Making pizza outdoors is not easy. But if you do it right, it can be the tastiest pizza you can hope for. The best outdoor pizza ovens of the moment are your best choice if you don’t want to build one yourself. You can assemble such an oven on the patio and enjoy tasty pizza that often rivals the one you can enjoy in a pizzeria.
But apart from how the pizza tastes and how long it takes to assemble such a pizza oven, you still need to find an oven that is easy to use and easy to clean. If it doesn’t meet these standards, you are less likely to consider it to make pizza. This article only recommends the best pizza ovens but it also explains what makes them as good as they are and how you can choose the one that works best for you.
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Best for Assembly
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Best Portability
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Best Quality
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3.5
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3.5
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3.5
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£249.00
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£159.99
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£689.00
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12/17/2022 12:45 am GMT
Ooni Fyra 12 Wood Fired Outdoor Pizza Oven
Most pizza ovens are fuelled with electricity or gas nowadays. But these resources are difficult to carry with you on your outdoor trips. The Ooni brand is one of the first manufacturers that released a portable outdoor oven fuelled by wood pellets, an innovative way to enjoy freshly made pizza outdoors. Their Fyra 12 product is designed with an ingenious pellet hopper that automatically feeds through hardwood pellets making it possible to cook your pizza in 60 seconds. The heat of the oven can reach up to 500°C.
The shell of this portable oven is made of powder-coated carbon steel which enables the oven to retain optimal heat. Combined with the efficiency of the wood pellet as cooking fuel, you will achieve an exceptional culinary experience because of its maximum burn time and minimal energy waste. The Ooni Fyra 12 is ultra-portable and easy to assemble. It weighs 10kg, with foldable legs that offer easy transport and compact storage. You can take this countertop pizza oven wherever you like.
- Easy to assemble
- Relatively light and efficient to use
- High-quality product
- Shell is designed for heat retention
- Requires a thermometer to adjust the heat
Generic Fire Pit Pizza Oven
This Generic wood fired oven is one of the simplest designs on the market. It features a highly capable construction that makes it indestructible. It is also the most durable recommendation on our list as you can rely on its services for years to come when preparing delicious pizza for the entire family.
It uses a simple fire are topped with a metal cooking area. This is where all ovens started and it can also be an educational tool for the kids who get to know how the food was prepared a long time ago. You can rely on pellets but charcoal and wood are a bit better for this over to make the fire. You can buy a few pieces of wood from gas stations, supermarkets, or hardware stores.
A stainless steel paddle is added to the setup. It holds any pizza of up to 12”. It represents a value proposition for those who need to cook for the entire family. It is also the setup that is the easiest to clean. If you plan to have your pizza healthy and germ-free, you need to properly clean it after each session but since all elements are detachable, this becomes an easy task.
- Made from 4mm steel
- It works with real wood
- Compact at a height of just 18cm
- No thermometer
MAXIMUS Wood Outdoor Oven
Maximum is a versatile oven for outdoor cooking with 60×60 cm internal cooking space, a fire brick cooking floor, and a ceramic blanket that provides insulation for better heat retention. It is designed with a stainless steel baffle to allow hot smoke to circulate back to the front inside the oven to extract more heat. This system is widely used in most modern EPA heating wood-burning stoves, thus quicker heating time. It can reach 350°C in 30 minutes.
The front of the oven is made of high-quality refractory cement and the stainless steel liner inside is wrapped with aluminum skin. It is equipped with a stainless steel flue and air vents to easily regulate the temperature inside the oven. It is built to last outdoors all thanks to its durable components.
- Solid quality and durable
- Versatile outdoor oven
- Great value for money
- Can be left outdoors
- Tends to be heavy
Napoli Wood Fire and Gas Outdoor Pizza Oven
The Napoli is a multi-fuelled and multi-dish cooker portable oven. It is one of the most affordable, high-quality cookers that does not limit you to making just one dish and allowing you to use 3 different fuel sources including wood, charcoal, and even gas. This oven can cook with heat up to 500°C providing your food a restaurant-quality result.
It weighs less than 10kg and portable making it easy for you to transfer from storage to your garden for your outdoor party. The gas fuel attachment for this oven is sold separately.
- Affordable
- Multi-fuelled oven
- Light and portable
- Gas attachment is not included in the package
Oxford Barbecues 56255OL Gourmet Pizza Oven
Made from alloy steel, the Oxford Barbeques portable oven is ultra-light at 5.8kg. This pizza oven does not require assembly so it can be used right away after unpacking. This simple oven features a double skin insulated cavity for even distribution of heat and retention. It can cook anything from flatbread, pizza to meats and fish.
