If you’ve never ordered from Papa Johns, you’re not alone as there’s not much reason to if you’re vegan. The chain has no vegan cheese and no dedicated vegan pizza on the American menu, which puts it pretty low on most vegans’ radar. But this summer, something that’s been served at that chain for decades is finally making its way to grocery store shelves and it turns out it’s been plant based the whole time.
Papa Johns just announced that its iconic Special Garlic Dipping Sauce is getting a retail bottle for the first time ever. It’s hitting shelves at Walmart, Kroger, Albertsons, Safeway, and H-E-B this summer and it seems vegan friendly.
For the uninitiated, Papa Johns’ garlic sauce is basically the reason non-vegans love ordering from there. It’s the little cup that comes with every order, and it has developed a genuine cult following over the years. People dip everything in it. They save the cups. They ask for extras as they claim it’s that good.
And the whole time, it seems to have been made without any animal ingredients. The restaurant version is built on a soybean oil base with dehydrated garlic, natural flavors, soy lecithin, vegetable mono and diglycerides (yes, they make a point of listing that they’re vegetable based), lactic acid, citric acid, and beta carotene. No dairy, no eggs, and only allergen listed is soy.
Papa Johns has confirmed the retail version is gluten-free and dairy-free, and the formula appears to follow the same recipe but the label ingredients list has not been released just yet.
For vegans, it could be a versatile option. Think roasted vegetables, pasta, crusty bread, a white pizza base at home, a dipping sauce for just about anything.
Papa Johns VP of Culinary Mark Gabrovic described it as a sauce designed to go well beyond pizza night, ready to dip, drizzle, or cook with at home. That tracks perfectly with how vegan home cooks could use a sauce like this.
Where to find it
The Papa Johns Garlic Flavored Sauce arrives at select U.S. grocery and retail stores this summer, including Walmart, Kroger, Albertsons, Safeway, and H-E-B, with availability varying by retailer.
One thing worth noting that when you spot it on shelves, to always check ingredients before stocking up. Retail reformulations can happen, and it’s always worth a quick check, but based on everything announced so far, this looks like a clean vegan win hiding in the condiment aisle.
