We Tried Papa John's New Gluten-Free Pizza Crust

Is it as good as the original?

by Leah SilvermanPublished: Aug 17, 2017

Looks like Papa John's is staying true to their "better ingredients, better pizza"slogan: On August 7 they launched a gluten-free pizza crust crafted from ancient grains like amaranth and quinoa. That's huge for gluten-free folks, whose GF options when it comes to takeout are often seriously limited.

A breakdown of that crust: Like we said, it's made out ofancient grainsincluding quinoa,sorghum,teff, andamaranth, which are naturally gluten-free and high in protein and fiber. A small cheese pizza with the gluten-free crust also has50 fewer calories than their original small-sized cheese pizza crust. The crust is intended for those who are "gluten aware" rather than those with Celiac's or another serious gluten allergy (per their website, the pizza could become contaminated in the preparation process).

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But one big question remains: How does it taste? That's why we decided to compare the gluten-free crust to the regular crust in a bite-for-bite taste test. (Find out how bone broth can help you lose weight with the Women's Health Bone Broth Diet!)

We compared one regular cheese pizza and one regular Garden Fresh pizza to their gluten-free counterparts. (Notably, we also tried Papa John's special garlic sauce, whichabsolutely lives up to its name—but sadly, is not gluten-free.) We sampled the regular crust first, gave our thoughts, then went into the gluten-free.

The verdict? Surprisingly good. "It looks very sad, but it exceeded my expectations," one of us pointed out (the gluten-free pizza is noticeably flatter and less fluffy-looking, hence the "sad" appearance). And while we were pretty split on who would order it again and who wouldn't, overall we were pleasantly surprised. "It doesn't feel like you're gorging," said another editor. In other words, you can expect a crispier, lighter bite with the gluten-free crust.

If you want to try it, you can currently order a two-topping GF pizza for $9.99. And check out our full review in the video above.