Best Ooni Pizza Ovens: Jump Menu
1. The list in brief ↴
2. Best overall: Ooni Karu 16
3. Best wood-fired: Ooni Fryra 12
4. Best gas: Ooni Koda 12
5. Best indoor: Ooni Volt 12
6. Ooni alternatives
7. How to choose
8. How we test
Ooni are everywhere at the moment and this popular brand shows no signs of slowing down. With so much marketing and press coverage you'd be forgiven for thinking that Ooni pizza ovens are little more than hype.
However, there's a reason Ooni are taking up number one, number two and even number three spot in our guide to the best pizza ovens. Unless there are some big shake ups over the next few months, our tests have shown that they're quite simply the best pizza oven brand around.
We've tested plenty of pizza ovens and several Ooni ovens. With quite a few Ooni models with similar-sounding names, we've have pitched some of Ooni's top ovens against each other to reveal which Ooni oven is best.
As Head of eCommerce, Alex makes sure our readers find the right information to help them make the best purchase. After graduating from Cambridge University, Alex got his start in reviewing at the iconic Good Housekeeping Institute, testing a wide range of household products and appliances. He then moved to BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine, assessing gardening tools, machinery, and wildlife products. Helping people find true quality and genuine value is a real passion.
Which Ooni should I buy in 2024?
You can trust Homes & Gardens. Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing the latest products, helping you choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.
The best Ooni overall
Buy it if
✅ You live in a large household: this has large capacity
✅ You want authentic flavors: this achieves an unrivalled smoky taste
✅ You're new to pizza ovens: the integrated takes the guesswork out of cooking
Don't buy it if:
❌ You're short on space: this could be overkill
❌ You'll cook mostly on gas: this burner costs extra
❌ You're on a budget: this is a more expensive option
The bottom line
🔎 Ooni Karu 16: this is the best pizza oven you can buy. That's all you need to know.
We could talk about how great this pizza oven is all day. Not only is it the best Ooni on the market, it's the best pizza oven in the world. You don't even need to take our word for it, because this is officially endorsed by the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana - the True Neapolitan Pizza Association. If you want an oven given a rare nod from proper Neapolitan pizzaiolos, this is the one to get.
Our Managing Director Jason Orme says that there is 'nothing like the pizzas that come out of the Karu 16'. It makes perfect pizzas with charred crusts and gooey melted cheese.
It has a huge 16-inch capacity and runs off both gas and wood fuel, delivering both for the speed and convenience of gas cooking or the smoky flavors of a traditional wood-fired pizza. There's a responsive digital thermometer and a see-through door so you can check your pizza as it cooks.
While it cooks on two different fuels, gas fuel isn't fitted as standard, so it's an extra expense. We also aren't fans of the fact that essential accessories like pizza peels and pizza cutters aren't included.
Read more: Ooni Karu 16 Multi-Fuel Pizza Oven review
| Attributes | Notes | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Space | Plenty of room | ★★★★★ |
| Speed | Really quick to warm up and start cooking | ★★★★★ |
| Easy to use | Very easy especially with app | ★★★★★ |
| Value | Expensive | ★★★ |
The best wood-fired Ooni
Buy it if
✅ You need easy storage: this is portable and compact
✅ You want smoky flavors: this wood-fired option gives an authentic, charred crust
✅ You need speed: this can be hot and ready to go in just 15 minutes
Don't buy it if:
❌ You prefer cooking on gas: this only uses wood pellets
❌ You're on a budget: you have to buy all the accessories, including the peel and slicer separately
❌ You want a hands-off model: the fire needs tending to
The bottom line
🔎 Ooni Fyra 12 for authentic Italian flavors, you won't find a better model. Although, this is incompatible with gas and doesn't come with extras
If you want your pizza journey to achieve absolute authenticity, you need a wood-fired oven. They make pizzas that taste like a different product to store-bought pies and, if we're being critical, they taste a little better than pizzas from gas ovens too. Cooking with flames means that you char the crust, create leopard spots on the base, and can beautifully brown cheese.
At the risk of sounding like an Ooni sponsor, we give the Fyra our 'best wood fired pizza oven' accolade, against all other brands, in a heartbeat. It easily overcomes the common complications faced with other wood-fired pizza ovens: it's easy to set up, because the instructions are clear and the app is loaded with tips for your everything from your pizza wood pellets to dough. It's simple to add wood and control the temperature, and the fast heat up time means it's ready to go in just 15 minutes.
