Guide to Ordering Gluten Free at Marco’s Pizza and Review

Marco’s Pizza was on the gluten-free bandwagon long before other large pizza chains of the time even considered adding it to their menus.

But not much change came to the gluten-free menu at Marco’s Pizza throughout the years until recently.

The recent change is a partnership with Caulipower, a company that makes gluten-free pizza crusts from fresh cauliflower.  So, yes, the gluten-free menu at Marco’s Pizza now includes cauliflower pizza crust.

This news hit home for us because we’ve had a lot of success with Caulipower’s cauliflower crust and even posted a copycat recipe using it.

So, the only logical next step was to put on our gluten-free pizza eating hats and visit Marco’s Pizza to see how the new gluten-free offering stacked up.

Well, we did it, and in this review, we’ll tell you everything you need to know about Marco’s gluten-free menu, as well as our honest opinion of the food and experience.

Key Takeaways

• To be completely honest, there was nothing game-changing about the pizza’s taste or quality or our dining experience at Marco’s.
• The Pizza was average, it was overpriced for small size, the employees were super polite but underinformed about food allergens and special deals.
• Nothing wrong with Marco’s as a pizza place…. But, they’re definitely no match for chains like MOD, Pieology, or Blaze when it comes to gluten-free or other lifestyle diet pizzas.

Either way, let’s go over all the basics of Marco’s gluten-free menu, and then we’ll walk you through the taste-testing experience.

Marco’s Pizza Gluten Free Crust Options

Marco’s Pizza has been offering traditional gluten-free crust for years, and the Caulipower’s cauliflower crust was added to the menu in the summer of 2022.

But, for now, it’s unclear whether Caulipower’s crust is an addition or replacement for the traditional gluten-free crust.

The employees taking our order said that the Caulipower crust was a new addition and that the original gluten-free crust was unavailable, or at least not in the store we were in.

Either way, expect to see Caulipower’s crust on the menu and check with your local Marco’s to see if they offer both or just one.

In any case, let’s take a closer look at each of these crusts.

Marco’s Pizza Cauliflower Crust Ingredients, Nutrition Facts, and More

Marco’s Cauliflower Crust Ingredients: Cauliflower, Brown Rice Flour, Corn Starch, Water, Tapioca, Sunflower Oil, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Sugar, Egg, Xanthan Gum, Yeast, Salt, Vinegar, Baking Powder (Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate, Sodium Bicarbonate, Corn Starch, Monocalcium Phosphate).

The nutrition facts label posted here is based on information collected from Nutritionix. Nutritionix is the source for Marco’s nutrition and allergen information.

We noticed that the calories and macronutrients listed on the Nutritionix label differed from those listed on the Caulipower’s label, and we couldn’t figure out why.

To be safe, use the nutrition label posted by Nutritionix because the list of foods was recently updated with the most current changes.

As for the ingredients in the crust, there was no inconsistency in what Marco’s source had listed and what was on Caulipower’s website.

Marco’s Pizza Gluten-Free Crust Ingredients, Nutrition Facts, and More

Marco’s Gluten Free Crust Ingredients: Water, rice flour, modified rice starch, potato starch, olive oil, tapioca flour, potato flour, evaporated cane sugar, fresh yeast, salt, calcium sulfate, xanthan gum.

For the time being, Marco’s only offers one gluten-free crust option and that’s Caulipower’s cauliflower crust.

The original gluten-free crust may not be available for now, but there is no official word on whether the original GF crust has been discontinued.

So check with your local Marco’s for the most up-to-date information on the original GF crust’s availability.

Marco’s Pizza Gluten Free Toppings

When it comes to toppings, of course, there are so many options to choose from that you can easily make your pizza meet your specific dietary needs.

In Marco’s case, their Special Diet Wizard feature will help you filter out any of the allergens you’d like to avoid and then give a list of all menu items that are safe for you to eat.

Just be aware that the filter’s marker for gluten is wheat.  In other words, if you want to avoid gluten,  you’ll have to select wheat as an allergen to filter out.

