Best Outdoor Pizza Ovens – Our Picks For Epic Patio Pizza

Pizza is one of those rare foods that seems like it’s liked by just about everybody you come across.  No matter what kind of food you prefer, odds are you can find that perfect combination of crust, sauce, cheese, and toppings that hit you just right.  That delicious pizza is achievable at home with a proper pizza oven.

Hand crafting your own pizza at home is a great way to make delicious food and memories with your family and friends.  There isn’t a better way to run a make your own pizza night than with your own outdoor pizza oven.

In this post, we’ve pulled together our picks for the best outdoor pizza oven, so you can have the research all in one place!  After some product reviews, we’ll get into buying tips and what to look for when shopping for the right fit for your home.

 

In a Rush?  Here’s Our Top Picks:

1. Ooni Koda Outdoor Pizza Oven – [Top Overall]
2. Chicago Brick Oven 750 Outdoor Pizza Oven – [Best High End Pizza Oven]
3. Ooni Karu 16 Outdoor Pizza Oven
4. Camp Chef Italia Artisan Pizza Oven
5. Roccbox Portable Pizza Oven
6. Bertello Outdoor Pizza Oven

Best Outdoor Pizza Oven Reviews

Ooni Koda 16 Outdoor Pizza Oven

Ooni is one of the premier names when it comes to outdoor pizza ovens, and the Ooni Koda 16 Outdoor Pizza Oven is their flagship portable outdoor oven.

Fueled by a 20 lb propane gas tank, it can heat up to over 900 degrees Fahrenheit in less than 15 minutes, with the pizza stone capable of being heated to around 750 degrees.  From there, it can crank out Neapolitan style pizzas is as little as 60 seconds.

This oven comes in a second size that’s a little bit smaller, the Ooni Koda 12.

Set up and use of this oven also couldn’t be easier.  It’s basically ready to go out of the box, and thanks to a slim profile it’s easy to handle while being sturdy at the same time.  At under 30 pounds, it’s perfect for outdoor cooking or for taking on the go.

The shell is insulated steel, which is what makes the oven capable of reaching such high temperatures.  Foldable, yet sturdy legs anchor the oven on whichever flat surface you choose to cook on outdoors.

I would add that with this outdoor pizza oven probably more than others, you have to pay close attention while cooking since the heat gets so high!  If you stop paying attention, that delicious golden crust can quickly burn.

Check out our post on Ooni vs Napoli Pizza Ovens if you want to see how these ovens stack up to other popular brands.

Things We Like:

• Great price point for the level of performance.
• The oven can get up to 930 degrees Fahrenheit in 15 minutes.
• Capable of making Neapolitan style pizzas in as little as 60 seconds.
• Adjustable valves let you have complete control over temperature.
• Insulated steel shell does a fantastic job with heat retention.

Things We Don’t:

• The opening is a tiny bit narrower than we’d like, it’s not a deal breaker but it can take a few tries before mastering how to perfectly navigate your pizza cook!

CBO 750 Countertop Wood Fired Pizza Oven

If you are in the market for a commercial grade, high end outdoor pizza oven, the Chicago Brick Oven 750 Countertop pizza oven is an excellent choice.

It’s big enough to accommodate two 12″ pizzas at once, and potentially three smaller pies at the same time. The hearth cooking surface measures 38″ x 28″.

On the temperature front, this oven can get up to a whopping 1,000ºF thanks to a commercial grade refractory cement shell – so you can easily cook a pizza in less than a minute.

The shell is designed with Chicago Brick Oven’s FlameRoll technology, which ensures even temperatures throughout the oven while you cook.

It’s important to point out that this specific unit is a wood fired pizza oven, although a similar product is available that is both a gas and wood fired hybrid pizza oven.

Ooni Karu 16 Pizza Oven

The Ooni Karu 16 is king when it comes to portable multi-fuel pizza ovens.  The base unit is ready to use for wood fired pizzas, but you can also add on a gas attachment that lets you easily switch back and forth between wood and gas fired pizza.

This really is a great feature when you consider the differences between the two fuel types.  Wood fire means you get access to that authentic, delicious, hint of smoke flavor on your pizza.  Gas sacrifices a little bit of flavor in exchange for ultimate convenience and no clean up.  Sometimes it’s nice to be able to switch between both.

As with other Ooni ovens, the Karu can get up to 950ºF in just 15 minutes, which is hot enough to cook a pizza in about a minute.

A new feature with the Karu 16 is the hinged oven door that includes a viewing window.  Doors are nice because they keep uniform heat inside the cooker, but the problem is that with most doors you can’t see inside to determine whether or not you pizza is done cooking.

