We Tried the New Whole Foods Red Beet Pizza Crust—Here’s What We Thought
Here’s how the market’s newest gluten-free pizza crust really tastes.
We know that cauliflower products like cauliflower pizza, cauliflower flour, and cauliflower gnocchi are having a moment—but there’s a new gluten-free (and brightly colored) crust in our midst. We’re talking about Whole Foods’ red beet pizza crust.
As soon as we caught a glimpse of this eye-popping red crust, we couldn't wait to get our hands on it. The 365 branded box retails for $5.99 and can be found in the frozen pizza section of your local Whole Foods.
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If you're considering enjoying gluten-free crusts at home in the hopes of cutting calories, cauliflower crusts at Whole Foods are just a tad healthier with 110 calories and 14g of carbohydrates for a quarter of the pie. The beet pizza has 140 calories and 17g of carbohydrates for the same serving size—but it does have more fiber and protein than its cauliflower counterpart.
In our test kitchen, we chose to make a basic margherita pizza using fresh mozzarella and a jarred tomato-based pizza sauce, then topping it off with some fresh basil. Some of our staffers noted during our taste test that the crust may have fared better with a pesto base.
But the box's instructions were very straightforward, and the pizza only took a few minutes to make. You'll just have to preheat the oven, unwrap the pizza, add your favorite healthy toppings, bake it for six to eight minutes, and you’re ready to serve.
Looking at the ingredients, we were shocked to see the crust hardly contains beets at all. In fact, beet root powder and beet juice concentrate are among the last ingredients listed of the bunch, only followed by xanthan gum. Other ingredients include potato flour, parmesan and mozzarella cheese, chickpea flour, sorghum flour, and egg whites— a bit strange considering the Whole Foods' cauliflower crust product first ingredient is actual cauliflower puree.
But even more disappointing is that it was nearly impossible to detect a strong beet flavor, and a few editors (who claim to fervently dislike beets) weren’t bothered by the flavor at all. The crust was more potato-forward than anything—another editor claimed if you were to close your eyes, it really would taste just like a potato crust.
The saving grace? The crust had a great texture, and it held up under the pressure of our toppings. It wasn’t nearly as flimsy and off texture as some of the more popular cauliflower crusts are. And the vivid red hue was certainly Instagram-friendly.
Some of our staff said they would buy it, and even prefer it over cauliflower crust should they be in the market for a gluten-free alternative. But the overwhelming response was, well, meh.