You Won’t Believe It’s Vegan: Try This Dairy-Free Pizza, Now at Target

Americans spend approximately $4.4 billion on frozen pizza every year, but now, shoppers are looking for more sustainable versions of their favorite foods. This week, planet-minded shoppers will be able to find affordable vegan pizzas at Targets nationwide. Blackbird Foods just announced that it will release two vegan pizzas at 300 Target locations starting this October.

Target will begin offering Blackbird Foods’ Margherita and Supreme Pizza for approximately $7.99. The plant-based pizzas will be available in-store at the selected locations and online for national delivery. This partnership marks one of the earliest-stage start-ups that Target has ever worked with.

Blackbird’s artisanal, chef-crafted pizzas feature an impressive selection of fresh ingredients and hand-tossed dough. The Margherita Pizza is topped with garlic, fresh basil, and the company’s signature tomato sauce. Blackbird’s Supreme pizza is coated with the signature tomato sauce and topped with plant-based sausage crumbles, red onions, and green peppers.

The plant-based startup offers several other pizza varieties including Kale & Mushroom, BBQ Chick’n, and Pepperoni. While these pizzas will not launch at Target in October, consumers can find the pies now at over 2,000 retailers across the United States. Blackbird can be found at The Fresh Market and select Whole Foods locations.

“Since our launch in 2020, we’ve been working tirelessly to prove that we can make the best frozen pizza that also happens to be plant-based,” Emanuel Storch, Blackbird Foods CEO said. “I started off selling door to door in NYC begging grocery stores to make space for our pizzas in the highly competitive freezer sets. This win from Target just 2 years later is a huge stamp of approval for us. We’re now the fastest growing frozen pizza brand in the entire country,”

The Plant-Based Pizza Party!

Americans chow down on 3 billion pizzas every year, and several plant-based brands have entered the market to appease the hungry vegan population. This week, leading vegan cheese company Daiya announced that its fully allergen-free, vegan flatbreads will arrive at stores across North America. The three new vegan pizzas will be available for $9.79 online and at select retailers.

Last November, pizza giant, Papa John’s revealed that the pizza chain experience an 81 percent rise in plant-based pizza orders between 2019 and 2020 at its UK locations. Within the United States, Papa John has yet to unveil the plant-based pies, but Pizza Hut teamed up with Beyond Meat to add a meatless sausage to its toppings menu. However, both American pizza chains have yet to debut a permanent vegan cheese option.

Despite slow development among major pizza chains, vegan pizza brand Valerie’s just announced that its drive-thru restaurants will arrive in the tri-state area starting in 2023. The up-and-coming pizza brand plans to have locations in New York, Connecticut, and New Jersey following significant sales since its launch on May 15.

Why You May Consider Avoiding Dairy

As an affordable, quick meal, pizza is core to the American diet. However, the cheese on conventional pizza presents significant health risks to consumers. Research has found that eating dairy presents serious health risks including inflammation, joint and muscle pains, diabetes, and even cancer. One study found that one serving of milk is associated with a 30 percent higher risk of developing breast cancer. For men, drinking milk regularly can lead to a 60 percent increased risk of developing prostate cancer.

Due to its high levels of saturated fat, dairy is also harmful to heart health. One study found that reducing milk and dairy consumption could help consumers lower their risk of heart disease by 21 percent.

For more great products, check out The Beet's rankings of the best frozen vegan pizzas.