To Find the 5 Best Outdoor Pizza Ovens, We Churned Out Pie After Pie

Serious Eats has a long history with pizza. We’ve tested a $7,000 pizza oven. We’ve reviewed indoor ovens. We’ve even put together a guide to help you make the best pizza outside. This is all to say: There’s no site more qualified to review outdoor pizza ovens.

Why outdoor? Well, a home oven typically maxes out at around 500 to 550°F. Even with the help of a baking steel or stone, that's still not hot enough to make true Neapolitan-style pizza. Only with temperatures arcing up to and over the 900°F (480°C) mark can you get that incredible contrast between crisp, leopard-spotted exterior and poofy, moist, and stretchy interior that’s the hallmark of a really great pizza crust.

Enter the outdoor pizza oven. Outdoor cooking equipment, whether fired with gas, wood, or charcoal, regularly reaches temperatures well above what a home oven can safely hit. Dozens of manufacturers have taken advantage of this to produce ovens that promise true Neapolitan-style pizza in your backyard, eliminating the need to build your own full-blown stone oven.

To find the best outdoor pizza ovens, we tested 18 of them—models powered by propane, wood, and even pellets.

The Winners, at a Glance

The Best Outdoor Pizza Oven

Ooni Koda 16 Gas Pizza Oven

$599 $480 at Amazon $600 at Williams Sonoma $599 at Ooni.com

This oven heats up fast and has a large, L-shaped flame that cooks pies in one to two minutes. It’s propane-powered, which is the easiest fuel to work with. Plus, it comes with a bevy of handy features, like foldable legs and non-slip feet.

Another Great Outdoor Pizza Oven

Gozney Roccbox Pizza Oven

$499 $400 at Amazon $400 at Home Depot $499 at Gozney.com

This has been our favorite outdoor pizza oven for seven years. It's incredibly easy to use, reliable, and works with gas, charcoal, or hardwood kindling.

The Best Splurge, Multi-Fuel Outdoor Pizza Oven

Ooni Karu 16 Multi-Fuel Pizza Oven

$799 $649 at Amazon $650 at Williams Sonoma View on Ooni.com

This outdoor pizza oven has a digital screen below its door that (accurately) displays the oven’s internal temperature. It’s compatible with multiple fuel types and cooks gorgeous pies in a minute and a half.

The Best Smaller Outdoor Pizza Oven

Ooni Koda 12 Gas-Powered Outdoor Pizza Oven

$399 $318 at Amazon $400 at Williams Sonoma $399 at Sur La Table

This is pretty much identical to our overall top pick but can accommodate 12-inch pies instead of 16-inch ones. It weighs about 19 pounds less, so it’s much easier to move.

The Best Budget Outdoor Pizza Oven

Ooni Karu 12 Multi-Fuel Pizza Oven

$297 at Amazon $240 at Williams Sonoma $18 at Walmart

This budget oven is compatible with wood or charcoal (the live-fire enthusiasts will be happy), or gas with a separate burner. It’s also the cheapest of our favorites. It reached 850°F in just 15 minutes.

The Best Wood Pellet Outdoor Pizza Oven

Ninja Woodfire 8-in-1 Outdoor Oven

$400 $300 at Amazon $300 at Ninjakitchen.com $400 $350 at Lowe's

We thought the pizza from this oven tasted nice, though it ran cooler and took a few minutes to bake pies. However, this pellet-powered model can easily roast vegetables or even a whole chicken. Think of it like a pellet grill in outdoor pizza oven form.

The Tests

• Assembly and Pre-Burn Test: We timed how long it took to assemble each pizza oven, evaluating how easy it was to do so. Then, we followed the manufacturers’ pre-burn instructions. If not included, we left the ovens on for 30 minutes at their highest temperature.
• Heat Test: We turned the ovens to high, then let them run for 20 minutes. We used an infrared thermometer to take the temperature of the oven’s stone at multiple points. 
• Pizza Test: We made ‘nduja pizza with each oven, using dough designed for an outdoor pizza oven. We timed how long it took to bake the pizza and used an infrared thermometer to check the temperature of the stone in between pies, making four with each oven.
• Usability and Cleanup Tests: Throughout testing, we evaluated how easy the outdoor pizza ovens were to use (including adding fuel and adjusting the temperature). After testing, we cleaned each oven per the manufacturer’s instructions.

