Does Pizza Hut have Gluten-Free Pizza?- My Personal Review

People with gluten intolerance just hate it when they realize they cannot eat pizza. So, to save your life, let me tell you – Yes, Pizza Hut has gluten-free pizza and some gluten-free toppings options.

Pizza Hut has a menu for gluten-free pizza, but not all branches have it. The ingredients of the Gluten free pizza dough change depending on the branch is something worth knowing.

If your diet requires you to eat gluten-free ingredients, you may think you can never eat pizza. But some pizza chains have gluten-free pizzas for people allergic to gluten.

That is why it is great if a pizza place has a gluten-free option. Pizza Hut ensures that it delivers to most of its customers no matter their diet.

The gluten-free options from Pizza Hut are good, but is it the best option for celiacs or should you just totally avoid it?

I have compiled detailed information about the gluten-free pizza from Pizza Hut that can guide you to decide whether or not to order gluten-free food from Pizza Hut so read on!

What Is Gluten-free Pizza?

In general, gluten-free foods contain gluten or the protein found in most grains like wheat. The soul of a pizza is wheat, so making a gluten-free pizza is quite the task

Grains that contain gluten are wheat, barley, rye, triticale (cross between wheat and rye), farina, Kamut, spelt, and wheat berries.

Gluten-free pizza is free from wheat and other grains that contain gluten. There are made with flour that has no gluten in them, like rice flour, tapioca starch, potato starch, etc.

The mix of these flours gives the pizza crust a texture very close to normal pizza crust.

For instance, gluten-free flour is used in gluten-free pizzas, which means that while they have similarities with regular flour, it is still gluten-free.

The most significant difference between regular pizza and gluten-free pizza is the crust. The dough used for making gluten-free pizza crust contains no gluten at all.

Some people mistakenly believe that pizza crusts with starch are no longer gluten-free. You can still eat crusts with starch as long as the starch does not have gluten.

Another important note is that there are other pizza crusts and products dubbed gluten-free but may still contain gluten in them, but only in small quantities.(Make sure to read the labels)

Note: Gluten-free pizza is NOT made with wheat flour. It can contain as little as 20 ppm of gluten for it to be considered gluten-free.

Pizza Hut uses designated gluten-free pizza crusts on their pizza and was once certified by the Gluten Intolerance Group (GIG) as gluten-free.

As of 2022, Pizza Hut is no longer certified gluten-free by GIG mainly because of the environment where they make the pizza. We’ll dive into that later.

What Is The Gluten-free Pizza Price In Pizza Hut?

With standard toppings, you can order the gluten-free pizza from Pizza Hut for only $9.99. The pizza is only 10 inches and is cut into 8 slices.

If you have ordered pizza from Pizza Hut, then you already know that the prices vary depending on the pizza size and the toppings you choose to add.

In comparison with non-gluten-free pizzas, there is no difference in the price. You can order the same pizza with the same toppings and a regular pizza crust for the same price.

You do, however, need to pay extra if you choose to add toppings. So it’s either you stick with the $9.99 gluten-free cheese pizza or add toppings that can cost up to $2- $4 per topping.

What Are The Gluten-free Pizza Pizza Ingredients?

Pizza Hut provides the ingredients for the gluten-free pizza they have. They use maize starch, rice flour, EVOO, yeast, sugar, salt, potato starch, and water for the gluten-free pizza crust.

The gluten-free pizza sauce from Pizza Hut contains tomato concentrate, herbs, salt, and flavoring, which creates a flavor that resembles the taste of a regular pizza sauce.

As for the toppings, Pizza Hut only adds mozzarella cheese with added potato starch. You then have the freedom to choose additional toppings you want on your pizza.

Quick Pizza Hut Gluten-free Pizza Review

First, I liked that Pizza Hut was considerate when requesting a gluten-free pizza. They told me that I can choose any pizza I wanted and they would make it gluten-free.

This is a really good way to sell gluten-free pizza, as most pizzerias would only allow a few ingredients or toppings on their gluten-free pizzas.

The Crust

The most noticeable feature of the gluten-free pizza from Pizza Hut is the crust. Pizza Hut uses Udi’s certified gluten-free pizza crust for this pizza.

It was crispy and flat, almost resembling the thin crust option from Pizza Hut.

What I found different about the gluten-free pizza crust is that it was not as airy or as flaky as the other crusts from Pizza Hut.

I still enjoyed the crunch of the crust and its crispiness, but I was still looking for that airy interior instead of the thin, flattened crust that was used.

The sauce was pretty much the same as the other sauces used on the regular pizza, and I could not find any noticeable differences worth mentioning.

Note- Marinara Sauce from Pizza Hut is Gluten free

The Toppings

I ordered a gluten-free pepperoni pizza and was really satisfied with it. The sauce and the pepperonis were spread evenly throughout the pizza crust, so you can taste them in every bite.

Overall, the gluten-free pizza from Pizza Hut was good. I enjoyed the crispiness of the toppings and the flavor of the delicious sauce and pepperoni toppings on the pizza.

What I Found Unsettling

I can survive without a gluten-free diet, and while Pizza Hut has a good gluten-free pizza option, I am not confident recommending it to other people with celiac disease.

