What to Buy Appliances Small Appliances The 7 Best Pizza Ovens for 2023, Tested and Reviewed With these top performing models, you won’t be ordering delivery any time soon. By Laura Denby Laura Denby Laura Denby is a food writer and chef with six years of professional culinary experience. Find her work in Real Simple, Food Network, Better Homes & Gardens and more. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on March 16, 2023 Share Tweet Pin Email In This Article Expand Jump to a Section Our top picks Reviews Our Favorite The Tests Factors to Consider FAQ Other Pizza Ovens We Tested Our Expertise We independently evaluate all recommended products and services. If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation. Learn more. Food & Wine / Stacy K. Allen Making pizza at home is one of the most interactive ways to enjoy dinner with family and friends. Whether you're throwing a pizza party or slinging a weeknight specialty pie, homemade pizza just tastes better when it's made with the right equipment. Pizza ovens are an efficient way to achieve restaurant-quality pizza at home, and they're the perfect accessory for any well-stocked outdoor kitchen. There are several types to choose between these days, from built-in brick or wood-fired models to portable gas-powered pizza ovens that can fire up anywhere. The key to any good pizza oven is high heat— if you're not reaching at least 700 degrees on the cooking surface, it's difficult to get the correct bake on your dough. Traditional ovens will do fine for pizza in a pinch, but great home pizza ovens can take them to that restaurant-quality result right in your own backyard. If you're looking to improve your at-home pizzeria, look for an oven that's hot, portable, and easy to assemble or set up. To help you find the best pizza oven available, our experts tested some of the leading models in our testing lab, comparing 21 popular indoor and outdoor pizza ovens. We cooked up tons of pizzas back-to-back to assess everything from pre-heating time to temperature consistency to general convenience. Read on for more about our findings. Our Top Picks Best Overall: Ooni Pizza Oven at Amazon Jump to Review Best Value: Ooni Koda Gas Pizza Oven at Amazon Jump to Review Best Splurge: Gozney Dome at Gozney.com Jump to Review Best Portable: Gozney Roccbox Portable Pizza Oven at Amazon Jump to Review Best Indoor Pizza Oven: Breville Smart Oven Pizzaiolo Pizza Oven at Amazon Jump to Review Best Hybrid Fuel: Ooni Karu 12 Multi-Fuel Pizza Oven at Amazon Jump to Review Best Grill Add-On: KettlePizza Pro Pizza Oven Kit at Amazon Jump to Review Best Overall Ooni Koda 16 Pizza Oven Amazon View On Amazon View On Williams-Sonoma View On Ace Hardware Pros: The larger opening on this model allows for easy turning and manipulating pizzas while cooking for perfectly crispy crusts and melty cheese.Cons: Though this oven is lightweight, it's still on the larger side. Make sure you have ample space to use and store it. If you're looking for a pizza oven that produces consistent, reliable results with minimal assembly, this is the option for you. The Ooni Koda 16 is one of the easiest to use and to put together of all the models we tried—simply take it out of the box and open the legs. It features a large opening that makes it easy to turn pizzas, which gives the user more control over the finished product. We found that heat was relatively consistent from the back of the oven to the front, and it took about 25 minutes to heat up to the recommended temperature. Though it's a heavy-duty gadget, it's still lightweight enough for one person to move it on their own. This is a dependable pizza oven that produced crispy, golden crusts with nicely melted cheese. It's a fantastic option for enthusiast home cooks looking for their next favorite gadget. Though it's great for whipping up special dinners, it's also convenient enough to use on a daily basis. Price at time of publish: $599 Fuel source: GasPizza Diameter: 16 inchesTemperature range: Up to 932°F Marianne Williams, Recipe Tester and Developer "This oven produces great pizzas—crusts are a beautiful, dark golden brown all around the edges, the bottom is crispy, and the toppings are cooked nicely." — Marianne Williams, Recipe Tester and Developer Food & Wine / Stacy K. Allen Food & Wine / Stacy K. Allen Food & Wine / Morgan Hunt Glaze Food & Wine / Stacy K. Allen Best Value Ooni Koda 12 Gas-Powered Outdoor Pizza Oven 4.8 Amazon View On Amazon View On Williams-Sonoma View On Ace Hardware Pros: This lightweight oven heats up quickly and produces nicely puffed golden pizzas at an affordable price.Cons: The small opening doesn't leave much space to turn the pizza if you use a standard peel. For best results, we recommend using a smaller pizza peel. This is a professional-quality