Gathering around the grill or a cozy fire pit is always a delightful experience, but let’s talk about something that can elevate your outdoor culinary adventures—pizza. Baking in the oven is fine; there’s a magical touch to a pizza with a crunchy crust and that smoky flavor you get from a proper hearth. Enter the best outdoor pizza ovens, a game-changer for turning your homemade pizza into a true artisanal delight.
These outdoor ovens boast higher temperatures and quicker cooking times than regular ones. Picture this: a perfectly cooked pizza crust in just 60 seconds. Ideal for those who love hosting parties or enjoying family pizza nights, these ovens aren’t just for pizza. But here’s the bonus—these ovens aren’t just for pizza. Our recommended models can whip up various delectable dishes, from fish and meat to roasted veggies and even bread. Imagine the possibilities for entertaining on your patio; it’s a culinary journey worth exploring.
What will you see here?
Big Horn Outdoors Pizza Oven
Discover a budget-friendly oven with this stainless-steel outdoor pizza oven. Diverging from the costly, this oven exclusively relies on wood pellets, effortlessly loaded through a discreet trap door at the rear. Boasting a swift 18-minute preheating time, it achieves the culinary feat of crafting pizzas in a mere 2 minutes or less, reaching a scorching maximum temperature of 860 degrees.
Weighing in at a manageable 25 pounds and featuring foldable legs, storage is a breeze. The oven's body is crafted from durable stainless steel, while the cooking surface is adorned with a pizza stone, ensuring an authentic touch to your culinary creations. Despite its impressive features, it's worth noting that an integrated temperature gauge is absent—a minor detail that might not be a dealbreaker for enthusiasts seeking an affordable yet high-performing outdoor pizza oven. Elevate your outdoor cooking experience with this wood-pellet-powered gem, combining practicality with exceptional performance for delightful homemade pizzas.
Alfa Nano Outdoor Pizza Oven
Crafted with Italian precision, the Alfa Nano stands as a testament to authenticity, blending the art of pizza-making with a touch of design flair. Its lustrous enamel finish, while initially exuding a sense of opulence, proved both resilient and effortlessly maintainable in our opinion.
Despite its portability, tipping the scales at around 65 pounds makes maneuvering the Nano a tad cumbersome. For optimal usage, we recommend situating it on an outdoor built-in counter or table. Diverging from the norm, the Nano boasts thick fire bricks lining its oven floor, complemented by a substantial layer of insulation beneath. This unique construction effectively retained and regulated heat, achieving temperatures surpassing 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit. The fire bricks themselves approached the high 900s, yielding flawlessly crisped crusts for our Neapolitan pizzas.
A premium choice for dedicated pizza aficionados, the Nano promises enduring quality. Our tested unit featured a propane burner, but enthusiasts can also opt for a wood-burning variant.
Ooni Volt 12
Ooni's groundbreaking Volt 12 marks their foray into the world of electric pizza ovens, a versatile appliance designed for both indoor and outdoor culinary adventures. In a market saturated with electric alternatives, the Volt 12 stands out by delivering a pizza experience akin to traditional propane or wood-fired ovens—something truly remarkable.
The Volt 12 has an impressive capability to reach temperatures well beyond 800 degrees Fahrenheit. Within a mere 20 minutes, this culinary powerhouse is ready for action, producing pizzas with a delightful, mottled leoparding on the crust reminiscent of an authentic outdoor oven.
The front panel hosts three intuitive controls: a timer with a 20-minute capacity, a thermostat scaling up to a scorching 850 degrees, and a balance control for precise adjustments to the upper and lower heating elements. While the balance control becomes operational once the oven reaches the desired temperature, the Volt 12's portability adds another layer of convenience with handles on each side.
Crafted from powder-coated carbon and stainless steel, this electric wonder boasts a cooking surface adorned with a trusty pizza stone. Sporting a robust 1600 watts of electric power, the Volt 12 is not just an appliance; it's a culinary revelation that fits seamlessly on any standard countertop.
Solo Stove Pi
The Solo Stove Pi emerges as a pizza lover's dream, essentially embodying a pizza oven rendition of the popular Solo Stove portable camp stoves. Crafted from stainless steel, the Pi showcases the same chic, dome-shaped design and convenient portability that defines Solo's beloved backyard fire pits. What sets it apart is its ability to transform wood into delectable, wood-fired pizzas.
What makes this pizza oven truly exceptional is its accessibility for apartment dwellers, allowing them to savor mouthwatering pizzas without sacrificing precious patio or balcony space. The sleek design not only complements Solo's renowned aesthetic but also ensures a minimal footprint. For added convenience, the optional gas burner comes into play, offering the flexibility to bake that perfect pizza even when wood is scarce, but propane is in abundance.
Diving into the specs, the Solo Stove Pi boasts dual-fuel capability, accommodating both wood (standard) and propane (optional add-on). With a generous pizza size of 12 inches, it reaches a scorching top temperature of 850°F in just 15 minutes, ensuring a swift and satisfying pizza-making experience. Weighing in at 30.5 pounds, this pizza oven comes complete with a pizza stone, elevating your pizza-making endeavors to a new level of culinary delight.
Gozney Roccbox Pizza Oven
In the world of pizza ovens, the Roccbox stands out with its unique design and impressive functionality. While its shape sets it apart, its performance aligns with other Neapolitan pizza ovens. The option to use propane, complemented by an available wood burner accessory, grants flexibility in fuel choice.
