The Best Pizza Ovens to Make the Perfect Slice
There’s a reason why pizza is the menu choice of picky preschoolers, hungry teenagers, and discerning foodies alike. Homemade pizzas are a complete meal. They’re irresistible, easy to make, and customizable for a wide range of dietary preferences. Until recently, an aspiring pizzaiolo had no choice but to crank up their kitchen oven to the standard 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Now there's a wide variety of home pizza ovens that can heat up as high as 900 degrees Fahrenheit—the perfect temperature for making a crisp Neapolitan pizza in minutes.
I test pizza ovens over the course of a few weeks, using homemade dough (I like Ooni's classic pizza dough recipe), store-bought fresh dough, and frozen pizzas. I also use an infrared thermometer to make sure the temperature of the cooking surface is consistent (and is what the built-in thermometer says it is). Pizza ovens are also quite a bit more versatile than you might think—I also use them to sear steaks, quick-cook salmon, and pan-fry broccoli. These are my favorites. For those with limited access to outdoor spaces, I’ve included indoor options and an oven that fits on a small deck, balcony, or patio.
Be sure to check out our many other buying guides, including the Best Portable Grills, Best Grills, and Best Camping Stoves.
Updated August 2024: We added the Solo Stove Pi Prime, the Breeo Live Fire Pizza Oven, the Ninja Woodfire Outdoor Oven, the Ooni Koda 2 Max, and the Piezano.
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- Photograph: Solo Stove
The Best Pizza Oven
Solo Stove PiIf you've heard of Solo Stove, it's because of its smokeless, stainless steel fire pits. This makes the company's transition to high-heat pizza ovens a seamless one. Instead of the conventional elongated design, the Pi oven's fuel attachments are long and slim and hug the back of the oven. This allows Solo Stove to keep its signature round, symmetrical design.
The oven is remarkably compact and the opening quite small. The cooking surface is large enough to accommodate my biggest Lodge cast-iron pan, but I can leave the handle sticking out—a boon to anyone who has ever burned their hands through heat-resistant gloves. The top's flat surface is a convenient storage space. The stove doesn't sacrifice any of its heating capabilities for these details. Only two pieces of chopped wood from my hardware store fit in the hopper at a time, but it still heated up from cold to 500 degrees Fahrenheit in a matter of minutes.
If you can't see yourself feeding chopped wood into the hopper every 15 minutes, Solo Stove also released a Pi Prime propane-only stove ($350) that saves you $40. I do like the versatility of being able to bake with wood, however.
Bakes with wood or gas
- Photograph: Ooni
Runner-Up
Ooni Karu 16Ooni makes pizza ovens in a variety of sizes and styles, but its Karu 16 (9/10, WIRED Recommends) is the most versatile and easy-to-use oven I've tried. You can buy a separate gas attachment, but it's designed to be used with charcoal or wood. Lighting the oven is fast and easy—simply drop a lit fire starter and a few oak sticks on the fuel tray and it'll get hot within 10 minutes. Unlike previous iterations, the Karu 16 has a door that hooks closed to retain heat and an integrated digital thermometer to measure the temperature.
Like all of Ooni's ovens, the Karu is attractive, light, portable, and easy to clean. You have to constantly add fuel to maintain the temperature, but not any more so than other ovens I've tried. The best indicator that it's a great pizza oven? I can't stop using it, and everyone who has seen me use it wants one too. If you're looking to save a few bucks on an Ooni, or get some free accessories tossed in, we usually have a helpful coupon or two running here on WIRED.
Bakes with wood or charcoal
- Photograph: Adrienne So
Most Versatile Oven
Ninja 8-in-1 Woodfire Outdoor OvenWhen I first tried this oven, I said I could not vouch for its build quality. It has now been a year and I still use it every other day. It is an electric oven and has eight different functions. One of these is a Pizza function that allows you to choose between several pizza styles such as Neapolitan, thin crust, pan, New York, frozen, or a custom setting. As a pizza oven, it is a little flawed. It takes a comparatively long time to heat up, its top heat of 700 degrees Fahrenheit is not as hot as our other picks, and the door is opaque and is designed to be a little difficult to open so no one running outside gets burned. This is not ideal for pizzas that require constant monitoring. Also, the "Woodfire" is a bit of a misnomer—there's just a tiny trap door to put in some pellets to lend a smoky taste to your food.
However, if you don't want to devote the time or space to a dedicated outdoor pizza oven but want the option, this is an excellent compromise. I make everything from blueberry muffins to plum torte to ribs in this thing. It's not necessarily a joyful, sensory experience—pushing a button rarely is—but it's fast, convenient, and most of all, delicious.
Bakes with electricity
- Photograph: Ooni
Best for Beginners
Ooni Koda Pizza OvenDoes fiddling about with attachments, chimneys, and griddles sound stressful and off-putting? This is another one from Ooni that might be for you (8/10, WIRED Recommends). At around 21 pounds, the Koda is light and portable. The thin, powder-coated steel shell insulates well enough that it remains cool to the touch, even when the fire is burning. Just slide in the baking stone, screw on the propane tank, and you're ready to go. The door fits 12-inch pizza peels and 10-inch cast-iron skillets. However, unlike the Pro, you should not store it outside.
