If you're after the best pizza oven, it's not too late to get one. Yes, the weather might not be lending itself to long evenings outside, but now is the time to get ahead of the game for summer 2021. And, you can still use it this winter as long as it isn't raining or snowing – just wrap up warm and serve inside.
You don't need to be an expert pizza chef for the very best cheesy slice at home. You do need a proper outdoor pizza oven, though: all the models on our list reach the very high temperatures needed to cook your pizza quickly and correctly, with that delectable crispy crust.
At the same time, all our top picks are safe to use in your back garden and easy to operate – one design simply needs sliding onto your barbecue. And, be sure to look out for the models that can cook more than just pizza...
Fancy a barbecue instead? Browse our selection of the best BBQs.
The best pizza oven
Outdoor pizza ovens in your garden should be all about ease of use and authenticity, and the Burnhard combines both to perfection. Taking 10 minutes to heat up to a very hot 500°C, the pizza oven will then make the perfect pizza in just 60 seconds. What's really special about this pizza oven, though, is the clever pellet hopper mechanism that keeps feeding the oven with wood pellets, meaning you don't have to worry about keeping up the temperature if you're cooking for lots of people. It's also excellent at retaining heat thanks to a double-wall construction insulated with wool in the middle. What's not to love?
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.
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.
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.
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.
What is the best outdoor pizza oven?
Our top choice, the , which if what you need if you want proper authentic pizza. It's very portable, too, making it our pick of the best wood fired pizza oven you can buy.
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 , 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 .
