Pizza Ovens Are A Hot Gift Idea This Year — These Are The Ones We Tested And Loved
We tested the most popular pizza ovens to see which one is worth your money.
By Jae Thomas with additional reporting from Mashable writers on April 14, 2023
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After careful hands-on testing, we feature our favorite gear and gadgets as Mashable Selects products in our dedicated shopping guides.
Whether you’re particular about the kind of pizza you like, or you’re just an outdoor cooking enthusiast, a pizza oven is a handy gadget to have in your backyard (or on your countertop). Most models on the market now can churn out wood-fired Neapolitan pies, crispy thin crust versions, and even decadent Chicago-style deep dish pizza.
There are also plenty of portable models small enough to take in the car for your next weekend camping (or glamping) trip, football game tailgate, or picnic lunch — just make sure you check the fire restrictions(Opens in a new tab) in your area before cranking up the heat for a homemade pie.
How hot do pizza ovens get?While the conventional oven in your kitchen probably only gets up to 500 or 550 degrees Fahrenheit, pizza ovens need extreme heat for quick dough rising times and optimal crust bubble-age. You can expect a good outdoor pizza oven to reach 900 to 950 degrees Fahrenheit, but you can still achieve charred leopard-spotted Neapolitan pizzas at 700 to 750 degrees Fahrenheit.
How fast do pizza ovens cook?Given that most pizza ovens run at an insane heat, cooking time happens FAST. We’re talking start to finish in as little as 60 seconds up to a few minutes. You definitely won’t have time to pop your pizza in and scroll on TikTok while you wait for it to cook. Cooking with a pizza oven requires dedicated attention due to the quick cooking times, and you’ll also have to learn how to manage the heat on your oven while you chef it up.
Gas vs. wood pizza ovenMost of the outdoor pizza ovens on the market run on either wood or propane gas, with a few natural gas options. A wood-powered stove will give you an amazing smoky taste, but it requires more work to maintain a fire while you cook. Gas-powered stoves, on the other hand, won’t offer the same smokiness but are generally easier to manage, and can easily be preheated before cooking. Gas pizza ovens also hold the temperature steady with little fluctuation.
If you’re looking for a pizza oven to use indoors, the pickings for quality ovens are pretty slim (with the exception of our pick, the Breville Pizzaiolo(Opens in a new tab)). All indoor-friendly pizza ovens will be powered by electricity though, FYI.
If you’re ready to ditch the weekly Friday night Domino’s delivery, check out these hands-on tested pizza ovens to make your perfect slice at home.
Best for indoor use
Specs
Heat max: 750 degrees Fuel type: electric Max pizza size: 12 inches Dimensions and weight: 18.1″ x 18.5″ x 10.6″https://mashable.com/46.5 pounds Included accessories: Deep-dish pan, pizza stone, and peel If you’re looking to make restaurant-style pizza but don’t have the outdoor space for a wood or charcoal powered pizza oven, the Breville Pizzaiolo(Opens in a new tab) (available at Amazon(Opens in a new tab) and Breville(Opens in a new tab)) is one of the only countertop ovens that gets you to a high temperature. Even though it doesn’t get quite as hot as a traditional pizza oven, the Pizzaiolo reaches up to 750 degrees — hot enough to make Neapolitan-style pizza with charred, crisp crust (a.k.a leopard spotting) — and can cook a pizza in just two minutes.
The Pizzaiolo features preset modes for New York style pizza, deep-dish pizza, thin and crispy pizza, and frozen pizza. It also features a manual setting that can adjust the top and bottom heating elements separately, allowing you to truly customize your pie.
Simplest, most straightforward oven
Specs
Heat max: 950°F Fuel type: Wood pellets Max pizza size: 12 inches Dimensions and weight: 29.2 x 15.1 x 28.6″/22 pounds Included accessories: Stone baking board, chimney cover/pellet scoop, fuel hopper, fuel tray, flame keeper While some pizza ovens come with a plethora of extra features and a high price point, the Ooni Fyra 12(Opens in a new tab) (available at Amazon(Opens in a new tab) and Ooni(Opens in a new tab)) keeps things simple while still churning out excellent, wood-fired pies.
