The best pizza ovens
Friday-night pizza with a blistered, crisp crust: gas, wood-pellet and electric ovens that get far hotter than the kitchen oven ever will.
A kitchen oven can't get hot enough for a proper pizza, which is why homemade ones so often come out pale and bready. A pizza oven heats its stone to 400–500°C and cooks a pizza in one to four minutes, charred at the edges and bubbling on top.
The big choice is fuel. Gas is the easiest: turn a dial and it's hot. Wood pellets add a smoky, wood-fired taste but need topping up as they burn. An electric oven plugs in on the worktop, so it works whatever the weather. Whichever you choose, a peel for sliding pizzas in and out makes life much easier.
What matters
- Fuel: gas is easiest, pellets add wood smoke, electric works indoors.
- How hot it gets: 400–500°C cooks a pizza in one to four minutes.
- Heat-up time before the first pizza goes in.
- Whether a peel comes in the box.
#1 of 5
Best overall
Ooni Koda 12 Gas Pizza Oven
£299.00 RRP
Click the gas ignition, turn the dial and it's up to 500°C in about 15 minutes, with no fuel to feed or fire to tend. Ooni began in Scotland in 2012 as a Kickstarter project, and its name comes from uuni, Finnish for oven.
What owners say: Owners say it lives up to the hype: it's easy to use, turns out great pizzas in a couple of minutes and makes pizza night fun.
Heads up: The gas bottle and a pizza peel aren't in the box, so pick up both before the first pizza night.
A closer look: The regulator and hose come ready to connect to a propane bottle, so setting up takes minutes. Keep the first few pizzas thin and lightly topped, turning them partway through, while you get a feel for how fast it cooks.
- 500°C in about 15 minutes
- 12-inch pizzas in 60 seconds
- Regulator and hose included
- Folding legs, 9.2kg
- 5-year warranty when registered
Best for: Easy high heat, no fuss
- Fuel
- Gas (propane)
- Max temperature
- 500°C
- Heat-up time
- 15 min
- Cook time
- 60 sec
- Weight
- 9.2kg
- Peel included
- No
#2 of 5
Runner-up
BIG HORN OUTDOORS 12-Inch Wood Pellet Pizza Oven
£100–£150 Price range
A stainless-steel pellet oven that cooks a pizza in 60 to 90 seconds, with folding legs and a chimney that comes off, so it packs away small between pizza nights. It's also made to take Big Horn's gas burner or electric heater later on, both sold separately.
What owners say: Owners say it makes great pizzas in a minute or two, gets hot quickly and is very good value for a wood-fired oven.
A closer look: Like any pellet oven it needs a steady feed, so top up the hopper little and often to keep a strong flame. Big Horn's own advice is to turn the pizza often and go easy on the sauce and toppings.
- Wood pellets
- Up to 475°C
- Pizza in 60–90 seconds
- Folding legs, removable chimney
- Stainless steel
Best for: Real wood-fired flavour
- Fuel
- Wood pellets
- Max temperature
- 475°C
- Heat-up time
- 18–20 min
- Cook time
- 60–90 sec
- Weight
- 11.3kg
- Peel included
- No
#3 of 5
Best for indoors
Kenwood My Pizzeria Electric Pizza Oven (KPO10.000BK)
£149.99 RRP
Kenwood's first pizza oven sits on the kitchen worktop and plugs into the wall, so pizza night doesn't depend on the weather. Elements above and below the 30cm stone cook a pizza in about four minutes.
What owners say: Owners say it bakes pizzas beautifully, with a properly crisp crust, and much faster than they expected.
A closer look: It works as well on shop-bought chilled and frozen pizzas as on homemade dough, and Kenwood suggests flatbreads and quesadillas too. Two dials set the time and the heat, and at 4.7kg and 18.5cm tall it goes back in a cupboard afterwards.
- 400°C, heats top and bottom
- Pizza in about 4 minutes
- 30cm removable stone
- Two split peels included
- Timer with alert
Best for: Pizza indoors, any weather
- Fuel
- Electric
- Max temperature
- 400°C
- Heat-up time
- About 10 min
- Cook time
- About 4 min
- Weight
- 4.7kg
- Peel included
- Two, split design
#4 of 5
Best starter kit
Zanussi ZPO1BPC Wood Pellet Pizza Oven with Paddle and Cover
£100–£150 Price range
Everything to get going is in the box apart from the pellets: a 9-inch paddle for sliding pizzas in and out, and a cover to keep it dry between uses. A gravity-fed hopper keeps pellets dropping onto the fire as they burn.
What owners say: Owners say it's well made and easy to use, cooks pizzas evenly and is worth the money.
Heads up: Pellets aren't included, so order a bag with it, and light them with a natural firelighter as Zanussi recommends.
A closer look: Once the pizzas are done it will bake, roast and sear too, so use the heat for flatbreads or vegetables. Pack it into its bag once it has cooled, to keep the painted body dry.
- Wood pellets
- Up to 500°C
- 15-minute heat-up
- Paddle and cover included
- Gravity-fed pellet hopper
Best for: A complete kit to start with
- Fuel
- Wood pellets
- Max temperature
- 500°C
- Heat-up time
- 15 min
- Cook time
- 60 sec
- Weight
- 12kg
- Peel included
- 9in paddle
#5 of 5
Best budget
VonHaus Tabletop Pellet Pizza Oven with Pizza Stone
£129.99 RRP
A compact pellet oven for a garden table, with a removable chimney and folding legs so it tucks away in the shed over winter. It smokes fish, meat and vegetables too, and the two-year warranty needs no registering.
What owners say: Owners say it heats up quickly, cooks a pizza in about two minutes and is great value.
A closer look: VonHaus's instructions say to stand it on something heatproof, such as a paving slab, and never under a parasol or gazebo. A pizza peel isn't included, so add one if there isn't one in the kitchen drawer.
- Wood pellets
- Up to 400°C
- Hot in about 15 minutes
- Removable chimney, folding legs
- 2-year warranty
Best for: Trying a pizza oven for less
- Fuel
- Wood pellets
- Max temperature
- 400°C
- Heat-up time
- 15 min
- Cook time
- 90 sec
- Weight
- 11.5kg
- Peel included
- No
How they compare
| Feature | #1Ooni Koda 12 | #2Big Horn 12in pellet | #3Kenwood My Pizzeria | #4Zanussi pellet oven | #5VonHaus tabletop |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall | Runner-up | Best for indoors | Best starter kit | Best budget | |
| Picked Rating | 9.3 | 9.1 | 9.0 | 8.9 | 8.8 |
| Price | £299.00 RRP | £100–£150 Price range | £149.99 RRP | £100–£150 Price range | £129.99 RRP |
| Fuel | Gas (propane) | Wood pellets | Electric | Wood pellets | Wood pellets |
| Max temperature | 500°C | 475°C | 400°C | 500°C | 400°C |
| Heat-up time | 15 min | 18–20 min | About 10 min | 15 min | 15 min |
| Cook time | 60 sec | 60–90 sec | About 4 min | 60 sec | 90 sec |
| Weight | 9.2kg | 11.3kg | 4.7kg | 12kg | 11.5kg |
| Peel included | No | No | Two, split design | 9in paddle | No |
| Best for | Easy high heat, no fuss | Real wood-fired flavour | Pizza indoors, any weather | A complete kit to start with | Trying a pizza oven for less |
| Check price | View on Amazon | View on Amazon | View on Amazon | View on Amazon | View on Amazon |
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