Pizza Hut launches the first plant-based pizza, Beyond Pan Pizza

Pizza Hut innovates pizza yet again with Beyond Pan Pizza and two new pizza options.

Beyond Pan Pizza is here and Pizza Hut takes on the plant-based food trend in a huge way. While many people have happily eaten a pizza topped with flavorful vegetables, these two new pizzas are different from that veggie delight. It is time to take bite towards the beyond.

Can you remember the first time you had a Pizza Hut pizza? Some people remember that Friday night tradition of going to that red roof restaurant to enjoy piping hot slice of pizza.

Even though everyone had a favorite topping, dad would normally be the deciding voice and place the order. Whether the pizza was piled high with pepperoni or mom said that there had to be some green peppers, it was the best dinner of the week.

Today’s pizza traditions are evolving. Just like many food trends, the traditional pizza toppings sit side by side with new food options. Still, at the heart of a great pizza is the everything under those toppings, the crust.

For a Pizza Hut pizza, that original pan pizza has the buttery crust that just make all the toppings pop. That rich flavor can even make you wish for an extra bite of crust to savor when the rest of the pizza slice is gone.

To launch the Beyond Pan Pizza, Pizza Hut uses the popular pan pizza as the familiar, favorite pizza crust. While many people will be curious to try this plant-based food offering, the balance of the familiar and new is key to making this launch successful.

This new Pizza Hut offering is in partnership with Beyond Meat. Each of the two new pizzas uses the Beyond Italian Sausage. If you haven’t tried this plant-based food offering, the first bite might surprise you.

The two new Beyond Pizza offerings are the Beyond Italian Sausage Pizza and the Great Beyond Pizza. The first offering is a classic sausage pizza. The Great Beyond Pizza combines the Beyond Italian Sausage with tomatoes, sliced red onions and banana peppers.

Recently, I had the opportunity to enjoy the Beyond Italian Sausage Pizza from Pizza Hut. Having grown up with Pizza Hut, I was definitely curious to see how the plant-based sausage would pair with that original pan pizza crust. More importantly, I wanted to see what my family would say to the new pizza offering.

While Pizza Hut uses the phrase you have to taste to believe, that comment isn’t an overstatement. For people who have never had the Beyond Sausage or other Beyond Meat offerings, they will be impressed. The similarity to a traditional meat based Italian sausage is clear. The Italian seasonings come through in each bite.

In some ways, that flavor is what drives the success of this pizza. The hand torn Beyond Italian Sausage makes for a balanced bite with the crust, sauce and cheese. The herbs combined with the buttery crust is quite satisfying.

Since I asked my family to do a taste test with me, the biggest takeaway from them was they didn’t realize it was a plant-based sausage. In their words, it was a sausage pizza with a little bolder seasoning to the sausage.

Based on my situation, I would urge people to do a side-by-side taste test. While the two pizzas, traditional sausage versus Beyond Italian Sausage, are different, some people might prefer the plant-based food option.

While I did not try the Great Beyond Pizza, this flavor combination could be the big winner for Pizza Hut. The combination of onions, peppers and sausage is a classic. Bringing together the tangy, sweet and savory in one bite should be quite satisfying.

Although the Pizza Hut launch focuses on the Beyond Pan Pizza, the Beyond Italian Sausage can be enjoyed on other pizza crusts. Still, the buttery qualities of this crust offer a great balance to the Beyond Italian Sausage.

This pizza launch is just the start for the Pizza Hut and Beyond Meat partnership. Since these new pizzas should be quite successful, more offerings could be coming. Although a plant-based pepperoni might take a while, using Beyond Meat crumbles as a pizza topping seems like a strong possibility.

The Beyond Pan Pizza is available for a limited time, while supplies last. The offering is available at traditional Pizza Hut locations.

If you are ready to explore the beyond, the Beyond Pan Pizza is waiting for you. One bite can make your next meatless Monday or Friday pizza night a whole new experience.

Are you going to try the new Beyond Pan Pizza? Which pizza will you try first?