I’ve Spent Years Testing Pizza Ovens—This Is the Best One I’ve Found

I’m a former bakery owner, and I’m constantly prepping batches of pizza dough to keep on hand in the freezer. That way, all I need to do is pull out a ball or two of dough, let it thaw for a few hours on the counter, and I’ll have my preferred pizza ready to cook in an outdoor pizza oven in no time. 

Even better, I also find it incredibly convenient when I’m planning to have friends or family over for dinner. They love the interactive style of making dinner together, each choosing tasty topping combinations and learning to cook their own pizza to perfection in under two minutes. Pepperoni piled high with pineapple? Check. A buffalo-style chicken pizza? Check. The options are endless.

It's safe to say I cook and eat homemade pizza at least once a week, if not more. I’ve tested several pizza ovens across a variety of brands, and the outdoor pizza oven that is always my go-to is the Ooni Koda 16. I’ve had this oven for close to two years now, and it still continues to impress me with every cook.

My Favorite Pizza Oven: Ooni Koda 16 Gas Pizza Oven

The Ooni Koda 16 is a gas-powered pizza oven. It has an attachment hose that hooks up to a propane tank, just like you would do for a gas grill. The exterior is constructed of durable powder-coated carbon steel, which not only makes for a sleek look, but also provides protection from elements such as rain and dust. There are three folding legs for easy storage, and the heat dial on the side ensures you’re not blasted with heat when you ignite the flame. Inside the oven, there is an L-shaped flame on the left side, paired with a cordierite pizza stone. It heats up fast, reaching temperatures of 900° to 950° Fahrenheit in 15 to 20 minutes.

While many other pizza ovens are constructed with a similar steel body, interior flame, and cordierite stone, the design of the Ooni Koda 16 makes it that much simpler to bake the perfect crust. The L-shaped flame, which can be turned up and down from the dial, creates ambient heat throughout the dome-shaped oven, but it’s far enough away from the pizza when you launch it into the oven, which makes it more difficult to overcook or burn your crust. The larger size of the oven—enough room for a 16-inch pie—is helpful for mobility while turning both small and large pizzas. 

The pizza is always further away from the direct flame, allowing for better control of how your pizza is cooked. I love a little bit of char, but not too much, and I can cook pizzas just the way I like them every time. But this oven isn’t only for pizzas. I’ve cooked a variety of other meals in this pizza oven, including beautifully seared steaks, juicy burgers, breadsticks, and roasted vegetables. While the live flame is a bit intimidating to get used to when you’re getting creative with foods other than pizza, the learning process is so worth it. Flame-cooked foods bring that much more flavor to the table, and it’s certainly possible to make just about anything in this versatile oven, whether you’re cooking it straight on the stone or using cast iron.

It’s inevitable that you’ll end up with burnt-on cheese or a bit of charring from coarse flour or semolina after cooking pizzas in a pizza oven, but cleaning this oven is pretty simple. Cordierite pizza stones shouldn’t be soaked in water. Instead, most ingredients will bake off on their own by keeping the oven on high heat. It’s also easy to use a pizza oven brush to clean the stone or flip the entire stone over if the mess is a bit too much. Sometimes, letting the heat of the pizza oven do all the work is far more effective.

At 39.2 pounds, this isn’t the most portable pizza oven on the market, but it certainly makes a statement sitting on a deck or patio. The pizza oven should always sit on a heat-safe surface, whether that’s the modular stainless steel table sold separately by Ooni or another table option you choose. I’ve left mine out in plenty of sun, heat, rain, and snow and have had no issues consistently cooking delicious pizzas at home for a fraction of the cost of any restaurant or delivery options.

Other Pizza Ovens to Consider

Best Value: Solo Stove Pi Prime Pizza Oven

While Solo Stove is most known for the brand’s smokeless fire pits, they have incorporated similar technology to create a powerful, heat-retaining pizza oven. At $350, the price point of this gas-powered oven is far more approachable than others on the market, and I find it cranks out delicious homemade pizzas. Constructed from stainless steel with a cordierite pizza stone and a flame that’s set toward the back, it’s also easy to use. 

The temperature dial on the front allows you to ignite the oven and adjust the flame with a large range between high and low. It can reach 950° Fahrenheit after 20 minutes of preheating and has space to make 12-inch pizzas, along with other foods like seared meats, veggies, and even desserts in a cast iron skillet. At 30 pounds, it’s easy to set up and light enough to move or take with you as needed. As an added bonus, it even comes with a lifetime warranty.

Most Portable: Gozney Roccbox Pizza Oven

If you want to take your pizza oven on the go, whether to a campground, a friend’s house, or even tailgating, the Gozney Roccbox is the perfect option. The dual-fuel oven has retractable legs and a lifting strap, making it that much more compact and easier to move. 

The exterior is stainless steel with commercial-grade silicone that comes in three different colors (green, silver, or black). Inside, there’s a cordierite pizza stone that is heated by either a live fire built into the wood burner, or you can swap it for a gas burner and hook it up to a propane tank. The pizza oven reaches 950° Fahrenheit after 20 minutes of preheating and has a built-in temperature gauge on the side so you know when it’s time to launch and cook your pizza.

Best Indoor: Ooni Volt 12 Electric Pizza Oven

The Ooni Volt allows you to cook both inside and outside, depending on the weather and your plans. This all-electric pizza oven is a plug-and-play model. Its exterior is the same as the Ooni Koda, with powder-coated carbon steel for durability, and it has a glass door at the front to retain heat and keep an eye on your pizza while it cooks. 

This oven quickly reaches 850° Fahrenheit, and you can cook pizzas in under two minutes. Prefer more char on the bottom of the crust or want to cook your toppings longer? This pizza oven has a dial for just that, allowing you to control both the top and bottom heating elements. It can sit on your heat-safe kitchen countertop, or you can plug it in for outside use since it’s weather-resistant. Once you’re done, simply power it off and let it cool down, or allow the auto shut-off feature to do it for you after 45 minutes.

Best Dual-Fuel: Ooni Karu 12G Multi-Fuel Pizza Oven

For some pizza lovers, nothing beats the flavor of wood-fired pizza. Cooking with wood is a lot of fun, and this pizza oven allows you to choose between propane and wood. The Ooni Karu 12G comes standard with burner tray space in the back to hold wood for burning, but you can also purchase the gas attachment sold separately and hook it up to a small tank. Either way, the pizza oven can reach 950° Fahrenheit, allowing you to cook piping hot pies in under two minutes. 

The front door has a glass window so you can maintain heat inside the oven while watching your pizza cook. The flame is located in the back of the oven, offering plenty of room from the launch point at the front to avoid keeping your pizza too close to the live fire.

Why Take Our Word For It?

Molly Allen is a former bakery owner turned freelance writer, recipe developer, and product reviewer with a passion for exploring the outdoors and baking at home. Her work can also be found in Taste of Home, Good Housekeeping, Insider, Brides, Southern Living, Wine Enthusiast, Food & Wine, and Simply Recipes.