Vegan pizza is one of many foods that has seen vast improvements in the past five years. Once beholden to yet-to-be-perfected vegan cheese, plant-based pies have truly hit their stride these days. While there is always the cheese-less option, we’ve been most enamored with pizzas topped with scratch-made, non-dairy cheese. Combined with a stellar crust and just the right amount of toppings, vegan pizza can compete with any animal-based pie out there.
Between all of us on the VegNews team, we’ve devoured quite a few slices and have become slightly obsessed with the pursuit of the perfect vegan pizza. From comparing cashew mozzarella to almond ricotta and deep dish to tavern-style, we just can’t get enough. Here are 9 of our favorite vegan pizzas from restaurants across the US.
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What makes a great vegan pizza?
There is a lot that goes into one’s determination of the best vegan pizza, and much of that is based on nostalgia. While it’s likely that the ingredients have changed—swapping animal products for their equally delicious vegan counterparts—the style of pizza you grew up on has some weight to it.
New Culture
If your family tradition involved going to a local New York-syle pizzeria on Friday nights, then you probably have an affinity for a thin but pliable crust. If deep dish was your childhood celebration food, you’re likely to swoon for this casserole-style pie. However, if you (like us) were a latchkey kid and survived off delivery, your pizza alliances could be easily swayed. We didn’t discover truly “good” pizza until our brush with Neapolitan pies in college.
“The best vegan pizza should be made with all organic ingredients, by hand, with love. This pizza will feed your body, mind, and your soul,” says Tara Punzone, owner of Pura Vita Pizzeria.
Beyond the style of crust, the best vegan pizza is determined by its toppings. Yes, a cheeseless pie composed of an excellent dough, fresh tomato sauce, and flavorful vegetables can be great, but we find that garden pies are improved with a few dollops of artisan vegan cheese … and perhaps a drizzle of something—balsamic glaze or vegan hot honey—to enhance the flavors even further. Give us a gooey smattering of nut-based ricotta or melty mozzarella, and we’ll order the pie on the spot.
Brands are also leaning toward our desire for more cheese. While she’s now parted ways with the brand, the popularly proclaimed “Vegan Cheese Queen” herself, Miyoko Schinner, brought pourable vegan mozzarella to the market specifically for pizzas.
“My goal was to create a vegan cheese worthy of pizza,” Schinner told VegNews when this product first launched. “A vegan pizza cheese that is so good that pizza lovers cannot believe it is vegan and inspires people to change their cheese to change the world.”
Where to find vegan pizza in the US
These days, vegan pizza isn’t such an anomaly. Many national quick-service chains offer vegan cheese (more on that here) and most grocers stock their freezer aisles with at least a few brands of vegan frozen pizza. If you’re in the market for a reliable pie you can reheat when needed, seek out Blackbird Foods or The Pizza Plant.
We always appreciate the gesture when a non-vegan pizzeria stocks wholesale vegan cheese or plant-based meat, but for this list, we’re looking for something a bit more unique than your average pizza.
This list consists of slices that tempted us to eat the whole pie, pies that made us drive out of the way just for another taste, and truly inventive flavor combinations that were questionable at first, but made all the sense in the world upon that first taste.
9 exceptional vegan-friendly pizza restaurants
From New York to Los Angeles and everywhere in between, these vegan pizzas have the wow factor.
Pura Vita Pizzeria
1 Pura Vita Pizzeria
West Hollywood and Redondo Beach, CA
Pillowy crusts and standout vegan cheeses are what sets this Los Angeles-based pizzeria apart. The restaurant features both bianca (white) and rossa (red) pies—the former slathered with a decadent bechamel, the latter topped with a bright and zesty San Marzano tomato sauce. With nine pizzas to choose from, plus the option to add ingredients, the decision can be paralyzing. We suggest dining with friends and splitting a few pies from both sections. The Capricciosa (tomato sauce, mushrooms, artichokes, shiitake bacon, olives, and mozzarella) and the Derose (ricotta, mozzarella, broccoli rabe, garlic, and chili flakes) are two of our favorites. FIND IT HERE
Floralia
2 Floralia
Honolulu, HI
When in Honolulu, a stop at this permanent pizza pop-up is a must. Crafted in a wood-fired oven, the specked Neopolitan-style crust is light and airy with just the right amount of chew and a delightfully charred outer rim. Not to be outdone, the simple but well-executed toppings will make you think twice about sharing. Made in-house, the vegan mozzarella, nut goat cheese, ricotta, and parmesan are gooey, rich, and completely satisfying. Order a side of vegan hot honey if you crave some heat.
