As we move through the year, the pizza industry sees new favorites emerge on the toppings front. At PaperQuayStudio, careful attention is given to the emerging favorites among our global clientele. Take a look at this year's most thrilling and highly demanded pizza toppings.
1. Fermented Vegetables
Emphasis on gut wellness has brought fermented veggies to the forefront of pizza topping choices. Kimchi, sauerkraut, and picked onions offer rich, sharp flavors that balance against the creamy cheeses and savory sauces, and their fermentation process affords probiotic advantages while also adding new textural experiences to classic pizza profiles.
Our innovative Celebration of Fermentation pizza marries in-house sauerkraut and kimchi with creamy gorgonzola and a drizzle of local honey to temper the sharpness. It's a fusion that may seem unconventional, but has swiftly turned into a top-requested option.
2. Plant-Based Proteins
As plant-based diets rise in popularity, so has the call for pizza toppings that showcase alternate meat options. Going beyond common veggies, the advent of plant-derived proteins provides choices that even the most ardent carnivores appreciate.
Items like crumbled plant-based Italian sausage, spiced tempeh, jackfruit dressed as pulled pork, and pea protein crafted into pepperoni have secured a spot on our menu. These toppings are favored not exclusively by vegetarians; many opt for them due to their distinct tastes and lighter feel during digestion.
3. Regional Chili Varieties
Those with a penchant for the fiery will be glad to know that exotic chili varietals have taken precedence over ubiquitous red pepper flakes this year. While Calabrian chilies continue their reign, chilies like the smoky Spanish ñora, fruity Peruvian aji amarillo, and Korean gochujang are also now starring on pizzas.
The Global Heat pizza brings together a quartet of chilies from around the world, each lending its distinctive flavor to the pizza. This has been a particularly popular choice with our more daring customers.
4. Seasonal Foraged Ingredients
The trend of sourcing directly from nature has evolved into the domain of pizzas, with foraged ingredients gaining traction. Leading this trend are wild mushrooms, which, depending on the season, come in varieties such as chanterelles, morels, and hen of the woods.
Apart from mushrooms, we've delved into ingredients such as wild ramps, sea vegetables including dulse and nori, and fragrant spruce tips, bringing forth flavors that are not replicable through cultivation.
5. Specialty Honey Drizzles
The delicate dance of sweet and savory that honey introduces to pizza has become more than a temporary fad. With a variety of specialty honeys now being drizzled onto pizzas just before serving, the trend has taken a delightful turn this year.
Options like truffle honey, fermented garlic honey, mesquite honey, and even CBD-enriched honey grace menus nationwide. These specialty drizzles inject a layer of sophistication, transforming classic pizzas into gourmet offerings.
Honorable Mentions
Other toppings that narrowly missed making our top list but are still causing ripples include:
- Saline-savory cured egg yolks, grated over pizzas like a flurry of gold dust
- Pickled fruits, with stone fruits such as peaches and plums standing out
- Ancient grain toppings, like crunchy farro or puffed sorghum for added texture
- Dollops of artisan butter, with varieties such as cultured or herbed compound butters
Whether your preference is for tried-and-true classics or you are the sort to seek out new and audacious pairings, pizza remains one of the most versatile and universally adored dishes. At PaperQuayStudio, we respect traditional approaches while welcoming innovation – and that's evident from our offering of both the time-honored Margherita and modern specialty pizzas.
Are there any trending toppings you've sampled? Or perhaps there's an inventive blend you'd like us to consider? Share your thoughts in the comments or during your next visit!