pizza oven that comes at a much more affordable price than some of its counterparts. One of the lighter pizza ovens we tested, the Ooni Koda 12 is incredibly easy to assemble and maneuver. Our testers found that it holds heat well and produces pizzas with a golden, crispy crust and melty cheese. Pizzas cooked quickly, and we love that the foldable legs have non-slip feet for added security. Though we found it to be convenient overall, this model does take some getting used to. Our testers noticed that the smaller opening can make properly turning the pizza challenging because there isn't enough space to rotate it. For best results, opt for a smaller pizza peel that can work more efficiently. Price at time of publish: $400 Fuel source: GasPizza Diameter: 13 inchesTemperature range: Up to 950°F Food and Wine / Stacy K. Allen Food and Wine / Stacy K. Allen Food and Wine / Stacy K. Allen Food and Wine / Stacy K. Allen Best Splurge Gozney Dome Dual-Fuel Pizza Oven 4.8 Gozney View On Gozney.com View On Huckberry Pros: This large-scale oven holds its temperature well and produces perfectly cooked, restaurant-quality pizzas at home.Cons: Since this oven is on the larger side, it takes a long time to heat up and isn't portable. We love that this sizeable oven gives us plenty of space to make multiple pies. Extra space also means more control over direct heat exposure because it provides the user with the option to keep the pizza near the fire or to move it to a slightly cooler part of the oven. A digital thermometer gives precise temperature readings throughout the cooking process, and regulated air flow controls allow for proper ventilation. The water-resistant, UV-stable, ceramic-bonded outer coating is durable enough for outdoor use in all types of weather. Despite its size, our testers found this oven very easy to use and assemble. Though it takes a long time to heat up, it easily retains a consistent temperature throughout the cooking process. This oven produced pizzas with melted toppings and crisp crusts all around. Keep in mind that this is not a portable option—if you want to be able to move it freely, you'll need to purchase the stand separately. Price at time of publish: $1,700 Fuel source: Wood or gasPizza Diameter: 16 inchesTemperature range: Up to 950°F Food and Wine / Morgan Hunt Glaze Food and Wine / Fred Hardy Food and Wine / Stacy K. Allen The 10 Best Pizza Tools of 2023 Best Portable Gozney Roccbox Portable Wood and Gas Pizza Oven 4.2 Amazon View On Amazon View On Gozney.com View On Home Depot Pros: Retractable legs, detachable burners, and a silicone outer body make this portable pizza oven easy to transport. Cons: Although this oven is equipped with features that make it more portable, it's still on the heavier side. Our testers found this pizza oven to be easy to use, thanks to the large opening and the smaller pizza peel that comes included. The smaller peel fits easily into the oven, which makes rotating pies simple and efficient. This oven heats quickly and retains heat for consistent cooking throughout. Although it takes slightly longer than some other ovens to cook each pizza, it did so evenly and efficiently, resulting in pies that were golden brown and nicely melted. This oven operates on gas for convenience, but users can purchase a detachable wood burner for added flavor. When it comes to portability, we love that the retractable legs and detachable burners make this oven easy to pack up and transport. The silicone outer body means it's safer to touch than other metal-bodied options, too. Price at time of publish: $500 Fuel source: Gas or woodPizza Diameter: 12 inchesTemperature range: Up to 950°F Best Indoor Pizza Oven Breville Smart Oven Pizzaiolo Pizza Oven 4.9 Amazon View On Amazon View On Williams-Sonoma View On Best Buy Pros: This indoor pizza oven requires no assembly and heats evenly and efficiently right from your countertop.Cons: This gadget is a bit pricier than your average indoor pizza oven. If you're looking for a pizza oven that can produce crispy pizzas right from your countertop, Breville's Smart Pizza Oven is a fantastic indoor option. Indoor pizza ovens can't reach the same temperatures as outdoor ovens can, but this oven yielded crispy, golden brown pizzas regardless. We found that it heated up evenly and efficiently, and we love that it requires no assembly. Simply take it out of the box, plug it in, and select from one of the machine's preset options like "Wood Fired," "Thin and Crispy," or "Pan Pizza." Depending on the preset you choose, the oven's smart technology will adjust to replicate the optimal cooking environment. It also has a manual mode that allows you greater control over the heating style—manual mode allows you to individually manipulate the radiant heat, conductive heat, and convective