Outdoor pizza ovens are a must-have if you love hosting alfresco dinner parties and enjoy quality pizzas all year long. Alfresco dining and outdoor grills are not the same without some good food and good friends - and what meal is more of a crowd-pleaser than pizza?
Whether you have a big garden or a small one, making a restaurant-style pizza from the comfort of your own home is a simple pleasure, there is an outdoor pizza oven for everyone. Of course, you can make pizzas in your oven, but is there anything really as satisfying as a signature smoky handmade pizza fresh from the wood-fired oven? With a multi-fuel kiln, such as the Gozney Dome Pizza Oven you can achieve authentic wood-fired pizza.
Best outdoor pizza ovens at a glance:
• Best overall (Editor's choice): Ooni Fyra 12 Wood Pellet Pizza Oven- View on Ooni
• Best high-end portable outdoor pizza oven: DeliVita Pizza Lover's Collection Wood-Fired Portable Outdoor Oven - View on BBQWorld
• Best outdoor gas pizza oven: Ooni Koda 12 Gas Powered Pizza Oven - View on Ooni
If this sounds like something you would love, we have made a list of the best outdoor pizza ovens, from fully-fledged dome outdoor ovens to portable pizza ovens to ones you can cook on your hybrid BBQ. Some pizza ovens have gas burners, and others are fuelled by BBQ charcoal or wood pellets. The temperature of most ovens can reach 400 and 500 degrees, and the better your oven keeps its temperature, the more pizzas you can make in one session.
Best outdoor pizza ovens for your garden
Best overall (Editor's choice)
uk.ooni.com
Ooni is a big hit with pizza lovers and kickstarted the trend of making pizzas in your garden. The Ooni Fyra is the successor to the Ooni 3, which Ooni claims was the world's first portable outdoor pizza oven. The Frya is high quality and affordable, with foldable legs and a chimney that can be twisted off so you can store it inside the oven itself if you want to pack it away or take it on the go, as the whole set-up weighs in at a manageable 10 kilograms.
The Ooni Frya is capable of making classic 12-inch pizzas with that delicious wood-fired flavour. Once warmed up, the Fyra promises to cook those authentic wood-fired pizzas in just 60 seconds, so pizza parties will be a regular in your house.
This pizza oven really does make the cooking process easy, so it's guaranteed to be used all summer long, and maybe even all year round. One reviewer swears by their Ooni pizza oven so much, they say they will never get pizza from a restaurant again. Reviewers do say this takes around 10 to 15 minutes to heat up, but then the pizzas are cooked super-fast.
Pros
- Quick to cook once heated up
- Good insulation for heat retention
- Portable with foldable legs and a removeable chimney
Cons
- Wood pellet burning only
Fuel: | Wood |
Pizza size: | 12-inch |
Dimensions: | 74 x 39 x 72cm |
Weight: | 10kg |
Best outdoor pizza oven for fuel options
With folding legs and a handy carry case, the Gozney Roccbox is built for adventure. This outdoor oven can reach up to 500 degrees and makes outdoor cooking fast and easy, with pizzas cooked in a minute. The Roccbox SafeTouch silicone jacket reduces the risk of skin burns, something reviewers with young families find reassuring, and it comes with a professional-grade pizza peel. You can enjoy the authentic taste and experience of wood-fired cooking, and detachable burners make it easy to switch between wood and gas, something reviewers that like to mix things up really appreciate.
This oven features a 19mm thick stone floor for great heat retention and this means your pizzas are cooked from the bottom up. Happy customers say this makes for lovely crispy pizza bases whether you're cooking with gas or wood. Heat retention is also helped by thick layers of insulation between the inner and outer shells while a baffle plate - a design Gozney patented - ensures your pizza never gets too close to any flames.
The Gozney Roccbox is designed for home cooks, but has managed to impress professional chefs. One reviewer takes this portable pizza oven to outdoor events and successfully cooks up to 200 pizzas a time. Another reviewer, a pizza chef by trade, says that he highly recommends the Roccbox and considers the pizza cooked in it as perfect.
Pros
- The silicone jacket is excellent for protection
- Easy to transport thanks to the bundled carry case
- Has two fuel options - wood and gas
Cons
- Can be tricky to use when cooking with wood
Fuel: | Wood and gas |
Pizza size: | 12-inch |
Dimensions: | 57.5 x 45 x 51cm |
Weight: | 24kg |
Tried and tested
Best high-end portable outdoor pizza oven
www.bbqworld.co.uk
One reviewer states that a DeliVita oven is not just an oven, it's an experience. This lovely outdoor oven is perfect for pizza lovers looking for a stylish appliance. The DeliVita pizza oven comes in various colours and can make 12-inch pizzas. This takes around 25 minutes to get to the required temperature, but then hand-stretched pizzas can be cooked in 90 seconds.
