Pizza is a popular family favorite and many people want to recreate that ristorante experience at home, you need a pizza oven. But not all top-rated outdoor pizza ovens can deliver superb results. The best ovens are easy to use and easy to clean, while creating the ideal conditions to create a delicious crispy pizza every time.
Our researchers evaluated the different types of fuel used by pizza ovens, which not only impacts the ease of use, but whether the oven can deliver that authentic flavor. We also looked at the heat capacity and construction materials, which determine whether the oven can maintain the high temperatures needed for that all-important crispy crust. Finally, to determine the best outdoor pizza oven, our team looked at the overall size of the ovens and the maximum pizza diameter. Unless you have unlimited space in your yard, the size of the oven will affect the flexibility of your space. However, opt for an oven that is too small and it may not be able to deliver enough pizzas, once your family and friends realize how great your homemade creations taste.
Other features: built-in gas ignition; cordierite stone baking board
The Ooni Koda 16 has an insulated, powder-coated carbon steel shell that is not only easy to clean, but adds timeless class to your yard aesthetic. The elegant aesthetic is further accentuated with the overall high-tech, minimalistic design. The interior boasts incredible insulation to ensure that all the heat remains in the oven to create ideal pizza cooking temperatures.
Although the Ooni Koda is not the cheapest option, it is worth the investment, offering a temperature gauge so you can keep an eye on the maximum temperature. This will also help you to monitor when more wood pellets need to be added. The oven can heat up to 950 degrees Fahrenheit and the L-shaped gas burner with waterfall effect flame is designed to provide even heat dispersal for crispy, delicious pizzas every time.
This ready-to-cook format ensures that the oven comes up to temperature within 20 minutes. It is compatible with natural gas as well if you use Ooni conversion kit. The large opening has been designed to accommodate a baking board (for pizzas up to 16 inches in diameter), casserole dish or other cookware.
Other features: handmade in Portugal, triple-insulated; non rust cast aluminum door, chimney cavity, and stainless steel chimney
The Authentic Pizza Ovens New Pizzaioli Pizza Oven is one of the most beautiful wood-fired pizza ovens that money can buy. It is more than just a pizza oven. When you are not making delicious woodfire pizzas you can cook other foods like fish and vegetables in it, or even bake bread. The oven comes with a beautiful Portuguese ceramic baking dish that you can use to roast the other foods including chicken, casseroles, bread and desserts.
The Authentic pizza oven is a real profit to the eye. Its attractive brick façade is inspired by the orange brickwork of Portuguese architecture. The traditional outdoor oven would bring the taste of Europe into your home and you will make the best mouthwatering woodfire pizzas.
The oven’s bricks are of high-quality and give the oven triple insulation, thus offering the best cooking conditions. What’s more the pizza oven is super-productive as you can cook up to 30 pizzas in an hour. Each pizza would be ready in less than 90 seconds and you can squeeze in two 12-inch pizzas in one go. This makes the oven a fantastic commercial option.
Other features: 304 Stainless Steel construction, 16,000 BTU main burner, CSA Certification
The Summerset SS-OVFS-LP is a premium outdoor oven that features heavy duty stainless steel to provide a high-quality construction that is sure to provide years of use. The design includes a 16,000 BTU main burner, a storage drawer and three cooking racks to keep everything organized.
The oven has a large capacity and can provide enough room for a 16-inch family pizza, so you can enjoy great outdoor baking. The freestanding included oven cart includes a large storage door to keep your tank neat and tidy with fold down shelves to keep all your cooking accessories close at hand.
The SS-OVFS-LP has a temperature gauge and front view window to allow you to keep an accurate eye on your cooking and a cool touch handle, so you can quickly remove your pizza in that moment when it can turn from crisp and delicious to overbaked.
Whether you enjoy the authentic taste of an outdoor oven baked pizza or simply want to supplement your grill station, this oven will make a great addition to your yard.
Other features: double-layered stainless steel construction, portable
If you enjoy the taste of a wood fired pizza, but don’t want the hassle of a heavy stone system or complicated oven, you’ll find the GYBER Hayes outdoor oven easy to use. This impressive portable oven uses wood pellets and will heat up in only 10 minutes.
This means this is our pick as the best outdoor pizza oven for home or mobile use. You can use this oven in your backyard or take it with you to the park or tailgate on game day. This outdoor oven is not limited to creating delicious pizzas, because it is also suitable for preparing burgers, steaks and even baking bread, so you can have all your family favorites without needing to head back into the house.
