There's nothing quite like a slice of freshly cooked pizza, and with the best pizza ovens you can make that authentic wood-fired Neopolitan from home. Featuring indoor and outdoor pizza ovens from Ooni, Dellonda, Sage, DellaVita and La Hacienda, our guide will help you find that perfect pizza oven for your home or garden.
Pizza ovens are powered by pizza stones that heat the base of the pizza evenly, while the top of the oven is insulated to heat from above. That means perfectly crisp pizza bases, bubbly mozzarella and crisp pepperoni. While they can give the same results as the large wood-fired pizza ovens you'll find at your local pizzeria, not all pizza ovens are powered by wood. Some are heated by gas or charcoal, and we're even had the chance to review the very best indoor pizza ovens hands-on.
You can pay as much as £1,000 for a high-end pizza oven, but you can pay a lot less for a pizza stone to place on top of the best BBQs, whether it's charcoal or gas. No matter your budget or the space you're working with, keep reading for the very best pizza ovens you can buy in 2021.
The best pizza oven
If you're craving the authentic experience the Monster Shop Pizza Oven Outdoor Grill is here to help. It's freestanding and comes on wheels for wheeling in and out of the garage or shed. It's also got an ash drawer to make cleaning easy, and you can use the fuel tray to fire up some charcoal and cook slow and low.
There's a pizza peel and cutter included, as well as an accessories hook to keep your tools near. The pizza size is 12 inches, so not the largest, but it's a great value option.
If your barbecue’s in need of an upgrade, or you simply don’t have the space for two outdoor appliances, consider something like the Ramster. It’s a bit of a mouthful, but it’s indispensable for the adventurous outdoor chef thanks to its 3-in-1 (more, really) capabilities.
Even newbies can happily use it as a BBQ, a pizza oven, and a bread oven thanks to the ease of operation and separate compartments, so you can have more than one thing on the go at any one time. The solid built, steel body gets nicely and evenly hot – you can even bake a cake in there.
We seriously love the Sage Smart Oven Pizzaiolo. It's the smartest pizza oven we've ever used, with a panel up front displaying the different types of pizzas you can make. Simply select the right one and the temperature and timer will automatically adjust. You can also place a magnet over the display to convert this into a more manual pizza oven.
The Sage Smart Oven Pizzaiolo can heat up to 400 degrees, which is seriously impressive for a countertop pizza oven. Despite how hot it gets, the oven always stays hot to touch. The in-built pizza stone heats your pizza from above and below, replicating a wood-fired oven but without the smoke or uneven heat. When testing our pizza came out even and perfectly cooked when we followed the instructions exactly. The only downside is the price, but if you lack an outdoor space and still want fresh pizza, this indoor pizza oven is the one for you.
Small but mighty, this pizza oven works by borrowing heat from your barbecues and can be used with gas, charcoal, or masonry BBQs. Simply slide it in or place it on top of barbecue to cook delicious pizza. For speed, we recommend pairing with one of the best gas BBQs which will be quick to bring it to temperature. Don't be fooled by the small price: this pizza oven features a dual wall cavity that distributes heat evenly, delivering perfect pizzas in seconds, or seared meat or fish. No assembly is required, which is always a bonus.
The Ooni Karu is our top choice of the best pizza oven because it’s immensely versatile, and produces great pizza. You can cook with charcoal, wood, or even gas using the Karu, and it’s also highly portable thanks to its foldable legs. It weighs only 12kg, so be prepared to take it with you to garden parties or camping trips. This pizza oven delivers perfectly cooked pizza in only 60 seconds, and heats up to 500°C in just 15 minutes. The Ooni Karu is a great pizza oven for alfresco dining. It fits pizzas of up to 13 inches, but be aware that it will do one at a time. While multi-fuel cooking is a great option, note that you’ll need to buy a gas burner separately to convert it.
A pizza cooked in this clever oven is the very definition of a moveable feast, thanks to its super convenient construction that weighs only 14 kilograms. Ideal for those who frequently entertain, its easily manoeuvrable and means that no matter how many people you have to fit in, you can still find a space for the oven, even if that happens to be next door’s deck. Once in situ it not only cooks pizzas but smokes too. We like the flexibility in being able to use either charcoal or wood pellets.
This versatile pizza oven heats to 500°C in just 20 minutes, and then you're ready to cook pizza in 60 seconds. But this amazing oven is for so much more than just pizza: use it to chargrill meat or vegetables, or even bake bread. Thanks to the charcoal option, it can basically function as a barbecue, too, imparting that characteristic smoky flavour to your food. The oven is sturdy, well built, but still portable, which makes it easy to move around in your garden. The catch? It's not cheap. But if you don't already have a bbq, so worth it.
The Ooni Koda comes in two sizes, so depending on which you buy you’ll be able to cook pizzas of either 12 inches or 16 inches. This pizza oven is gas-powered, meaning it doesn’t have the distinctive chimney of other Ooni models. This makes it more portable and also easier to use on a tabletop. While it’s not wood-fired, so you lose some of that authentic charm, the gas does offer some advantages. For one, it’s easier to ignite and you can adjust the temperature using a dial. There’s also no smoke, which means those with tight spaces or nearby neighbours won’t have to worry.
If you really, really love pizza (or the person you’re buying this for), the DeliVita is a costly option that’s worth the dough. It has a traditional look and wood-fired interior that’s complemented by a clay lining and 12-inch mouth to easily accommodate your pizza. The durable outer shell means it can be left outside without worry, and the heatproof handle means you’ll be able to take out your freshly cooked pizza without worry. At 30kg it’s not the most portable, but this is a pizza oven that’s built to last.
What is the best outdoor pizza oven in 2021?
The best pizza ovens go in and out of stock all the time, but our top pick is the Ooni Karu. It's versatile and classic, and will cook your pizza in just two minutes seconds. This outdoor pizza oven is also portable, meaning you can enjoy a fresh slice anywhere you go.
How to buy the best pizza oven
Where to buy a pizza oven
Wondering what you should be looking for in a pizza oven? These are the main things to consider:
Fuel: domestic pizza ovens use either gas or wood for fuel, but flavour-wise, a wood-fired oven is your best bet. All of our top picks use either logs or wood pellets (but some can be gas-powered as well, if that's your preference).
Construction type is the second biggest consideration when buying a pizza oven. Traditional clay ovens look amazing, but they are very heavy, and might not offer the supreme insulation of other construction types. The Ooni Fyra, offers supreme insulation, keeping nice and cool to the touch while getting hot enough inside to singe a pizza in under a minute.
Size: for those who are tight on space, the smallest on our list is the compact Oooni pizza oven.