What We Learned

Our Favorite Outdoor Pizza Ovens Got Very, Very Hot

After 14 minutes, the Gozney was at nearly 750°F. However, at the 30-minute mark, the temperature was 898ºF. The Ooni Koda 16 was at 906ºF at 20 minutes, and 924ºF at about 30 minutes. This is all to say, play around with pre-heating times and invest in an infrared thermometer to make sure your pizza oven is where you want it to be. 

Recovery Time

None of our favorite pizza ovens struggled to recover between pies. If you’re concerned about this and plan on slinging back-to-back (to back-to-back…) pizzas, you could invest in the Ooni Karu 16, which has a door that locks in heat efficiently.

Which Fuel Type Should You Use?

We tested four types of fuel. All worked, but each had their pros and cons. Here’s a quick breakdown: 

• Gas/propane: Much like gas grills, this is the easiest fuel type to work with. It involves attaching the oven’s regulator to the propane tank, lighting the oven, and adjusting the temperature dial. However, gas ovens can be prone to hot spots and, of course, won’t ever have that wood-fired flavor.
• Wood: These ovens rely on small pieces of kindling inserted into a back chamber as their fuel source. You could chop your own wood, or buy pre-cut pieces. As the wood burns, it imparts a specific flavor to the pies (that’s wood-fired for ya). However, you will have to tend to the wood and add more fuel as needed. With wood-fired ovens, you’ll need to manually open and close the baffle, which is a piece on the chimney that controls airflow and allows you to have hotter, faster, or longer, slower cooks. Thus, operating a wood-fired oven requires more trial and error.
• Charcoal: This is very similar to wood, but obviously uses charcoal in place of kindling. It produces more ash, though. 
• Wood pellets: We only tested a few models compatible with wood pellets, including the electric Ninja Woodfire. It reached comparatively lower temperatures but was consistent, went through fuel fairly slowly, and imparted a mildly smoky flavor. True pizza people will be better off with the high heat of gas, wood, or charcoal, though.

What About Grill Conversion Outdoor Pizza Ovens?

There's no question that our favorite stand-alone pizza ovens perform better than in-grill conversion kits. We’d only recommend these kits to folks who plan to make pizza very occasionally and would rather not use up their outdoor space for an extra oven. If that’s you, the best grill conversion model we tried was from KettlePizza.

The Criteria: What to Look for in an Outdoor Pizza Oven

The best outdoor pizza ovens get very hot relatively quickly (expect some preheating time…but you shouldn’t have to wait 40-plus minutes). They exhibit minimal hot spots and have simple-to-attach regulators or easy-to-access fuel chambers. They should also have wide openings that allow you to add, turn, and remove pies without fuss. As far as fuel type, that’s up to you. We have recommendations for all of them and will note which of our favorites are multi-fuel.

Our Favorite Outdoor Pizza Ovens

The Best Outdoor Pizza Oven

Ooni Koda 16 Gas Pizza Oven

$599 $480 at Amazon $600 at Williams Sonoma $599 at Ooni.com

What we liked: With a large opening that easily allows you to add, turn, and retrieve pies, this is an excellent gas-powered pizza oven. It heats up fast (it was at 906ºF at the 20-minute mark) and its expansive L-shaped flame cooks pizzas in one to two minutes. We liked its sturdy foldable legs, non-slip feet, and the fact it came fully assembled. 

What we didn’t like: If you’re an outdoor pizza oven newbie, the concentrated L-shaped flame can lead to more hot spots and may have a bit of a learning curve. We wish the temperature dial had clear temperature/heat level markings. 

