Pizza Hut is testing Beyond Pepperoni, a plant-based version of its best-selling pizza topping, it announced Tuesday. The Beyond Pepperoni Pizza is available in nearly 70 locations across five U.S. markets for a limited time.
Beyond Pepperoni was co-developed by Beyond Meat and Pizza Hut's culinary teams and is made from plant-based ingredients like peas and rice, with no GMOs, soy, gluten, hormones, antibiotics, or cholesterol.
"Pizza Hut's new Beyond Pepperoni Pizza delivers the same iconic taste as our original pepperoni that fans know and love," said Georgeanne Erickson, chief brand officer, Pizza Hut, in a statement. "With this new plant-based option, we're giving customers more choices and more reasons to love Pizza Hut."
The partnership between Pizza Hut and Beyond Meat is part of Yum! Brands' strategic initiative to co-create innovative plant-based protein menu items, according to the companies.
"We know there is strong consumer demand for pepperoni, and we're thrilled to unveil a game-changing plant-based pepperoni topping as the next chapter in our innovation-focused partnership with Pizza Hut," said Dariush Ajami, chief innovation officer, Beyond Meat, in a statement. "We're confident fans will love Beyond Pepperoni as it delivers the crisped edges and savory flavor profile of Pizza Hut's classic pepperoni with the added benefits of plant-based meat."
Related: Beyond Meat, McDonald's Partner; Beyond Meat Introduces Beyond Chicken Tenders.
Image: Pizza Hut