Best pizza oven 2020: top 6 buys for perfectly cooked pizza

If you're after the best pizza oven then there's no better summer to finally get one. It's the ultimate staycation purchase – just fire it up, cook your pizza, close your eyes...it's almost Italy. You do need a proper 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 outdoor pizza ovens

Authentic Italian cookery starts with authentic Italian ingredients, and this oven follows that same principle. Handmade in Italy using stainless steel for the housing and flue and natural volcanic lava rock for the oven base, it’s specially engineered to reach heat quickly and retain heat for longer. Once up to 300ºC, around 10 minutes, its makers say it cooks a pizza in a minute – now that’s fast food we can get behind. Its tabletop design also means that so long as you have an outdoor surface to put it on, it won’t take up any more space. 

• Buy the Forno Allegro Nonno Lillo Wood Fired Pizza Oven

This versatile pizza oven heats to 400 - 450°C in just 10-15 minutes, and then you're ready to cook pizza (in between one and five minutes). A handsome paddle is provided for ease of getting your pizza out, and we really like the thermometer that shows you when the correct temperature for firing your pizza has been reached. We're not too keen on the wooden handles on the vent and the paddle, as they're quite easy to accidentally burn off. Other than that, a great pizza oven.

• Buy the Fresh Grills Outdoor Pizza Oven

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. 

• Buy the Dellonda Portable Wood-Fired Pizza Oven & Smoker

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.

• Buy the Set Ramster Wood Oven

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. 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.

• Buy the Oxford Barbecues Gourmet Pizza Oven

Okay, so 'portable' and 'pizza oven' might not be the first phrases you’d think to put together, but then 'ham' and 'pineapple' might not be either, and look how that turned out. Kickstarter sensation the Ooni Koda Pizza Oven is a stroke of genius for those who don’t have much space to operate in, but love to cook from scratch. It looks gorgeous, and reviewers said it has the talent to back it up, with an insulated stainless steel body that allows the interior to get right up to temperature in a matter of just 15 minutes. 

Please note that the Ooni Koda is currently out of stock, but you can sign up to be notified when it comes back into stock at John Lewis. 

• Buy the Ooni Koda Pizza Oven

What is the best outdoor pizza oven?

Our top choice, the Forno Allergto Pizza oven, 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

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. Our top pick, the Forno Allegro, offers supreme insulation, keeping nice and cool to the touch while getting hot enough inside to single 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.

More buys your garden needs:

• You’ll be cooking on all burners with our best gas BBQs for summer shindigs 
• Some of our favourite chimineas double up as pizza ovens, too
• Find more garden ideas in our ultimate gallery
• Perfect your garden design
• What’s a pizza party without a little music? Check out our best outdoor speakers