The Pizza Hut Crust Style We're Sad To Say Is The Worst Of The Worst

What's your favorite type of pizza crust? If you taste several side-by-side, the answer may surprise you. That was the case when Chowhound ranked six Pizza Hut pizza styles. Although Chowhound's pizza tester went in thinking they didn't care for thicker crusts, Pizza Hut's Hand Tossed and Original Pan crusts took the honor as the top two tastiest styles. On the tail end of the ranking were the thinner varieties: Chicago Tavern-Style Crust followed by the Thin N Crispy, and, immediately behind that with the lowest ranking, Pizza Hut's gluten-free option, which "tasted like cardboard."

This is a disappointment for pizza lovers on a gluten-free diet, but sadly not particularly surprising. Papa John's also has a gluten-free crust that didn't fare well in a Chowhound ranking of Papa John's pizza styles, nor is anyone likely to bang down the door to recommend Domino's gluten-free crust. However, according to Chowhound, Pizza Hut is the worst of this inadequate trio.

The Pizza Hut gluten-free crust, which is made by Udi's, really fell short due to its gluey texture. It proved difficult to chew — although this crust also required a lot of chewing. Even cutting through the slices to serve them was a challenge.

If three major chains are failing to deliver a decent gluten-free crust option, are there any palatable gluten-free pizzas on the market? Thankfully, there are a couple of good frozen options. The great Alton Brown himself recommends Cappello's Almond Crust Uncured Pepperoni Pizza. There's also Sabatasso's Gluten-Free FourCheese Pizza and Kirkland Signature's Supreme Cauliflower Crust Pizza, both of which are available at Costco.

But, if you're looking forward to a night out, a frozen pizza isn't going to cut it. Some word-of-mouth reviewers on Reddit recommend California Pizza Kitchen, which has restaurants in over half the U.S. states as well as a robust frozen selection that may be found at your local grocery store. Mellow Mushroom, a smaller chain mostly represented on the East Coast and in the Midwest, has certified gluten-free options made using precise procedures to avoid cross-contamination. (In general, if you have celiac disease or a gluten intolerance, you still need to be cautious when ordering gluten-free pizza due to cross-contamination risk.)

For the most part, it sounds like your best bet is to investigate your area's mom-and-pop pizza restaurants or to inquire at some smaller pizza chains. Sadly, the biggest ones around just aren't doing justice to the potential of gluten-free crust.