We tried Pizza Hut's new plant-based sausage pizza, and we have some thoughts

Pizza Hut is testing its first plant-based meat-topped pizza, the chain announced on Tuesday, Oct. 22. However, it won't be easy for most people to get their hands on it. The company is partnering with Kellogg to test its new Incogmeato plant-based Italian sausage exclusively at one location in Phoenix, AZ for one day only, on Oct. 23.

Lucky for us, we were able to snag one of the limited-edition pies early to conduct a taste test and our editors had some thoughts, and somewhat surprisingly, mostly positive ones.

Photo: Courtesy of Pizza Hut

First, what is on Pizza Hut's Incogmeato plant-based sausage pizza?

Obviously, the pizza is topped with the plant-based sausage, specifically Incogmeato by MorningStar Farms, but it's also filled with mushrooms, red onion slices, banana peppers and cheese (sorry, vegans). Officially, the chain is calling it the Garden Specialty Pizza.

Upon opening the box—a new compostable, round one the chain is also testing on Oct. 23—the pizza looked exactly like the photos, and like any other sausage-topped Pizza Hut pizza.

The Official Taste Test

The pizza tasted, well, like a sausage, mushroom, red onion and banana pepper pizza! Seriously, the Incogmeato plant-based sausage was hardly any different from the real thing, and this is coming from someone who has previously refused to try any plant-based meat items. It was chewy, crumbly and filled with all the right spices, fennel seeds included.

"It's delicious. I've had a lot of the Impossible meat fast-food items and this tastes closest to the real thing," said another editor, who's known to be our team's unofficial fast food expert.

"The plant-based sausage replacement topping is flavorful, spicy, juicy and crumbles well, similar to the real deal. Plus, it doesn't taste overly salty, like some meat substitutes I've tried in the past," another editor said.

What is Incogmeato?

Incogmeato is the Kellogg Company's newest plant-based venture slated to launch in 2020. The company announced in September 2019 that Incogmeato will be sold under its MorningStar Farms portfolio, which already sells plant-based products, but has never before sold items that are meant to look and taste like actual meat.

"Incogmeato is a new-to-the-world brand created to challenge convention on delicious plant-based food," Wendy Davidson, the Kellogg Away from Home president, said in a press release.

The new line of soy-based chicken tenders, nuggets and burgers will directly compete with the popular Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods brands, which have been testing products with fast food chains like Burger King, KFC, McDonald's and Dunkin' in past months. Pizza Hut is the first brand to partner with Incogmeato.

Try the pizza yourself

If you're in the Phoenix area on Oct. 23, stop into Pizza Hut at 3602 E. Thomas Road starting at 11 a.m. to be amongst the first to try the new plant-based pizza topping. The pizza will be available only while supplies last and will be sold in-store only for $10. All proceeds from the sale of the Garden Specialty Pizza and new, round pizza box will be donated to Arizona Forward, a Phoenix-based sustainability organization.