Bakes with gas
- Photograph: Martin Cizmar
Best Live Fire Pizza Oven
Breeo Live-Fire Pizza OvenI've been dreaming of building a backyard firepit for decades, having been inspired by my late father's stories of taking his mom's pies down to bake in the neighborhood’s community pizza ovens. I've owned three Ooni ovens (one as an Uuni) but always wanted to cook on live fire instead of pellets or gas. The Breeo finally made that dream come true. The base Breeo is a heavy-duty competitor to the better-known Solo Stove fire pit. I love the stylish Corten steel, which I treated to speed the weathering process, but what really separates it is the assortment of available accessories, headlined by a well-designed pizza oven that sits on top and turns the pit into a wood-fired pizza oven. I've made about a dozen pies on the Breeo and had mostly good results, though it is important to read the temperature of the deck and spritz it with water if it has gotten too hot, as real logs will reach temps little wood pellets won't. Master the quirks (all backyard pizza ovens have quirks) and you'll be rewarded with quick cooks and true char. I've even gotten legit leopard spots a few times. —Martin Cizmar
Bakes with wood
- Photograph: Ooni
Best Electric Oven
Ooni Volt 12Our previous pick in this category was the Breville Pizzaiolo, but aside from the fact that it's slightly smaller to fit on a countertop, Ooni's first electric oven (8/10, WIRED Recommends) has objectively better specs. The door is triple-paned glass, while the Pizzaiolo's is double-pane; it gets to 850 degrees Fahrenheit instead of 750.
The main difference is philosophical. With the Pizzaiolo, you can put on a setting and walk away. Even though the Volt has dials that let you shift the source of the heat, it requires you to keep an eye on your quick-cooking crust. It also takes a lot of electrical energy to keep an oven this hot; every time I opened the door, the temperature dropped by about 50 degrees. That said, if you want a safe, convenient, and compact oven that can work equally well indoors and outdoors without having to refill a propane tank or buy wood, this is your best bet.
Bakes with electricity
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- Photograph: Gozney
Best for Pros and Pop-Ups
Gozney DomeIf we thought Gozney’s Roccbox was “nearly a commercial-grade oven,” the Dome most definitely is, and then some. At 128 pounds, it is nearly three times the weight of its smaller sibling and is in no way portable (two people are required to lift it). Also, it’s 26 inches high and 28.8 inches across, so you’re going to need to carve out a dedicated place for it. Underneath the UV and weatherproof ceramic-bonded outer coating sits a 30-mm double-layer stone floor with “dense cavity insulation.” It gets hotter faster (the Dome zipped up to 400 degrees Fahrehnehit and beyond quite nicely) and retains this heat longer. Thanks to a capacious oven mouth that is 5.1 inches tall and a shade over 16 inches wide, you can get most burnable things inside.
The Dome will pump out pizzas almost as fast as you can slam them inside it. The hybrid fuel system means you can also cheat, relying on the convenience of gas, but with the ability to shove in a couple of mini logs, bingo, you’ve got that wood-fired taste. I have used old authentic bread and pizza ovens built into barns in Tuscany. This was easier. The built-in digital thermometer allowed for precise temperature readings, which meant that I didn’t even need the integrated meat probes when I cooked the best rib joint of beef I have ever managed. —Jeremy White
Bakes with gas and wood
- Photograph: Adrienne So
The Best Oven for Families
Ooni Koda 2 MaxOoni's latest oven is for everyone who is sick of feeding their families with multiple teeny-tiny 12-inch pies and just wants to make a massive cheese pizza for all the kids at once. You can either attach a propane tank or hook it to your natural gas line. If this is a possibility for you, then I recommend the latter. Ooni has a new gas management technology that keeps the temperature consistent across the huge surface. However, it's a lot of gas line and a lot of fuel. Even just waiting for the propane to fill so I could light the oven took an unnervingly long time.
With such a big opening and no door, heat pours out of this thing. You can feel it from several feet away, which means it's not ideal for smaller patios. However, the temperatures are remarkably consistent across the cooking surface, and the new digital temperature hub checks the heat at multiple points throughout the oven. You can even connect it to Ooni's new app (iOS, Android) to monitor the heat remotely, although I get a little nervous stepping away from an oven that is burning at 900 degrees Fahrenheit. You can control each side independently, so you can either cook multiple pizzas at a time or just push some broccoli in next to your steak. The price includes two food probes, but oddly enough no pizza peel.
Bakes with gas
- Photograph: Adrienne So
The Viral Pizza Oven
PiezanoThis is a little countertop oven that is currently making the rounds on TikTok. When I set it on the counter, my daughter asked if we were making waffles for dinner, as you open the top to put the pizza in. (It also comes with handy double paddles for easier placement.) Astonishingly, its claims of heating the top and bottom elements to 800 degrees Fahrenheit are accurate, and it takes about 15 minutes.
