When you think about going for a delicious meal in a pizza restaurant, the one name that will always be at the forefront of your mind is Pizza Hut. There are currently over 19,000 Pizza Hut restaurants all over the world, and this much-loved brand has gone from strength to strength since it was founded in 1958.
However, as an increasing number of people have started following the vegan lifestyle, one question about this family-favorite restaurant remains - does Pizza Hut have vegan options?
Below, we’ll take a look at some of the vegan-friendly dishes you can order at Pizza Hut. We’ll also travel from the United States to the United Kingdom while we do, so regardless of what country you’re in, you’ll know what vegan options Pizza Hut has to offer.
Does Pizza Hut Have Vegan Options?
In short, yes, Pizza Hut does have options for vegans. This also extends beyond the salad bar, and there are some really tasty meals to choose from. However, there are more vegan options available at Pizza Hut restaurants in the United Kingdom, and there is even a dedicated vegan menu!
It’s unlikely that the United States will take long to follow suit with this though, so if you’re a US citizen, you can rest assured that your vegan options at Pizza Hut will soon be expanding even further.
For now, however, we’ll take a look at some of the traditionally non-vegan ingredients used for making pizza. Below, you’ll find how Pizza Hut restaurants in the United States and the United Kingdom have adapted these to make them vegan-friendly.
Does Pizza Hut Have Vegan Cheese?
United States
Currently, there are no vegan cheese options available at any Pizza Hut restaurant in the United States. Instead, the ‘remove and swap’ method is used, and you can create your own vegan pizza while asking for the cheese to be left off.
United Kingdom
Conversely, as of January 2019, every single Pizza Hut restaurant in the United Kingdom has a vegan option cheese option in the form of “Violife’s 100% Vegan Cheese”. This was first introduced to the main menu in 2017 with a £1 supplement for switching from dairy-based cheese. However, it is now a staple ingredient on the dedicated vegan menu.
Does Pizza Hut Have Vegan Pizza?
United States
Unfortunately, there are no dedicated vegan pizza options at any Pizza Hut stores in the United States. However, as is the case with vegan cheese, you’re able to choose and swap ingredients from standard pizzas to make them vegan-friendly.
You can also create your own vegan pizza from scratch, which we’ll look into in more detail a little later on.
United Kingdom
Since all Pizza Hut restaurants in the United Kingdom provide a dedicated vegan menu, there are five vegan-ready pizzas available to choose from. These are:
Vegan Veggie
- Tomato Sauce
- Violife Vegan Cheese
- Spinach
- Sweetcorn
- Peppers
- Red Onions
- Mushrooms
Vegan Margherita
- Tomato Sauce
- Violife Vegan Cheese
Vegan Hot ‘N’ Spicy Veg
- Tomato Sauce
- Violife Vegan Cheese
- Roasted Peppers
- Roasted Onions
- ‘Hut House’ Seasoning
- Peppers
- Jalapenos
- Red Onions
Vegan BBQ Back ‘N’ Cheese
- Tomato Sauce
- Violife Vegan Cheese
- BBQ Jackfruit
- Peppers
- Red Onions
- Sweetcorn
- BBQ Drizzle
Vegan Virtuous Veg (Flatbread)
- Tomato Sauce
- Violife Vegan Cheese
- Spinach
- Peppers
- Red Onions
- Mushrooms
- Cherry Tomatoes
- Arugula
If none of the above dedicated vegan pizzas appeal to you, Pizza Hut restaurants in the United Kingdom also give you the option to create your own vegan pizza from scratch.
Create Your Own Vegan Pizza Hut Pizza
Since all United Kingdom Pizza Hut restaurants have a dedicated vegan menu and allow you to create your own vegan pizza, we’ll concentrate on the options available to you in United States Pizza Hut restaurants here.
Below, you will find a full breakdown of all of the vegan-friendly ingredient choices available, each of which can be used to create your own vegan Pizza Hut pizza.
Vegan Crusts:
- Original Pan
- Hand Tossed
- Thin ‘N’ Crispy
- Gluten Free
Don’t be tempted to stray from this list of crusts when building your own vegan pizza, as both the Original Stuffed Crust and Cheesy Bites Crust contain cheese.