The Roccbox boasts rapid heating capabilities, swiftly reaching temperatures exceeding 900 degrees on its pizza stone within just 15 minutes. Remarkably, despite the intense heat within, the exterior remains touchable, thanks to the silicone covering the stainless steel body. This feature adds a layer of safety, allowing users to interact with the green oven body without the risk of burns.
Functionality is a strong suit for the Roccbox, enabling the creation of exceptional pizzas. However, one minor drawback surfaces—the propane burner leaves a noticeable amount of soot on the front, above the door. Although harmless, this residue requires some attention during the cleaning process, especially when preparing to store the oven. In essence, the Roccbox, with its silicone-covered stainless steel body, pizza stone cooking surface, and dual fuel options, offers a unique and efficient experience in the world of high-temperature pizza making.
Ooni Koda 16
The Ooni Koda 16 gas-powered outdoor pizza oven stands out in the realm of pizza enthusiasts for its exceptional craftsmanship and consistent ability to deliver impeccable pies. Its popularity stems from its well-made design, allowing users to effortlessly unfold the collapsible legs, connect to a propane tank, and be ready to cook in a mere 15 minutes.
What sets the Ooni Koda 16 apart is its capability to reach temperatures as high as 950°F, ensuring a flawlessly blistered and crispy crust—a crucial element for pizza perfectionists. The generous 16-inch size accommodates a variety of culinary creations, from extra-large pizzas to savory calzones and delectable flatbreads.
Despite its ability to handle sizable pizzas, the Ooni Koda 16 remains surprisingly lightweight at just 20 pounds, facilitating easy transportation. It's worth noting that the convenience comes with the need to carry a propane tank, although a separate natural gas conversion kit is available for those preferring an alternative fuel source. When the pizza-making extravaganza concludes, the foldable legs make storage a breeze, efficiently minimizing space requirements.
Key specifications include propane gas as the fuel type, a 16-inch pizza capacity, a top temperature of 950°F, a rapid 15-minute heat-up time, and a package that includes a pizza stone board. This Ooni pizza oven proves to be a versatile and reliable choice for pizza aficionados on the go.
What to look for in outdoor pizza ovens
Size
Choosing the right size for the best outdoor pizza ovens hinges on the available space. A stable surface is essential for all pizza ovens, considering their varying weights and sizes. Transporting bulkier and heavier models from storage to your cooking spot requires careful consideration. To protect your pizza oven from the elements, it’s advisable not to leave it exposed when not in use. Additionally, some ovens may necessitate access to electrical outlets or extra headroom for a chimney. Ensuring ample space for safe operation is vital, as well as guaranteeing your pizza oven fits seamlessly into your outdoor culinary setup.
Type
Selecting the right fuel for your oven is crucial; not all are interchangeable, and dual-fuel options may need an extra investment for a gas burner. In stores, wood, charcoal, and gas are readily available. Opt for untreated, kiln-dried wood for wood-burning pizza ovens. Gas ovens specify whether to use butane or propane, but note that butane can create a sootier flame, impacting pizza flavor. Outdoor pizza ovens may also use hardwood pellets, with hardwood preferred over softwood for its slower burn and ability to maintain heat for extended pizza-cooking sessions. Careful consideration of fuel type enhances your pizza experience.
Features
Certain outdoor pizza ovens have useful accessories like a pizza peel, pizza cutter, or a built-in thermometer. Alternatively, you might consider investing in an infrared temperature gun. It’s crucial to be aware of these additions, as they contribute to the overall cost of the pizza oven. When evaluating options, check whether the chosen oven includes these accessories. If a pizza peel is not provided, it’s advisable to purchase one separately. These large spatula-like tools, crafted from wood or metal, are essential for inserting, turning, and removing pizzas from the oven, enhancing your pizza-making experience.
Should You Use Pizza Stones with Outdoor Pizza Ovens?
Pizza stones facilitate superior heat transfer, replicating the traditional brick oven experience by ensuring even cooking and a crispy crust. While makeshift alternatives like a cast-iron pan or aluminum sheet can be used in a pinch, they may not yield the same results. Premium pizza ovens typically include a specifically designed pizza stone that fits seamlessly into the oven and can withstand maximum temperature. In case you need to replace the stone, reaching out to the manufacturer of your pizza oven is recommended for the best-fitting and compatible replacement options.
Conclusion
Embarking on outdoor culinary adventures takes a delightful turn with the introduction of the best pizza ovens. These aren’t just cooking appliances; they’re transformative tools that add a magical touch to your homemade pizza, infusing it with a crispy crust and the smoky flavor reminiscent of traditional brick ovens. From the budget-friendly Big Horn Outdoors Pizza Oven to the Italian precision of the Alfa Nano, each model brings its unique charm to elevate your pizza-making experience. The groundbreaking Ooni Volt 12 introduces a remarkable electric alternative, while the Solo Stove Pi caters to apartment dwellers with its sleek design. The Gozney Roccbox and Ooni Koda 16 stand out with exceptional craftsmanship, delivering impeccable pizzas. In conclusion, these outdoor pizza ovens promise not just delicious pizzas but a culinary journey filled with flavor and versatility.
