Credit:
Reviewed / Lindsay D. Mattison
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Credit:
Reviewed / Lindsay D. Mattison
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The Solo Stove Pi offers a multi-fuel option to experiment between wood-fired and propane ovens. And the excellent airflow results in delicious pizza. Read More
The Ooni Koda heats up quickly and makes restaurant-quality pizza. Its lightweight, slim profile makes it easy to transport and store, too. Read More
This outdoor oven offers multiple fuel sources, premium cooking features, and beautiful design. It excels at cooking 16-inch pizzas, roasts and more. Read More
This indoor pizza oven is a game-changer for the colder months. But it comes with smokey results and a clunky build. Read More
The Gozney Roccbox is a propane-powered oven that creates gorgeous pizza and can be used with a cast-iron pan to cook meat and vegetables. Read More
It’s never been easier to make restaurant-quality pizza at home, thanks to outdoor pizza ovens.
These days, you don’t have to buy a massive oven or spend a fortune to build one into your backyard. There are even portable pizza ovens available, so you can take your pizza party on the road.
As a trained professional chef and absolute pizza fiend, I’m not satisfied with just-OK pizza. A pizza oven is a great way to make absolutely stellar pie, but the question remains: What is the best outdoor pizza oven?
To find this out, we cooked up a bunch of Neapolitan and New York-style pizzas. Since these ovens aren’t just for pizza, we also cooked steak and broccoli in a cast-iron skillet. After our testing, we found that the Solo Stove Pi Pizza Oven (Wood & Gas) (available at Amazon) is the best outdoor pizza oven.
Our best pick isn’t the only option, though. We also tested propane-powered and multi-fuel pizza ovens at different price points to see which ones delivered on promises.
The wood-fired version takes some practice to get just right, but the flavor is worth it.
The Gozney Dome pizza oven is our pick for the best upgrade.
The Ooni Volt 12 is the best indoor pizza oven we've tested.
With the Roccbox, a weekly at-home pizza party sounds like a great idea.
The Ooni Karu 16 makes enough pizza to feed a crowd.
Heats quickly
Creates beautiful pizza
Propane cord is too long
Gas hookup wobbles
Difficult to store
Lightweight
Portable
Inexpensive
Doesn’t get hot enough
Warming drawer is too shallow
Propane canister is difficult to screw in
The pizzas that ended up with charred edges (left) tasted much better than the blonder crusts (right).
There’s never been a better time to be a foodie. Pizza lovers have more options than ever. There’s wood-fired Neapolitan, square Sicilian, foldable New York, deep-dish Chicago, thin-crust California, and crispy-cornered Detroit pizza.
Each variety has unique characteristics that make it stand out from the rest. While they may seem impossible to recreate at home, a pizza oven can help you make restaurant-quality pizza without leaving the house. Here are some things you should consider as you try to find the best pizza oven for you.
One of the biggest concerns in choosing a pizza oven is the fuel source. Gas-powered pizza ovens are easy to use, and they’re a great way to make outstanding pizzas quickly and conveniently. Gas also gives you more fine control over the temperature, and doesn’t require you to add fuel to the fire as you go.
Wood-fired pizza ovens offer tradition and authenticity. Many backyard pizzaiolos claim that their pies cook too quickly to really absorb much flavor from the wood. However, without a tank to lug around, wood-fired ovens can be more portable than their propane-powered counterparts.
Electric pizza ovens are also an option, especially for those with limited space. They can be a solid home pizza oven option for people with limited outdoor space.
A great pizza oven cooks the pizza from below and above, giving the crust a speckled bottom and charred edges.
Our tester has made pizza in commercial-grade ovens and at home using a pizza stone in the oven or on the grill. The biggest difference found between the methods is temperature.
A home oven usually maxes out around 500°F, while a pizza stone on a grill might reach 600°F. By comparison, commercial pizza ovens can get as hot as 900°F. These high temperatures allow the dough to expand rapidly when it hits the stone. This creates the ideal balance between crispy and tender textures.
Outdoor pizza ovens resolve this issue. Some ovens have a heat source located under the stone. The models we preferred positioned the flame at the back of the oven, allowing it to kiss the crust and promote char.
They’re significantly smaller than your oven inside. The heat can radiate more efficiently around the small space, heating the built-in stone more effectively.
In addition to reaching higher temperatures, these ovens are better at holding temperatures. The cooking stone loses heat as soon as you add a raw pizza. A good oven recovers quickly enough to cook several pizzas in succession.
