Vegan Options at California Pizza Kitchen (Updated 2024)

The vegan options at California Pizza Kitchen are decent! You have menu items that are vegan or can be made vegan but there are now fewer.

While CPK has yet to offer vegan cheese, they did begin offering plant-based chicken in 2020. This was a great SUB in a few of their menu items and they even had a Plant-Based BBQ Chicken Pizza that could be modified to be vegan. As of May 2023, the plant-based chicken is no longer on the menu.

The vegan as-is items are good though! Technically you could get a Starter, Soup, Entree and Dessert without having to make a modification. That’s not typical at most restaurants. The dessert I’m referring to is off the kids menu though… fresh fruit. 😉

Here is the full list of everything vegan at California Pizza Kitchen along with their disclaimers.

Vegan Options at California Pizza Kitchen

California Pizza Kitchen specifically asks that you let your server know that you are vegan, have a food allergy or have a dietary restriction before ordering.

Starters

White Corn Guacamole & Chips … comes with diced avocado, sweet corn, black beans, jicama, bell peppers, fresh cilantro, serrano peppers and is served with housemade blue & white corn tortilla chips.

Soup & Bowl

Dakota Smashed Pea & Barley Soup … a blend of barley, carrots, onions, savory herbs and scallions.
Banh Mi Power Bowl. Order with NO chicken or chili-lime vinaigrette. SUB the dressing with oil & vinegar or ask if the garlic-sesame soy sauce used on the beef pasta is vegan-friendly … comes with quinoa, spinach, fresh cilantro & mint, red cabbage, fresh avocado, cucumbers, carrots, bean sprouts, scallions, sesame seeds and serrano peppers. Maybe ask for extra quinoa to bulk it up since you’re removing the chicken.

According to CPK allergens page, oil & vinegar is your only vegan dressing option. See the FAQ section for more info on the dressings.

Pizza

Choose Original or Crispy Thin Pizza Crust. The Pizza Marinara and Spicy Marinara are both vegan.
–> *CPK’s crust contains no animal ingredients but does potentially have cross-contamination from manufacturing. If your server says the crust is not vegan, kindly ask if they can go see what the ingredients are. The cross-contamination part of it is why a lot of vegans have been told the crust is not vegan.

California Veggie Pizza*. Order with NO cheese … comes with broccolini, eggplant, cremini mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, roasted corn and red onions.
Wild Mushroom Pizza*. Order with NO cheese (romano, mozzarella & parmesan) … comes with extra virgin olive oil, garlic, shaved cremini, shiitake and slivered scallions.

Pasta

Tomato Basil Spaghetti. Choose your noodle: spaghetti, fettuccini, fusilli or linguini fini (fini means “thin”) … comes with sauteed garlic and fresh basil.

You can add additional veggies to your Tomato Basil Spaghetti for an additional cost:

Broccoli
Mushrooms
Tomatoes
Edamame

Lunch Duo

Available 11 am – 4 pm every day.

Choose a 7″ Pizza with Soup
Choose Tomato Basil Spaghetti with Soup

Kids Menu

Fusilli Pasta. Choose Tomato Sauce or Olive Oil. Add Baby Broccoli (optional)
Kids Pizzas are available: Ask if one of the options above could be made with modifications.
Fresh Fruit

*CPK Disclaimer: Due to differences in suppliers, ingredient substitutions, recipe revisions, product preparation, product assembly, shared cooking and preparation areas, cross-contact with other foods, and the processing of certain sub-ingredients, CPK cannot guarantee that any item is completely free of any animal product or allergen (unless it is a certified gluten-free pizza) and we assume no responsibility for guests with food allergies, food sensitivities or dietary restrictions.

–> As with any restaurant that does not have a 100% vegan kitchen, cross-contamination can occur. You choose your level of comfort.

California Pizza Kitchen Vegan FAQ

Does California Pizza Kitchen have vegan cheese?

No. Unfortunately, California Pizza Kitchen does not offer vegan cheese of any kind.

Is the Spicy Buffalo Cauliflower vegan?

No. Unfortunately not. The Spicy Buffalo Cauliflower contains both eggs and dairy. The Cauliflower is prepared in a buttermilk batter and then topped with Gorgonzola cheese.

What Vegan Salad Dressings are at California Pizza Kitchen?

According to CPK allergens page, Oil & Vinegar is your only vegan dressing option.

We have reached out to CPK to ask about the Chili Lime Vinaigrette, Dijon Balsamic Vinaigrette, Lime Cilantro and Champagne Vinaigrette because they do not contain dairy, eggs or fish. It is possible that they all contain honey. We’ll update our guide if/when we learn more.

Does California Pizza Kitchen Offer Plant-Based (Vegan) Chicken?

CPK began offering Plant-Based Chicken in October 2020. As of May 2023, it is NO longer on any menus.

The VeggL App

Download the ultimate on-the-go vegan resource. Quickly access over 400 vegan guides for restaurants, airports and stadiums. Get unlimited access to all our sheets with the free version. Upgrade to Pro to go ad-free!

Never get frustrated by not knowing what you can get to eat ever again!

Our Picks:

Ryan’s Pick: The Lettuce Wraps are solid. Jen and I split the California Veggie Pizza. It’s good, but I really struggle eating pizza with no cheese. A little Daiya Mozzarella and this pizza would be excellent.

Jen’s Pick: I thought the Lettuce Wraps were really good. I can deal with “cheese-less” pizza better than Ryan… maybe because I’ve had to do it for longer? The Veggie Pizza was really good, as well–first time I’ve had eggplant on a pizza.