heat. Radiant heat is an intense, direct heat designed to give a spotted crust, conductive heat controls the heated base that gives a charred bottom, and convective heat ensures melted toppings. Our testers were impressed by how evenly each pizza cooked and recommend it for home cooks looking for quick, efficient pizza indoors. Price at time of publish: $1000 Fuel source: ElectricityPizza Diameter: 12 inchesTemperature range: Up to 750°F Best Hybrid Fuel Ooni Karu 12 Multi-Fuel Pizza Oven 4.6 Amazon View On Amazon View On Williams-Sonoma View On Crate & Barrel Pros: The option to use multiple fuel sources adds a layer of versatility to this professional-grade oven.Cons: This oven took a long time to reach the correct temperature. When using it, set aside ample time so it can preheat appropriately. If you're looking for a pizza oven that allows for the option to use different fuel sources, our testers recommend the Ooni Karu 12. This portable oven can operate on wood, charcoal, or natural gas, so you can customize your cooking experience based on the fuel source you wish to use. We found that once hot, it efficiently retained its temperature to produce evenly cooked, crispy pizzas. Whether you load it with wood or charcoal, the fuel tray encourages airflow that allows the oven to reach and maintain high temperatures. If you're looking for a pizza oven that can operate efficiently while imparting authentic flavors or a wood-fired oven, this is a great choice. Keep in mind that because of the hybrid fuel feature, this piece does require some extra assembly. However, our testers didn't find that it impacted functionality or efficiency and still found it easy to assemble regardless of the extra steps. Price at time of publish: $400 Fuel source: Wood, charcoal or natural gasPizza Diameter: 12Temperature range: Up to 950°F Hunter Lewis, Editor in Chief, Food & Wine "I fell in love with this 26-pound rectangular marvel of stainless steel and ceramic fiber during the first firing with charcoal and wood. Within 30 minutes, my infrared thermometer clocked the pizza stone at 900 degrees, and after I dialed down the power of the wood flame that licked the roof of the oven and washed over the dough, the machine turned out gorgeously charred pizzas with crispy bottoms and bubbly crusts in less than 90 seconds." — Hunter Lewis, Editor in Chief, Food & Wine Best Grill Add-On KettlePizza Pro Pizza Oven Kit Amazon View On Amazon View On Bbqguys.com Pros: This portable, easy-to-use gadget turns any gas grill into a pizza oven.Cons: Since this isn't a dedicated pizza oven, we found that it had some hot spots where heat wasn't consistently distributed. This kit comes with a 15-inch pizza stone, wooden peel, and stainless steel lid that transforms any gas grill into a pizza oven. If you're looking to expand your culinary pursuits but don't have room for another big gadget, this kit is a great way to do it. Unlike an actual oven, it's easy to store when not in use and produces similar results. Our testers found that it was super easy to set up and conducted relatively consistent heat, with a few minor hot spots. Our testers love that the gadget helps direct heat down, so it cooks the top of the pizza as well as the bottom. That way, it can achieve a crispy crust with melty cheese. A large opening makes it easy to turn the pizzas. Our testers recommend cooking pizzas with the lid of the grill closed for best results. Price at time of publish: $340 Fuel source: GasPizza Diameter: 15 inches Our Favorite Courtesy of Food & Wine/Fred Hardy Overall, our testers found that the best pizza ovens were easy to set up, heat, and use. We love that the Ooni Koda 16 is capable of producing restaurant-quality pizzas at home, thanks to its strong, even heating and large opening that allows for more user control. If you're looking to upgrade your outdoor kitchen, this is our top pick. The Tests Stacy K. Allen In order to test the best pizza ovens, we assessed them on ease of assembly, portability, performance, and temperature control. To do so, our testers first conducted a pre-heating test and general temperature assessment. This test allowed us to evaluate how long each oven took to come to the recommended temperature. It also allowed us to test how hot each oven was from front to back and side to side, allowing us to identify any hot spots, cold spots, or other heating inconsistencies. Next, we assessed consistency by cooking three pizzas back-to-back. We examined the quality from start to finish and noted if the resulting pizzas varied from each other. We cooked two types of pizzas—one with whole wheat dough, and one with regular dough and loaded toppings—to see if the ovens could handle different styles of dough and assortments of toppings. We assessed how each oven performed and