Whether you’re in charge of weeknight family dinner or entertaining a large group of friends and neighbors on the weekend, there’s nothing like an old-fashioned pizza party to bring the masses together. Pizza is something everyone can agree on — and with an at-home pizza oven, you can take your pies to the next level. Popular brands like Ooni, Breville and Gozney make it surprisingly easy to bake authentic, delicious pizza at home, either in your kitchen or in the backyard.
That said, when it comes to choosing the right oven for your needs, you’ll first have to consider several factors, including fuel source, size, capacity and temperature retention.
SKIP AHEAD How we picked the best pizza ovens | The best pizza ovens | What are the different types of fuel sources? | How to shop for pizza ovens
To learn more about at-home pizza ovens and how to shop for them, we spoke to three chefs who specialize in pizza making. In this article, you’ll find their top recommendations as well as their advice when it comes to choosing the best and the most beginner-friendly pizza ovens on the market.
Our top picks
- Best overall pick: Ooni Karu 12 Multi-Fuel Outdoor Pizza Oven
- Easiest to use: Breville Smart Oven Pizzaiolo Pizza Oven
- Best budget pick: Presto Pizzazz Plus Rotating Oven
- Best splurge: Gozney Dome Pizza Oven
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How we picked the best pizza ovens
We interviewed three pizza chefs who recommend keeping the following criteria in mind while shopping:
Fuel source: Pizza ovens use varying fuel sources to cook pizza (namely wood, propane/gas or electricity), and the type of fuel you choose will impact the location, temperature and functionality of your oven, according to our experts. We go into further detail about this below.
Location: Depending on its fuel source and size, you can use a pizza oven inside or outside. Some electric models are small enough to fit on your kitchen countertop, while others require several feet of space in a yard or on a patio, according to our experts.
Dimensions and capacity: The overall size of your oven will dictate where you can use and store it, while the capacity determines how much pizza you can bake at one time. Before purchasing an oven, determine how much space you can spare as well as how many people you’ll need to cook for.
Temperature retention: An oven that can hold a consistent temperature will make the best pizzas, according to Salvatore Lo Cascio, pizza chef for Ballyhoo Hospitality. The right materials, settings and dimensions all contribute to an oven’s temperature retention, and we explain those factors in more detail below.
The best pizza ovens
Below, you’ll find the best pizza ovens for home use, all of which have earned at least four stars from more than 500 reviewers. Some are electric ovens designed for indoor use, while others burn wood or propane for outdoor cooking; all of them align with our experts’ shopping advice. In this article, we express each oven's capacity using the largest-size round pizza (in inches) that can fit inside.
Ooni Karu 12 Multi-Fuel Outdoor Pizza Oven
All our experts recommend Ooni pizza ovens because they’re easy for beginners and make quality pies due to their consistent temperature retention. You can power the Ooni Karu with wood or charcoal straight out of the box, or you can purchase an Ooni gas burner attachment (sold separately) for more precise temperature control, according to the brand’s website. Either way, the stainless steel and ceramic construction aims to reach temperatures of 950 degrees Fahrenheit in under 15 minutes, according to Ooni. (Its stone baking board is designed to retain that temperature while cooking.) Plus, the folding legs and relatively lightweight tabletop design make it easy to transport, reads the brand’s website.
Location: outdoors (tabletop) | Fuel source: wood and charcoal (gas burner attachment sold separately) | Dimensions: 30.31 x 15.75 x 31.5 inches | Capacity: 12-inch round pizza | Weight: 26.46 pounds | Maximum temperature: 950 degrees Fahrenheit
Ooni Koda 12 Gas Pizza Oven
Due to its propane-powered design, the Ooni Koda is great for people of all pizza-making skill levels, says Shealyn Brand Coniglio, co-owner of Coniglio’s Old Fashioned in New Jersey. It also doesn’t require much assembly; flip open the legs, put the oven on an outdoor tabletop, insert the stone baking board and hook it up to a standard propane gas tank. Its dial lets you control the heat output while its stone baking board reaches temperatures of up to 932 degrees Fahrenheit in under 15 minutes, so you can cook a whole pie in less than a minute, according to the brand’s website.