Key Specs

• Fuel source: Gas
• BTUs: 29,000
• Temperature range: Up to 950ºF
• Pizza diameter: 16 inches
• Weight: 39.2 pounds
• Warranty: 5 years

Another Great Outdoor Pizza Oven

Gozney Roccbox Pizza Oven

$499 $400 at Amazon $400 at Home Depot $499 at Gozney.com

What we liked: This is an incredible little oven with simple, reliable operation, whether you're using gas, wood, or charcoal to heat it. It consistently hits wood-fired-oven temperatures and maintains them for as long as you are cooking, with no fussing or babysitting, which means you can spend more time enjoying pizza with your friends and family and less time coddling a temperamental flame. With a rubber exterior and stainless-steel-and-stone box, it's attractive, solidly built, weatherproof, and portable. It comes fully assembled.

What we didn’t like: It’s about four pounds heavier than the Koda 16, making it a little tougher to move. It comes with a gas attachment, but the wood/charcoal burner must be purchased separately. 

Key Specs

• Fuel source: Gas, wood, or charcoal 
• Temperature range: Up to 950ºF
• Pizza diameter: 12 inches
• Weight: 44 pounds
• Warranty: 5 years

The Best Splurge, Multi-Fuel Outdoor Pizza Oven

Ooni Karu 16 Multi-Fuel Pizza Oven

$799 $649 at Amazon $650 at Williams Sonoma View on Ooni.com

What we liked: While this oven costs $200 more than the Koda 16, it also comes with all of the features, including a digital temperature display, a glass door, and multi-fuel capabilities. It’s the oven Serious Eats contributor (and bona fide pizza expert) Andrew Janjigian uses at home. As we quoted him here, “I’m using the Karu now, and I love a few things about it: 1) the door, which makes it heat up more quickly and efficiently, 2) the thermometer, which makes heating easier to manage, 3) the fact you can use either gas or wood/charcoal, and 4) the roominess, which lets you make large-sized (12- to 14-inch) pies without risk of them burning too easily.” In our tests, it churned out impressive pies in a minute and a half.

What we didn’t like: Undoubtedly, this oven is wicked expensive—even more if you consider that the gas burner is sold separately. For the price, we wish it was thrown in.

Key Specs

• Fuel source: Gas, wood, or charcoal 
• Temperature range: Up to 950ºF
• Pizza diameter: 16 inches
• Weight: 62.6 pounds
• Warranty: 5 years

The Best Smaller Outdoor Pizza Oven

Ooni Koda 12 Gas-Powered Outdoor Pizza Oven

$399 $318 at Amazon $400 at Williams Sonoma $399 at Sur La Table

What we liked: This is pretty much identical to the Koda 16, but can only accommodate smaller, 12-inch pies. However, its compact size meant it heated up even faster (15 minutes!) and it consistently cooked pizzas in about a minute. It also weighs 19 pounds less, so it’s easier to move.

What we didn’t like: Its smaller opening means more care will need to be taken when adding, turning, and retrieving pizzas. Its controls/ignitor are located at the back of the oven, which is less intuitive than a side placement (where the Koda 16’s is).

Key Specs

• Fuel source: Gas
• Temperature range: Up to 950ºF
• Pizza diameter: 12 inches
• Weight: 20.4 pounds
• Warranty: 5 years

The Best Budget Outdoor Pizza Oven

Ooni Karu 12 Multi-Fuel Pizza Oven

$297 at Amazon $240 at Williams Sonoma $18 at Walmart

What we liked: This multi-fuel pizza oven is less than $300 if you just want to use wood or charcoal. Like with all of Ooni’s multi-fuel options, the gas burner is sold separately. Still, at about $400 with the gas burner, it’s the same price as the Koda 12 and hundreds less than the Koda 16. We found it easy to open and close the tray at the back to add kindling and the baffle was simple to adjust to control air flow. With its fire really going, the Karu 12 reached 850°F in just 15 minutes.

What we didn’t like: The Karu’s chimney makes it tougher to store, though it can be removed and placed inside the oven. Wood or charcoal will likely require more of a learning curve. 

Key Specs

• Fuel source: Gas, wood, or charcoal 
• Temperature range: 950ºF
• Pizza diameter: 12 inches
• Weight: 26.4 pounds
• Warranty: 5 years

The Best Wood Pellet Outdoor Pizza Oven

Ninja Woodfire 8-in-1 Outdoor Oven

$400 $300 at Amazon $300 at Ninjakitchen.com $400 $350 at Lowe's

What we liked: This is not the oven to get if you want ripping hot temperatures and true Neapolitan-style pies. However, its lower, steady temperatures made it much harder to burn pies (potentially good for beginners) and the oven imparted a lovely, lightly smoky flavor. Its digital control panel was clearly labeled and the dials made it easy to adjust the oven’s temperature. It has other functions, including roasting, and we could see ourselves using it to cook a whole chicken outside.  