The Hayes oven is capable of heating up to 900 degrees Fahrenheit with an air intake system that is designed to help your food cook efficiently whether your items are on the top or bottom of the oven. The lightweight food grade stainless steel is easy to use and easy to clean and you can use flavored wood pellets to enhance your cooking even further.
This wood oven requires little assembly and it can even be taken apart for storage, transport or easy cleaning. The kit also includes a pizza shovel, grease pan and grill handle, so you can get cooking homemade pizzas in next to no time.
Other features: 16,000 BTU main burner, 1-year warranty, electric impulse ignition
The AZ Patio Heaters PSL-SPOC provides the convenience of making delicious pizza in your own backyard. This propane oven has two cooking areas and a full view front window to keep an eye on your dishes. The model features a 16,000 BTU burner with temperature gauge, so you can ensure the optimum conditions for delicious, crispy pizza every time. The powder coated steel will ensure that this oven will look great for many years to come with the minimal amount of care. The oven can also be removed from the stand if needed.
The trolley features a door to conceal the propane tank, so everything can be kept neat and tidy, while the oven can reach temperatures of 550 degrees Fahrenheit. The oven can accommodate a 14 inch pizza, but there is a preheat time of up to 30 minutes.
Other features: 430 stainless steel construction, 1-year parts warranty, electronic ignition, double-walled, insulated
The Western Pacific SYMG01 is an artisan pizza oven made with commercial grade stainless steel and double walled insulation. The polished steel exterior looks fantastic and will be a great addition to any yard. There are also lockable casters for easy movement around your patio. The oven is supplied with a fitted outdoor cover to ensure great protection when the oven is not in use and the weather is inclement.
The oven kit contains a pizza turner spatula, pizza stone, and wire brush to ensure great results every time. However, what makes this oven stand out is that it can preheat in just eight minutes, reaching temperatures of 800 degrees Fahrenheit.
The oven is shipped in a wooden crate for safety with a crated weight of 250 pounds. Uncrated, the SYMG01 is substantial with a weight of 156 pounds and requires some assembly. However, the main dome is fully assembled and you simply need to assemble the stand.
This high-quality pizza oven can accommodate pizzas up to 18 inches, making it a great choice for family dinners or pizza parties.
Other features: double layered ceiling, built-in valve ignition, 17,000 BTU/hr
The Camp Chef Italia oven has a unique design, since it is just an oven chamber. This means that there is no heating mechanism and you will need some type of fuel source to cook. This oven works like a range stove or brazier, trapping heat and funneling it to cook pizza on the stone. This is a little simplistic, but it perfectly accomplishes creating great pizza.
Since the Camp Chef Italia has such a simple design, it is one of the cheaper options on our list. This does limit the features since there is no chimney to provide ventilation and no door so it does struggle to retain the heat. The lack of a door does make it easy to get your food in and out, and you can easily monitor your pizza as it cooks, but you will notice that this oven may not be able to cook your pizza as quickly as other models. Additionally, the lack of insulation and ventilation issues can lead to more moist food, so you may not be able to achieve the crispier finish of a superb pizza.
However, if you’re worried about a pizza oven crowding your patio or storage for most of the year or you want a pizza oven that you can pick up and take camping or tailgate grilling, this makes a great option.
Other features: digital infrared thermometer, pizza peel and weatherproof cover included
The Bertello Pizza oven is a combo package that includes pizza peel, weather proof cover and digital infrared non-contact thermometer. There is also an optional gas attachment that is available for this model and sold separately. This oven is not only high quality, but one of the most affordable models on the market. It can use charcoal, pellets, wood or with the attachment, gas to create delicious pizzas in the comfort of your own yard.
However, this oven is not restricted to cooking pizzas, you can prepare a wide variety of foods, making it fun and versatile to use.
The oven is extremely portable and lightweight, so you can take it with you to practically any outdoor setting. You can achieve restaurant quality results camping, in your own backyard or even tailgating. The Bertello can reach temperatures of 900 degrees Fahrenheit with a preheat time of approximately 20 minutes. Although the oven can only accommodate 12-inch pizzas, you can achieve the perfect, crispy crust.
Whether you prefer cooking with pellets, charcoal, or gas, the Bertello can meet your needs. This makes it one of the best backyard pizza oven models on the market today.
Other features: stainless steel construction, aluminum pizza peel included
The Havasu oven makes cooking pizza simple and easy. The oven is supplied with a pizza stone and peel, so even keen amateur cooks can transfer delicious pizzas to your plates with ease. The stone plate allows for easy clean up and you can cook your pizza with the minimal amount of mess.
The oven is made of durable steel for a long-lasting finish that will look great for years to come. The contrasting black chimney and cabinet ensure that this oven will wow your pizza party guests.
