Top 5 compared
The best pizza ovens
Pizza with a crisp, blistered crust in a few minutes, at a heat the kitchen oven can’t reach.
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The top 5 at a glance
A pizza oven is a compact oven built to cook a pizza fast, in anything from about a minute to a few. There are two broad kinds. Flame-fired ovens, on gas or burning fuel, live outdoors and reach the highest heat; electric ones just plug in, with nothing to light or feed, and take a few minutes per pizza.
Propane is the simplest flame: turn a dial and it heats up. Wood, charcoal and pellets bring a smoky, wood-fired taste but need feeding as they burn. Only the countertop electric oven is made for the kitchen; the rest are sold as outdoor ovens. And plan on a peel for sliding pizzas in and out, as only BIG HORN’s indoor oven comes with one.
What matters
- The stone size, against the pizzas you like to make.
- Heat-up time as well as the top temperature.
- For a gas oven, whether it takes propane, natural gas or both.
- The weight, if it’ll travel to a campsite.
#1Ninja Artisan Outdoor Pizza Oven (MO201)
$200–$300
An electric oven for the patio with no flame to manage: five pizza settings (Neapolitan, thin crust, pan, New York and custom) set the heat, and a 12-inch pizza cooks in about three minutes without turning. It also bakes, broils, proofs dough and keeps food warm, anywhere from 90°F to 700°F.
What owners say: Owners like that the pizza never needs turning and comes out crisp in about two and a half minutes, and they find it simple to run and small enough for a patio table.
A closer look: Give it about 18 minutes to preheat, then three pizzas can follow back to back in under ten. Ninja says it can live outdoors, though a cover keeps it in better shape between uses, and the 12-inch pan in the box takes sides like mac and cheese while the main cooks on the grill.
- 5 pizza settings
- No turning needed
- Bakes, broils, proofs and warms
- Stone and bake pan included
- Viewing window, weather resistant
Best for: Electric, no flame to tend
- Fuel
- Electric
- Pizza size
- 12 in
- Max temperature
- 700°F
- Heat-up time
- 18 min
- Cook time
- 3 min
- Weight
- 30.2 lb
- Peel included
- No
#2Ooni Koda 16 Propane Pizza Oven
Over $300
An L-shaped gas burner and a 16-inch stone take pizzas a size up from most portable ovens, ready about 20 minutes after lighting and cooked in around 60 seconds, all at the turn of a dial. Ooni launched its first oven on Kickstarter in 2012, and its original name, Uuni, is Finnish for oven.
What owners say: Owners bring it out for family pizza nights and backyard parties and are pleased by how fast the pizzas come out, though a few find the flame hard to fine-tune and some had the stone crack early on.
Heads up: It runs on propane only (not natural gas), and the tank and a pizza peel aren’t in the box, so have both ready before the first pizza night.
A closer look: At about 40 lb it’s more of a patio fixture than a picnic oven, so give it a sturdy, heatproof table where it can stay. Turn the pizza a few times during its minute or so in the oven, so every side gets its turn near the flame and the crust chars evenly.
- L-shaped gas burner
- Instant ignition
- Regulator and hose included
- 5-year warranty when registered
Best for: 16-inch pizzas on propane
- Fuel
- Propane
- Pizza size
- 16 in
- Max temperature
- 950°F
- Heat-up time
- 20 min
- Cook time
- 60 sec
- Weight
- 40.1 lb
- Peel included
- No
#3Ooni Karu 12 Multi-Fuel Pizza Oven
$200–$300
Real wood or lump charcoal straight out of the box, with the flavor that goes with it: the fuel tray is built for airflow, so the flame stays strong enough for 950°F, and it’s ready about 15 minutes after lighting. Ooni’s gas burner (sold separately) adds propane for nights with no time to tend a fire.
What owners say: Owners rave about the wood-fired flavor and how evenly it bakes, with one comparing the results to a restaurant’s. Running a live fire takes practice, though, and some burned a pizza or two while they learned.
A closer look: Let the first fire settle into a bed of glowing embers, then feed small, dry pieces of hardwood a few at a time for the hottest, cleanest flame. With the legs folded and the chimney off, it packs down small enough for a campsite or a friend’s backyard.
