Seed-Oil-Free Pizza in South Florida: Why We Don’t Use Canola, Soybean, or Corn Oil

Published April 2026 * Peter’s Pizzeria team

The short answer: Peter’s Pizzeria runs a 100% seed-oil-free kitchen – no canola, soybean, corn, or generic vegetable oil anywhere in our food. We made the switch because seed oils are a modern industrial shortcut that changes the flavor and quality of pizza, and because a growing number of our customers care about avoiding them. This post explains what seed oils are, why we avoid them, and what we use instead.

What are seed oils?

Seed oils are industrial oils extracted from seeds (not fruits) using high-heat processing, chemical solvents, and deodorization steps. The most common are:

• Canola (rapeseed) oil
• Soybean oil
• Corn oil
• Sunflower oil
• Safflower oil
• Cottonseed oil
• Grapeseed oil

They became the default restaurant oil in the late 20th century because they’re cheap, shelf-stable, and neutral-tasting. That same combination is what many chefs and home cooks now consider the problem – they’re cheap because they’re heavily processed, shelf-stable because they’re chemically refined, and neutral because they’re stripped of actual flavor.

Why we went seed-oil-free at Peter’s

Three reasons, in order:

1. Flavor

NY-style pizza depends on ingredient quality showing through. When the base oils are stripped of character, the toppings and crust have to overcompensate. Swapping in real oils – the kind Italian kitchens used for generations before industrial oils took over – makes the pizza taste like food, not product.

2. Customer demand

Over the past few years, we’ve had more and more customers ask us directly: “Do you cook with seed oils?” Seed-oil-free eating went from niche to mainstream. For a family-owned neighborhood spot like ours, listening to customers is how we stay relevant.

3. Peter’s cooking philosophy

Peter trained in Florence, where traditional Italian kitchens never used industrial seed oils in the first place. Going seed-oil-free wasn’t a gimmick – it was a return to how the pizza was supposed to be made.

What we use instead

Real ingredients. High-quality, clean oils for the functions where oil is genuinely needed. Whole-food fats (like olive oil for finishing, real dairy for cheese, and high-quality meats for toppings). The result is a menu where every item tastes like what it’s supposed to taste like.

What “seed-oil-free” doesn’t mean

We want to be clear: seed-oil-free doesn’t mean low-fat, doesn’t mean vegan, and doesn’t make pizza a health food. It’s pizza. It means we care about the quality of the fats we cook with and the ingredient integrity of what ends up on your plate.

Where to try seed-oil-free pizza in South Florida

As of April 2026, Peter’s Pizzeria is the only dedicated NY-style pizzeria in Pompano Beach or Boca Raton committed to a 100% seed-oil-free kitchen. Two locations:

• Pompano Beach – 1166 N Federal Hwy * (954) 933-7333
• Boca Raton – 897 E Palmetto Park Rd * (561) 409-3126

Order online for either location. Ask Peter about the oil choice next time you’re in – he loves talking about it.