Location: outdoors (tabletop) | Fuel source: propane | Dimensions: 24.4 x 15.5 x 11.7 inches | Capacity: 12-inch round pizza | Weight: 20.20 pounds | Maximum temperature: 932 degrees Fahrenheit
Breville Smart Pizzaiolo Pizza Oven
Two of our pizza chefs recommend the Breville smart oven for those looking to make pizza indoors — especially because its electric design and various heat settings allow for precise temperature control and the ability to cook many styles of pizza with ease, according to our experts. It reaches temperatures up to 750 degrees Fahrenheit using electricity, and its five pre-set modes, automatic timer options and darkness dial help you customize your results more easily than an open flame, according to the brand’s website. A baking stone and a reflector shield help the oven retain heat while preventing your ingredients from burning too, reads the brand’s website.
Location: indoors (countertop) | Fuel source: electric | Dimensions: 18.5 x 18.1 x 10.6 inches | Capacity: 12-inch round pizza | Weight: 35 pounds | Maximum temperature: 750 degrees Fahrenheit
Gozney Roccbox Portable Pizza Oven
The Gozney Roccbox is another one of Brand Coniglio’s preferred outdoor options because it’s easy for beginners and produces quality pizza. Using a double-layer stone floor and a well-insulated body, this portable model retains temperatures up to 950 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the brand’s website. It also has a few unique features, like a thermometer so you can monitor the internal temperature and a stay-cool exterior layer that minimizes the risk of burns. It comes with a standard gas burner, but you can purchase a detachable wood burner separately. Plus, its legs fold up for easy portability, according to the brand’s website. The Roccbox comes in your choice of four color options: yellow, gray, olive or black.
Location: outdoors (tabletop) | Fuel source: propane or butane gas (wood-burner attachment sold separately) | Dimensions: 18.5 x 21.2 x 16.1 inches | Capacity: 12-inch round pizza | Weight: 49.9 pounds | Maximum temperature: 950 degrees Fahrenheit
Big Horn Outdoors Wood Pellet Pizza Oven
A more affordable alternative to similar high-end tabletop options, the Big Horn Outdoors wood-fired pizza oven has a 4.3-average star rating from over 1,400 Amazon reviewers. Using wooden pellets, a square pizza stone and its stainless steel construction, it reaches temperatures up to 860 degrees Fahrenheit with 18 minutes of preheating, after which it can cook a pizza in less than 90 seconds, according to the brand. It weighs only 25 pounds and its legs also fold up so you can move it around the yard or take it to tailgates or on camping trips.
Location: outdoors (tabletop) | Fuel source: wood pellets | Dimensions: 1.6 x 14.2 x 24 inches | Capacity: 12-inch round pizza | Weight: 25 pounds | Maximum temperature: 860 degrees Fahrenheit
Presto Pizzazz Plus Rotating Oven
While it’s technically not a covered pizza oven, the Presto Pizzazz Plus costs less than $100 and has a 4.7-average star rating from more than 17,000 Amazon reviewers (who say they use it to also make wings, crispy appetizers and baked pastries). Separately controlled heating elements bake foods from both the top and bottom using automatic timer settings, while the removable nonstick baking pan rotates for a more even cook, according to the brand. Plus, at just over 7 pounds, this option is the lightest on our list and fits on most countertops.
Location: indoors (countertop) | Fuel source: electric | Dimensions: 14.5 x 15.8 x 10.3 inches | Capacity: 13-inch round pizza | Weight: 7.6 pounds | Maximum temperature: 375 degrees Fahrenheit
Gozney Dome Pizza Oven
With an internal cooking area of 22 inches by 18 inches, the Dome pizza oven has the largest capacity out of any option on our list. You can power it with your choice of wood and charcoal or gas, and its ceramic-coated steel dome and thick stone floor are designed to stay hotter for longer when cooking in large batches, according to the brand’s website. The Dome sits on an optional stand (sold separately), which provides additional prep space. It also has a digital thermometer, two meat probes and a ventilation system to help you monitor and control the temperature, according to the brand. You can also use this oven for roasting, smoking and steaming meat and vegetables, which makes it especially versatile.
