How to Choose the Best Pizza Oven for Better Pizza and Effortless Summer Cooking

Owning one of the best pizza ovens can be an exciting addition to your kitchen appliance collection. This outdoor kitchen upgrade can not only expand your culinary repertoire, but (like the best grills) also doubles as a great centrepiece for entertaining family and friends.

That said, there are so many on the market, and the high price tag can make it feel daunting to choose one that perfectly suits your cooking style and available space.

Having tested a range of pizza ovens and consulted the experts, I have broken down everything you need to consider before choosing a pizza oven, so you can design your outdoor kitchen with confidence.

Step 1: Understanding Fuel Options

When choosing a pizza oven, it helps to understand how they work (this can also help you to avoid common pizza oven mistakes). Unlike a conventional oven, in a pizza oven, the flame rolls along the top of the oven. This means that whatever you're making is licked by the flame, which adds a delicious char to your ingredients that you can't replicate in a conventional oven.

They use a cordierite stone base to conduct and reflect heat. They are part of why pizza ovens can reach such high temperatures, and, as Dr Bryan Quoc Le, food scientist, explains, 'The porous construction of cordierite pizza stones allows it to absorb moisture as the pizza bakes, leaving a crisper bottom.'

Then, there are several types of fuel for powering a pizza oven, and they all have different benefits and drawbacks.

The first type is wood, most commonly as pellets but sometimes as splints. Wood is the best-tasting fuel for a pizza oven. It gets hotter than other types of pizza oven fuel, and unlike gas and electricity, the wood imparts an authentic, smoky flavor that can't be beaten by other types of oven. Wood pellets are also cheaper to run than gas.

That said, it is more difficult to maintain at the right temperature and needs constant monitoring and stoking, which is much more work than the other fuel types. It's more dangerous than other fuel types because you have to feed the pellets or wood splints in by hand. While wood is relatively cheap, there's the ongoing cost and errand of keeping the pellets topped up. Finally, some people don't like the smell of wood smoke.

Gas ovens are much easier to use than wood pellets. Unlike wood pellets, there's no learning curve or stoking. You just hook up your propane and switch on the oven, and it's as easy as turning on a grill or a stove. However, gas is more expensive than any other type of fuel, and compared to wood-fired pizza ovens, it tastes a little sterile. Gas ovens can be very hot, but they can't get as hot as wood pizza ovens.

Then, there is electricity, heating the pizza with an electric filament. This is as easy to use as pressing a button, and by far the cheapest oven to run, but it's not as hot as wood or gas and doesn't always taste as good.

Step 2: Assess Your Space

Before choosing a pizza oven and learning how to use a pizza oven, it is important to assess the space you have available. Beyond the oven itself, you'll need enough room to cook safely, move around comfortably with peels and hot food, and store fuel and accessories. Regardless of the model, pizza ovens should never be placed beneath low roofs or where heat and smoke will blow directly toward seating areas or neighbouring properties.

For very small patios, balconies, or urban gardens, we recommend an electric pizza oven such as the Ninja Woodfire Outdoor Pizza Oven. Compact and easy to set up, it requires little more than a sturdy table and a power outlet, making it one of the safest and most practical options for limited spaces.

If you need something for small outdoor kitchens or portable for camping or moving around the yard, tabletop models such as the Ooni Koda 16 or Gozney Roccbox are excellent choices. Just be sure to position them on a sturdy, non-combustible surface with enough surrounding clearance to work safely and convenient access to your chosen fuel. We like the Grill Force Pizza Oven table from Amazon for this. Ideally, plot out around 16-30 sq ft (e.g. 4×4 ft to 5×6 ft).

For larger outdoor kitchens, premium freestanding models such as the Gozney Dome or ovens from Alfa Forni benefit from a dedicated space, around 36-64 sq ft (e.g. 6×6 ft to 8×8 ft), with room for preparation, serving, and storage. As these are often left outdoors year-round, it's also worth planning for weather protection to extend their lifespan.

Built-in pizza ovens require the most planning and the most space, at around 80-150+ sq ft (e.g. 8×10 ft to 10×15 ft+). They need a structurally sound base capable of supporting significant weight, integration with countertops and cabinetry, suitable drainage, and sufficient access for installation. Professional installation is recommended to ensure the oven is safely and securely fitted.

