exactly? Is it the crust? The flavor? The sauce? In my opinion, it’s the toppings that make it all come together.

Here are the best toppings ranked in definitive order:

1. Pepperoni

Not only is pepperoni truly a classic, but it also happens to be America’s favorite topping with it being 36 percent of all pizza orders. It’s truly the perfect pizza topping, no explanation necessary. There are no ifs, ands or buts about it.

2. Bacon

Although bacon isn’t your typical topping, it takes the second spot and for good reason. If it sizzles and is crispy, what’s not to love about it?

3. Hamburger

The first time I ever got hamburger as a pizza topping I was pleasantly surprised. Sure, it’s similar to the usual go-to toppings, but I would never imagine mixing hamburger meat with pizza. Plus, if you think about it, it’s like a cheeseburger with the meat and cheese combination at play.

4. Sausage

As you can see, I really value meat toppings with the trend that’s going on. Sausage on pizza adds immense flavor making it taste that much better.

5. Caramelized Onions

Definitely, the best vegetable topping to put on any pizza. If anything, I think caramelized onions are very underrated. They deserve way more credit than they actually get.

6. Mushroom

Mushrooms as a pizza topping is a pretty decent choice. Not the best, but certainly not the worst either. Mushrooms don’t necessarily bring a lot to the table. However, when paired with other toppings it makes for a good slice.

7. Olives

Olives can be too overpowering. In other words, they don’t make the cut on pizza because they don’t do anything for it.

8. Pineapple

Anyone who believes that pineapple is a good choice to put on pizza needs to reconsider. Not only is there no appeal, but why put fruit on pizza? The two just don’t mix.