Pizza Hut claims that they place all the gluten-free ingredients in separate containers. This is true, but making the pizza itself is not gluten-free.

There is a lot of cross-contamination as the workers grab the pepperonis and sprinkle the mozzarella directly from the containers.

You can request that they change the gloves they use and the pizza cutter so they do not contaminate the gluten-free pizza with any non-gluten-free ingredient.

That is the best way to prevent the main issue, which is cross-contamination between gluten-free ingredients and the ones used on regular pizzas that are full of gluten.

Gluten-free Menu At Pizza Hut

Note: The gluten-free menu from Pizza Hut might vary or might not be available depending on the region that you are in.

Pizza Hut highlights the gluten-free menu on the pizza and not on the other items such as side dishes but there are a few options that you can choose from for your gluten-free meal at Pizza Hut.

Pizzas

The gluten-free pizzas from Pizza Hut are all made with Udi’s gluten-free crust. You can order pepperoni gluten-free pizzas, gluten-free cheese pizza, or make your own with any topping you want.

They use the regular marinara sauce on the gluten-free pizza and you have different toppings to choose from such as beef, pork, chicken, bacon, mushrooms, olives, chile peppers, and more.

Sides

There is not much on the sides that are gluten-free but I recommend the grated cheese packet. I love cheese so it only makes sense that I want even more than what I get from my pizza.

I love spice as well so the crushed red pepper packet is also an amazing addition to your gluten-free pizza if you want a side dish with it.

Drinks

Most drinks from Pizza Hut do not contain gluten such as Pepsi, mountain dew, diet Pepsi, mist twist, and more to accompany your gluten-free pizza.

Dipping Sauce

Choose from the barbecue, buffalo, buffalo ranch, cheese, and extra BBQ for the dipping sauces that are all gluten-free.

These are great additions to your gluten-free pizza, especially if you want a little bit of a different flavor on your pizza.

Things To Avoid At Pizza Hut If You Are Gluten-free

Always tell the staff of Pizza Hut that you are allergic to gluten or if you have Celiac disease so they can take proper precautions when preparing your food.

Some common mistakes made at pizza places that cook a lot of food are cross-contamination and accidental swapping of ingredients.

From my observation, certain items are not gluten-free from Pizza Hut, whether from the ingredients or the process in which they are made.

Deep-fried items such as wings. The deep fryer can contain wheat from the breading, which is not gluten-free.
Desserts. All the dessert options from Pizza Hut are not gluten-free so try avoiding them if you are allergic to gluten.
Pasta and most side dishes. Aside from the cheese packets and red chili pepper packets, there are not many gluten-free side options from Pizza Hut. All pasta dishes are not gluten-free.

Best Gluten-free Items At Pizza Hut?

The best gluten-free items at Pizza Hut are mainly within the topping options for the pizzas. I love the cheese packet as a side dish and the barbecue dip, but pizza is still the best.

While I mostly stick to the gluten-free pepperoni pizza, I also like to add some toppings if I have the extra budget.

I highly recommend adding mushrooms and green chile peppers to the gluten-free pizza you order. Not only do they add color to the pizza, but the flavors they provide are perfect.

Grilled chicken topping is also great with barbecue sauce, marinara sauce, or buffalo pizza sauce.

If you feel a little more adventurous, add sliced banana peppers or pineapples to your pizza to make the gluten-free pizza a little more diverse in taste.

Is Pizza Hut’s Gluten-free Crust Safe For Celiacs?

No. Even though Pizza Hut uses gluten-free crust, it is not safe for people with celiac disease as it can still easily trigger the disease’s symptoms.

Pizza Hut itself warned the public that their kitchens are not gluten-free environments. That means that the kitchens are not free from airborne ingredients that are not gluten-free.

Even a small amount of gluten in the food can trigger celiac disease in some people. Along with that, there is also the risk of cross-contamination.

Because of the handmade nature of cooking pizzas, some ingredients that are not gluten-free can cross-contaminate the gluten-free ingredients, which are not safe.

So overall, the gluten-free pizza crust from Pizza Hut is not safe for people with celiac disease.

While the gluten-free pizza from Pizza Hut has great flavors and textures, it is not your best option. Yes, you can change the toppings and put whatever you like, but it can be unsafe.

Again, Pizza Hut is no longer certified by the Gluten Intolerance Group as a gluten-free pizza place, so if I were you, I would just cook my pizza or find another alternative for Pizza Hut.

For people that are not that sensitive to gluten like me, I still recommend the gluten-free pizza from Pizza Hut to taste what it’s like, but celiacs should certainly avoid it.

Countries where Pizza Hut offers Gluten-free Pizza

Pizza Hut U.S. has gluten-free pizzas available; you can order them with toppings you like. So what other countries with Pizza Hut offer gluten-free pizzas?

You can find one in Australia if you are on vacation and want gluten-free pizza from Pizza Hut. They offer gluten-free pizza in large sizes.

Pizza Hut UK also has gluten-free pizzas served as large pizzas. So you can also get one from there.

Other smaller countries like South Korea, India and The Philippines do not have gluten-free options on their menu, so you might want to look for another pizzeria for gluten-free pizzas aside from Pizza Hut.

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