That’s not a worry with the Karu 16 as you get the best of both worlds – heat stays inside and you can visually monitor your pizza while it cooks through the viewing window.

Camp Chef Italia Artisan Pizza Oven

Camp Chef is a very well known and reputable brand in the world of cooking.  They also happen to make one of the best outdoor pizza ovens with their Camp Chef Italia Artisan Pizza Oven.  What I especially love about this product is that it comes at an extremely reasonable price for how high quality it is – you can make some spectacular artisan pizza with this unit.

The ceiling is double layered, which makes the oven cook like a brick oven with enhanced heating dynamics.  Stainless steel is the primary material used for construction, which heats up well and is super easy to clean after you’re done cooking.

Oven temperatures can reach up to 700 degrees, so it can handle any of your pizza firing needs.  A valve control and micro adjust system is built in so you have complete control over how hot you want to go when cooking.

The unit is also well ventilated and features a ceramic pizza stone which helps to distribute heat evenly across your pizza.

Read our full review of the Camp Chef Pizza Oven here if you would like a more detailed look at this cooker!

Things We Like:

• Great price point considering performance, features, and quality.
• The oven can get up to 700 degrees Fahrenheit in 15 minutes.
• Good ventilation and double layered construction to emulate a brick oven.
• Micro adjust valves let you have complete control over temperature.
• Fueled by a standard propane connection to a 5 lb tank.

Things We Don’t:

• At 47 pounds, it’s a little bit of a hassle to move around.

Roccbox Portable Outdoor Pizza Oven

The Roccbox Portable Outdoor Pizza Oven is about as premium as it gets.  To be transparent about it up front, this is the most expensive product on our list, and is most definitely an option for those that have a little more of a budget.

The thing that makes the Roccbox stand out the most to me is that it’s designed with safety in mind.  We are talking about temperatures nearing 1,000 degrees when we talk about pizza ovens, and the thought of a curious kid touching the shell of a pizza oven keeps me up at night.

Roccbox by far has the safest design.  Their unit’s body insulation and outer silicone skin greatly reduce the danger of skin burns that come into play on other pizza ovens (you still should try to avoid touching the outer shell as a good practice).

Beyond that, the Roccbox is built as a turn-key portable outdoor pizza oven.  An inbuilt thermometer, retractable legs and detachable dual-fuel burners make it easy to transport and set up – all you have to to is flip the switch to begin cooking.

All in all, it’s a fantastic product, and if the price is in your wheelhouse you most definitely won’t be disappointed.  Note that we’ve done a deep dive comparison of Roccbox vs Ooni pizza ovens for a closer look at these brands!

Things We Like:

• Safety first.  The body insulation and outer silicone skin greatly reduces the danger of skin burn.
• 60 second Neapolitan pizza results are achievable with temperatures reaching 932 degrees Fahrenheit.
• General ease of use.  The design is intuitive and ready to go right out of the box.
• Choose between gas or wood as your fire’s fuel.
• Detachable fuel burners and retractable legs make the Roccbox incredibly easy to store and transport.

Things We Don’t:

• Price.  There’s no way around it, it’s an expensive oven.  But many who have bought are still quite pleased, despite the high price tag.

Ooni Pro Outdoor Pizza Oven

Ooni takes the second spot on our list too, because their Ooni Pro Outdoor Pizza Oven is an exceptional pizza cooker too – it’s just a little more expensive than some of our other picks.

As the old saying goes though, you get what you pay for.  Just because the Ooni Pro is more expensive than products doesn’t mean you still aren’t getting great value.

It’s similar to the other Ooni ovens in that it heats up to 932 degrees Fahrenheit and can cook delicious pizza in less than 60 seconds.

The Pro version begins to separate itself with an extra 3 inches of opening, meaning you can cook a 16 inch pizza.  While that might not sound like a lot, there’s actually a pretty big difference in surface area between a 13 inch pizza and a 16 inch pizza.

Size isn’t the only consideration though.  What makes the Ooni Pro truly special is its versatility.  If you’re looking for an easy set up, you can fuel your pizza oven with a propane connection.  If you want a little more flavor and have the time, you can fuel your fire with charcoal, wood, or wood pellets.  All in the same unit.

Check out our Ooni Pro pizza oven review for a more detailed look at this cooker.

Things We Like:

• All components and the general design is extremely well made.
• Versatility.  With the Ooni Pro, you can take the easy route and use gas for fuel, or you can go the flavorful route and use charcoal, wood, or wood pellets.
• Temperature cranks to up to 932 degrees Fahrenheit.  60 seconds is all it takes for delicious cooked pizza.
• Custom made cordierite stone baking board is perfect for baking pizzas.