- Optional gas burner, sold separately
- Folding legs
- Removable chimney
- 5-year warranty when registered
Best for: Wood-fired flavor, portable
- Fuel
- Wood or charcoal
- Pizza size
- 12 in
- Max temperature
- 950°F
- Heat-up time
- 15 min
- Cook time
- 60 sec
- Weight
- 26.5 lb
- Peel included
- No
#4BIG HORN OUTDOORS 12-Inch Wood Pellet Pizza Oven
$100–$150
A stainless-steel pellet oven that cooks a pizza in 60 to 90 seconds. The legs fold and it comes apart without tools, so it’s easy to clean and put away between pizza nights, and it’s made to take Big Horn’s gas or electric burner attachments later on (both sold separately).
What owners say: Owners turn out great pizzas with it after a little practice, though keeping the heat steady takes attention and a few had the stone crack the first time out.
Heads up: Big Horn says to use only all-natural hardwood pellets and to keep them in an airtight container, as damp pellets burn poorly.
A closer look: Like any pellet oven it needs a steady feed, so keep topping off the hopper a little at a time to keep a strong flame. Big Horn’s own advice is to turn the pizza often and go easy on the sauce and toppings.
- Comes apart without tools
- Folding legs
- Gas or electric burners optional
- Coated stainless-steel shell
Best for: Hardwood-pellet cooking that packs away
- Fuel
- Wood pellets
- Pizza size
- 12 in
- Max temperature
- 887°F
- Heat-up time
- 18–20 min
- Cook time
- 60–90 sec
- Weight
- 25 lb
- Peel included
- No
#5BIG HORN 14-Inch Indoor Electric Pizza Oven (GP9022PRC)
$200–$300
Sized for the countertop, it plugs into an ordinary outlet and reaches 850°F, for a 14-inch pizza in about three minutes. Six programs (Wood Fired, New York, Thin Crispy, Deep Dish, Frozen and Manual) cover the usual styles, with heating elements above and below the stone, and it bakes bread, pies and wings as well.
What owners say: Owners find it quick to reach temperature and steady once it’s there, and like setting the top and bottom heat separately. Cooking times divide them, and durability worries some, with reports of a split stone and of rust within months.
A closer look: Preheat for the full 15 minutes so the stone is fully hot, then slide the pizza in with the peel from the box. Its flip-up design halves the space it takes on the counter between pizza nights, by BIG HORN’s count, and the stone lifts out to clean once it has cooled.
- Plugs into a standard outlet
- 6 cooking programs
- Top and bottom heating
- Flip-up to save counter space
- Removable stone
Best for: Indoor pizza, no yard needed
- Fuel
- Electric
- Pizza size
- 14 in
- Max temperature
- 850°F
- Heat-up time
- 15 min
- Cook time
- 3 min
- Weight
- –
- Peel included
- Pizza peel
How they compare
Swipe sideways or rotate device to see all 5.
| Feature | #1Ninja Artisan | #2Ooni Koda 16 | #3Ooni Karu 12 | #4BIG HORN pellet | #5BIG HORN 14-inch indoor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall | Best premium | Best wood-fired | Best budget | Best indoor | |
| Picked Rating | 9.3 | 9.0 | 8.9 | 8.6 | 8.5 |
| Price | $200–$300 | Over $300 | $200–$300 | $100–$150 | $200–$300 |
| Fuel | Electric | Propane | Wood or charcoal | Wood pellets | Electric |
| Pizza size | 12 in | 16 in | 12 in | 12 in | 14 in |
| Max temperature | 700°F | 950°F | 950°F | 887°F | 850°F |
| Heat-up time | 18 min | 20 min | 15 min | 18–20 min | 15 min |
| Cook time | 3 min | 60 sec | 60 sec | 60–90 sec | 3 min |
| Weight | 30.2 lb | 40.1 lb | 26.5 lb | 25 lb | – |
| Peel included | No | No | No | No | Pizza peel |
| Best for | Electric, no flame to tend | 16-inch pizzas on propane | Wood-fired flavor, portable | Hardwood-pellet cooking that packs away | Indoor pizza, no yard needed |
| Buy now | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon |
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