When it came to the all-important taste test, this was unbelievable. The pizzas our experts made looked the part, with spotting, browning, and charring in all the right places. Even better, it tasted the part too, each bite was packed with intense, smoky flavors.
It's worth noting that the Fyra, just like the Karu, doesn't come with a pizza peel or slicer. Other pizza ovens include these as extras almost by deault, because you won't get far without either.
Read more: Ooni Fyra 12 review
| Attributes | Notes | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Space | Good capacity and it's portable too | ★★★★★ |
| Speed | Really quick to warm up and start cooking | ★★★★★ |
| Easy to use | More tricky than gas, but still straightforward | ★★★★ |
| Value | Accessories cost extra | ★★★★ |
The best gas Ooni
Buy it if
✅ You're new to pizza ovens: gas is easier than wood fire to control
✅ You want a portable option: this can be packed up from your patio and taken on trips
✅ You need speedy cooking: this is ready to go in 15 minutes
Don't buy it if:
❌ You want traditional flavors: this won't taste smoky or charred
❌ You're super safety conscious: this doesn't have a door, so could cause burn and blisters if you're not careful
❌ You're cooking meats: this doesn't have a thermometer integrated, so it's harder to monitor
The bottom line
🔎 Ooni Koda 12 this is the best gas pizza oven on the market. It's easy to use, but doesn't quite hit those wood-fired flavors
The Koda 12 is the easiest Ooni to use. You save on all the hassle of swapping fuel types or lighting charcoal and just plug in your propane. After that, it heats up in 15 minutes and can cook a pizza in a respectable two minutes.
It excelled on test, making near-perfect cheese and tomato and pepperoni pizzas, as well as an indulgent garlic bread. The worry with gas ovens is that you can't achieve a good crust, but this model achieved excellent charring.
This lightweight oven is one of Ooni's lighter ovens, so it's easy to move around the garden and store.
The only thing preventing this oven from a perfect taste test is the problem of all gas-fuelled outdoor cooking. By comparison with charcoal, this oven tastes almost sterile. It's wonderfully charred but it's missing the je ne sais quoi of smoky flavour you get with wood pellets. This model would also hugely benefit from a door. It makes it easier to load the pizza but means that it's easy to drop heat.
Read more: Ooni Koda 12 review
| Attributes | Notes | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Space | Good capacity | ★★★★★ |
| Speed | Heats up in 15 minutes | ★★★★★ |
| Easy to use | Easy to use, but doesn't have a door or thermometer | ★★★★ |
| Value | Accessories cost extra | ★★★★ |
The best indoor Ooni
Buy it if
✅ You'll use this all year round: this is safe indoor and outdoor
✅ You want quick cooking: this reaches high temperatures in next to no time
✅ You want simple fuel: this plugs into a simple socket
Don't buy it if:
❌ You're on a budget: this is incredibly expensive
❌ You want authentic flavors: without a wood fire this won't taste smoky or charred
❌ You're short on space: this has a large footprint
The bottom line
🔎 Ooni Volt 12 incredibly versatile, this can be used inside and outside. It's expensive and bulky, but worth it if you'll use this all year round
There was only one indoor pizza oven on the market until this launched earlier this year - the Breville Pizzaiolo. In my preview of the Volt 12, I compared the specs on both machines and found that the Volt reaches a higher temperature. It also has an innovative 'boost' function which hikes up the temperature when you open the oven door, preventing any sudden loss of heat and making it much faster to turn around lots of pizza in one go.
When we finally got it on test, it made delicious pizzas, and we found the boost button helpful for hosting pizza parties. They're a little sanitised compared to the rest of the market, but it's about as close as you can get to flame-licked leopard spotting you get in a wood or gas oven.
However, the biggest draw is that this oven works both indoors and outdoors. No other pizza oven on the market can do that. It brings an unparalleled versatility to entertaining that other ovens - even the Karu 16 - won't be able to match.
At an eye-watering $999, this is the most expensive Ooni oven available. You'll also need a lot of counter space, because the 24.2” x ” x 20.8” x 10.9” dimensions take up plenty of room.