Things We Don’t:

• The price is higher than the other options on this list.  The value is still 100% there with this oven, but we recognize that the Ooni Pro might be out of budget – and you might find better bang for your buck elsewhere.
• At 67 pounds, it’s not really a portable grill.  It’s easy enough to move if you need to, but it’s probably better off remaining in place.

Bertello Wood Fire and Gas Outdoor Pizza Oven

The Bertello Wood Fire and Gas Outdoor Pizza Oven checks all of the boxes that you want checked when it comes to a great cooker.  It’s compact, lightweight, and versatile.  Most notably, it offers the ability to fuel with charcoal, wood, or wood pellets for traditional flavor, or with propane gas for a more hands off approach.

Temperature wise, the Bertello can reach temperatures over 900 degrees Fahrenheit.  That’s more than enough to achieve quick and delicious results in less than 60 seconds.

The opening for pizzas is 12.5″ wide x 13.5″ deep, which is perfect for a personal sized pizza.  Also included as accessories with this oven are a cordierite pizza stone, wood chip/pellet scoop, and wood/charcoal/pellet tray to help make the experience as easy as possible.

Things We Like:

• Very reasonable price point relative to other ovens.
• The oven can get up over 900 degrees Fahrenheit – which lets you achieve delicious pizza in 60 seconds.
• Choose which fuel you use.  A gas input is more of a hands off approach.  If you want to maximize flavor, you can use wood, charcoal, or wood pellets as your fire’s fuel source.
• Under 30 pounds and has a compact frame, so it’s easy to take on the go or to stow when not in use.

Things We Don’t:

• Same as the Ooni Koda, the opening is ideal only for pizzas up to 13″.

Pizzacraft Pizzeria Pronto Portable Outdoor Pizza Oven

When it comes to pizza ovens, you want a product that makes creating delicious pizza as easy and hassle free as possible.  That’s exactly what you get with the Pizzacraft PC6000 Pizzeria Pronto Portable Outdoor Pizza Oven.

Fueled by propane, there’s an easy ignite system built in that lets you get up and running in just minutes.  In fact, you can preheat this oven to 700 degrees Fahrenheit in less than 10 minutes.  From there it only takes around 5 minutes to cook your pizza, and potentially less depending on the type and thickness of your crust.

A common frustration with pizza ovens is that if they aren’t designed properly, you could end up with a soggy center or uneven heating across the pizza.  Pizzacraft included specific design elements into the PC6000 to make these factors a non-issue.

First, the lid has a concave curve to reflect heat back onto the pizza.  In the center of the lid, there’s a vent which lets moisture escape during the cooking process, which is a HUGE help to avoid soggy results.

Second, a flat built in pizza stone heats evenly and distributes that heat across the entire pizza.  The stone does wonders in ensuring an even cook and helps your pizza get that delicious, crispy crust.

On top of all of this, it’s lightweight, has a small profile (it’s only 16 inches tall) and is quite safe to use.

Things We Like:

• Pizza stone perfectly distributes heat and helps to achieve a crispy crust.
• The unit heats quickly, it can get up to 700 degrees Fahrenheit in 10 minutes.
• Lid design includes a vent which helps to eliminate soggy results.
• Lightweight, portable design (only 26 pounds).  Incredibly easy to take on the go, or store when not in use.
• Fueled by a standard propane connection to a 20 lb tank.  You can also use a 1 lb tank with the included adaptor.

Things We Don’t:

• Some customers have reported inconsistent temperatures

BBQSTAR Outdoor Wood Fired Pizza Oven

BBQSTAR is a relative newcomer to the pizza oven scene, but as it turns out their Outdoor Wood Fired Pizza Oven is one of the most affordable on the market.  It’s without a doubt one of the most price friendly options on this list for those shopping on a budget.

The BBQSTAR is fueled by either charcoal, wood pellets, or both.  It can achieve temperatures up to 900 degrees and has a compact design, weighing only 19 pounds.

The fire box on the back is an incredibly easy way to manage your pellets or charcoals, and the opening is capable of wood firing an 11 inch pizza.

Things We Like:

• The price is right.  If you’re shopping on a budget, you’d be hard pressed to find a better price point than this.
• Wood pellet or charcoal fuel means more flavor on your food.  Not ideal if you’d prefer the convenience of gas.
• You can achieve temperatures up to 900 degrees which is more than enough for home pizza.
• Weighs less than 20 pounds, so it’s very easy to move around.