On a practical note, this oven is waterproof and comes with a cover, so you can leave it outside if you choose. There are also insulated heat-proof handles and an insulated oven base, so you have freedom to position this wherever suits your outdoor pizza cooking needs - as long as the surface can take the weight.
As with similar ovens, do bear in mind you can make other dishes in this outdoor oven, such as proteins, flatbreads, or any other food that you would like to have a smoky aroma. Our reviewer, Emily Gilbert, the Features & Reviews Editor for Mother&Baby and Yours, states that this pizza oven is spacious enough for a roasting tray, so you could cook a leg of lamb, or a whole chicken. The downside to this capacity is that this appliance is on the heavier side, but if you have space and want to make restaurant-level pizzas, you will love this oven.
Read our full DeliVita Pizza Oven review here.
Pros
- Gorgeous professional looks
- Available in a range of different colours
- Handcrafted in Yorkshire
Cons
- Heavyweight at 30 kilograms
Fuel: | Wood-fired |
Pizza size: | 12-inch |
Dimensions: | 65 x 35 x 59cm |
Weight: | 30kg |
Best outdoor gas pizza oven
uk.ooni.com
Cooking outdoors with gas has never been so simple with the Ooni Koda. Featuring instant gas ignition, it is ready to cook in 15 minutes and can reach temperatures up to 500 degrees. The letterbox-style opening is ideal for sliding pizzas in and out easily, and the oven can also roast meat, fish, and vegetables.
To get started with the Koda, you simply need to flip open the foldable legs, insert the stone baking board, and connect it to a gas tank. By all accounts, reviewers love this option and say believe the hype about how easy this pizza oven is to use. Reviewers recommend keeping your pizza bases as thin as possible so the toppings cook evenly, advise turning your pizza often during the brief cooking time, and some report their best successes with a sourdough pizza base.
The main complaint about the Ooni Koda is the fact that the outside body of this oven does get very hot, with one experienced user advising others to ensure that their kids keep their distance. If you can live with that caveat, and prefer gas to smoky wood pellets, this could be your perfect outdoor pizza cooking option.
Pros
- Portable at 9.25 kilograms
- Good gas controls for consistent cooking
- Foldable legs for space-saving storage
Cons
- It may not taste as authentic as wood-fired options
Fuel: | Gas |
Pizza size: | 12-inch and 16-inch |
Dimensions: | 62 x 39 x 29cm |
Weight: | 9.25kg |
5.
Gozney Dome
Tried and tested
Best professional-grade outdoor pizza oven
www.gozney.com
You could get your hands on what Gozney describes as the world's most in-demand outdoor oven which reviewers rate as 10/10 and state it's the best appliance they ever bought for outdoor cooking. Our in-house reviewer, Modern Gardens' product writer Natalie Knowles, praises the Dome for its astonishing heat retention, the ability to create incredible food, and describes the oven as easy-to-use, practical, and aesthetical.
This award-winning oven has been engineered to work effortlessly for beginners, with reviewers praising how easy it is to set up. You can cook pizzas on the live fire, roast, smoke, bake, steam, and even cold smoke. Plus, it comes with many useful accessories, an integrated gas burner, and a regulator. This is a top-tier piece of kit with professional-level credentials.
The ease-of-use praise comes in from those using gas to heat the oven. By all accounts using this as a wood-fired oven can be a bit more of a challenge, so it may take a few practice runs before you invite friends or family around for a wood-fired pizza cooking party.
Read our full Gozney Dome Pizza Oven review here.
Pros
- Excellent for avid home cooks
- Digital thermometer for quick temperature readings
- Temperature probes included
Cons
- Some accessories sold separately
Fuel: | Wood and gas |
Pizza size: | 12-inches |
Dimensions: | 66 x 63 x 73.2cm |
Weight: | 58kg |
Tried and tested
Best outdoor pizza oven for fast cooking
You can experience super-fast heating with the gas-powered Witt Etna Fermo Pizza Oven, with the ability to reach temperatures of up to 500 degrees in less than 18 minutes. With a large 40.5cm capacity, you can effortlessly cook 16-inch, family-sized pizzas, and achieve pizza perfection in as little as 60 seconds. This is thanks to the U-shaped burner which guarantees uniform heat distribution, ensuring consistently crispy results. That more generous capacity is popular with larger families and those who regularly cook for a crowd.
