Trader Joe’s Vegan Pizza 2 Ways
This post may contain affiliate links, please see our privacy policy for details.
Trader Joe’s Vegan Pizza 2 Ways – spicy vegan pepperoni pizza and pesto arugula pizza. Simple, delicious & easy.
I am bringing back my Trader Joe’s series with two new recipes – Vegan Pizza 2 Ways! We’re making a Spicy Vegan Pepperoni Pizza and a Pesto Pizza. Both are delicious and super easy to make. While everything I used is from Trader Joe’s, you can definitely use these as inspiration and get the ingredients at any other store as well! Pair the pizzas with my Pizza Night Chopped Salad for the perfect Pizza Friday at home!
Step One: Prep the Spicy Pepperoni Pizza
I used Trader Joe’s pre-made pizza crust. The package comes with 2 crusts which is great if you want to make 2 different pizzas (like I did).
Lay the crusts out on a baking sheet and grab your ingredients:
- olive oil spray
- Trader Joe’s Vegan Pepperoni
- marinara
- Calabrian chili paste
- Trader Joe’s Vegan Mozzarella
- fresh basil
I really like the vegan pepperoni from Trader Joe’s. But I have tried adding it to pizza straight out of package and it doesn’t crisp up enough in the oven for me. So, I found that the best way to get it crispy, is to pan fry it beforehand.
Place a skillet on the stove over medium heat. Spray with oil and add the vegan pepperoni. Cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently, until it starts to get crispy. Remove from the heat and set aside.
To assemble the pizza, spread the marinara out on the pizza crust. Top with some dollops of chili paste, a layer of mozzarella and the pepperoni.
Step Two: Prep the Pesto Pizza
If you haven’t tried the vegan pesto from Trader Joe’s, I definitely recommend! It has a kale and pesto base. A lot of great flavor for a store-bought pesto.
To assemble the pizza, spread the pesto out on the pizza crust. Top with the parmesan, red onion and cherry tomatoes.
Step Three: Bake & Serve
Pop both pizzas in the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes. You want the cheese to be melty and the crust to be crispy.
Pull the pizzas out of the oven and top the pesto pizza with arugula and a drizzle of balsamic glaze. You can also add some fresh basil to the pepperoni pizza.
Cut the pizza into slices and serve it up. I think you get the best of both worlds with this pizza. A light, fresh, pesto pizza AND a slightly spicy, pepperoni pizza.
Tips & Tricks
You can sub red pepper flakes for the Calabrian chili paste.
Cooking the pepperoni isn’t necessary, but I think it makes it taste way better, and gets it extra crispy.
The vegan parmesan doesn’t melt as well as the vegan mozzarella, but still tastes great! You could use the mozzarella on both pizzas.
The package instructions say to bake the pizza for 8-12 minutes. I found that mine needed the full 15 minutes to get crispy.
Need more recipe inspo? Check these out:
Trader Joe’s Vegan Pizza 2 Ways
Ingredients
- 1 package Trader Joe's Pizza Crust comes with 2 crusts
FOR THE SPICY PEPPERONI PIZZA
- olive oil spray
- 3 ounces Trader Joe's Vegan Pepperoni cut in quarters
- 1/2 cup marinara
- 1-3 tablespoons Calabrian chili paste optional, to taste
- 1 cup Trader Joe's Vegan Mozzarella
- fresh basil for serving
FOR THE PESTO PIZZA
- 1/2 cup Trader Joe's Vegan Pesto
- 1/2 cup Trader Joe's Vegan Parmesan
- 1/4 red onion thinly sliced
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 cup arugula
- balsamic glaze to taste
Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and place the crusts side by side on a baking sheet.
- Place a skillet on the stove over medium heat. Spray with oil and add the vegan pepperoni. Cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently, until it starts to get crispy. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- To make the spicy pepperoni pizza, spread the marinara out on the pizza crust. Top with some dollops of chili paste, a layer of mozzarella and the pepperoni.
- To make the pesto pizza, spread the pesto out on the pizza crust. Top with the parmesan, red onion and cherry tomatoes.
- Place the baking sheet in the oven on the center rack for 12-15 minutes, or until the cheese is melty and the crust is crispy.
- Remove from the oven and top the pesto pizza with arugula and a drizzle of balsamic glaze. Add fresh basil to the pepperoni pizza. Cut in slices and serve.
Video
Notes
- You can sub red pepper flakes for the Calabrian chili paste.
- Cooking the pepperoni isn’t necessary, but I think it makes it taste way better, and gets it extra crispy.
- The vegan parmesan doesn’t melt as well as the vegan mozzarella, but still tastes great! You could use the mozzarella on both pizzas.
- The package instructions say to bake the pizza for 8-12 minutes. I found that mine needed the full 15 minutes to get crispy.
Trader Joe’s no longer carries vegan pepperoni. Do you know anyone else that does? I loved it so much and would love to make your pizza.
I really like the Field Roast pepperoni!
We made the pepperoni one tonight, so good! Great tip on cooking up the pepperoni first, and this was our first time trying the Trader Joes cheese, melted nicely! Thank you for the recipe!
I’m a new convert to the Trader Joe’s vegan cheese. I haven’t had it in forever, so I gave it a try. I was surprised how good it was too lol So glad you liked this!