Read more: Ooni Volt 12 review.
| Attributes | Notes | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Space | Good capacity, but quite bulky | ★★★★ |
| Speed | Really quick | ★★★★★ |
| Easy to use | Straightforward and simple | ★★★★★ |
| Value | Expensive | ★★★ |
Ooni alternatives
If this all feels too much like advertising, don't worry: we've tested lots of other brands of pizza oven. We recommend:
Best-looking
This beautiful oven is designed to work with your garden design rather than yet another black-and-gray appliance. On test, it made a great pepperoni pizza and gorgeous steak, but it's expensive.
You can find more detail in our Gozney Dome review.
Best indoor
Breville's Pizzaiolo is an indoor oven that's great for apartments. It has dedicated settings for New York, pan, thin and crispy, and frozen pizzas, and costs the same as the Ooni Volt 12.
You can find more detail in our Breville Smart Oven Pizzaiolo review.
Best compact
A compact little oven but it has room for an extra-wide mouth. We found this makes it easy to insert, adjust, and remove your pizzas.
You can find more detail in our Solo Stove Pi Pizza Oven review.
How to choose the best Ooni pizza oven for you:
Pizza ovens are brilliant ways for cooking food in a more artisanal way. Although the name suggests that they only suit pizzas, you can cook meats, breads, and other slow-roast foods in them. Before leaping into a purchase, you'll want to think about a few aspects:
Fuel source
Oonis use a range of sources. They can use fire, electricity, or gas to cook your food. Electricity is the most simple method, but it limits where you can place your oven. Gas gives more versatility and more control, but won't deliver the same flavors as a wood-fired model. Cooking with flames creates a whole new world of flavors. They'll char and brown your food, enhancing smoky and intense flavors. Flames are harder to control, but they're the best option for artisanal chefs.
Size
Consider the space that you're willing to dedicate to a pizza oven. There are portable options which you can pack up and take with you. There are some which are safe for kitchens, but others which are outdoor only.
Price and accessories
The ovens with have a smaller retail price often don't come with a peel, paddle, or slicer. If you already own these, you can save money and opt for a cheaper model. If you don't, you'll want to evaluate total cost, because buying a bundle might save you overall.
How we tested these Ooni pizza ovens
Our team of experts tests every single product we recommend. We used these Oonis to make pizzas, because they're a good litmus test for the base heat across the whole oven, how thorough the heat is to the oven's roof and how well it browns ingredients too.
Then, we'll test the limits of every oven. Our experts make flat breads, focaccia, chicken, and vegetables. The best ovens are those which are versatile and quick to cook these ingredients, but we also want them to be energy-efficient too.
We make notes on every aspect of these ovens, so we can let you know which spaces these suit. This largely depends on size, assembly, storage, and manoeuvrability. Balanced with price and warranty, we can give you a good overview of which ovens are best for which homes.
You can find more information on our testing process in our how we test guide.
Ooni FAQs
Is Ooni the best pizza oven?
Our tests have shown that Ooni is the best pizza oven brand. The Karu 16 is the best pizza oven you can buy - period - followed by the Fyra 12 as the best wood-fired pizza oven and the Koda 12 as the best gas-fuelled pizza oven. If you want the very best pizza oven, Ooni is the way to go.
Can you use an Ooni indoors?
You can't use Ooni ovens indoors, with the exception of the Volt 12, which is specifically designed to be used indoors. Using any other Ooni indoors risks a fire hazard, and in the case of the wood-fired models, the risk of carbon-monoxide poisoning.
Can you leave an Ooni outdoors?
Yes, but think of it like a grill. Ooni pizza ovens are designed to be used outside, and you can leave them out, but if they're exposed to rain too often they'll rust. The best move is to buy a waterproof cover from Ooni, or a cheaper cover on Amazon.
How can I stop my pizza sticking to my Ooni?
As with all pizza ovens, semolina flour is your new best friend. Dust your peel with this and it will form a layer that stops your pizza from adhering to the peel or the pizza stone.
What else can you cook in an Ooni?
There's plenty to cook in an Ooni. Flatbreads like naan and gyros are popular, as the principle is the same, but you aren't limited to dough products, either. Our expert tester Helen has also tried roast vegetables and grilled chicken, with fantastic results. It's really just a big, fast oven, so your only limit is your imagination.
We like Ooni, but there's plenty of other brands out there. We're also big fans of Gozney, which tends to be a little more design-forward than Ooni.
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