What we didn’t like: This wood pellet-powered oven took a long time to preheat, didn’t get as hot as our other winners, and required a few minutes to cook pies.

Key Specs

• Fuel source: Wood pellets
• Temperature range: Up to 700ºF
• Pizza diameter: 12 inches
• Weight: 32.4 pounds
• Warranty: 5 years

The Competition

Other Outdoor Pizza Ovens We Still Recommend

• Ooni Fyra 12: This is Ooni’s only oven that uses wood pellets as fuel. It works well and is the cheapest of their offerings. We just preferred gas or multi-fuel options.
• Solo Stove Pi Prime: We really like this oven, too. It was just easier to burn pies with it as the burner juts out further inside of the oven. That said, it is worth getting and learning with.
• KettlePizza Pro Pizza Oven Kit: While grill inserts won’t work as well as standalone pizza ovens, this is the one to get if you’re interested in this type.
• Gozney Arc: We really, really liked this oven when we reviewed it. It’s just more expensive than the Koda 16 and has a slightly less accurate built-in digital temperature display than the Karu 16. Still, it’s worth checking out.

Outdoor Pizza Ovens You Shouldn’t Buy

• Pizzeria Pronto Outdoor Pizza Oven: It’s as expensive as some Ooni models and also currently unavailable (and potentially discontinued).
• Only Fire Universal Stainless Steel Pizza Oven Kit: Consistently, this grill conversion kit took too long to cook pies.
• Cuisinart 3-in-1 Pizza Oven: This oven was incredibly difficult to assemble.
• Bertello Outdoor Pizza Oven: This model is the same price as the Ooni Koda 12 and was tough to assemble.
• Cuisinart CPO-700 Grill Top Pizza Oven Kit: This heated inconsistently and took a whopping 10 minutes to bake a pizza.
• Camp Chef Italia Artisan: Hard to assemble and a poor performer, there’s no way we could recommend this.
• Big Horn Outdoor Pizza Oven: This pellet-powered oven burned through fuel really quickly—too quickly.
• CRU Oven Model 30: This oven featured a delightful combo of hot and cold spots.

FAQs

How do you use an outdoor pizza oven?

Specific usage instructions will depend on the model you have and its fuel type, but if you own a propane-powered outdoor pizza oven, it's very easy to use. Simply connect the gas tank, turn the oven on, and let it preheat (20 minutes is a good amount of time).

Are outdoor pizza ovens worth it? 

For those who love and make a lot of pizza, an outdoor pizza oven may be a worthwhile investment. Indoor ovens just can’t reach the temperatures needed to make really great pizza at home, whereas the best outdoor pizza ovens can. (Though you could buy an indoor pizza oven.)

Where should I store my outdoor pizza oven? 

Outdoor pizza ovens shouldn't be left outside for extended periods of time. They should be housed in a dry, covered place, like a garage or shed. We also recommend buying a cover, which manufacturers typically sell separately, offering different ones for each model.

What other tools do you need for an outdoor pizza oven? 

We recommend investing in the following: 

• A pizza peel
• A pizza turner
• An infrared thermometer 
• A stainless steel table/heat-safe surface
• A pizza cutter
• A cover that fits your pizza oven

Why We’re the Experts

• Riddley Gemperlein-Schirm is the associate commerce editorial director at Serious Eats. She’s been with the site since 2021 and previously worked for America’s Test Kitchen and Food52. She's been testing gear for more than six years.
• To find the best outdoor pizza ovens, we tested 18 models. We evaluated how fast they heated up, how well they cooked pizza, how easy they were to use, and more.
• J. Kenji López-Alt is the former culinary director of Serious Eats. He's the author of the James Beard award-winning cookbooks The Food Lab and The Wok. He originally tested outdoor pizza ovens for the site.