whether or not it could achieve a crispy, golden crust with nicely melted toppings. Lastly, we examined how portable each oven is. We took into account different characteristics like weight, cooldown time, and necessary accessories that could make storage more challenging. Factors to Consider STACY K. ALLEN / FOOD & WINE Fuel There are several pizza ovens on the market for home use, and they tend to fall into four categories: wood-fired, pellet-fired, propane or gas-fired, and dual-fuel. Choosing the right one for you has a lot to do with how you intend to use it. If you want wood-fired flavor, an oven that can accommodate wood or pellets is your best bet. They take longer to come to temp and require some practice to get the hang of maintaining heat and feeding the fire, but the results will be as close to professional as you can get. However, keep in mind that both wood and pellet ovens take longer to cool down after use, and require cleanup to remove ashes safely. Gas or propane units heat faster and give consistent heat, require minimal cleanup, and cool down faster after use, which can be helpful if you are not planning on a permanent location since they will be able to be stored faster. They will not give the same wood-fired flavor or smoke as the others, but they will still give you good char and excellent cooking results. If you're looking for flexibility, go for a dual-fuel option where gas, wood, or a combination of both is an option. This means it will be easier to light and maintain heat when using wood but will also give you fast and easy results when you don't have time to sit by a fire. Size Size is a major factor in deciding which pizza oven is best for you. Depending on the size of pizzas you like to make, and your skill as a pizzaiolo, it can be better to opt for a larger oven. Larger ovens have larger openings, which is ideal for beginners because they can be easier to maneuver. They can also accommodate larger pies, which is great for serving a crowd. Keep in mind that larger ovens are typically more expensive, but if you have the room and the budget, this can be a good investment. You will spend more on the unit and more on fuel since it will take more wood/pellets/gas to bring a larger space up to temp. Smaller ovens usually max out at a 12" pizza, which is ideal for couples or small families and will take up a smaller footprint and use slightly less fuel. Portability Some home pizza ovens can be installed permanently in place, some can be moved around, and some are even designed to be portable so that you can easily take them with you on the go. Before purchasing an oven, assess how frequently you intend to use it and your options for storage. If you have a second home or like to travel, you may want to consider the portable units which can be a terrific thing to have when on vacation or for weekend getaways. Stacy K. Allen Frequently Asked Questions What kind of surface and how much clearance does a pizza oven need? "Thankfully, pizza ovens can be quite small," says former pizzaiolo and food writer Dennis Lee. "Many home pizza ovens are standalone units that are small enough to fit on top of an outdoor patio table. You can usually dismantle them for easy storage, too. The small home ovens can cook pizzas from 12 to 16 inches in diameter but must be used outside for safety and ventilation purposes. Those ovens don't need a ton of clearance, either, enough to accommodate the chimney in the back without being in direct contact with some sort of ceiling." What's the difference between a wood and gas pizza oven? "It all comes down to the fuel," Lee tells us. "A wood oven is fired by burning hardwood—like oak—while a gas pizza oven uses a fuel source like a propane tank or natural gas. Wood-fired pizza ovens are an interesting tool because the sole source of heat comes from burning wood, which is a unique and rustic way to cook anything, but the method can be tricky. Flames are almost like living creatures, and you have to keep a constant eye on whether or not the oven is at the temperature you're looking for and adjust by adding more wood or by letting the fire coast for a bit. These ovens take a while to heat up, and you need to maintain them by brushing out soot and ash after every time you use them.""The flame in gas ovens is a little easier to manage, since it's stationary (as opposed to the chaotic nature of wood fire), and it heats up much more quickly than a wood-fired oven, which needs to gradually come up to temperature. In terms of end results, you still get fantastic pizzas out of either style of oven. Some people swear by the char you can get from a wood fire, along with a slight smokiness from the burning wood and a bit of ash imparted on the bottom crust, but a gas oven can pretty much give you the same result with a