Looking for Mountain Mike’s Pizza vegetarian options? You’re in good shape. This is a build-your-own pizza chain with a salad bar, so a meat-free meal is easy once you know which pies, sauces, and sides to pick. Order the Mt. Veggiemore, the Vegetarian Spicy Himalayan, or a custom pizza loaded with vegetables, and skip the meat-topped specialties. Here’s the full rundown of what to order and what to watch for. New to eating out meat-free? Start with our guide to what about the vegetarians.
A Quick Look at Mountain Mike’s Pizza
Mountain Mike’s Pizza started in 1978 in Palo Alto, California. Thomas Van Buskirk founded it, and the chain built its name on hand-rolled dough, pepperoni that curls and crisps in the oven, and a sit-down salad bar. It stayed a West Coast pizza brand for decades.
Chris Britt and Ed St. Geme bought the company in 2017 and pushed it into new states. As of November 2023, Mountain Mike’s ran 300 locations across 10 states: California, Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Texas, Washington, Wisconsin, and Idaho. The chain is entirely franchised and posted about $297 million in system sales in 2023. (Source: Wikipedia.)
Mountain Mike’s Pizza Vegetarian Options: What to Order
The two ready-made vegetarian pizzas are the Mt. Veggiemore and the Vegetarian Spicy Himalayan. Beyond those, the create-your-own pizza is your best friend, and the salad bar fills the gaps. The table below sorts the common items by what’s vegetarian and what’s vegan. When something depends on the kitchen, it’s marked Check, and the reason follows.
| Menu Item | Vegetarian | Vegan |
|---|---|---|
| Mt. Veggiemore (mushrooms, olives, peppers, artichoke hearts, tomatoes) | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes* (no cheese) |
| Vegetarian Spicy Himalayan (mushrooms, onions, jalapenos, Tikka Masala) | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes* (no cheese) |
| Create Your Own Pizza (vegetable toppings) | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes* (no cheese) |
| Traditional, thin & gluten-free crusts | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Classic red sauce | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Creamy garlic sauce | ✅ Yes | ❌ No (dairy) |
| Pizza cheese blend | ✅ Yes | ❌ No (dairy) |
| Daiya vegan cheese (where offered) | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Garden Salad / Create Your Own Salad | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes* (skip dressing/cheese) |
| New Greek Salad (with feta) | ✅ Yes | ❌ No (feta) |
| Mountain Fries (potatoes + seasoning) | ✅ Yes | ⚠️ Check (shared fryer) |
| Garlic Not-Knots / garlic sticks with cheese | ✅ Yes | ❌ No (butter, cheese) |
| Mozzarella Sticks / Fire Sticks | ✅ Yes | ❌ No (dairy) |
| Cinnamon Dessert Pizza | ✅ Yes | ❌ No (butter, cheese) |
| Loaded Mountain Fries (bacon) | ❌ No (bacon) | ❌ No |
| Wings (all flavors) | ❌ No (chicken) | ❌ No |
Vegetarian Pizzas at Mountain Mike’s
The Mt. Veggiemore is the headline pick. It piles mushrooms, black olives, bell peppers, artichoke hearts, and fresh tomatoes on red sauce and cheese. No meat, plenty of flavor. The Vegetarian Spicy Himalayan is the other ready-made option, with mushrooms, onions, and jalapenos over a Tikka Masala sauce. It’s the same idea as the meat version, minus the chicken.
If neither hits the spot, build your own. Start with a traditional, thin, or gluten-free crust, choose the classic red sauce, and stack on vegetables: mushrooms, black olives, bell peppers, onions, fresh tomatoes, artichoke hearts, jalapenos, and pineapple. The toppings decide the flavor, so go heavy. Skip the specialty pies named after peaks. The Everest, Pikes Peak, and Pineapple Chicken Luau all carry meat.
A few customization tips help. Ask for extra red sauce if you want a juicier pizza, or a light bake if you like a softer crust. The thin crust gives you a crispy, cracker-like texture, while the traditional pizza dough bakes up chewier. Want the look of a pepperoni pizza without the meat? Swap in sliced mushrooms and a handful of black olives. The kitchen will customize almost any pie, so tell them the toppings you skip and the vegetables you double.
