Pizza is universally beloved, but cheese is an obvious barrier for vegans. Fortunately, there’s a ‘za to satisfy just about any dietary restriction, and that means plenty of pies for our vegan friends.

Ever wonder how vegan pizza is made? Here’s your guide to the miracle that is animal product-free pizza:

How is the crust of a vegan pizza made?

Unlike pasta and other Italian-born baked goods, traditional pizza dough recipes do not call for the inclusion of eggs, butter, or dairy. So, this is an easy one – the dough of a pizza is almost always automatically vegan!

Eggs are used in bread baking as an essential binder, but there’s no need for binding agents when pizzaiolos use the proper ratios of flour, yeast, salt, water, and olive oil.

What kind of cheese is on a vegan pizza?

Here’s where it gets tricky – cheese is an essential part of most pizzas, but vegans cannot consume the milk used to make cheese. But, thanks to a wide range of available vegan cheeses, vegan pizzas are not only possible – they can be every bit as delicious as their traditional counterparts.

Vegan cheese is derived from plant-based ingredients and brings together the proteins of various plants to mimic the taste and texture of real cheese. Vegan cheeses are often made with a combination nuts, vegetable oil, soy protein, nutritional yeast, tapioca flour, or pea protein to let everyone in on the melty goodness.

In fact, there’s a vegan facsimile for just about every popular pizza cheese under the sun. Mozzarella? That’s covered. Parmesan? No problem. Ricotta? Yup, there’s a milk-free version of that, too.

Where can I get vegan pizza near me?=

Once upon a time, it was nearly impossible to find authentic vegan pizza from a local parlor. But, today, vegan pizza is more popular than ever.

Check out your local options on Slice to find vegan pizza near you for pickup or delivery.
— Zach Links is an L.A.-based sports journalist who is equally concerned with the outcome of the game and what he’ll be eating at halftime. In addition to serving as a staff writer for The Sauce, he’s also the lead writer and editor of ProFootballRumors.com. You can follow him on Twitter @ZachLinks and on Instagram @FatZachLinks.