Things We Don’t:

• Only cooks 11 inch pizzas.  That’s the smallest cooking stone by a fairly wide margin of all the choices on this list.
• With a newer product that lacks reviews, I worry about quality of build and how well it insulates.  It may be worth waiting to see if additional reviews pop up with comments on how well this oven retains heat.

Pizzacraft PizzaQue Portable Outdoor Pizza Oven

We wanted to include one more budget option on this list, the Pizzacraft PC6500 PizzaQue Portable.  At under $150, you really aren’t going to find a better price for a pizza oven.

Temperature wise, it maxes out around 700 degrees, which means you won’t be able to have 60 second pizzas like some of the other products on this list.  But if you have the extra patience, the PC6500 will cook delicious pizzas in 6 minutes or less.

It operates on a standard 20 lb gas tank, and has a 14 inch pizza stone which does a great job of distributing heat evenly.  At 25 pounds, it’s also a great choice to take on the go.

Things We Like:

• The cheapest price of any oven on this list.
• The 14″ pizza stone is actually quite wide, especially considering the price point.
• Pizza stone does a great job of evenly distributing heat.
• Weighs around pounds for easy transport.

Things We Don’t:

• Max temperature is only 700 degrees Fahrenheit, so the 60 second Neapolitan style pizza isn’t achievable.
• It’s not insulated, which might make heat retention and evenness when cooking difficult.

How to Choose the Best Outdoor Pizza Oven

Choosing the right product for you is a process.  I wanted to list out some helpful tips in this guide to be on the lookout for during your search!

Temperature Range

Most wood fire pizza recipes call for temperatures around 800 degrees or higher.  That’s also the temperature range where the coveted 60 second pizza becomes possible.  If time spent cooking isn’t a concern for you, this may not matter, but I will say from personal experience that the flow of a pizza making party with family or friends just goes a lot smoother when you can do a pizza in 60 seconds.

Many of the units on this list have a maximum temperature of 932 degrees Fahrenheit, but some top out in the 700 degree range.  Just be sure that the oven you end up with fits your needs in this regard!

Insulation

Insulation does wonders in the cooking process of your pizza.  We always recommend insulated pizza ovens to people, as the experience will just be easier and better.  With insulation, heat retention and even cooking become a lot easier and simpler.

Stainless steel and ceramic material are probably the most common and best materials when it comes to retaining heat.

Portability

All of the ovens on this list are portable to a degree, with some more-so than others.  Think about the space you would use your outdoor pizza oven in, and how often you’d use it.  If you have a tight space or don’t think you’ll use it super frequently, it might be worth looking at a more portable and lightweight unit.

On the other hand, if you want the pizza oven to be the centerpiece of your outdoor cooking space, you may want something that’s more of a cornerstone and a statement piece, like the Ooni Pro.

Price

Obviously, price is a major factor in any purchase decision.  When it comes to the best outdoor pizza oven, you could be looking anywhere between $200 and $2,000.  Generally speaking, the more expensive the unit, the better the construction and more feature rich it will be.

As we pointed out above, quality construction is important for good insulation, which leads to more consistent results.

That being said, there are some great pizza ovens for $300 or less.  It just depends on what your budget is, how often you’ll use the oven, and what your goals are.

Fuel Source

As with grills it goes with pizza ovens.  Which fuel source is best?  Purists might argue that the classic taste of a wood fire pizza is better.  Some might prefer the convenience of gas.

At the end of the day, you need to think about whether you value the wood fire flavor that comes with wood or charcoal more.  Or do you prefer the quick start, press and go convenience of gas?  Both fuel sources make absolutely delicious pizza, but there is a small difference.

If you’re stuck in between, then consider purchasing a pizza oven that can switch back and forth between both.  That way, you get the best of both worlds and can fuel with gas or wood/charcoal depending on what kind of mood you’re in.

Note – check out our article on the best types of wood for pizza ovens right here!

Pizza Stone Size

How big do you want the pizzas you make to be?  For me personally, anything 13 inches or above is a perfect size for make your own pizza nights.  You might want something a little bigger, or you might also be ok with a smaller size.  Most of the ovens on this best outdoor pizza oven list range between 13 inches and 16 inches wide on the pizza stone.

Wrap Up

My mouth is watering just thinking about all of this delicious pizza!  An outdoor oven might seem like a splurge or an unnecessary appliance, but I can assure you it’s a fantastic addition to your outdoor cooking space, and you’ll undoubtedly make some great memories firing up the pizza in your back yard.

Which one did you end up with?  We want to know!  Let us know which one you got in the comments section below.