Location: outdoors (freestanding with the optional stand) | Fuel source: wood or wood and gas | Dimensions: 26 x 24.8 x 28.8 inches | Capacity: 16-inch round pizza | Weight: 128 pounds | Maximum temperature: 950 degrees Fahrenheit
Related
What are the different types of fuel sources?
Wood
Wood-burning pizza ovens are often large outdoor units that result in the most authentic-tasting pizzas — but since their open flames can make it a challenge to maintain a constant temperature, they’re usually not the best option for beginners, according to our experts. Smaller units may use wood chips, wood pellets or charcoal rather than larger chunks, which may be easier to control, according to our experts.
Electric
“If you’re not comfortable with an open flame, opt for electric,” says Brand Coniglio. Due to their precise heat settings, electric pizza ovens allow you to cook pizzas inside your kitchen at high, consistent temperatures, according to our experts.
Gas/propane
Gas or propane pizza ovens are best if you want a larger outdoor oven that’s a bit easier than wood when it comes to temperature control, according to our experts. Like a standard barbecue, they hook up to a tank or gas line and often have a dial that lets you increase or decrease the size of the flame.
How to shop for pizza ovens
Once you’ve decided on a fuel source and a location, consider the following criteria before purchasing a pizza oven:
Dimensions
The overall size of your oven will determine where you place it and how easy it is to store. As a general rule of thumb, the more pizza you want to cook, the larger your oven should be, according to our experts. The largest ovens are often stationary, while smaller ovens usually have folding parts and lightweight designs that allow for portability. Some laws require you to keep large, permanent ovens under a hood and properly connected to their fuel sources, says Lo Cascio.
Capacity
While overall dimensions and capacity are related, capacity refers to the size of the interior cooking chamber, which will dictate how big of a pizza you can cook at once. While most of the ovens on this list can only cook one pizza at a time, some reach high enough temperatures to bake a pizza in under a minute, so you can cook them in quick succession for larger groups.
Temperature retention
The best pizza ovens will keep a consistent temperature throughout the cooking process, says Lo Cascio. Ovens with both bottom and top temperature settings allow for full control over the cooking process, while stone floors recover the fastest after baking pizzas, according to Lo Cascio. “Look for an oven that doesn't have a big gap between the top and the bottom,” says Lo Cascio, which allows the oven to reach its maximum temperature quickly and cook a pizza more evenly.
How to maintain a pizza oven
“Always get the oven super hot after you use it and clean the stones with a wire brush to free any debris for your next bake,” says Michael Vakneen, chef and pizzaiolo at Pop Up Pizza in Las Vegas. Vakneen also recommends cleaning glass doors with a foam degreaser and a soft window towel. If you have an outdoor oven, keep it protected with a weather-resistant cover — or, if your oven is portable, store it in your garage or shed between uses, according to Vakneen.
What can you make with pizza ovens?
Most pizza ovens are designed to make round Neapolitan or New York City-style pizza pies. However, you can purchase add-ons to help you make other styles, including Detroit, Chicago and pan pizza. (You can even cook meat and vegetables with the right attachments on some models). “Great dough makes great pizza,” says Brand Coniglio, so don’t skimp on the ingredients no matter what style of pizza you choose to bake.
Safety considerations to keep in mind
Most manuals for outdoor pizza ovens advise that you place your oven far away from flammable structures and in an open area to ensure ventilation. Even if the exterior is insulated, you should protect your hands from burns using the proper tools, such as a pizza peel and heat-resistant gloves.
Meet our experts
At Select, we work with experts who have specialized knowledge and authority based on relevant training and/or experience. We also take steps to ensure all expert advice and recommendations are made independently and without undisclosed financial conflicts of interest.
Shealyn Brand Coniglio is the co-owner of Coniglio’s Old Fashioned in Morristown, New Jersey.
Salvatore Lo Cascio is a pizza chef for Ballyhoo Hospitality.
Michael Vakneen is a chef and pizzaiolo at Pop Up Pizza in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Why trust Select?
Maria Cassano is an e-commerce writer, editor and consultant. She covers all areas of shopping, but you can find her food and cooking content in publications such as Food & Wine, Bustle, CNN, AllRecipes and Lonny. For this article, she interviewed three pizza chefs and used their shopping advice to curate a list of the most highly-rated pizza ovens.
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