The Havasu is a wood fired oven with a temperature gauge, so you can ensure optimum cooking temperatures to create crisp, delicious pizzas. The oven can reach temperatures of 527 degrees Fahrenheit, which is lower than many of the models on our list, but still far in excess of what you can reach with a domestic oven.
Other features: stainless steel construction, cooks restaurant quality pizza in 2-4 minutes
The Green Mountain GMG 4023 allows you to convert your GMG pellet grill into a wood fired pizza oven. Although this is not a stand-alone wood fired oven, this attachment is designed to capture and funnel heat from your Firebox up and into the baking chamber. The stainless chamber houses a pizza stone to create the perfect conditions for a deliciously crisp pizza every time.
The attachment allows the temperature of your pellet grill to increase, so that it has an internal temperature of a traditional wood burning pizza oven. In fact, the GMG 4023 can create temperatures of 800 degrees Fahrenheit. This allows you to create ristorante quality pizzas in a matter of minutes. You can also use the impressive temperatures to create delicious homemade bread or even sear your favorite meats.
However, it should be noted that this attachment is only suitable for Jim Bowie and Daniel Boone GMG models.
Other features: 430 stainless steel construction, can make 2~4 pizzas at one time, 1-year parts warranty
The Western Pacific XL SYM02P is an artisan wood fired pizza oven made with commercial grade stainless steel and double walled insulation. The unit is mounted on four casters to make moving easy and two casters are locking, so it stays in place, once you have it situated. The oven has a temperature gauge range of 100 to 800 degrees Fahrenheit and it offers a rapid heating time of just 5 minutes. Despite this impressive performance, the XL SYM02P has a large cooking space and can accommodate two to four pizzas at once, making it ideal for family pizzas nights or pizza parties with your friends.
The oven kit includes a pizza stone surface, pizza turner and a wire brush to keep the oven interior clean and tidy. There is also a waterproof cover for when it is not in use. The unit itself is substantial with a weight of 250 pounds or 350 pounds shipping weight. You also need to bear in mind that some assembly is required, so it cannot be used straight out of the box. However, once you have it set up, this fantastic oven is sure to impress your family and friends with delicious, crispy homemade pizzas. This makes it our choice as the best backyard pizza oven.
An outdoor pizza oven is a fantastic way to create authentic and delicious pizzas on your patio. However, with so many outdoor pizza oven models on the market, choosing the right one for your outdoor space can be a little tricky. So, here we’ve compiled a buying guide with features to look for and answers to common questions to help you.
For those who have only ever eaten pizza baked in an electric oven, you have yet to experience the genuine pizza experience. Pizza baked in a specialist oven will produce far superior results that rival ristorantes. An outdoor pizza oven can provide the soaring temperatures needed to create a properly cooked, crispy and delicious pizza.
An outdoor pizza oven can not only allow you to recreate superb pizzas from your favorite pizza restaurant, but it can take your outdoor entertaining to a whole new level. Installing an outdoor pizza oven in your yard means that you can invite friends for pizza parties or offer a more diverse menu next time you organize a barbecue.
Dedicated outdoor ovens are easy to use and easy to clean. Most are supplied with a pizza stone and peel, so you can simply slide your raw pizzas into the oven and bring cooked pizzas to the plate with ease.
With the vast choice of pizza oven models on the market, it can feel a little overwhelming to make a purchase decision. So, here we’ll explore the features to consider when you choose your outdoor pizza oven.
Traditional pizza ovens rely on wood as their fuel source. Wood fired ovens can reach very high temperatures for an even and quick cook time and an authentic wood flavor. However, many people find wood ovens a challenge to use. There are a variety of techniques to create the optimum cooking conditions using wood chunks or even pellets.
Many people prefer to eliminate this additional stress by using a propane pizza oven. This operates in a similar way to an outdoor grill, yet it can offer higher cooking temperatures than you would get with your conventional kitchen oven. Propane models often have a cabinet or shelf under the oven to store the propane tank. While this does eliminate potential storage possibilities inside the cabinet, you can be sure of reaching the optimum cooking temperature with minimal fuss.
Of course, the ultimate decision of wood fired vs gas pizza ovens comes down to personal preference. If you want a completely authentic pizza cooking experience and are prepared to deal with pellets or wood chunks, then wood fired is the right choice for you. However, if you want the convenience of flipping a switch and getting cooking within a couple of minutes, propane may be a better option.
As with most outdoor cooking equipment, you’ll find pizza ovens are available in different sizes. Smaller ovens require less fuel to heat to the correct temperature, and they tend to do this more quickly. The compromise is that you have a lower cooking capacity. A larger oven will provide more space for cooking or rotating foods, and you’re likely to get better heat distribution as there is more room to manipulate the fire.
