The Best Pizza Ovens to Make Restaurant-Quality Pizza At Home

best pizza ovens

Sure, you can make good pizza at home with the help of a pizza stone, pizza peel and your home oven… OR you can make GREAT pizza at home with the one appliance to rule them all: a pizza oven.

If you’re serious about quality pizza, upgrade your at-home pizza game with these top pizza ovens that achieve restaurant-quality pies. Pizza ovens deliver on key things that an average oven cannot, including extremely high temperatures that yield a blistered, crispy, crunchy-yet-fluffy crust, and these are just tasting notes we can’t live without when it comes to pizza. No cast iron or brick oven needed.

Thanks to the new companies coming online to offer reasonably-priced, small and portable pizza ovens, having a pizza oven at home is no longer a luxury. Pop these indoor and outdoor ovens in your backyard, small patios and even the bed of a truck for tailgates (any outdoor space, really!) and you’ve got  pizza magic at your fingertips. Here are our top picks for home cooks to create delicious pizza.

Best Gas-Powered Pizza Oven

Ooni Koda 16.

$599 on AMAZON

Aspiring pizzaiolis look no further than the gas-fueled Ooni Koda 16. Coming in two versions – a 16-inch and a more compact 12-inch configuration (Ooni Koda 12, from $399) – this pizza oven gets all the way up to the 900-degree temperature required to make the very best Neapolitan-style pizzas without the fuss of building a wood fire.

The Koda runs on a 20-pound liquid propane tank or a natural gas hookup (with a $49 required conversion kit). The setup is as easy as it comes; tripod legs fold out and are placed on a stable, fire-resistant surface, then the pizza stone is installed and the tank is plugged in.

To fire up the Ooni Koda 16, turn the knob, push it in and wait for the clicking noise to signal that the ignition is at full power. It typically takes 15 minutes for the L-shaped burner to reach 932 degrees Fahrenheit, but the cordierite baking stone holds and distributes high heat extremely well. Then just a few minutes of cooking time!

In our experience testing the Ooni Koda 16, we found it distributed heat more evenly than its more expensive counterparts, the Ooni Karu 16 and Gozney Roccbox.

As with all gas-fired ovens, it takes a bit of practice to get the best results. The Koda gets very hot and can cook pizzas in under 90 seconds, so you’ll want to watch vigilantly and turn the pizza diligently every 15 seconds or so to ensure even cooking.

Overall the Ooni Koda is super easy to use, makes near-perfect Neapolitan pizza, and works in a variety of settings from yards and parks to tailgates and parking lots. It’s the best option by far for beginners to hone their homemade pizza making skills. Just add mozzarella!

Best Electric Pizza Oven

Breville Smart Oven Pizzaiolo Pizza Oven.

$999 on AMAZON

Who says pizza has to be made in an outdoor pizza oven? Enter the Breville Smart Oven Pizzaiolo Pizza Oven, a little slice of equipment heaven that lives on your kitchen countertop. Featuring fun settings that allow for more precise cooking, pizza enthusiasts can scroll through options (complete with images) and choose from pan pizza, New York, wood-fired, thin and crispy and Chicago style.

While it may not get as hot as its competitors (750 degrees Fahrenheit compared to 900+ degrees Fahrenheit), it produces predictable, even and consistent heat with a built-in thermometer that makes crispy pizzas in a pinch. It may look like an oversized stainless steel toaster oven to some, but you’d be remiss to write the Breville Smart Oven Pizzaiolo Pizza Oven as just another kitchen gadget.

There’s virtually no management required: no turning, no vent adjusting, no repositioning. You simply select your style of pizza with the preset modes, wait for it to come to temperature (“AT TEMP”), place the pizza on a circular stone and wait for it to cook. It takes 3 minutes for a “Wood Fired,” 8 minutes for a “New York,” and 18 minutes for a “Pan Pizza.” Voila.

Unlike the other ovens we tested, you can cook any time of day and in any weather, as you’re exclusively indoors, plus there’s no crazy setup, fuel loading or preheating so you’ll have perfect pizza in much less time than in a gas, wood- or charcoal-burning oven. Indoor pizza ovens are where it’s at.

It’s worth noting that because of the lower, more consistent cooking temperatures (as compared to gas or wood-fired ovens) and cooking surface, you won’t see those pronounced burn marks that give your pizza pies that signature leopard-skin crust char and big crust bubbles. Instead, you’ll get results similar to an American pizzeria and slice shop with a steel deck electric setup: very evenly cooked crusts on top and bottom. Still equally delicious? We think so.

Best Wood-Fired Pizza Oven

Cru Model 30.

$495 on AMAZON

While electric and gas pizza cooking get the most airtime for their convenience, heat management and control and ease of use, there’s something about a delicious wood-fired pizza that you just can’t replicate without the good stuff (wood!).

