Does Pizza Hut Use Real Cheese? (Read This First)

Are you curious about the kind of cheese Pizza Hut uses for their pizza? Are you worried if Pizza Hut honestly uses real cheese to make their pizzas?

Of course, it’s essential to be attentive to what you consume as it’s crucial to your diet and well-being.

Worry no more; you’re not alone, and you’ve come to the right place. Hence, does Pizza Hut use real cheese?

Yes, Pizza Hut uses real cheese to make their pizzas. Pizza Hut uses Mozzarella cheese for their pizza. The chain announced that they use 100% real cheese, also known as pizza cheese, made from nutrient-rich and whole milk mozzarella. The cheese is of high quality and provides the right amount of flavor, stretch and melt.

In this article, I will reveal and explain the kind of cheese Pizza Hut uses for its pizzas. I will also let you know if Pizza Hut makes their cheese.

In addition, I will clarify if Pizza Hut uses rennet-free cheese, and by the end, you will discover the kind of cheese Pizza Hut uses and why their pizzas seem to taste different.

Does Pizza Hut Use Real Cheese in Their Pizza?

Yes, Pizza Hut uses real cheese in their pizza. The chain uses real cheese made from 100% whole-milk Mozzarella.

Mozzarella is a kind of cheese traditionally made from cows’ milk or buffalo. Mozzarella’s origin is Italy, which is why it’s also called Italian cheese.

Mozzarella is well-known for its mild flavor; it’s soft and melts quickly. Mozzarella’s credibility, stretching, melting, and texture makes it the most appreciated cheese in pizza making.

Mozzarella cheese is incredibly nutritious; it’s a fantastic source of protein, vitamins, minerals, and fat. In addition, mozzarella cheese is highly rich in calcium and phosphorus.

All the mentioned properties make mozzarella cheese the most opted-for by outstanding food and nutrition brands, especially for pizza production.

And, of course, the low-quality ingredients will affect the pizza taste and the brand’s reputation. 

For instance, if a particular chain uses low-quality cheese to make its pizzas, it will prevent the pizza from tasting well.

Consequently, this action will reduce the chain standard in the food and nutrition market.

However, be rest assured that Pizza Hut is different because it uses high-quality and nutrient-rich real cheese for its pizzas. 

And that’s one thing that makes it stand out among its competitors.

What Brand of Cheese Does Pizza Hut Use?

Leprino Foods supplies Mozzarella cheese to Pizza Hut because Leprino Foods cheese provides a good amount of stretch, melt, and flavor. 

Pizza Hut uses cheese for making pizza, and Leprino foods cheese provides the exact essential qualities required for the cheese to be a good ingredient for pizza production.

Leprino Foods is a private and family-owned food-manufacturing company that produces the most significant amount of high-quality Mozzarella cheese in America.

Leprino Foods is one of the foremost partners of the Dairy Farmers of America. In addition, the company forms a strategic alliance with the DFA and provides Mozzarella cheeses to Pizza Hut.

Dairy Farmers of America Inc. is a national and family-owned organization of local farmers of the United States, which was founded in 1998 in Kansas City, Kansas.

DFA is one of the leading dairy food organizations, and it has many renowned members. 

The association is responsible for marketing its members’ raw milk. DFA also sells its member’s other dairy products, such as yogurt, cheese, ice cream, butter, etc. 

Therefore, Leprino Foods, one of the outstanding partners of the Dairy Farmers of America, uses fresh and whole milk mozzarella to produce its cheese. 

And also, the chain uses high-quality and nutrient-rich ingredients for its other products. 

The beautiful qualities of Leprino Foods’ products have earned the company its reputation as one of the most outstanding companies in the dairy industry.

Aside from Mozzarella cheese, i.e., pizza cheese, Leprino Foods also makes provolone, cheese blends, lactose, sweet whey, whey protein, and reduced-fat cheddar.

Does Pizza Hut Make Their Cheese?

Technically, Pizza Hut doesn’t make its cheese; it only partners with the Dairy Farmers of America.

So, Leprino Foods, which happens to be one of the DFA’s partners, supplies cheese to Pizza Hut.

Pizza Hut is an international restaurant. It’s a subsidiary of Yum! Brand, Inc., U.S. Pizza Hut was founded in 1958 in Wichita, Kansa, U.S. Pizza Hut is famous for its signature product, pizza. 

