Updated January 2023! Papa John’s is one of the largest pizza chains in North America, and they’re actually a trendsetter for vegan options in the U.K. Their dairy-free and vegan menu items aren’t as prolific in the U.S. and Canada, but they still have a good selection of custom order cheese-less pizza options, sides, and sauces to nosh on. And unlike Pieology who added milk to their pizza dough, Papa John’s removed it from their thin crust! We’ve detailed them all below in our very complete, but quick menu guide.
Papa John’s Dairy-Free Menu Guide with Allergen & Vegan Notes
Be aware of special order requirements in parentheses () next to the menu items, and see the Heads Up notes to help fill in the blanks. Please note that this guide is for the U.S. locations, and the company states that their U.S. allergen and ingredient information covers Canada, too. Options may vary in other countries.
Allergen & Vegan Notes: All items listed below are made without egg, peanut, tree nut, soy, and wheat ingredients unless otherwise noted. Papa John’s is known for being special diet friendly and most locations will show you the label information on request. Let them know if you are dealing with an allergy in advance as they do have protocols. For vegan options, see the Vegan Menu Guide at the bottom of this post.
Crusts
- Original Crust (contains soy, wheat)
- Thin Crust (contains soy, wheat)
Heads Up! The Gluten-Free Crust at Papa John’s does contain milk. According to the company, the pan oil they use for their pizzas is dairy-free, but always check at your location. The seasonal NY Style Crust, when available, is reportedly made with their dairy-free Original Hand Tossed Dough.
Sauces
- Pizza Sauce
- BBQ Sauce (tree nut facility warning)
Heads Up! Naturally, the Ranch and Alfredo Sauces do contain milk.
Protein Toppings
- Anchovies
- Bacon
- Beef
- Canadian Bacon
- Grilled Chicken
- Italian Sausage
- Pepperoni
- Philly Steak
- Salami
- Sausage
Heads Up! The Meatballs at Papa John’s do contain milk.
Produce Toppings
- Banana Peppers
- Black Olives
- Green Olives
- Green Peppers*
- Mushrooms*
- Onion*
- Pineapple
- Sliced Jalapenos
- Spinach*
- Tomatoes*
* These items have an allergen warning, “May be stored in a facility that also stores other allergens.”
Sides
- Original Breadsticks
- Unsauced Roasted Wings (contains sesame)
- BBQ Wings (contains sesame; tree nut facility warning)
- Buffalo Wings (contains sesame; tree nut facility warning)
- Honey Chipotle Wings (contains sesame; tree nut facility warning)
Heads Up! The Chicken Poppers, Papa Bites, Garlic Knots, and Cinnamon Pull Aparts at Papa John’s do contain milk and reportedly cannot be ordered dairy-free. You might be
Sauces & Seasonings
- Barbeque Dipping Sauce (tree nut facility warning)
- Buffalo Dipping Sauce (tree nut facility warning)
- Garlic Dipping Sauce – Regular and Spicy (contains soy)
- Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce (contains egg; tree nut facility warning)
- Pizza Dipping Sauce
- Special Seasoning Packet (contains wheat)
Heads Up! The Ranch and of course the cheesy sauces contain milk. Also avoid Papa John’s Classic Italian Seasoning – it’s a parmesan blend.
Papa John’s Vegan Menu Guide
See the section above for additional allergen notes.
Vegan Pizza Crusts & Breadsticks
- Original Crust
- Thin Crust
- Original Breadsticks (made with Original dough)
Vegan Pizza Sauces
- Pizza Sauce
- BBQ Sauce
Vegan Toppings
- Banana Peppers
- Black Olives
- Green Olives
- Green Peppers
- Mushrooms
- Onion
- Pineapple
- Sliced Jalapenos
- Spinach
- Tomatoes
Vegan Sauces & Seasonings
- Barbeque Dipping Sauce
- Buffalo Dipping Sauce
- Garlic Dipping Sauce – Regular and Spicy
- Pizza Dipping Sauce
- Special Seasoning Packet
Papa John’s Vegan Menu Items in the UK
Papa John’s UK is on the forefront of catering to vegan diners. They offer dairy-free Sheese cheese alternatives, and have several vegan pizzas right on the menu. They also serve Vegan Sheese & Marmite Scrolls, Cauli Wings, Vegan Sheese Potato Tots, and Ben & Jerry’s Non-Dairy Ice Cream. But use caution and reference their allergen chart. Some other items, like the Italian Seasoning, contain dairy at the UK Papa John’s restaurants.
