I’m going to be honest, I knew Papa John’s was a pizza place, but I never went to them before I was vegan. There wasn’t any particular reason (that I remember), it just wasn’t my pizza place of choice.
So, that begs the question: why is my older brother obsessed with them? The last few years, any time we start talking about pizza places, he’s hailed Papa John’s as being the best pizza place ever!
Last July, I finally decided to humour him and we got it for lunch.
I was disappointed, to say the least.
The vegan options? Abysmally small! They have only a small selection of veggie toppings, 1 kind of dough that’s vegan (the gluten free crust is not it!) and they don’t even have vegan cheese!
It’s 2025!
I could maaaybe understand not having a faux meat option, but no cheese? Come on, Papa!
What the hell have you been doing over there?
Pizza
- Hand-Tossed Original Dough (Thin, Original or New York Style Crust)
- Signature/Original Pizza Sauce (Tomato)
- BBQ Sauce
- Onions
- Jalapeno Peppers
- Banana Peppers
- Green Peppers
- Mushrooms
- Roma Tomatoes
- Pineapple Tidbits
- Spinach
- Black Olives
- Green Olives
Sides
- Original Breadsticks
Dips
- Signature Garlic Sauce (Lactic Acid)
- Buffalo Sauce
- BBQ Sauce
- Pizza Sauce
- Spicy Garlic Sauce (Lactic Acid)
Other
- Whole Pepperoncinis
- Crushed Red Pepper
- Special Seasoning
Drinks
- Pepsi
- Diet Pepsi
- Pepsi Zero Sugar
- Mountain Dew (Yellow 5)
- Aquafina
- Starry
- Starry Zero
Their website also makes it kind of hard to find the ingredient information, but once you find the page it includes very detailed descriptions and doesn’t appear to hide anything behind vague-sounding names.
For example, the Banana Peppers list sodium metabisulfite and then in brackets next to it, is the explanation, ‘a salt, maintains freshness‘.
The only iffy thing is the lactic acid. They don’t say whether it’s plant- or animal-based, so it’s up to you to decide if you’re willing to chance it.
Their Allergen Chart is also fairly straight forward to look through.
I will also say, despite their lack of vegan options, their Signature Garlic Sauce and Breadsticks were pretty good. I know this isn’t a product review, but it’d be the only thing from them I’d recommend trying. Unless you’re into sad no-cheese pizza that’s thin enough it feels like a tortilla and you have to fold it in half just to bite it.
They’re good for a snack/side, but definitely not for a filling vegan pizza meal.
At least, not at the moment.
Like this post? Check out more of the Vegan Fast Food series!
*If anyone from Papa John’s wants to reach out for more specific feedback, I’d be happy to share!