The Pizza Plant Origins
A Quest for the Best Vegan Pizza
We are pizza enthusiasts. If you’re reading this, you probably are, too. There’s a reason why pizza is such a universally loved food, and there’s a reason why it works in virtually any setting—from six-year-old birthday parties to romantic wine and movie nights. We love pizza, but we don’t love the fact that some people can’t enjoy it (due to lactose intolerance) or the fact that its traditional animal-based ingredients were hiking up our cholesterol levels. So began our quest for the best vegan pizza and the origins of The Pizza Plant.
Who Has the Best Vegan Pizza?
Before tasking ourselves with the momentous undertaking of creating the best vegan pizza, we had to see what was already out there. From slice shops to frozen pizza, we tried it all. We ordered cheeseless and technically vegan pizzas from chains like Dominos, Papa John’s, and Pizza Hut; we sampled vegetarian pizzas from restaurants across Southern California; and we filled our carts with an array of vegan frozen pizzas from the supermarket. Yes, it was a lot of pizza, but we did it for the greater good.
There’s no arguing that the independently owned restaurants had some of the best vegan pizzas we tried; however, these aren’t nearly as accessible as the pies from national chains or the freezer aisle. But let’s talk about those chains and frozen options. A cheeseless pizza is like biting into a burger without a patty. It’s severely lacking, and the experience is very sad. So, if you can help it, avoid ordering vegan pizza from these chains until they implement a vegan cheese option (we’re calling you out, Pizza Hut; the pressure is on). Moving on to the frozen vegan pizzas. While many of these products did include plant-based toppings like vegan cheese and vegan meats, all were disappointing in at least one crucial area. Either the pizza crust tasted like cardboard, the vegan cheese was rubbery, or the pizza sauce was bland and had much to be desired. Many say there’s no such thing as bad pizza, but unfortunately, we strongly disagree.
In that moment, the direction was clear. If we wanted the best vegan pizza to be accessible to all, we had to make it ourselves.
What Goes Into the Best Vegan Pizza?
What Goes Into the Best Vegan Pizza?
What are the crucial components of pizza? We narrowed it down to four: toothsome crust, flavorful tomato sauce, gooey mozzarella cheese, and fresh toppings. We began working from the base up. First, we had to nail down the perfect pizza dough. After many iterations from deep dish to super thin, we settled on a vegan pizza crust that is sturdy yet soft—it can hold up on its own but it’s also pliable enough to fold. We then developed a homemade pizza sauce recipe made with all organic ingredients to ladle on this five-star crust; we think of it as a rich marinara canvas to complement our homemade vegan toppings.
Speaking of, a pizza isn’t a pizza without toppings, and in our very strong opinion, the best pizzas have cheese. Each of our The Pizza Plant pies are generously dolloped with our luxuriously creamy homemade vegan mozzarella. Created from a blend of cashews and spices, our vegan cheese is soft, gooey, and bursting with umami. Pro tip: place your pizza under the broiler for the last minute or so of cooking to get a delicious char on the mozz. #lifechanging.
Now, some may be perfectly content with a solid vegan cheese pizza, but we craved more. Even our simplest pizza—Not Your Grandma’s—comes with a flourish of quality olive oil and a sprinkling of fresh basil. A step beyond that, we have our veggie pizza, the Veggie Pals. We loaded it with a farmers’ market’s worth of vegetables such as briny kalamata olives, sliced bell peppers, and sharp red onion. And we couldn’t forget about the meat-lovers and pepperoni purists. Self-proclaimed carnivores delight in our vegan sausage-topped Salsiccia Italiano and our spicy pepperoni-crowned Everything But the Hog.
There is some subjectivity when it comes to crowning the best vegan pizza, but whether you’re a Plain Jane or a meathead, The Pizza Plant pizzas nail every single component of what makes pizza great.
Where to Find The Best Vegan Pizza?
Yes, we are alluding to The Pizza Plant pizzas as the best vegan pizzas. When you make a product this good, you’re entitled to some bragging rights. It’s not narcissism, it’s pride! Once we were one hundred percent smitten with our vegan pizza recipes, we were eager to share our plant-based pizza with the people. Fun fact: we didn’t start out in Whole Foods. We actually began as a brick-and-mortar in Pasadena, CA and gave out free slices of pizza for our grand opening. It was the ultimate pizza party, and it was fabulous. Over time, though, we became more ambitious. We wanted the world to try our vegan pizzas, not just the fine folks of Pasadena. That’s when the lightbulb went off and the wonderful people at Whole Foods opened their freezer doors to us.
Currently, you can find The Pizza Plant frozen pizzas in Whole Foods in California, Nevada, and Arizona as well as Gelson's, Clark's Nutrition, Mother's Market and Kitchen, and other independent grocers. We’ve got our eye on nationwide retail expansion, but in the meantime, we’re offering nationwide delivery! Each eight-pack box includes your choice of The Pizza Plant pizza and free shipping. We also have a variety box for those who want to try it all (and trust us, after you see the photos, you’re going to want to try it all). There’s nothing better than a vegan frozen pizza on hand when you have the hangries and don’t want to trek outside the comfort of your home!
For all The Pizza Plant grocery locations and to find one near you, visit our store locator page. To order nationwide shipping, visit our delivery page.
Remember to follow us on Instagram @thepizzaplantusa for drool-worthy pizza pics, perfect pizza pairings, new store distribution, and more!