This Post is for Informational Purposes Only
Menus, ingredients, kitchen procedures, management, food sourcing, and restaurant protocols are subject to change at any time. Always read the menu and discuss your dietary needs with the staff before ordering. Make sure they can accommodate your situation. This post is for informational purposes only, and should not be construed as advice.
There is always a risk for potential cross-contamination of allergens in any commercial kitchen. If cross-contamination is an issue for you, always speak with the manager to ensure that your meal can be safely prepared. Listings here do not guarantee that a restaurant is safe enough for your individual needs. Only you can make that decision.
Each location of a chain restaurant has different management and staff, and some might have different owners. This means differences in processes, ingredients used, menu options, and food sourcing can occur. Always verify the safety of your order for your needs at your current location.
Angela R. was kind enough to share this photo of her dairy-free Papa John’s order.
Where to Find Papa John’s
There are over 3000 Papa John’s in the U.S., but over 5000 locations worldwide. See the websites below for addresses, hours, and online ordering in the U.S. and U.K.
Website: www.papajohns.com (U.S.) and www.papajohns.co.uk (U.K.)
Average Reader Review
Rate Your Dairy-Free Experience with this Restaurant
What Others Are Saying ...
Needs to get vegan choices in the USA
Needs to get vegan choices in the USA As well!
Delicioys
I love PapaJohns! The taste is very fresh and there are lots of options.
Great customer care
I love how they label the pizza and even used a clean cutter on my order too when I mentioned a milk allergy
Wow!
Great to hear that papa Johns has gone dairy free to some extent. Now I can have Papa Johns again!
For More Dairy-Free Guidance, Get Go Dairy Free!
17 Comments
Papa Johns is my go to for pizza- minus the cheese. I will typically have a strong reaction to any dairy- lactose and dairy proteins. We always mention the dairy allergy and ask for a “clean cut”. Have not had an issue yet.
According to Papa johns allergy info the sausage and pepperoni both contain milk. But the spicy Italian sausage does not.
Thank you, it looks like they did another revision! It’s hard to keep up with the fast food supplier changes. I will give the whole thing an edit just to make sure nothing else has changed.
Just FYI, I have a dairy allergy, and two seperate times in two different states I ordered Papa John’s pizza without cheese and I have had an incredibly strong reaction (the second time I thought that maybe the first time I orsered was a fluke due to cross contamination with my order vs my husband’s cheese version).
There may be some milk protein in the crust or the sauce perhaps? Either way, it is not listed correctly.
I do not have any issues with most other pizza companies when I order similarly.
on the website.. Papa John’s does have an option on custom pizzas where you can add NO CHEESE. 😀 Still no dairy free yet though.
Thanks for sharing this Tiffy!
I just enjoyed a cheese-less veggie pizza from Papa John’s. It was delicious with BBQ sauce instead of pizza sauce (just for a change). It was no problem to order it, though I did say “no dairy” a couple of times because I wanted to be sure it would not have cheese.
That’s great! Thanks for sharing this Joni.
I called and confirmed with them, Papa John Brownies are Dairy-Free!!
That’s great! Thanks for sharing Sno.
I called and they said the brownies DO contain dairy??
I just noticed on papa john site, when I looked on the dessert menus on my phone.. I saw that the double chocolate chip brownies lists as no dairy. It only says “soy, wheat and egg”.. I wander if it’s an error or if it’s true because it would be awesome if it’s dairy-free.
I had a decent experience with this restaurant. It often depends on location. They were able to make a cheeseless pizza for me. My husband made the order. He may have even said dairy free. While I am relatively concerned about trace allergens, good enough can be okay at a restaurant.
Good info I appreciate that – I’ve been to some restaurants which are the same – refused to serve us for fear of being liable. I’m about to call Papa Johns and ask for a cheeseless pizza rather than dairy free – fingers crossed it’ll go ok!
I called Papa Johns tonight to order a pizza. When I asked them to make it without cheese, he quickly asked me if it was for an allergy. When I said yes, he said they could not make the pizza without cheese because they didn’t want to be liable. He told me they weren’t allowed to made a cheese-less pizza and they “just didn’t do that”. They were pretty rude about it. I told him, Okay… I just don’t like cheese. He begrudgingly took my order. Very frustrating!
Seriously frustrating! Thanks for sharing your experience Christy. A very good heads up for those who are concerned about trace allergens, too.
Wonderful.