How to choose the right pizza oven for you
Updated
A pizza oven is an investment, so you want to know you’re choosing the one that’ll best suit your needs.
These days, they’re not just a fancy extra built into a big backyard. You can buy portable pizza ovens, small ones that suit balconies, ovens that work indoors and ones that stay put in the backyard or easily pack away.
Here, we’ve broken down the best of the best so you can choose the one perfect for your space and taste.
NOTE: Prices are accurate at time of publishing.
Best pizza oven for easy backyard cooking
Gozney Arc
Gozney Arc pizza oven Gozney
Gozney Arc external dimensions: W48cm x D56.4cm x H34.2cm
Gozney Arc XL external dimensions: W53cm x D62.9cm x H34.2cm
Perfect for those with a bit of outdoor space, the Gozney Arc (and the Arc XL if you have even more) is a gas-fuelled pizza oven that can easily cook pizzas up to 14 inches in diameter. Replicating the heat distribution of traditional wood-fired ovens with a burner and lateral rolling flame, you can trust your pizza will cook quickly and efficiently inside the Arc. In fact, it can cook a pizza in just 60 seconds.
The Arc features a removable 20mm stone floor and has double-layered insulation, allowing it to reach higher temperatures quickly. Heating up to 500°C, it can maintain this high temperature, allowing you to efficiently cook one pizza after another.
You can adjust the flame via the precision temperature gauge and keep an eye on the rolling yellow flame.
Read our review of the Gozney Arc here.
Best electric outdoor pizza oven
Ninja Woodfire Outdoor Oven
Ninja Woodfire Outdoor Oven Ninja
External dimensions: W45.7cm x D54.6cm x H38.4cm
This electric option for Ninja can roast, bake, smoke, dehydrate and keep warm, as well as cook you pizza in minutes. Speaking of pizza you can choose from five different settings to get the slice you want – the options are Artisan, Thin Crust, New York, Deep Pan and Calzone, and the temperature setting is taken care of when you select your option.
If you’ve got a small outdoor space this option works if you’d prefer not to deal with the rolling flames of a traditional pizza oven. It’s also weather-resistant but for extra protection the Premium Outdoor Oven Cover ($49.99) is worth the investment.
Best pizza oven for airy balconies
Gozney Roccbox
Gozney Roccbox pizza oven Gozney
External dimensions (legs unfolded): W41.3cm x D54cm X H47.3cm
The Gozney Roccbox is a ‘scaled-down and portable version’ of Gozney’s commercial pizza ovens. It can reach 500°C, and cooks pizza efficiently (within 60 seconds) via its thick stone floor, dense insulation and rolling flame.
The Roccbox cooks up to 12-inch pizzas, which is on the smaller side, but the size of the oven makes it perfect for a balcony set-up, provided that you have enough space around and above the oven for ventilation. Given that it is the smallest of Gozney’s ovens, you can also easily take it along to a picnic or a friend’s place.
The Roccbox is especially family-friendly, with a safe-touch silicone jacket that reduces the risk of burns when it’s touched. It comes with a propane gas burner, but you can also buy a detachable wood burner to use if that’s your preference.
Check out our review of the Gozney Roccbox here.
Best pizza oven for a pizza party
Gozney Dome (Gen 2)
Gozney Dome (Gen 2) pizza oven Gozney
Gozney Dome (Gen 2) external dimensions: W60.4cm x D49.8cm x H22.6cm
Gozney Dome XL (Gen 2) external dimensions: W94.6cm x D69.7cm x H99.7cm
Touted as Gozney’s most versatile pizza oven yet, the Gozney Dome (Gen 2) is 40 per cent bigger that the original Dome pizza oven, allowing you to cook two 10-inch pizzas at once or one 16-inch pizza. While the Dome XL (Gen 2) is 90 per cent bigger than the original and can cook three 10-inch pizzas, two 12-inch pizzas and one 18-inch pizza (if you dare).
It offers the opportunity to cook using wood or a rolling gas flame and will hold heat at up to 500 °C, cooking pizzas up to 16 inches in just 60 seconds.
The Dome is designed to offer various cooking modes, taking you beyond the choice of gas or wood fire. With various accessories, you can use the Dome to roast, smoke, steam, or bake a wide range of foods.
Built with premium materials, the Dome (Gen 2) is designed to last for years while maintaining a sleek appearance.
Best pizza ovens for indoor cooking
Kenwood My Pizzeria Pizza Oven
Kenwood pizza oven Kenwood
External dimensions: W35.2cm x D36cm x H18.5cm
If you don’t have the backyard or balcony space to fire up a pizza oven, Kenwood’s indoor pizza oven offers a cooked pizza in three minutes thanks to its dual-sided heating elements that reach 400 degree. The 30cm ceramic stone (great for a simple clean up) delivers the perfectly crisp crust just like you’d get if you ordered from your local pizza joint.
This compact oven will fit easily into your cupboard without taking up precious bench space.
Ooni Volt 2
Ooni Volt 2 pizza oven Ooni
External dimensions: W54.5cm x D44.2cm x H26.3 cm
If you’re willing to splash a bit more cash on a pizza oven that will match your kitchen aesthetic, the Ooni Volt 2 delivers top-tier features, including ‘Pizza Intelligence’ to bring you restaurant quality Neapolitan, Thin and Crispy and Pan Pizza at the touch of a button.
The unique design allows for internal sensors to adjust the oven’s temperature in real time for the perfect consistency and even cooking. It cn also proof or defrost pizza dough with the ‘dough-proofing mode’ that takes the temp down to 20 degrees. But this oven’s capabilities extend far beyond whipping up your favourite pizza, it will also bake and grill making the options endless.
Best portable pizza oven
Gozney Tread
Gozney Tread pizza oven Gozney
External dimensions: W41.8cm x D48.4cm x H32cm
The is ‘hyper-portable, ultra-rugged, lightweight and ready to roam’. Weighing just 13.5kg, it’s Gozney’s best oven for packing up and taking out. Whether it’s camping, a picnic, off to a friend’s place or wherever else, will make for a delightful companion. It weighs 33 per cent less than the Gozney Roccbox, which is also a portable option.
Cooking pizzas up to 12 inches in size, it has a lateral gas burner that replicates a wood-burning flame. The cooking stone maintains both durability and functionality. You can also elevate it with the Venture Stand, giving you an outdoor kitchen wherever necessary.
Check out our review of the Gozney Tread here.
READ MORE: The top six must-have accessories to become a pizza-making pro