The cooking surface is 12 inches wide, and it's removable with handles for easy washing. A few cons—the heating element at the top doesn't cover the whole surface area, so you have to rotate your pies pretty frequently. Also, opening the top like a waffle maker means that it doesn't retain heat very well. It dropped by 100 to 200 degrees between pies and requires a bit of recovery time. However, it is affordable, small, and convenient and would be a nicer gift for a pizza-loving person than just a pizza stone.
Bakes with electricity
Photograph: AlfaHonorable Mentions
Other Pizza Ovens We LikeWe've tried a lot of pizza ovens. Here are a few that we liked that didn't quite make the cut.
- Ooni Fyra for $249: I love this convenient, wood-fired little oven. It breaks down so easily and even comes with a carry cover! However, it's not quite as convenient or easy to transport as some of our other picks.
- Alfa Nano for $1,399: This is a beautiful, classic-looking pizza oven that will fit well with your Tuscan-themed decor. However, it's extremely bulky and, even after an hour, the built-in thermometer regularly reads temperatures 100 degrees or so hotter than my handheld instant-read. It's hard to recommend over our less-pricey picks.
- Pizzacraft Pizzaque for $150: This oven is adorable and affordable, and you can stand it in your driveway and cook a pizza while squatting in your camp chair. However, it just doesn't get as hot or cook as evenly as a better-insulated oven does.
Photograph: OoniMake Your Own Oven
Can't Take the Heat?Is your patio already occupied by a giant Traeger? Your grill or smoker probably has a pizza attachment that you can buy for less than a new oven. WIRED reviewer Martin Cizmar's favorite is the Yoder Smoker wood-fired oven attachment ($499), which has saved him from many a night of pellet fire flameouts. It sits under the smoker’s hood, atop a steel sheet that sits over the firebox. The sheet is a diffuser and has holes of increasing size as you move away from the fire so that the section farthest from the flame gets more exposure. The design provides a consistent temperature along the oven’s floor, and it works well, with the farthest corners of the oven still cresting 650 degrees Fahrenheit.
You can also turn your normal, indoor oven into a pizza oven. While your oven maxes out at 500 degrees Fahrenheit, there are ways to increase the thermal mass of your baking surface—that is, store heat so that you're baking your pizza at a much higher temperature. An easy way to do this is by using a pre-heated cast-iron pan or baking steel. Several of our favorite grill and pizza oven manufacturers also make ceramic pizza stones, like Kamado and Weber. Check out our guide to the Best Portable Grills and Grill Accessories for more.
Photograph: New StarOther Stuff You’ll Want
Our Favorite Pizza AccessoriesSome pizza ovens provide you with proprietary accessories to set you on your pizza path. But I've also found a few extras to be helpful along the way:
- A handheld infrared thermometer for $40: Even if the oven has a built-in thermometer, I usually use a handheld to check the temperature on different areas of the pizza stone. It's also important to make sure the stone has time to reheat after each pizza.
- A wooden pizza peel for $29: If you own multiple peels, it's quick and easy to prep one pizza while another is baking. I own several, including this useful small turning peel, but the dough is much less likely to stick on a wooden peel, especially if you first sprinkle on some semolina or flour.
- A cast-iron skillet for $20: You can also use a cast-iron pan in your pizza oven to sear steaks or pan-roast broccoli. Lodge's pans work just as well as much more expensive options.
- Heat-resistant gloves for $20: That cast iron gets extremely hot, so you'll also need a good pair of mitts. (Even these won't protect your hands for long, so you'll need a place near the oven to set the pan down.)
- Fire starters for $20: If you've ever been intimidated by the idea of cooking with wood, don't be! These fire starters make it quick and simple. I just light the end with a match, drop it in the fuel tray, and line up a few oak sticks on top. Be sure to keep your wood dry if you don't want to create a smoke stack in your backyard.
Photograph: Getty ImagesPizza Baking Tips
We Believe in YouBaking a Neapolitan-style pie looks easy in a restaurant. But the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana, the world authority on Neapolitan pizzas, has very strict standards! (The Karu is the only oven here that the AVPN recommends.)
If you're not up for sourcing all your ingredients from Naples, a few tips can help you make your first pie taste as authentic as possible. When you're making your own dough, reach for 00 flour, which is milled specifically for pizza and pasta. If you've refrigerated your dough, bring it to room temperature first. Fresh mozzarella will make your pizza damp; mix in shredded, low-moisture cheese for the cheesiest, meltiest pie. Sprinkle flour or cornmeal generously on the peel before you assemble your pizza, and make sure the dough isn’t stuck to the peel before you head out to the oven.
If you're not sticking to a strictly Neopolitan recipe, we also have a few favorite pies we'd like to recommend. Cizmar and I like a good Buffalo pie with Frank's Red Hot and pickles. I also recently tried Brightland's Pizza Oil in a squeeze bottle; while it's good as a finishing sauce to drizzle over pies, you could make your own flavor for much cheaper by putting olive oil and herbs in a squeeze bottle.
Pizza ovens are more versatile than you might think: I cook everything from salmon to steak to chicken thighs in mine by preheating a cast iron pan in a hot oven and popping the food right in. For more guidance, Ooni has a cookbook; chef Francis Mallman's books are also a good source of inspiration.
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