With the surging popularity of the plant-based ingredient market, it’s not surprising to see everything from alternative pizza crusts to non-meat toppings in the frozen pizza section of the supermarket. And it doesn’t look like the trend will be fizzling out anytime soon, noted Nico Roesler, managing editor, in his report on pizza trends in the March issue of Baking & Snack magazine.
Nestle launched a meatless line of DiGiorno pizzas that includes Sweet Earth’s Awesome Ground plant-based meat alternative, which contains textured yellow pea protein, wheat gluten, canola oil and coconut oil. Beyond toppings, there are many examples of better-for-you alternatives in pizza crusts.
Molinaro’s Fine Italian Foods, a private label frozen pizza maker in Canada, is expanding its US footprint by adding gluten-free and plant-based crusts, including ones made with cauliflower, zucchini, sweet potato and broccoli cheddar.
“We used to run gluten-free in our bakery on Mondays,” said Vince Molinaro, president of Molinaro’s. “Now we have weeks where we not only run on a Monday, but we do 48 hours on Monday and Tuesday.”
Mr. Molinaro said the company collaborated with chefs to deliver a crust that wasn’t too gummy or cardboardy.
“When they bite into it, people are surprised that it’s gluten-free,” he said.
With so many people eating at home these days, these new offerings will give the frozen pizza category a big boost and provide alternatives for families who are eating more at home.