The pizza giant enlisted the help of a vegan cheese giant in the UK to ensure that no one ‘outpizzas’ the Hut.
Pizza Hut is ubiquitous. A company that began over 60 years ago, it has over 18,700 locations globally, making it the world’s largest pizza chain. It made its way into the UK in 1973, and has been serving American-style pizza to Britons ever since.
With an unstoppable rise in the number of vegans in the UK, Pizza Hut rose to the challenge in 2017 by adding plant-based options to its menu. And it did so with vigour, adding not just a couple of vegan dishes, but a whole menu for plant-based pizza eaters.
What vegan pizzas can you get at Pizza Hut?
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In late 2017, Pizza Hut partnered with cheese alternative giant Violife to introduce plant-based pizza to its UK menu. The vegan menu includes mains, sides and desserts. But there is a risk of cross-contamination, especially with dairy, as everything is cooked in the same kitchen. So none of its food can be guaranteed as 100% allergen-friendly, and we recommend you look at the dietary information of a dish before ordering it.
In 2020, Pizza Hut also launched a vegan stuffed crust for its plant-based menu to commemorate the crust’s 25-year anniversary. And it partnered with jackfruit meat company Jack and Bry for its Jack ‘n’ Cheese pizza (jackfruit and pepperoni with vegan cheese) for Veganuary.
Here’s what the vegan pizza menu at Pizza Hut offers:
Vegan Margherita
An obvious first option, any pizza menu has to have a Margherita. Pizza Hut’s vegan Margherita is a simple combination of Violife cheese and its signature tomato sauce.
Vegan Pepperphoni
This is a vegan twist on an American classic. Tomato sauce, Violife vegan cheese and a pea protein-based pepperoni make up this dish.
Vegan Veggie
No points for naming this one — the brand could certainly have done better. But this is a basic vegetable-topped pizza comprising Violife, spinach, sweetcorn, mixed peppers, red onions and mushrooms.
Vegan Virtuous Veg
This is part of Pizza Hut’s new line of flatbread pizzas. It’s topped with the same vegan cheese, spinach, mixed peppers, red onions, mushrooms and cherry tomatoes, with a sprinkling of rocket to finish.
Read our story on how vegan cheese manufacturers are replicating dairy.
Plant-based sides and desserts offered by Pizza Hut
🌱I Can’t Believe It’s Not Cheesecake pic.twitter.com/KZRyjL5Z3c
— Pizza Hut Restaurants (@pizzahutuk) January 3, 2020
Apart from the mains, the restaurant chain also offers a few sides and dessert options to accompany the vegan pizzas.
Southern Fried Nuggets: A tribute to a southern American delicacy, the vegan nuggets are made with Quorn.
Corn on the Cob: Just a good old treat, these mini corn on the cob sides come in fives.
I Can’t Believe It’s Not Cheesecake: While the name isn’t original, this vegan cheesecake is made using plant-based caramel and a biscuit base.
Raspberry Ice: It’s a refreshing way to end your meal. Perfect for the summer, his is a raspberry-flavoured sorbet.
Read our exclusive interview with Quorn ahead of Plant Based World Europe.
Is the Hut’s Beyond Meat pizza vegan?
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Last year, Pizza Hut partnered with plant-based meat giant Beyond Meat to introduce an alt-meat pizza. But sadly, that pizza is not vegan, as it still uses dairy cheese. You could ask your local Hut to not add the cheese, but it’s not the same.