For added convenience, the oven is portable, featuring foldable aluminium legs with rubber bases for easy set-up and secure positioning, although our in-house reviewer Stephanie Spencer, the Deputy Digital Editor of Yours, does say this is a hefty bit of kit. Reviewers comment this kind of heavyweight quality makes this oven feel like it's built to last.
An integrated thermometer is one thing reviewers feel this pizza oven is missing. Some also highlight that, although this is a high-end piece of outdoor cooking kit, accessories such as a pizza peel and a weatherproof cover, are all sold separately.
Read our full Witt Etna Fermo Pizza Oven review here.
Pros
- Award-winning Danish design
- Once warmed up, this cooks very quickly
- Easy to set up right out of the box
Cons
- Takes a bit of trial and error to achieve perfect pizzas
Fuel: | Gas |
Pizza size: | 16-inch |
Dimensions: | 75 x 63 x 45cm |
Weight: | 33.5kg |
Tried and tested
Best innovative outdoor pizza oven
You can achieve crispy, evenly baked pizzas with delightful crusts thanks to the Witt ETNA Rotante Pizza Oven's unique selling point - a 360-degree rotating pizza stone that means you can look forward to a crispy base and an even bake, something reviewers rave happily about. There's also an extra booster burner that users report helps towards a perfect leopard-spotted finish.
Crafted from high-quality aluminium and steel, this outdoor oven has a decent capacity which offers ample cooking space for family-sized pizzas up to 16 inches. Our in-house reviewer, Adam Binnie, the Affiliate Operations Editor for Modern Gardens, appreciated that larger capacity, stating that even if you aren't looking to create 16-inch pizzas, the extra space makes removing pizzas from the oven much less stressful.
This gas-powered oven is another option that preheats quickly - you can get to 500 degrees in under 15 minutes and the U-shaped main burner helps with that consistent cook we're all looking for.
Read our full Witt Etna Rotante Pizza Oven review here.
Pros
- Reliable, brilliant results thanks to the rotating pizza plate
- Looks great with award-winning good looks
- Heats up quickly in as little as 15 minutes
Cons
- Large and heavy - not a compact choice
Fuel: | Gas |
Pizza size: | 16-inch |
Dimensions: | 75 x 63 x 45cm |
Weight: | 37.5kg |
Best budget pizza oven to use on BBQs
If you don't have the space, or the budget, for a standalone outdoor pizza oven, a wallet-friendly option to consider is a pizza oven which sits directly on top of your BBQ. This compact pizza oven from La Hacienda does just that and is suitable for use with gas or charcoal barbecues. It should be noted though, that reviewers suggest it's a lot easier to regulate the temperature and get more consistent results when this is used on gas-powered BBQs.
Made from stainless steel with a traditional pizza stone to retain the heat, this portable pizza oven quickly heats up, ready to cook your pizza in minutes so you can dish up authentic stone-cooked pizzas alongside your more standard BBQ fare of burgers and sausages. As this is quite a compact choice, reviewers suggest investing in a proper, metallic pizza peel to make the cooking process, both turning and removing, a bit easier.
Pros
- Compact to store when not in use
- It can be used on standard BBQs
- One of the more affordable products on the market
Cons
- Handles are not heatproof, so it can be tricky to move
Fuel: | BBQ |
Pizza size: | 12-inch |
Dimensions: | 35 x 35 x 15 cm |
Weight | 8kg |
Best affordable outdoor pizza oven and charcoal BBQ
www.debenhams.com
Love to show off your outdoor cooking skills to friends and family? Then this valuable piece of kit is a reliable all-rounder that will permanently stay on your patio, deck, or in your outdoor kitchen and allow you to cook in many different ways. The Kukoo Pizza Oven is a versatile, outdoor cooking station that easily transitions between the role of a smoker, a pizza oven, a sear plate, and a low, sealed grill with a flip-down oven door.
Reviewers comment on how easy it is to light and to control the temperature. This multi-tasking solution is great for baking bread, and barbecuing meat, fish, and veg - an affordable, standalone option that can help you achieve many types of outdoor cookery. This comes complete with not just a pizza stone, but also a pizza peel, and a pizza cutter so you get all the kit you need to start slinging some pies.