If you have limited outdoor space or you need to put your oven in storage when it is not in use, you will need to carefully consider the size. Larger models tend to be heavy, making them less portable, but some models, such as the AZ Patio Heaters PSL-SPOC have a trolley with lockable casters to make moving the oven around easier.
The materials used to build the pizza oven is another important consideration. While clay ovens are traditional, this is not a practical choice for most homes. Many modern outdoor pizza ovens are made with steel, but you also need to consider what insulation is included. Steel is not very heat conductive, so it is important that the oven is insulated to maintain the optimum cooking temperatures.
High temperatures are crucial for a crispy, perfectly cooked pizza. Commercial pizza ovens reach temperatures of 700 degrees Fahrenheit or greater. So, if you want to create that authentic pizza finish, it is important to check the maximum temperature offered. Many of the models on our list have a 16,000 BTU burner and can deliver temperatures of 700 or 800 degrees. However, a few models including the GYBER Hayes can reach 900ºF.
A thin crust pizza only takes a few minutes to cook in such a hot cooking environment, so timing is crucial. Your pizza can go from crispy and delicious to burned in a matter of moments. For this reason, it is a good idea to choose a pizza oven with a viewing window in the door. This will allow you to keep a close eye on the timing of your cook, so you can deliver perfectly cooked pizzas every time.
Another important consideration is the maximum pizza diameter. If you enjoy a family pizza night each week or want to host pizza parties, you will need a larger oven that can accommodate 16-inch pizzas or one like the Western Pacific XL SYM02P that can handle multiple pizzas at once. However, if you’re cooking just for yourself, a smaller oven should be sufficient for your needs.
Fortunately, smaller ovens are not necessarily inferior. An oven with limited space can be ideal for balconies or terraces, creating the ideal conditions for creating delicious pizzas.
A good pizza relies on simple, quality ingredients, so it is important that your oven doesn’t overly complicate your cooking. The ease of use of your new outdoor pizza oven is an important factor. You should look for an oven with a simple ignition system or if you need to store your oven, one that can be easily assembled as and when you need it.
While many people are very happy with an outdoor pizza oven that can prepare a great pizza, you may appreciate greater versatility. If you want to avoid needing to go in the house when you’re having a cookout, an outdoor oven that can bake bread or cook desserts can be the ideal complement to your grill. This will enable you to prepare full meals for your guests, right there on the patio.
As your pizza dough is rising, you’ll need to start heating your oven. If your outdoor pizza oven is wood fired, you should build a fire in the center and allow it to burn. When the temperature reaches 700 degrees, you should notice a white patch and the soot vaporizing. When all of the soot has been burned off, your oven is hot enough. Many of the models we’ve listed here feature a temperature gauge, so you can accurately monitor the oven temperature.
The amount of time this takes will vary according to the oven. Many models can preheat in just five or ten minutes, but others may take 30 minutes or more. So, you’ll need to get your timing right to avoid your dough over proofing.
Slip your topped pizza onto your lightly floured peel and put the pizza into the oven. You will need to give your peel a jerk to move the pizza to the floor of the oven from the peel. This can take a little time to practice this movement and avoid dropping your pizza. Your pizza crust will start to cook and puff up immediately. Wait 30 seconds to 1 minute and then slip your peel under your pizza to rotate it 180 degrees. This will ensure even cooking, just don’t shift it to another part of your oven, or there is a risk of burning.
The cooking process will be far faster than it would be in your kitchen oven. Depending on the size, the pizza may be cooked in 90 seconds to 2 or 3 minutes. You’ll know it is done when the crust has browned and the toppings are bubbling.
As you see, there are some fantastic outdoor pizza oven models on the market to suit your specific requirements.
The LP fueled Summerset SS-OVFS-LP can accommodate 16-inch pizzas and has a cart to ease mobility.
The Authentic Pizza Ovens New Pizzaioli Pizza Oven is our second best pick because of its beautiful brickwork inspired by Portuguese architecture. It is also super-productive as you can cook up to 30 pizzas within an hour.
However, the stand out as the best outdoor pizza oven has to be our editor’s choice, the Ooni Koda. This impressive oven not only has superb aesthetics, but is also super easy to ignite. The oven is propane-fueled but can be also converted to natural gas. This creates fantastic flexibility and the ability to reach temperatures in excess of 950 degrees Fahrenheit. The oven preheats in only 20 minutes and can accommodate pizzas up to 16 inches, making it ideal to create superb pizzas for family pizza nights or pizza parties.
