Each year, the pizza industry sees new trends take flight, and for 2023, the journey continues. At Crust & Craft Pizzeria, we keep a keen eye on the flavors and toppings that pizza aficionados worldwide are currently favoring. Here's our list of top pizza toppings that are currently the talk of the town.
1. Fermented Vegetables
The quest for digestive health has reached pizzerias, with fermented veggies becoming a trending choice on pies. Tang of kimchi, sauerkraut, and pickled onions are adding complex flavors that perfectly offset the creamy cheese and sauce. These toppings bring a nutritious punch and an exciting array of textures not found in usual pizzas.
The Fermentation Fiesta pie, topped with in-house fermented sauerkraut, kimchi, and gorgonzola cheese, and a flourish of local honey, may strike you as non-traditional, yet it's becoming a new crowd favorite.
2. Plant-Based Proteins
The trend of plant-based diets is still burgeoning, prompting an upsurge in pizzas graced with inventive meat alternatives. Traditional veggie toppings are now accompanied by plant-based protein that can even win over carnivores.
We have introduced options such as plant-based sausage, seasoned tempeh, jackfruit pulled pork, and pea protein pepperoni. These toppings are catering not only to vegetarians but also to those who seek distinctive tastes and a light impact on digestion.
3. Regional Chili Varieties
Those who seek spiciness are celebrating as 2023 has brought an appreciation for specific chili peppers from distinct regions over common red pepper flakes. Despite Calabrian chilies holding their ground in popularity, now pizzas are being adorned with spices like Aleppo pepper, smoky Spanish ñora chilies, Peruvian aji amarillo, and Korean gochujang.
Our Global Heat Wave pizza offers a selection of four distinct chilies, allowing each quarter of the pizza to showcase a different taste sensation. It offers a fiery journey and is a hit among our thrill-seeking eaters.
4. Seasonal Foraged Ingredients
The forage-to-table trend is big, and wild, seasonal ingredients are now featuring on pizzas. Leading this movement, wild mushrooms such as chanterelles, morels, and hen of the woods mushrooms are appearing seasonally.
Other wild additions to our experimental pizzas include spring ramps, sea plants like dulse and nori, and spruce tips for a distinct aromatic experience. These ingredients draw customers closer to nature and offer irreplicable flavors.
5. Specialty Honey Drizzles
Honey's role in crafting a savory-sweet dynamic on pizzas has become a staple beyond a short-lived craze. The variety of specialty honeys being used for drizzling over pizzas just before serving has burst onto the scene in 2023.
Unique choices such as truffle honey, fermented garlic honey, smoky mesquite honey, and CBD-infused honey are popping up on menus nationwide. This final gourmet flourish is transforming even the simplest pizza into a sophisticated dish.
Honorable Mentions
Some toppings did not make our top five but are still deserving of attention:
- Cured egg yolks, which are finely grated over the pizza for a decadent touch
- Pickled fruits, with an emphasis on stone fruits like peaches and plums
- Ancient grains adding crunch, such as crispy farro or popped sorghum
- Dollops of artisanal butter, including cultured or compound varieties with herbs
No matter if you're a pizza purist or an experimenter of bold new topping combinations, pizza's adaptability and universal appeal endure. At Crust & Craft Pizzeria, we respect classic traditions while valuing culinary innovation, reflected in both our timeless Margherita and our avant-garde specialty pizzas.
Are any of these on-trend toppings already on your radar? Or is there a unique topping you're curious to try with us? Share your thoughts in the comments or visit us to discuss!