slightly cleaner bake," says Lee. How do you turn a pizza? "Turning a pizza can be tricky for a lot of people. You can only turn a pizza efficiently with a peel. After you lay down the pizza, let it sit in place until the bottom has set (the time can vary widely depending on the temperature of the oven and the style of dough). Once you've noticed that the pizza is starting to brown a little on one side of the crust, place the peel beneath the pizza, with about a 1/3 of the crust still resting on the deck of the oven (either the left or right side, doesn't matter which), tilt the peel up by about 45 degrees, and gently pull back. You'll find that the pizza will rotate naturally from the friction of the crust and the angle of your pizza peel. This takes a lot of practice and muscle memory, so prepare to practice quite a bit until you get the hang of it." What can you cook in a pizza oven besides pizza? Pizza ovens can offer amazing results for anything you'd also cook on a cast iron pan or on ceramic: breads like focaccia or sourdough, vegetables, meats such as steak or sausage. Always use a temperature-resistant vessel like cast iron to protect the surface of the pizza oven from oils and fat since there is a risk of uncontrolled fire if those oils or grease seep out while flames are burning. Other Pizza Ovens We Tested Strong Contenders Only Fire Universal Stainless Steel Pizza Oven Kit This set is a good value for the money and produces puffed, crispy pizza dough. It's easy to use and produces consistent pizzas from start to finish. However, we noticed it took slightly longer to cook the pizzas fully, and some crusts came out darker than we would've liked. Ooni Frya 12 Unlike the other Ooni models, this portable oven relies on hardwood pellets as its main fuel source. As a result, we found the Ooni Frya 12 slightly more complicated to set up and a bit more difficult to use. However, we were pleased with the quality overall and were able to make some beautiful pizzas. Keep in mind that this model comes with a chimney, which makes it a little more cumbersome. Ooni Karu 16 The Ooni Karu 16 can operate off different fuel types like charcoal, gas, or wood. This hybrid fuel model is much larger than some others, so it allows you ample space to spin and turn the pizzas. More space means you can choose how close you want to put the pizza to the fire, allowing more control over how charred or crispy it is. Despite the added control, we had trouble getting this oven to a temperature that effectively charred and crisped the pizza dough. BakerStone Portable Gas Series Pizza Oven Box Though BakerStone calls this oven portable, we found it to be pretty bulky, heavy, and difficult to move. Despite the lack of portability, our testers love how easy it is to use and how perfectly each pizza came out. The pies were evenly cooked with a crisp bottom, charred crust with nicely melted cheese. Thanks to superior heat retention, it cooked pizzas evenly and efficiently. What Didn't Make the List We tested several other pizza ovens, and the others that didn't make the cut had a few shortcomings in common: inconsistent results (charring or undercooked pies), inefficient or cumbersome for heat control, or lack of interior space for personal-sized pies. The best pizza ovens should be both efficient and convenient to use at home, so those factors were paramount for our top picks. Stacy K. Allen Our Expertise For this piece, we relied on insights from our expert product testers Elizabeth Mervosh and Marianne Williams. Elizabeth Mervosh is a recipe tester and developer for the Meredith Food Studios in Birmingham, Alabama, and tests and develops recipes for brands including Southern Living, Real Simple, Food & Wine, People, and Health. She completed her culinary degree at The Culinary Institute of America and has been a part of the Meredith Food Studios since 2017. Marianne Williams is a recipe tester and developer who has been working in the Dotdash Meredith test kitchens since 2016. You can find her recipes in Food & Wine, Southern Living, Real Simple, Rachael Ray, Health, and Cooking Light. Elizabeth and Marianne spent hours in the test kitchen making multiple pizzas on each machine. For additional expertise, we spoke to former pizzaiolo and food writer Dennis Lee. Dennis is a Chicago-based food writer whose work can be found in Serious Eats, Thrillist, and The Onion's A.V. Club. This piece was written by Laura Denby, a food writer and former chef with a degree in Culinary Arts from the Institute of Culinary Education. Laura uses her years of experience cooking in professional kitchens to guide her expert product reviews, which can be found st FoodNetwork.com, Real Simple, Better Homes & Gardens, Taste of Home, and more. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit