How to Choose an Indoor Pizza Oven – The Features That Really Matter Before You Buy
Plus, the best options, tried and tested by us
Pizza ovens are brilliant tools for cooking restaurant-quality pizza at home, but they’re not without their limitations.
Even the very best pizza ovens can be impractical to use in drizzly weather or throughout the colder winter months. That’s where the best indoor pizza ovens come into their own. These electric countertop appliances can cook pizza quickly from the comfort of your kitchen, delivering crispier, more evenly cooked results than you’re likely to achieve in a regular oven.
Working out how to choose the best indoor pizza oven for your kitchen can be tricky, however. With so many models on the market and features to consider, it can be difficult to know what really matters. In this guide, I’ll break down the essentials to help you decide whether an indoor pizza oven is right for you and how to choose the best countertop appliance for your home.
Step 1: Decide If You Need an Indoor Pizza Oven
Indoor pizza ovens are a fun luxury if you regularly host.
Owning an indoor pizza oven is a sure-fire way to impress your guests. However, before you spend hundreds of dollars on a new countertop appliance, it is worth considering if you really need one.
Try as it might, an indoor pizza oven will not be able to replicate the smoky characteristics of a wood- or gas-fired outdoor pizza oven, and is unable to reach the same broiling temperatures. An indoor oven is primarily for year-round pizza enthusiasts who want the convenience of quick cooking indoors.
Generally speaking, there are only two reasons to buy an indoor pizza oven. The first is if your home lacks a yard or other outdoor space. In this case, an indoor pizza oven is your best bet for delicious homemade pizza. It's also a good idea if you live somewhere cold. If it snows a lot, an outdoor pizza oven might not be practical, and an indoor pizza oven will offer you year-round use.
However, if neither of these applies, you should look into buying an outdoor pizza oven. These cook on gas and wood, which is much closer to a traditional pizza oven than an electric filament. Indoor pizza ovens can taste great, but they're more similar to a homemade pizza cooked in a domestic oven.
Step Two: Choose Your Pizza Type First
We tested several pizza ovens to find the best.
If you have determined that an indoor pizza oven is right for you, consider the type of pizza chef you want to be.
It might sound odd to jump ahead to thinking about recipes before you start looking at appliances; however, certain oven types specialise in different cooking methods. For instance, some top-heated ovens are best for Neapolitan pizzas, but might not deliver as good a result when cooking deep dish.
Generally speaking, when choosing an indoor pizza oven, we suggest deciding based on the following:
If You Mostly Make: |
Look For: |
Why It Matters: |
|---|---|---|
Neapolitan Style |
High cooking temperatures, strong top heat, and a quality pizza stone |
Neapolitan pizza needs intense heat to create a blistered, airy crust while cooking quickly |
New York Style |
Precise temperature control, a larger cooking surface and even heat distribution |
A slightly lower, more controlled bake helps create the characteristic crisp-yet-foldable crust |
Thin and Crispy |
Strong bottom heat and adjustable temperature controls |
Direct, consistent heat helps crisp the base without overcooking the toppings |
Deep Dish |
A spacious cooking chamber, moderate temperature settings and longer cooking times |
Thicker pizzas need more time for the center to cook through without burning the top |
Reheating Frozen |
Simple presets, accurate temperature control and a timer |
Convenience matters more than extreme temperatures when you're looking for an easy weeknight option |
A Bit of Everything |
Multiple cooking presets, adjustable temperature and independent top/bottom heat |
Greater control makes the oven more versatile across different pizza styles |
This is the best indoor oven you can buy. During our review, we found that of all the indoor pizza ovens out there, it gets closest to the leopard-spotted charred finish you'd get from a wood-fired pizza oven. The pizzas we've made in this oven are the closest to restaurant-quality of any indoor oven I've tested, with delicious leopard spotting, a perfect crust, and golden, melted cheese. There are dedicated settings for different types of pizza. If you want a New York slice, just switch it to that setting. You can do the same for deep dish, thin and crispy, and there's even a dedicated setting for frozen pizzas. You can set the temperature more precisely if you need to.
This oven is one of the few you can use both indoors and outdoors. In our review, we found that it is perfect for year-round use. The best part of this oven is all the little touches. The first is that it's fast, especially by indoor oven standards. Ooni recommends a preheat time of 20 minutes, but our tests found it reached temperature in around 15. This speed is coupled with an innovative 'boost' button, which maintains the temperature even when the door is open. That means you can turn out pizzas one after the other without waiting for the oven to heat back up, which is a unique feature among pizza ovens, let alone indoor pizza ovens.
The Cuisinart Indoor Pizza Oven is a good option if you're on a budget, but you might be better off just using your regular oven. When reviewing, we found that this oven makes pretty good pizza, but unlike the Breville and Ooni, it's not much better than the pizza you can make in a typical kitchen oven. The base of the crust was well cooked, but the dough was undercooked, even though the cheese on the top of the pizza was overcooked. Both pizzas we made tasted like store-bought frozen pizza, despite being made by hand.
Step 3: Consider Which Indoor Pizza Oven Features Matter Most
With a range of features to consider, these one the ones that matter most.
It is easy to be overwhelmed by marketing terms and promises when shopping for any appliance nowadays. When picking the best indoor pizzza oven, I suggest focusing primarily on the following:
Temperature Control
Higher temperatures do not automatically mean a better oven. Temperature control and even heat distribution may be more useful than an extreme maximum temperature. You might also want to consider the included presets. These are ideal for taking the guesswork out of making pizza for beginners and casual cooks.
Look for: An oven that heats to at least 700°F, and gives you plenty of control over the temperature to suit different pizza cooking styles.
Heating Elements and Heat Distribution
Pizza ovens usually come in three forms: Bottom heating, top heating, and dual. A bottom-heated indoor pizza oven is great for super crisp doughs, while top-heated is great for blistered crusts and caramelized toppings. Ideally, you're looking for a dual-heated oven that can transfer heat evenly into the dough, brown the toppings, maintain temperature when the door opens (i.e., when turning or swapping out pizzas), and heat quickly.
Look for: Strong, even heat from both the top and bottom, ideally with some independent control.
Cooking Surface and Size
The larger the cooking surface, the larger the pizza you can make; it's that simple. That said, you need to be cautious about going too large, or you might struggle to store it indoors. A 12-inch indoor oven might sound compact, but the external dimensions can be considerably larger. Always measure your countertop and kitchen storage first. Consider, too, the height of the cooking cavity if you like to cook deep dish.
The Pizza Stone
What sets an indoor pizza oven apart from your conventional oven (besides higher temperatures) is the pizza stone. A good stone should get hot enough to help the dough develop a crisp underside while allowing the interior to cook properly.
Look for: An oven with an included stone that can be removed for easy cleaning.
Door, Insulation, and Safety
An indoor pizza oven can get extremely hot, so good insulation and a well-sealed door is essential to keep the exterior cool during cooking. A good door should make it easy to access the pizza without the risk of burns, and not allow heat to escape while cooking. If you can, avoid a rotating pizza oven. They do not get hot enough, and the results wouldn't taste any different from a domestic oven. A door retains the heat, making the oven more efficient.
Look for: Good insulation, a well-sealed door, and an exterior that remains reasonably cool during cooking.
Versatility
An indoor pizza oven is a big investment, so consider what else it can be used for. Some outdoor pizza ovens, for example, can be used for cookies and brownies, roasted vegetables, as well as flatbreads and calzones. To make the spend worth it, check to see if it is suitable for other cooking activities.
Look for: Great temperature control that allows for versatility.
FAQs
How Much Should An Indoor Pizza Oven Cost?
As with any quality kitchen appliance, price can be a useful indicator of what to expect from an indoor pizza oven. The two best models we reviewed cost at least $800, so it’s worth budgeting accordingly if you want a high-performing, well-built appliance.
