Green Giant Joins Cauliflower Pizza Crust Craze: Here’s Why

The maker of popular plant-based comfort foods such as Veggie Tots and Mashed Cauliflower has launched a line of Green Giant Cauliflower Pizza Crusts. The launch, which was announced during National Pizza Month this October, includes two varieties of veggie-packed crusts: original and Tuscan. This comes as the demand for both cauliflower-based foods and plant-based alternatives is on the rise.

According to Green Giant, their pizza crusts are made with over 80 percent cauliflower and have 50 percent fewer calories than traditional pizza crusts. Additionally, these products are vegan and contain no artificial flavors or colors. Consumers can bake these frozen pizza crusts in 20 minutes with virtually no prep work and minimal food waste, according to the company.

“We’re constantly challenging ourselves to find new and convenient ways to add more vegetables to traditional American meals,” said Jordan Greenberg, vice president & general manager at Green Giant. “Over the past few years, Green Giant’s frozen innovations have become highly sought-after by consumers because they are simple, delicious and easy to prepare. Green Giant Cauliflower Pizza Crusts are the natural next step in the evolution of our Veggie Swap-Ins line and we’re thrilled to offer a delicious product that is packed with over 80 percent cauliflower.”

This launch is one of many cauliflower-based product launches over the past few years. Companies such as Caulipower and Pizza Pizza have already made headlines for their cauliflower pizza crust products. Even Oprah joined this trend recently with the launch of her line of frozen pizzas. So why is this somewhat bland-tasting vegetable so high in demand in the consumer space?

Part of its popularity can be attributed to the rising demand for plant-based alternatives. In fact, this humble cream-colored vegetable can now be seen impersonating popular meat-based foods such as “cauliflower steaks” and “cauliflower wings.”

As flexitarian diets continue to gain momentum in the food space, vegetables such as cauliflower will continue to grow in popularity. This particular vegetable has the ability to absorb flavors while maintaining a meaty yet soft and chewy texture which appeals to the palette. This is why cauliflower, in particular, is being used more often in the food space to replace foods that are high in carbohydrates.

This brings us to another trend in the consumer space that cauliflower falls into – the keto diet. This diet, which promotes eating fewer carbs and more fat, has consumers looking for ways to enjoy their favorite carb-based meals without consuming the carbs, which is why items such as cauliflower pizzas are popping up in most grocery stores.

In fact, the USDA claims that cauliflower based foods will take center stage in the health food industry with the per capita consumption of this vegetable having increased by 38 percent in 2017 compared to 2016. With cauliflower being packed with vitamins and minerals with a fraction of the carbs found in traditional grain-based foods, the vegetable’s popularity is likely on an upward trajectory.