FIND IT HERE
Kelly Bone
3 Tribute Pizza
San Diego, CA
This North Park neighborhood pizza concept isn’t exclusively vegan, but in our humble opinion, it could easily survive off its dedicated plant-based menu. The enormous Silverton Chop Salad (named after the iconic Nancy Silverton salad at her restaurant chain, Mozza) is as enticing as the pizzas here, and it’s large enough for two. Move onto pizzas for your main course and choose from six different options and three unique crust styles (Grandma, New York, and Neo-Neopolitan). First-time guests can’t go wrong with the Super Vegan 7.5 in the Neo-Neopolitan style. The root vegetable marinara sauce on this pie is sublime.
FIND IT HERE
Double Zero
4 Double Zero
Multiple locations
With locations in California, New York, Rhode Island, Maryland, and Massachusetts, chef Matthew Kenney’s vegan pizza concept is proving to be a successful venture. The crust is light, chewy, and kissed by a wood-burning oven, the sauces are both bright and decadent, and the toppings light up the taste buds. The menu ranges from simple margherita to complex Truffle Cashew Cream with wild mushrooms, baby kale, and lemon vinaigrette. We’ve never purchased a pizza we didn’t like here, but before ordering, ask for the monthly special. Based on seasonal ingredients, it’s always a memorable experience.
FIND IT HERE
Sizzle Pie
5 Sizzle Pie
Multiple locations
This pizza joint got its start in Portland, OR, and has since expanded to six locations across the state, plus one in Reno, NV. The vegan-friendly menu specializes in New York-style pies and slices, all with names that don’t provide any indication of what is actually on the pizza. Take one of the most popular vegan options—the Spiral Tap—which is sauced with a caramelized onion spread and marinara and dusted with nutritional yeast. Those looking for heavier toppings should check out the New Maps Out of Hell, a pie made with pesto spread, meaty soy curls, and a medley of vegetable toppings.
FIND IT HERE
Kelly Bone
6 Freesoulcaffe
Tustin, CA
Tucked into a quaint red-bricked patio a block off the main drag in Old Town Tustin, CA, Freesoulcaffe is a true hidden gem. Everything on its eclectic menu shines, the vegan pizzas are some of the best in Southern California. Combinations such as Brussels sprouts, red onion, and white sauce or squash blossoms with cashew burrata and fresh thyme sit atop a Neopolitan-style crust with a wonderfully light and just-chewy-enough crust. Every pizza is worth a try here.
FIND IT HERE
Ammazza
7 Ammazza
Atlanta and Decatur, GA
It’s not a surprise to find vegan pizza at omnivore restaurants, but seeing housemade vegan cheese at a place that also sells dairy cheese is a somewhat rare occurrence. While many restaurants rely on wholesale options such as Daiya, Follow Your Heart, or Miyoko’s, Ammazza is dedicated to providing its own decadently umami cashew-based cheese. Find it on vegan pies such as the Vegan Piccante with housemade tomato sauce, Calabrian peppers, caramelized onions, red peppers, marinated artichoke hearts, and basil, or the Tarfuto, which features wild mushrooms, truffle oil, and basil. With seven dedicated vegan options, the decision can be polarizing, but with that perfect crust and flavor-forward toppings, you’ll ultimately be satisfied with whichever you choose.
FIND IT HERE
20th Street Pizza
8 20th Street Pizza
Philadelphia, PA
Named Best Vegan Pizza by a multitude of Philly-based food media from Eater to Philly Weekly, this vegan pizza spot offers both round and square pies with three kinds of homemade, non-dairy cheeses and tastefully inventive toppings. Our eyes were immediately drawn to the Haymaker, a meaty vegan sausage pizza with mozzarella, garlic sauce, tomato sauce, and oregano, as well as the Balboa, another sausage, mozz, and tomato pie with the additions of lemon ricotta, arugula, pumpkin seed pesto, and chili flakes.
FIND IT HERE
Paulie Gee’s
9 Paulie Gee’s
Multiple locations
Paulie Gee’s boasts four pizzerias and four quick-service slice shops across six states. The vegan pizza menu varies slightly by location, but no matter which location you visit, you can expect addictively good crust, creative toppings, and homemade vegan sausage and cheese. There are simple pies, like the Regina (your standard Margherita pizza) but most don’t shy away from the concept of “more.” For something a little different, try the Vegan Grapeful Dad, which is topped with baby spinach, olive oil, vegan mozzarella, vegan parmesan, and house-pickled red grape halves.
FIND IT HERE
For more on vegan pizza, read:
Tanya Flink is a Digital Editor at VegNews as well as a writer and runner living in Orange County, CA.
