Staff Writer Rachael Medina
Rachael Medina is the senior content writer and operations manager for California.com. She was born and raised just outside the Mojave Desert in Southern California and moved to the redwood forests o…
See full bioCrispy crust, gooey cheese, and mountains of plant-based toppings are what dreams are made of. But today is the day to stop dreaming of vegan pizza and to go out and get it, because it’s officially National Pizza Day.
There is no better way to celebrate this sacred holiday than by snagging a slice of the best vegan pizza in Los Angeles—so ditch the vegan cauliflower pizza crust that has been taking up space in your freezer for months. While National Pizza Day didn't originate in the Golden State, the fact that we have an entire pizza style named after California is enough for us to claim it and represent it the best way we know how. Besides, what’s more Californian than looking out at the Pacific Ocean while chowing down on vegan pizza?
Cruzer Pizza claims to be the original fully plant-based Italian restaurant in L.A., making the pizzeria a vital part of Southern California’s culinary scene. Order a pesto, Indian kima, or ratatouille pizza to expand your horizons, or opt for vegan versions of your favorites.
Creative vegan combos include buffalo chicken pizza with onion, cilantro, and Daiya cheese; Jamaican pizza with sweet or spicy sauce, chicken, sausage, and bell peppers; and Philly cheesesteak pizza with steak, mushrooms, and green bell peppers. Guests can choose to order their vegan pizza with gluten-free, regular, thin, or whole-wheat crusts. Best of all, the eatery offers vegan pizza delivery, too.
Owned by renowned chef Matthew Kenney, Double Zero Venice combines New York’s favorite recipes with California’s seasonal ingredients for an experience you need to taste to believe. As a pioneer of plant-based cuisine, Kenney knows a thing or two about crafting craveable vegan dishes, and at Double Zero, pizza is the clear choice. You can’t go wrong with the truffle pizza—featuring cashew cream, Tuscan kale, and lemon vinaigrette—or the squash blossom pizza with blistered tomatoes and aged balsamic.
Loving Hut Vegan Cuisine is the largest chain of vegan restaurants worldwide, and its success is well-founded. The extensive menu includes several types of cuisines—including Mexican, Chinese, and American—but the Italian-style pizzas are where it’s at. Order the wild mushroom and arugula pizza with white sauce, plant-based cheese, capers, and caramelized organic onions. Or, go simple with the tomato and basil pizza with fresh kale.
If you find yourself in the Arts District of downtown Los Angeles on a Sunday, a trip to Pizzanista is mandatory. This enviable restaurant was founded in 2011 by professional California skateboarder Salman Agah. While neither the L.A. nor the Long Beach location is fully vegan, the eatery’s use of locally grown fresh produce, small-batch ingredients, and innovative plant-based concoctions might make you think otherwise.
During brunch (offered between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.), the joint serves up a delectable vegan breakfast scramble pizza with tomato sauce, Daiya cheese, vegan sausage, tofu scramble, mushrooms, basil, and caramelized onions—trust us, you’ll want to grab a whole pie.
Later in the day, make sure to order a side of vegan macaroni and cheese or garlic knots while you peruse the rest of the menu. Between the vegetarian pepperoni, “Seitan Meats Jesus”, and veggie-topped vegan pizzas, it can easily take 10 minutes to decide what to order.
With so many vegan options to choose from at Purgatory Pizza, it’s hard to believe it serves anything else. The restaurant specializes in hand-tossed, thin-crust pizza, but its Follow Your Heart non-dairy pizzas stand above the rest. Since the eatery makes all of its sauces in-house using vegan ingredients, there are no limits to which plant-based pizzas it can make.
One of the best things about Purgatory Pizza is the way it names its pies; from “Prince of Thieves”, to “Vegan & Sara”, to “Goodbye Weekend”, each pizza is as fun to discover as it is to eat. Order the “Thor’s BBQ” to try a very unique red onion, pineapple, cilantro, and house-braised jackfruit pizza. The “White Reaper” also offers a great experience with its garlic olive oil base, vegan mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses, almond ricotta, black pepper, parsley, and oregano.
If you have some extra time and are able to dine in, the vegan deep-dish pizza is well worth ordering. The sauce is made of California-grown pears and plum tomatoes and is topped with vegan cheese—plus two additional toppings of your choice. No matter which vegan dish you decide to try, you’re sure to be delighted.
Located less than three miles from Disneyland, Vegan Pizza is the fully plant-based restaurant you’ve been waiting to try. Everything on the menu is vegan, so there is no possibility of cross-contamination.
Choose between the Mediterranean-inspired vegan pesto pizza with kalamata olives; the simple vegan margherita pizza with tomatoes, basil, and cheese; and the ironically named “Meat Lovers Pizza” with vegan pepperoni, sausage, and ham. If you’re feeling more adventurous, Vegan Pizza has you covered with its Indian-style pizza seasoned with turmeric and garam masala, spicy Thai pizza with fresh basil, and Mexian pizza with taco sauce and jalapeños.
Craving vegan creations in other regions of California? Check out the best vegan restaurants in San Francisco and the top plant-based eateries in San Diego to fuel your adventures.
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