We’ve filtered out wheat, and based on this list, here are all the gluten-free toppings and other menu items in an easy-to-read format:

Marco’s Pizza Gluten Free Pizza Review | Taste Test and Experience

After some prep work and study of Marco’s gluten-free menu, it was time for the most important part of this review- the reality of eating at Marco’s Pizza.

We popped into our local Marco’s for an early lunch and got to chat with the staff as the shop was still pretty empty and everyone was in chit-chatty mode.

Our order was the Garden combination on the cauliflower crust, and they cooked it up relatively quickly.

So, based on the order, here is a more detailed account of our experience and the pizza at Marco’s:

The Pizza (Taste & Texture)

Taste-wise, the pizza was your average red sauce, cheese, and veggie pie- nothing too fancy.

The feta cheese added some good salty flavor to the mix, but none of the other toppings (Mushrooms, black olives, onions, sliced tomatoes ) really stood out.

Not much flavor from the signature pizza sauce or the three-cheese blend either, which we found surprising.

To be fair, maybe the cauliflower crust’s distinct taste neutralized the overall flavor a bit, but we still expected a little more zing from Marco’s pizza.

As for the crust, it was crispy on the outside and slightly chewy on the inside- pretty standard for veggie-based crusts in our experience.

Overall, we thought the flavor and texture were both average at best…… but given Marco’s solid reputation in the pizza world, we’d expected a bit more.

The Employees & Pizza Preparation

Marco’s employees were super friendly and welcoming-No complaints there.

However, they knew very little about food allergens and even less about the gluten-free options on their own menu.

In fact, they seemed surprised that we were ordering a gluten-free pizza and had no idea what we were talking about when we asked about cross-contamination risks or kitchen procedures.

This didn’t come to us as a shock, though…. the staff at Domino’s and Pizza Hut didn’t have much input either when we asked the same questions.

That said, the Domino’s and Pizza Hut staff were well informed about their special deals, but Marco’s team didn’t have a clue about the 25% off of the new cauliflower crust pizza they ran on select days at the time.

In terms of preparation, Marco’s uses the same prep area and utensils for all pizzas, so don’t expect your pizza to be completely gluten-free.

Price

When it came to the numbers at the cash register, Marco’s didn’t hold back any punches.

The Garden pizza on the cauliflower crust ran us $15.99 plus tax. This is a small 10″ pizza we’re talking about here, not a medium or a large- ouch!

Here is the breakdown of the total we paid:

FAQs

Is Marco’s Cauliflower Crust Gluten Free?

Yes, Marco’s cauliflower crust is gluten-free. The crust is provided by Caulipower which is a certified gluten-free company and their products are made in a dedicated gluten-free facility.

Did Marco’s Get Rid of their Gluten Free Crust?

Marco’s Pizza began offering a gluten-free cauliflower crust in place of their original gluten-free crust in the summer of 2022. There is no word on whether this is a permanent or temporary change. Check with your local Marco’s for the most recent offerings.

Is Marco’s Gluten Free Crust Dairy Free?

No. Their original gluten-free crust and cauliflower crust both contain eggs and milk.

Are Marco’s Pizza Chicken Wings Gluten Free?

No, the chicken wings offered at Marco’s Pizza contain wheat as a mix of spices that the wings are coated in. So, unfortunately, they’re not free of gluten.

Are Marco’s Pizza Pizza Bowl Gluten Free?

The Buffalo Chicken Pizza Bowl at Marco’s is gluten-free, and you can build your own pizza bowl at Marco’s so you can make it gluten-free by choosing most of the toppings they offer.

Final Words

Marco’s Pizza understandably holds a special place in the hearts of millions of pizza fans across the United States.

They have been around for 40+ years, they offer tasty and authentic pizza, have a good and diverse menu, and have seating for dine-in customers. All of these factors make Marco’s a great choice when you’re looking for a place to eat pizza.

However, they just didn’t score too high in the gluten-free race. There wasn’t anything about the gluten-free cauliflower crust pizza that was wowing us, and the fact that they only offer one gluten-free crust option was a bit of a bummer.

Still, if you’re in the mood for some Marco’s pizza and you’re looking to minimize gluten, then go for it! Just know that there are better options out there when it comes to gluten-free pizza.