During testing, Culture Reporter Tim Marcin noticed that it took a bit of practice to get pizzas cooked just right — and for good reason. At 950°F, the Fyra gets ripping hot, and can cook pizzas in one minute. It takes some rehearsing to get the cooking and the fire maintenance down, since you have to continuously feed wood pellets into a hopper to keep the flame going, but once you dial in those two aspects, you’ll be churning out restaurant-quality pizzas in just a few minutes.
Check out our full review of the Ooni Fyra 12 Wood Pellet Pizza Oven.
Best for precise pizza making
Specs
Heat max: 950°F Fuel type: Wood or propane Max pizza size: 12 inches Dimensions and weight: 21 x 16.3 x 18.6″https://mashable.com/44 pounds Included accessories: Detachable propane gas burner, pizza peel, bottle opener, detachable wood burner (if you opt for the dual-burner package) Whether you’re an expert pizza maker or just a control freak, the Gozney Roccbox(Opens in a new tab) is a great option for making the wood-fired pizza experience a little more streamlined. It has a built-in thermometer, a silicone outer for ✨safety✨, and can be used with either propane gas or wood pellets. It also reaches up to 950°F, so it cooks pizzas fast.
The downsides of this oven are that it’s pretty pricey, and anything extra will cost you. During testing, we noted that you really need the turning peel ($85, sold separately) to make cooking in this oven easier. Using the dual fuel function will also cost you, since you’ll need to pay $100 extra for wood pellet functionality.
If you purchase from Amazon, you’ll need to add the wood burner(Opens in a new tab) to your cart separately. Purchasing directly from Gozney(Opens in a new tab) gives you the option of selecting a dual fuel oven ($599) or a gas-only one ($499).
Check out our full review of the Gozney Roccbox.
Best for big pizza guys
Specs
Heat max: 950°F Fuel type: Options for wood only or wood and gas Max pizza size: 16 inches Dimensions and weight: 26 x 24.8 x 28.8″https://mashable.com/128 pounds Included accessories: None, all cooking tools sold separately If you identify as a “big pizza guy”, the Gozney Dome(Opens in a new tab) might be for you. It’s the most high-end of the pizza ovens on this list, with fancy features like a steam injector, customizable air ventilation controls, and an integrated digital thermometer for precise pizza making.
Like other wood-fired pizza ovens during testing, the Gozney Dome proved to have a steep learning curve at first. We found that it took some practice to keep the fire going with wood while also ensuring the pizzas didn’t burn during their short stint in the oven. Using gas is much easier and tended to be more precise, but didn’t offer that smoky, wood-fired taste. It’ll also cost you an additional $300 if you want a dual fuel option.
During testing we found that the Gozney not only made incredible pizzas, it also created nicely cooked salmon, steak, vegetables, and more — fast.
Check out our full review of the Gozney Dome.
We hands-on tested each of the pizza ovens in this list, and each one was chosen because it had over a four-star user review rating and came from brands that are well known for making top notch pizza ovens and other kitchen essentials. We stuck mostly to wood- and gas-powered pizza ovens with one selection of an indoor-friendly model, but we stayed away from any pizza ovens that didn’t reach at least 700 degrees.
Some factors we considered while testing were:
Ease of use and learning curve: Trying out a pizza oven as a novice is not for the faint of heart. We tested gas-powered, wood-powered, and electric ovens to see how difficult they were to use and maintain heat while cooking. We also cooked multiple types of pizza and non-pizza meals in each oven to see how they fared in the high heat.
Fuel type: We compared the performance of each fuel type, including noting the differences for ovens that use both gas and wood.
Temperature: Using either integrated or external thermometers, we tested how hot each oven got and saw firsthand how heat affects pizza making.
You’ll also notice that this roundup is mainly made up of reviews previously published on Mashable. If you want to learn more about any of the products that have been previously featured on our site, click on the review link in the product cards to head to the full write-up.
Jae Thomas is the Deputy Shopping Editor for Mashable. They specialize in all things outdoor gear, kitchen goods, pet products, and fitness gadgets. Before Jae came to Mashable, they received a B.A. in Journalism and English Literature from New York University and wrote for publications like Bon Appétit, Epicurious, The Daily Beast, Apartment Therapy, and Marie Claire.
When they’re not testing products or writing about online shopping, you’ll find Jae whipping up an elaborate meal, hiking, camping, or hanging out with their dog, Miso. Reach out to them on Twitter at @jaetaurina(Opens in a new tab) or by email at jae.thoma[email protected]
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