Pepperoni is certainly known as one of the most popular toppings for pizza. Everyone enjoys a little pepperoni on their pizza once in a while and it is certainly one of the most common types of pizzas that people order. Yet, pepperoni is not the family favorite for everyone. For those who do not eat meat or maybe don’t consume pork or red meat, pepperoni pizza is often the one thing that people hope to avoid whenever their work or school has decided to cater pizza. Yet is all pepperoni pork? Can pepperoni also be beef? What about other types of meat? Today we are going to dispel some of the rumors around pepperoni and explore pepperoni alternatives that you may be interested in!
What Meat is Pepperoni Made Of?
Pepperoni is typically made from pork or a mixture of beef and pork. For the most part, in most pizza places and really any restaurant around the US and mainly the world, you can normally expect pepperoni to either be made from half beef and half pork or fully pork. In other words, typical pepperoni will normally always have pork in it. For those who do not eat pork, this can often deter people from ordering anything related to having pepperoni on it. Yet, those who do not consume pork at all may benefit from knowing that while typical restaurants and dining places may not always have non-pork pepperoni, you can actually still find them at halal restaurants and markets!
Halal Pepperoni for the Non-Pork Eater
If you are someone who does not eat pork, but really wants to try something similar to pepperoni, then I suggest buying halal pepperoni either from the market or going to a halal restaurant and seeing if they have it. Halal pepperoni is always non-pork and is typically made from 100% smoked beef. In some cases, you can also find turkey pepperoni as well! Turkey pepperoni is another great alternative to regular pork pepperoni. Both turkey and beef can offer a smoked pepperoni similar to regular pepperoni so that you are not missing out on that similar smoked meat flavor at all!
Vegetarian/Vegan Pepperoni
We also cannot forget that there are also people out there who do not eat meat at all! Even if you are someone who does not eat meat because you are vegan or vegetarian, you can still benefit from a great tasting non-meat pepperoni that brings a lot of flavor to your pizzas and sandwiches. Some options for non-meat pepperoni include making the pepperoni from tofu or chickpeas, then adding a variety of spices to give the non-meat pepperoni a very similar spicy and smoky flavor. Some spices that non-meat pepperoni have include paprika, garlic, red chili pepper flakes, coriander, Italian seasoning, etc. as well as some Worcestershire sauce and vegetable broth for some extra added flavor! If you don’t want to make your own pepperoni, you can also find ready-made veggie pepperonis at a variety of grocery stores around your area!
Well, there you have it! The ultimate answer to your question of what pepperoni is! While we may acknowledge that typical pepperoni is normally made from pork/beef or 100% pork, that doesn’t mean that non-pork, non-beef eaters, or non-meat eaters cannot benefit from great pepperoni options that still give that delicious smoky and spicy flavor that everyone loves!