The Cru Oven Model 30 is super barebones compared to others on this list as it’s not insulated, there’s no removable tray nor is there a thermometer, BUT its large ceiling arc and laser-cut steel panels produce incredible interior heat with the help of the ceramic stone, and that’s really all that’s needed to achieve great wood-fired pizza.

To fuel the oven, you’ll load the wood at the center of the stone, make a teepee and light it on fire (firestarters, butane, matches, whatever works). There’s no vent management, just a stainless steel smokestack with no controls, so the key here is simple: you put in wood… it burns… you cook. Period. The fuel source will burn down to embers after about 15 minutes, so if you’re still cooking be sure to load in more wood and push embers to the back of the oven to heat. When it cools, use the included ember rake to sweep out the ashes.

The pizzas that came out of the Cru Oven Model 30 have the big ole bubbles and high char levels that any wood-fired pizza enthusiast craves with an artisan touch that only wood cooking can achieve. The primitive design may not be for everyone, as it takes a lot of fuel management skills to make sure the oven is heating evenly and there’s no way to adjust the airflow, but for those brave enough for the balancing act, the pizzas are well worth the effort. Embrace the learning curve!

Other Great Pizza Ovens

Ooni Karu 12 Multi-Fuel Pizza Oven.

$799 on AMAZON

The Ooni Karu 12 is another great, highly portable pizza oven. The Karu 12 reaches pizza-cooking temperatures in less time than it takes to high heat an oven or a barbecue gas grill with a pizza stone and can reach 950 degrees F. This way you can make pizza in one minute! You can use charcoal or wood for fuel type, giving you versatility in your pizza-making process. Charcoal grills and wood-burning bbq grills, be damned. This model comes in a 12-inch and 16-inch version.

Bakerstone Pizza Oven Box.

$199 on AMAZON

The Bakerstone Pizza Oven Box transformers your regular backyard gas grill into a pizza oven with capabilities of reaching over 900 degrees Fahrenheit. This is a great option if you’re tight on space, you can repurpose your existing grill! A stone baking board is included to ensure evenly cooked crusts.

Roccbox Gozney Portable Outdoor Pizza Oven.

$499 on AMAZON

People swear by the Roccbox Gozney Portable Outdoor Pizza Oven. This at-home pizza oven with its dual-fuel capabilities, meaning you can cook with either propane or real wood fire. It will heat in 15 to 30 minutes, is portable and has top-notch performance that’s on par with the Ooni brand. It’s a little pricey, but worth the dollars spent for that bubbly, highly charred pizza crust.

Gozney Dome.

$157 on AMAZON

The Gozney Dome is another high-end oven from the makers of the Roccbox, and while it’s expensive, it does have quite the bells and whistles. Burn gas, wood or wood pellets and use the electronic ignition with integrated temperature probe and advanced venting system to make any style of pizza your heart desires, from New York to Neapolitan to Chicago.

Bertello Pizza Oven Multi-Fuel “Everything” Bundle.

$375 on AMAZON

There’s a lot to like about the Bertello 12-inch multi-fuel “Everything” bundle, especially the price (much more affordable than the comparable 12-inch Karu or the Gozney / Roccbox). Pieces include a gas burner, wood fuel trays, an infrared thermometer, a wood-handled steel perforated pizza peel and an outdoor cover.

Alfa Nano Gas-Fired Oven.

$1399 on AMAZON

Built for serious pizza enthusiasts, the Alfa Nano Gas-Fired Oven is made for those who love Neapolitan-style pizza, baked and ready in under 90 seconds. The gas burner can get up to 750 degrees Fahrenheit in only 10 minutes, and upward of 900 degrees in just 15. There’s also a wood-fired version to take your pizza to the next level. 

Ooni Fyra 12-Inch Pizza Oven.

$349 on AMAZON

The Ooni Fyra 12-Inch Pizza Oven is a wood-fired pizza oven that uses wood pellets rather than splits. A bit of an oddball, yes, but it’s otherwise similar to the Ooni Karu 16 with a vent-controlled smokestack save for the rear hopper that’s used to load wood pellets into a removable combustion chamber.

Solo Stove Pi Pizza Oven.

$499 on AMAZON

Solo Stove is known for its fire pits so it’s no surprise they brought their expertise to pizza ovens. The Solo Stove Pi Pizza Oven has a stainless steel cylinder and is as portable and simple to use as a dual-fuel oven can be. Slide in the cordierite pizza stones, use either a gas burner or a wood hopper and ash tray, fire it up and you’ll be ready to bake in 20 minutes.

Get Cooking!

No matter which pizza oven you choose, you’ll be on your way to creating delicious homemade pizza in no time. Grab your pizza dough, channel your inner pizza makers and let’s have ourselves a pizza party!

Buon appetito!