Salads and Sides
Many Mountain Mike’s locations run a salad bar, and a build-your-own salad is an easy meat-free plate. The Garden Salad keeps it simple with lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots, and broccoli. The New Greek Salad adds garbanzo beans, olives, pepperoncini, and feta, so it’s vegetarian but not vegan. Steer clear of the Chef’s Salad and Antipasto Salad. Both come loaded with ham and salami.
The salad bar is the most flexible part of the menu for dietary needs. You pick the vegetables, beans, and toppings, then add dressing on the side so you control what’s vegan. Salad bar availability depends on the location, since not every store runs one, so call ahead if it’s the reason you’re going. Pair a salad with a couple of slices of veggie pizza and you have a full meal.
On the sides, Garlic Not-Knots, garlic sticks with cheese, and mozzarella sticks are all vegetarian thanks to butter and cheese, not vegan. Mountain Fries are just potatoes and seasoning, so they’re vegetarian, but ask whether they share a fryer with the wings before you call them vegan. The Loaded Mountain Fries come with bacon, so they’re out.
Sweet Finish
Mountain Mike’s keeps dessert in the pizza family. The Cinnamon Dessert Pizza spreads butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon on dough with mozzarella and powdered sugar, so it’s vegetarian. The Pizza Cookie is a warm chocolate-chip cookie baked in a pan. Both have dairy, so neither is vegan. If you want a true vegan dessert, you’ll need to look elsewhere.
What’s Vegan at Mountain Mike’s Pizza?
Going vegan here is doable with one rule: hold the cheese. Mountain Mike’s says its traditional, thin, and gluten-free crusts are all vegan, and the classic red sauce has no dairy. Build a pizza on a vegan crust with red sauce and vegetables, leave the cheese off, and you have a solid vegan pie. Some locations stock Daiya vegan cheese, usually for a small upcharge that varies by size and store, so ask about the price before you order. The dairy-free cheese gives you the melt and texture a plain veggie pizza misses.
For sides, a create-your-own salad without cheese or creamy dressing works, and Mountain Fries are likely vegan if the fryer isn’t shared with meat. The creamy garlic sauce, all the cheeses, and the dessert pizzas are off the vegan list. Cheese is the default on every pizza, so say “no cheese” clearly when you order.
Special Dietary Requirements and Allergies
A few things are worth a question at the counter. Pizza cheese can be made with animal rennet, and Mountain Mike’s doesn’t publish the source, so strict vegetarians who avoid rennet should ask. The creamy garlic sauce and the cheesy garlic sticks contain dairy. Mountain Fries and mozzarella sticks are fried, and a shared fryer can pick up traces from breaded chicken, so confirm if cross-contact matters to you.
Gluten-free diners get a dedicated crust made from rice and tapioca flour that’s dairy-, egg-, and soy-free, and some stores also carry a cauliflower crust. Both are thin. Mountain Mike’s bakes the gluten-free crust on clean parchment and cuts it with a clean knife, but it can’t promise a celiac-safe kitchen because of cross-contamination in shared prep space. The cauliflower crust ingredients differ by location, so confirm it’s vegetarian before you order. Salad bar dressings vary too, so check labels if you need vegan or allergen-free.
Tips for Vegetarians at Mountain Mike’s Pizza
- Order the Mt. Veggiemore or the Vegetarian Spicy Himalayan for a no-fuss vegetarian pizza.
- Build your own on a traditional, thin, or gluten-free crust with red sauce and a pile of vegetables.
- Going vegan? Ask for no cheese, and check whether your store carries Daiya vegan cheese.
- Use the salad bar for a quick meat-free plate, and skip the Chef’s and Antipasto salads.
- Ask about the cheese rennet source if you avoid animal rennet.
- Confirm the fryer situation before counting Mountain Fries as vegan.
- Call ahead. Menus and vegan cheese availability vary by franchise location.
Conclusion
Mountain Mike’s makes vegetarian dining simple. Grab the Mt. Veggiemore, the Vegetarian Spicy Himalayan, or a build-your-own pizza stacked with vegetables, and lean on the salad bar when you want something lighter. Vegans can eat well too by choosing a vegan crust, red sauce, and no cheese, then asking about Daiya. Want more meat-free restaurant help? Read our master guide to eating vegetarian and vegan at restaurants, browse every chain in our restaurant guides, and check out similar pizza spots like Round Table Pizza, Cicis, and Jet’s Pizza.