Step 3: Pick your Features

The best pizza ovens balance heat retention, cooking speed, and usability. When shopping for a pizza oven, there are four key features you should consider, especially when comparing models:

1. Insulation: This is one of the most important (and most overlooked) factors in pizza oven quality. Good heat retention keeps the internal temperature stable between pizzas, reducing recovery time after each bake. Better insulation also keeps the outer shell cooler, making the oven safer to use in tight outdoor spaces or around guests. Look for double-wall construction, ceramic insulation, and dome designs.
2. Stone Thickness: A thicker stone gets hotter to provide better crusts thanks to more even heat distribution. They take longer to heat, but are more consistent and will last longer. Understanding how to clean a pizza oven and how to clean a pizza stone plays a big part in this.
3. Mouth Size: We are not talking about how much you can eat at once here. A wider front opening on a pizza oven will allow for larger pizzas and make them easier to adjust when cooking. That said, they can lead to heat loss when cooking. Premium ovens balance a wide opening with strong insulation and flame positioning to maintain constant temperature.
4. Temperature Control: In gas or electric ovens, detailed temperature dials and well-positioned burners can make a world of difference. Pizza cooking happens in seconds. If temperature fluctuates, you lose control. This is where some cheaper ovens fall short.

Our Best Pizza Oven Recommendations

As a professional product tester, I've had hands-on experience with all the best garden gear, and I think a good pizza oven could give the best grills a run for their money. I've tested twenty models from Ooni, Gozney, and Breville, and I've found the best pizza ovens to suit every garden and budget.

FAQs

How much should you spend on a pizza oven?

Pizza ovens have some of the most inflated prices around, so it's smart to set your budget.

Between $150-$350 will get you a good, 12-inch wood-fired pizza oven. It's worth spending towards the top end of this scale. Cheaper models can make amazing pizza, but I've found that lots of them have poorly balanced doors or bad safety features, such as badly insulated handles or wood pellet drawers that don't shut correctly.

Between $350-$600 will get you a good gas pizza oven. Gas pizza ovens are largely the same, so the difference in price here is mostly a matter of size. A good 12-inch gas pizza oven is around $400; a good 14 or 16-inch gas pizza oven is more like $600. Hybrid gas/wood ovens tend to come in at around this price point, too.

For large pizza ovens, or stylized ovens designed to be part of an outdoor kitchen, expect to pay $1000-$2000. These ovens usually hold more than one pizza and have bonus features like meat probes or wood storage.

What is the difference between a pizza oven and a regular oven?

The point of a domestic pizza oven is to replicate a traditional brick oven. Unlike a normal oven, a pizza oven reaches incredibly hot temperatures. This means that the pizzas cook incredibly quickly, usually under two minutes. Most pizza ovens use open flames, which gives the crust distinctive leopard spots of delicious, smoky char. It makes for a restaurant-quality pizza that tastes much better than a pizza from a normal kitchen oven.

What else can you cook in a pizza oven?

A good pizza oven can make much more than just pizza. They are also perfectly suited to flatbreads, roast meat, roast and char vegetables, and bake to a certain extent (brownies and cookies are ideal).

Are pizza ovens worth it?

It's smart to wonder if a pizza oven is really worth the money. These appliances are notoriously expensive, and when you have a perfectly good oven in the kitchen, it can seem a little questionable to invest in one.

That said, if you truly love pizza, they are a fantastic treat. It is undeniable that pizza tastes better in a proper oven, and that once preheated, it cooks more quickly. They can be great for outdoor dining and entertaining guests with a pizza party.

If you're an amateur chef, a pizza oven is an interesting tool for experimenting with different dishes. However, if you live somewhere cold, are on a budget, or just want an occasional pizza, it's not worth the investment.

Accessories to Shop

A pizza oven on its own is rarely enough to get started. To help you make the most of your setup, I’ve rounded up several must-have pizza oven accessories that improve safety, streamline cooking, and ensure consistently great results.

All prices were correct at the time of publication.

Next, brush up on how to choose a grill to complete your outdoor cooking setup.

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