There are options available for around $400, but cheaper models can come with compromises in build quality and performance. And when you’re bringing an appliance capable of reaching extremely high temperatures into your home, this isn’t an area where we’d recommend cutting corners.
Prioritizing a reputable, well-made model is a worthwhile investment in both performance and peace of mind. The cheapest pizza oven isn't necessarily the best value if you end up reaching for your regular oven instead.
Is An Indoor Pizza Oven Better Than a Regular Oven With a Pizza Stone?
An indoor pizza oven is worth the investment if you regularly make pizza at home, and choose a model that exceeds your conventional oven's maximum temperature, otherwise, there is little difference.
Conventional ovens usually max out around 500°F to 550°F, and with an oven pizza stone such as the xx from Amazon, can take around eight to 15 minutes to bake a regular pizza.
An indoor pizza oven that reaches at least 700°F, with a stone, can cook a pizza as quickly as 90 seconds, often with crispier results.
Can You Use An Indoor Pizza Oven In a Small Kitchen?
An indoor pizza oven, when set up correctly according ot manufacturer instructions, is safe for use in a small kitchen, as these electric appliances do not use gas or wood chips.
That said, you need to consider if one will comfortably fit onto your counter, in a location where it will not be knocked off. As with any appliance, an indoor pizza oven will also need a few inches of clearance on each side to prevent overheating.
Never attempt to use an outdoor pizza oven indoors, even portable models.
Are Indoor Pizza Ovens Safe?
Indoor pizza ovens are safe to use so long as they are used according to manufacturer instructions, and are specifically rated for indoor use. Always place them on a stable, heat-resistant countertop with adequate clearance from overhead and surrounding cabinets.
What Else to Shop
If you’re investing in a quality indoor pizza oven, you’ll want the right tools to match. Having the right equipment on hand can make all the difference to the finished result.
All prices were correct at the time of publication.
This stand mixer comes with a solid stainless steel dough hook and breaker bar, perfect for kneading dough without it climbing up into the mechanism. The spiral mixer design also prevents head rocking, to power through tough dough without complaint or overheating.
A quality dough scraper and cutter is instrumental when making your own pizza dough. This natural wood and stainless steel scraper has an ergonomic handle, and is perfect for simplifying prep, even with high hydration doughs.
Know exactly when your pizza oven’s thick stone floor is ready to cook a perfect pizza. It features an LED backlit screen, the ability to switch between Celsius and Fahrenheit measurements, and single or continuous temperature read options.
This Ooni 12″ Perforated Pizza Peel is made with anodised aluminium with a heat resistant glass reinforced nylon handle, to make handling your pizzas safe and non-toxic.
Gozney's first cookbook features over 75 pizza recipes and essential how-tos, plus 20 outdoor recipes. You can learn how to make eight styles of dough, create a range of restaurant-worthy pizzas, and learn outdoor cooking methods to harness your pizza oven’s full potential.
No matter if you are a beginner looking for a good baseline or a pro home cook wanting to simplify pizza prep, the Gozney dough mixes require no measuring of multiple ingredients; simply add water to create professional-grade pizza dough at home.
How We Test Indoor Pizza Ovens
We tested these ovens by making a lot of pizza and putting them through taste tests. I know − it's a hard life being a product reviewer. We tried dozens of cheese pizzas, pepperoni pizzas, and as-many-toppings-as-possible pizzas, as well as garlic breads, flatbreads, and calzones.
We timed how long it took each oven to reach temperature and cook a pizza so that we could assess their energy efficiency, as well as the ease of ignition.
We paid close attention to the look of each oven to see which spaces they would suit. We also considered the nitty-gritty details like assembly, storage, and manoeuvrability. Then we judged all of this against price and warranty to make absolutely sure that the ovens we recommend offer the best value for money.
You can find more information on our testing process in our How We Test guide.
If you are really looking to improve your pizza game, focus on the dough. The Ooni Halo Core Spiral Mixer is perfect for kneading dough without the hassle of working by hand, creating perfect results every time.
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