However, besides pizza, Pizza Hut also sells pasta, breadsticks, dessert, etc. So, you can now easily judge that Pizza Hut isn’t a cheese-making company.

Pizza Hut is one of the pioneer brands among foods and nutrition brands worldwide that make the best pizzas, and that’s why there is a lot of speculation about the chain.

Hence, suppose you’re curious if Pizza Hut makes its cheese, you should know that the chain doesn’t produce cheese; instead, it has pizza and some other kinds of food.

So instead, Leprino Foods, a renowned cheese production brand in America, sells nutrient-rich and high-quality mozzarella cheese to Pizza Hut for its pizza production.

Does Pizza Hut Use Rennet-Free Cheese?

No, Pizza Hut doesn’t use rennet-free cheese. Rennet-free cheese is the kind of cheese that’s produced without rennet. 

The truth is that Pizza Hut adds rennet to its cheese, but the kind of rennet used isn’t animal-based rennet. Instead, it uses an enzyme which is a microbial fermentation ingredient.

Rennet is one of the essential ingredients used in the cheese-making process. Chymosin contains a specific enzyme that helps separate milk solids from liquids. 

Rennet is the primary agent that’s responsible for turning milk into cheese. Hence, it’s a coagulant used purposely for bonding in cheeses, including Mozzarella cheese. 

Though rennet is only an additive, i.e., it doesn’t have nutritional value such as carbohydrates, protein, fat, vitamins, minerals, etc. 

However, a good amount of it ensures that cheese bonds well.

Rennet is available in different types: animal-based rennet, vegetable rennet, microbial rennet, and fermentation-based rennet.

An animal-based rennet is the kind of rennet obtained from an animal, and the process causes harm to the animal.

Moreover, vegetable rennet is made from plant enzymes capable of coagulating substances.

Examples of plants that have coagulating properties are; nettle, thistle, artichokes, etc.

Furthermore, microbial rennet is made from live organisms with coagulating properties, such as mold, bacteria, yeast, or fungi. 

And lastly, fermentation-based rennet is the type of rennet that uses genetic engineering to produce the same coagulating enzyme present in live organisms such as yeast, mold, fungi, etc. 

However, Pizza Hut made it clear that it doesn’t use animal-based rennet; the decision is purposely an act of respect for its vegetarian customers.

Pizza Hut uses a microbial-based rennet as a good alternative; it has worked so well for the brand.

Therefore, if you’re a vegetarian, you should be assured that you can eat Pizza Hut’s pizzas because the brand always puts you into consideration and has your best interest at heart.

The table below explains the differences between animal-based rennet and microbial-based rennet.

Animal-Based Rennet	Microbial-Based Rennet
Animal-based rennet is made from animals.	Microbial-based rennet is made from live microorganisms.
The production of animal-based rennet is more expensive.	It’s less expensive to produce.
Vegetarians cannot consume animal-based rennet cheese as it ruins their diets.	Microbial-based rennet is vegetarian-friendly.
A cheese made with animal-based rennet has a shorter shelf-life, lasting only 2-3 months.	Microbial-based rennet cheese has a longer shelf-life and can last 24 months.
The process of making animal-based rennet causes harm to the animals.	It doesn’t involve an animal.

From the table above, it’s evident that microbial-based rennet is more economical and also lasts longer than animal-based rennet. 

And also, unlike animal-based rennet cheese, vegetarians can consume microbial-based rennet cheese without fearing it ruining their diets.

Why Does Pizza Hut Cheese Taste Different?

We can’t say for sure the main reason Pizza Hut cheese tastes different. However, it’s likely because of the kind of cheese the chain uses.

Pizza Hut gets its cheese from Leprino Foods, which produces the world’s most significant amount of Mozzarella cheese (pizza cheese). 

Leprino Foods doesn’t only produce Mozzarella cheese; it has the best and nutrient-rich cheese that provides the right amount of stretch, melt, and flavor. 

Any cheese with the perfect amount of stretch, melt, and flavor makes good pizza, which is why the taste of Pizza Hut pizzas seems to stand out among others.

Therefore, Pizza Hut’s cheese doesn’t taste differently because of other specific or mysterious ingredients.

But instead, Pizza Hut cheese has a unique taste because the chain uses real cheese, i.e., made from whole milk Mozzarella.