Update August 2020: Blaze has their original gluten free crust again, which is also vegan–yay!! (In 2019 they switched to a gluten free non-vegan cauliflower crust, but now they have the original again as well as the non-vegan cauliflower & keto crust options.)
I tried Blaze Pizza, a build your own pizza chain with vegan and gluten free options, for the first time in Orlando at Disney Springs and fell in love with it. Their gluten free (and also vegan) crust is delicious–the edges are crispy, but it’s still floppy and you can fold the slices up. It’s close to NY style glutenful pizza, and they add just the right amount of vegan cheese (Daiya cutting board shreds) and melt it perfectly.
So when I found out they came out with a vegan meat option–spicy chorizo, I had to try it. There’s only one Blaze Pizza way up north in Austin, so Lucas and I planned it around an Ikea shopping trip while were in the area.
So what’s the verdict on the chorizo? I like it. I don’t have a lot to say about it–it’s spicy and tastes like chorizo. My only minor complaint is that I’m more of a traditional pizza fan, so I wish they’d gone with a vegan Italian sausage, pepperoni, or something like that. Will I order it again next time I go? Probably. I want to show demand for the vegan meat option, and it is good, even if it’s not the flavor I’d usually choose for pizza. (Don’t get me wrong, I love a good chorizo, but I prefer it on tacos/nachos etc.)
I wish there was a Blaze Pizza closer to where I live so I could enjoy it more often. There’s a Mod Pizza nearby, which is a similar build your own pizza chain with vegan cheese (that I’m glad is an option), but it’s not quite as good–they don’t melt the cheese and crisp up the crust as well as Blaze does. I also love Lil Nonna’s, Austin’s local vegan pizza trailer, but it’s pricey, which makes sense because they offer homemade vegan crusts, cheese, and meats, but considering how much pizza Lucas and I can eat in one sitting, it’s not something we order often lately.
Blaze Pizza has a vegan spicy chorizo, Carl’s Jr. now has Beyond Meat burgers, Del Taco has Beyond Meat tacos, Burger King is rolling out an Impossible Burger option, lots of chain restaurants are coming out with vegan protein/fake meat options…the times they are a-changing, and it’s so exciting! I also want to shout out a thanks to all of the chain restaurants who’ve already featured vegan options for years like Taco Bell, Chipotle, and Z Pizza.
Have you tried the new vegan chorizo from Blaze, the Beyond Star from Carl’s Jr., or any other new vegan meat fast food options? What are some of your favorite fast food/chain restaurants with vegan options? Let me know in the comments!