Outdoor pizza ovens aren’t exactly cheap, so making restaurant-quality pizza has to be important to you. If that’s not the case, you can buy a pizza stone, put it in the oven or on the grill, and make pizza to your heart's content.
But if you cook pizza regularly and want to the best results, you’ll want to invest in a specialized oven. The ovens that we tested started at about $200, with higher-ranking models costing more. Still, there are affordable models that cook up a mean pie for far less expense than paying thousands for a permanent pizza oven.
Whether you choose a wood-fired oven or one fueled by propane, you’ll need some additional tools to make the best pizza.
We used an infrared thermometer to make sure that the ovens reached the proper temperature to cook pizza. Some of the models we tested had built-in thermometers, while others offered thermometers in package deals. Regardless, you’ll need to make sure your oven is hot enough to cook an amazing pie.
Obviously, with ovens reaching temperatures upwards of 900°F, you’ll need a tool to get your pizza in and out of the heat. A pizza peel is essential if you purchase a pizza oven. A few of the models we tested included a peel, which makes putting in and retrieving your pizza easy.
After getting your perfect pizza out of the oven, you won’t want to ruin it with a dull pizza cutter. The best pizza cutters perfectly cut slices with even balance in your hands
Yes, outdoor pizza ovens must be left outside. Like a charcoal grill, the fumes and high temperatures that come off pizza ovens can be dangerous indoors. However, the Ooni Volt 12 is our favorite electric pizza oven, is made to be used indoors.
No, an outdoor pizza oven doesn't require a chimney. Many ovens including our top pick, the Solo Stove Pi don't use a chimney. If you opt for an oven with a chimney, ensure there's more than 10 inches of space between the top of the oven and anything made from combustible materials.
This depends on what you want to do with your pizza oven. If you want to cook things other than pizza in your oven, you may want to opt for a larger model like the Gozney Dome. In general, you want an oven that's at least 15 inches wide so that it can accommodate a large pizza. Of course, the larger the oven, the longer it will take to reach the high temps required to make pizza.
Yes, outdoor pizza ovens should be covered. Covering your outdoor pizza oven helps protect it from the elements so it lasts for years. Of course, always allow an oven to cool down completely after cooking before covering it.
When the pizza stone held its heat well, it also created more evenly seared steak.
You might also be surprised to learn that these small ovens can do so much more than cook pizza. With a cast-iron pan they can sear a steak, char vegetables, bake dips, or cook casseroles.
With the addition of a door to trap the heat inside, these ovens can also bake sourdough bread. (Using a door may not be possible with all models, so be sure to check with the manufacturer).
This can really change the nature of how you cook outside. Combining these units with a grill or a smoker can create a full outdoor kitchen setup.
We used an infrared thermometer to measure the temperature of the pizza stone.
We focus on highly-rated, propane-powered, portable outdoor units designed to sit on a countertop instead of pizza ovens that become permanent fixtures. Most of these ovens use the same standard propane tank used for gas grills.
Our first set of tests revolve around temperatures. Neapolitan pizza dough requires at least 700°F to create the right texture, so we turn the ovens on and set them on high. Using an infrared thermometer, we time how long it takes ovens to reach temperatures of 500°F, 700°F, and 900°F (if possible). We repeat this test several times to determine consistency.
Then we set the pizza oven on its highest setting and cook two Neapolitan-style pizzas in succession. We measure how long it takes to cook pizza. We also measure the recovery time for the stone to regain its temperature in between pizzas.
We assess the pizza’s level of doneness on the bottom and edges, as well as the toppings’ appearance. We then reduce the oven temperature to 500°F and repeat the tests with a New York-style pizza dough.
We also let a 12-inch cast-iron skillet preheat on the stone. After cooking steaks and broccoli in the pan, we assess the amount of char and sear. This determines whether each oven can accommodate this cooking method.
We also take several subjective measurements. Is it easy to ignite the oven, control the temperature, and turn it off?
Can the oven be travel easily, and does it take up too much space for storage or general use? Is it sturdy and well-constructed, or does it shake, rattle, or move as we used it? These answers go a long way to helping us determine our winner.
Lindsay is a professional chef, recipe developer, writer, and developmental editor. After years of working in restaurant kitchens, she turned to writing to share her passion for local, organic, and seasonal ingredients with home cooks and food enthusiasts.
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