Pros
- Versatile to cook a wide range of food
- Easy to light and to control the temperature
- Standalone design that's great for outdoor kitchens
Cons
- Reviews say it can be hard to assemble
Fuel: | BBQ charcoal |
Pizza size: | 9-inch |
Dimensions: | 43 x 64 x 156cm |
Best outdoor Kamado-style pizza oven and BBQ
www.johnlewis.com
The Big Green Egg BBQ range is a take on the classic Japanese "Kamado-style" grills and comprises of versatile ceramic grills that are guaranteed to be well-built. These distinctive green grills have an almost cult-level status among their dedicated users with so-called "Egg Heads" to be found happily grilling all around the globe.
This extra-large model can sear, roast, grill, or smoke your food with many "eggcessories" available to further expand your cooking range. The charcoal grill uses less fuel than a traditional BBQ, it's super-efficient as it holds heat and moisture and simplifies temperature control. Not only that, the charcoal delivers a unique smoke-infused flavour that you just can't beat. One grill, so many opportunities much appreciated by many happy customers.
This Extra Large Big Green Egg bundle includes two handy acacia wood shelves for food preparation and a nest with transporter wheels. It comes with all the accessories you need to master the perfect crisp-bottomed pizza, so you will never need to leave your home for restaurant-style pizzas.
Pros
- Works in all weathers and offers versatile cooking styles
- Good investment for outdoor cooking fanatics
- Economic with fuel thanks to its Kamado-style design
Cons
- Heavy to move around your outside space
Fuel: | Charcoal |
Pizza size: | 12-inch |
Dimensions | 162 x 49 x 50cm |
Weight: | 18.6kg |
How we chose the best outdoor pizza ovens
All of these outdoor pizza ovens have been hand-selected by our team of Modern Gardens shopping experts. We carefully considered the build, features and cost in our selection of the best. Our team has spent hours investigating and researching outdoor pizza ovens to make it easier for you to find the very best, and we'd never recommend a product we don't believe in.
Where possible, we also test and share the latest and best products you should know about. And with help from Modern Gardens Magazine, Garden News and Garden Answers, we share expert gardening knowledge to help you get the most from your product.
What types of outdoor pizza ovens are there?
Portable pizza ovens
If you have a small garden or make pizzas on occasion, these lightweight gadgets can often reach impressive high temperatures and feature foldable legs, meaning you can easily store them indoors. You may want to invest in an outdoor pizza table to place a portable oven on.
Freestanding pizza ovens
If you absolutely love pizzas and want to enjoy restaurant-style pizzas from the comfort of your home, then you will get your money's worth out of a freestanding oven. These large ovens don't have to be built in, meaning it's usually a cheaper option and can also be moved around easily, so you to cook more than one pizza at a time. They often come with protective covers, too, so you can leave them out all summer long, no matter the weather.
Hybrid pizza ovens
Hybrid pizza ovens double up as an electric or gas BBQ, so you'll basically be getting two for the price of one - perfect if you love to cook outdoors and don't have loads of space. If you think you will BBQ and make pizzas equally, then this is a good choice, but keep in mind that appliances specifically designed for making pizzas alone produce the best cooking results.
So, without further ado, let's take a look at the best outdoor pizza ovens. From Ooni, Salter or Gozney, there's a deal waiting out there for you - so you can make restaurant-quality pizzas come rain or shine.
Outdoor pizza oven FAQs
Is it worth buying an outdoor pizza oven?
Of course, this comes down to preference, but outdoor ovens can cook pizza in just over a minute. At the end of the day, pizza ovens are not necessarily better at making pizza, but they are better at making thin-crust-style pizza.
Which is better, wood, or gas pizza oven?
Although a gas-fired outdoor oven is faster and more practical than a wood-fired one, it doesn't have the same rustic charm (or flavour) as burning wood. A gas burner is more versatile and easier to power up, but if you are looking for authentic thin-crust stone-baked pizzas, then an oven with a wood-burning setting would be the best option.
Why does wood-fired pizza taste so good?
Wood-fired outdoor ovens cook pizzas quickly, and due to the hot environment, the moisture from the sauce, cheese and toppings burns off fast, preventing the crust from becoming soggy.
How long do pizzas take to cook in an outdoor oven?
A small oven can take anywhere between 10 and 20 minutes to heat up. Using a gas-fuelled oven can take around 10 minutes, whereas it is closer to 20 minutes if you use wood pellets or charcoal. Larger ovens can sometimes take up to an hour. The smallest gas-powered ovens are the quickest and, once heated, can cook a pizza in as little as 60 seconds. Every oven is different, but you'll understand the optimal cooking time with time.
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Ellen Kinsey is a senior health and wellness product writer for Modern Gardens specialising in sustainable living and healthy cooking. She lives and breathes all things food, travel and wellness.