How to Cut a Pizza into 7 Slices

Co-authored by Dan Hickey

Last Updated: October 25, 2022 Tested

Pizza is the ultimate group dish, but what do you do when you have 7 hungry people that want to eat a slice? It turns out there are a lot of ways to slice a pizza pie into 7 pieces—some that you can eyeball, some that take a little mental geometry, and some that use nifty specialty pizza tools. We’ve put together a handy list of ways to split a pizza into 7. If you’re ready to feed your hungry guests, keep scrolling!

Things You Should Know

For almost equal slices, cut the pizza in half. Then, cut one half into thirds and one half into fourths.
Use a pie cutting guide to mark perfectly equal slices. These look like cutting boards or tools with measurement markings on them.
For a quick option, cut a triangle in the center of your pizza to make a crustless slice. Extend each triangle side to the edge of the crust to create the rest of the slices.

1

Divide the pizza in halves for almost equal slices.

This is the quickest and simplest way to get 7 roughly equal slices. First, cut from top to bottom to make 2 equal halves. Cut one half into even thirds, and the other half into even fourths. The result is 7 slices that are almost the same size (the thirds will be about 4% bigger than the fourths).^{[1]
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2

Make 7 unequal slices with 3 cuts.

Three is the fewest number of cuts you can make to get 7 slices. First, slice the pizza in half from top to bottom and side to side to make 4 equal quadrants. Then, make a diagonal third cut that crosses through 3 of the 4 quadrants, cutting them in 2. The result is 7 unequal slices.^{[2]
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- Make sure the third cut doesn’t pass through the center, otherwise you’ll only end up with 6 slices.
- 6 of the slices will have crust and 1 toward the center will be crustless.

3

Cut a “winner’s” slice.

This method makes 6 equal slices, plus one that’s twice as large. First, cut the pizza from top to bottom and side to side to make 4 equal quadrants. Remove one piece and slice the remaining quadrants in half to make 6 equal slices. Add in the missing quadrant and you’ve got 7 pieces.^{[3]
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- Use a friendly game or competition of your choice to decide who gets the extra large piece. The tastier you make the pizza, the harder people will play!

4

Use the triangle method.

Cut an equilateral triangle in the center of your pizza. Make it small enough that the points of the triangle don’t reach the edge of the crust, but big enough to be satisfying to eat since it will be one of your slices. Extend all 3 sides of the triangle to the edge of the crust to form 6 more pieces around the perimeter.^{[4]
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- The resulting 7 pieces won’t be of equal size or shape, but the design the cuts make will look very geometric and interesting!
- The middle piece will be crustless while the outer 6 will have varying amounts of crust.

5

Use a pie cutting guide for equal slices.

A cutting guide for 7 slices shows you exactly where to cut your pizza. Cutting guides for pizza look like circular cutting boards with grooves showing where to slice for 6 or 8 pieces. To get around this, use one that’s meant for pie—it’s more common to find one built for 7 slices.^{[5]
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- Place your pie cutting guide on top of the pizza and press it down to slice. If it’s too small for the diameter of the pizza, use a knife to mark the slice lines.
- Cutting guides can only make the designated number of slices they were designed for and can’t be adjusted.

6

Mark 7 equal slices with toothpicks.

This method requires some geometry, but makes 7 equal slices. First, place a toothpick in the center of the pizza. Then place toothpicks on the edge of the crust at the top and bottom of the pizza to make a straight line. On the left side of the pizza, place toothpicks at the 1/4th 1/8th, and 1/16th angles going counterclockwise.^{[6]
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- Remove the toothpicks at the bottom, 1/4th, and 1/8th spots. Imagine a line going from the top toothpick to the center, and then to the 1/16th toothpick.
- Cut the smaller region to the left of this line into 3 equal pieces, then cut the larger region to the right into 4 equal pieces for a total of 7 equal slices.
- This is the best way to cut 7 equal pieces without using a specialty tool like a cutting guide or protractor.

7

Measure slices with a pizza protractor.

Protractors are D-shaped tools with degree marks that measure slice angles. Most have big markings for 6 or 8 slices, so use the degree marks to measure out 7 equal slices. One seventh of a circle is 51 degrees (technically 51.4 degrees, but your friends will forgive you if you’re a bit off!).^{[7]
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- Place the protractor flat side-down on top of the pizza. Line up the bullseye marking on the protractor with the exact center of the pizza.
- Use a knife to mark slices that are about 51 degrees wide all around the pizza.
- Grab the protractor by the straight side and use the curved edge to cut your pizza!

8

Score 7 cut marks on homemade dough.

Use a knife to score cut lines into your dough before you add toppings. Use a cutting guide or protractor to determine where the lines go, then lightly mark them with a knife before baking. Make sure the lines extend to the edge of the crust so you can see them once the pizza's done. Once it’s out of the oven, cut your marks from the crust to the center of the pizza.^{[8]
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- In baking, “scoring” is the act of making a shallow slash on the surface of the dough with a knife before you put it in the oven.
- This method works best when you make your own dough (frozen pizzas with toppings on them can’t be scored).