Crust Flavors:
- Buttery Blend (Soybean Oil Based)
Despite the name, the Buttery Blend crust flavor is created from soybean oil and contains no dairy products. However, this isn’t the case for the Garlic Buttery Blend, Hut Favorite, and Toasted Parmesan, all of which contain milk.
Drizzles:
- Buffalo
Again, there isn’t much choice here. The BBQ drizzle contains honey, so it isn’t vegan-friendly. However, many people following a vegan diet still consume honey, considering it to be a ‘gray area’, so if you fall into this category the BBQ drizzle would still be a suitable option.
Sauce:
- Buffalo Sauce
- Classic Marinara
- Pizza Sauce (Robust Inspired Tomato Sauce)
Pizza Hut’s Creamy Garlic Parmesan Sauce contains milk, so it isn’t a suitable choice for vegans. The BBQ sauce contains honey which, again, is one of the animal-based ingredients that some vegans still choose to consume.
Toppings:
- Banana Peppers
- Black Olives
- Green Bell Peppers
- Green Chile Peppers
- Green Olives
- Jalapeno Peppers
- Mushrooms
- Pineapple
- Roasted Spinach
- Roma Tomatoes
- Red Onion
This is a really large range of vegan toppings and, while the other vegan-friendly options are a little lacking, the toppings are where you get the opportunity to really add some flavor to your pizza!
Cheese:
Unfortunately, there are currently no vegan cheese options available at any United States Pizza Hut restaurant. Hopefully, this will be something that changes in the future though, along with the introduction of a dedicated vegan menu.
Are Pizza Hut Breadsticks Vegan?
The ingredients used to make Pizza Breadsticks are broken down into four parts; dough, pan oil, buttery blend, and seasoning. The first two of these parts are clearly 100% vegan-friendly. But how about the ‘buttery blend’?
Despite the confusing name, Pizza Hut’s Buttery Blends contains zero animal ingredients. This means that the third part of a Pizza Hut Breadstick is also vegan. However, the issue lies with the fourth element - the seasoning. This is traditionally made from several types of cheese, which means that Pizza Hut Breadsticks are not vegan.
This doesn’t mean that all hope of devouring one of these tasty treats is lost, though! Let’s take a look at how you can adapt a Pizza Hut Breadstick in order to make it vegan-friendly.
United States
You can make Pizza Hut Breadsticks vegan in United States restaurants by asking for the seasoning to be removed when you order them.
United Kingdom
Unfortunately, traditional Pizza Hut Breadsticks in United Kingdom stores cannot be adapted as they contain milk amongst the ingredients list. However, there is a plant-based alternative on the dedicated vegan menu.
Does Pizza Hut Have Vegan Sides?
United States
The WingStreet Fries on offer at Pizza Hut restaurants in the United States contain no animal products and are therefore suitable for vegans. The accompanying ketchup also doesn’t contain any animal products, so you can confidently dip your fries for extra flavor!
United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom’s Pizza Hut restaurants, only the oven-baked fries are suitable for vegans. This is because the regular and sweet potato fries could contain cross-contamination of egg and milk, which also means that they aren’t suitable for anybody with a dairy allergy.
Both the fired and oven-baked varieties of Cheesy Fries are also unsuitable for vegan consumption as they are topped with cheese. However, you can swap this for Violife Vegan Cheese instead.
Does Pizza Hut Have Vegan Desserts?
United States
If you’re looking for a sweet treat to finish your vegan meal off, then you can choose the Cinnamon Sticks on offer in any United States Pizza Hut restaurant. However, you’ll need to ask for them without the icing as, although previously vegan, the recipe has now been changed to include milk.
United Kingdom
The Cinnamon Bites are the only vegan option available at Pizza Hut restaurants in the United Kingdom. However, unlike their United States counterparts, the icing that covers them contains no animal products and is 100% vegan-friendly.
Summary
As you can see, there are a few vegan options available at Pizza Hut restaurants. However, the number of options to choose from vary quite a bit depending on the country you’re dining in!
Pizza Hut restaurants in the UK have a dedicated vegan menu and offer more in the way of providing suitable swaps. In the US, you’ll have a more limited selection of vegan options, but you can still create your own pizza to ensure you’re not consuming any animal products.
As Pizza Hut is a brand, however, it shouldn’t take too long for the restaurants in the United States to follow the UK’s example and offer a fully dedicated vegan menu.
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