• LaRosa’s has rolled out plant-based toppings at all of its 66 LaRosa’s Family Pizzerias in Greater Cincinnati, Kentucky and Indiana.
• The chain has been testing the vegan toppings in two Cincinnati-area pizzerias and taking customer feedback.

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You can add LaRosa’s, founded in 1954 and headquartered in Cincinnati, to the growing list of pizza chains that have incorporated plant-based toppings into its recipes.

LaRosa’s has been testing the vegan toppings in two Cincinnati-area pizzerias and incorporating guest feedback to hone the recipes. Now it’s rolling them out to all 66 LaRosa’s Family Pizzeria stores in Greater Cincinnati, Central Kentucky and Southwest Indiana, the company announced on September 13.

“This is a significant addition to our menu,” said Mark LaRosa, the company’s president and chief culinary officer. “Over 60% of what we serve is pizza, and we wanted to offer plant-based toppings to our guests who love our pizza but who are trying to limit the amount of meat they eat. So, we needed to get this right.”

“Development took us longer than we anticipated, but we think our guests will be thrilled,” he added. “The toppings are plant-based for flexitarians, vegetarians and even vegans, but the taste is all LaRosa’s.”

LaRosa and LaRosa’s Research and Development Chef Connie Banning and their team worked with ingredient partners to find toppings with the best flavor profile. “Not only was it critical to complement our signature LaRosa’s flavor, but the visual appeal of the plant-based toppings we sought was just as important,” LaRosa noted.

LaRosa’s plant-based toppings include pepperoni, Italian sausage, chicken and vegan cheese.  Available on any crust, LaRosa’s plant-based Deluxe Pizza features plant-based pepperoni and Italian sausage, green peppers, onions and vegan cheese.