This can be fuelled using gas, charcoal, and masonry barbeques. You just need to place it on top of any heat-based surface and you are ready to cook.
- Light and portable
- Retains the food flavour
- Brilliant heat retention
- Reasonable price
- It takes practice to get the cooking temperatures right
How to choose the best outdoor pizza ovens
Outdoor pizza ovens are some of the simplest in their class. They represent a top solution for those seeking the ultimate versatility and simple outdoor cooking that is fun for the entire family. It can take a while to get used to these ovens but once you learn how to use them, you can make your pizza that is just as good as in a restaurant.
Why use an outdoor pizza oven?
Let’s start with the basics. Why would you need to consider for an outdoor pizza oven? A good reason is to simply avoid making it indoors and dealing with all of the hassle of the smoke and extra heat from the oven during the summer months.
- Better flavour
Some of the best pizza ovens are made to offer better flavours. Simply put, the smoke of the wood offers a distinct taste in comparison to what you can hope to enjoy from an electric oven. It’s one of the most important aspects when cooking at home.
With an enhanced flavour profile, you get to make pizza that tastes better and that has a better flavour than many others. Most importantly, you get to forget all about unhealthy frozen pizzas as you can make your own in minutes.
- You save money
Making tasty pizza at home is simple and it can be as good as the one in Italy. But you don’t necessarily want to go out with the family to spend money each week. A few drinks and a few pizzas can add up. For most of those looking to save money, this is the best alternative to consider.
- It’s fun
Making pizza at home from scratch is fun. Most of those seeking to spend more time outdoors can simply find the best solutions at a low cost which allows them to spend more time with friends and family.
Materials
The materials you choose for your garden pizza oven are crucial. The make it efficient and long-lasting. But the good news is there are a few pizza ovens that are very easy to rely and which are also made with durable materials such as reinforced steel or double steel walls.
- Carbon steel
Carbon steel and stainless steel are the most important materials to look for. You get enhanced performance from these. They heat up quickly and they also retain heat a bit better than other materials. But they are also cheaper than other oven materials or than traditional ovens built in so many pizzerias.
But not all steel designs are the same. Some come with 1-layer walls while others come with 2-layer steel walls. This is why you need to know what to expect when it comes to the overall durability and versatility of your product since many of the 2-layer designs even come with an insulated body.
- Silicone
Silicone can be used as an insulator on the oven. It can cover the areas of contact such as handles by it can also cover the entire construction given it has a safe profile. If you want to avoid burns on your hands, you might need to prioritize the products that come with these silicone insertions.
- Wood
Wood is mostly used on the ovens that come with multiple handles. They represent one of the best options for those seeking to cook safely and who don’t want to rely on cooking gloves as they can be uncomfortable for some people.
Types of fuel for pizza ovens
The topic of fuel for these ovens is at least as important as the topic of materials. There are multiple types of fuel you can rely on to get the fire going and each seems to come with a different pizza taste.
- Wood
Ideally, you would choose an oven that runs on wood. You can find these ovens in all shapes and sizes and as seen above, they can be very easy to use and they can resemble the classic pizzeria oven the most.
But you also need to consider some of the drawbacks wood has when compared to other types of fuel. One of them is the actual size of the wood as most of these ovens are small. You also need small pieces of wood to get the fire started.
Then, you need to consider where you are going to buy the wood as it might only be available at department stores or online shops. But if your oven is compatible with wood, it can be one of the best materials to reach and maintain high temperature a bit better than with other materials.
- Pellets
Wooden pallets are some of the best for these ovens. Small and with instant fire up, these pellets represent the best solution when it comes to the overall versatility of the oven as you can easily add more and keep the fire going when you want to make extra pizza.
- Gas
Propane gas is another good fuel compatible with some pizza ovens. Some argue that gas is the type of fuel which is against the purpose of an outdoor oven as it delivers the same taste profile as the oven in the kitchen. But some users still prefer it over others when it comes to its overall versatility and instant fire up.
- Electric
The electric garden pizza oven is one of the most important in this class. It represents a valuable solution to those who want to see short cooking time and controllable temperature. But at the same time, its biggest drawback also sits in the flavour profile of the pizza which can be limited when compared to wood or pellets.
- Hybrid
The hybrid garden pizza oven is one of the best in this class. It represents a valuable solution to those who want to rely all types of fuel for different food taste on every occasion. As seen above, it’s still possible to rely an oven that is compatible with LPG gas tanks, wood, and pellets. This might also be one of the leading designs for those who want to experiment until they create the perfect pizza for their family.
Design and portability
The design of the oven is important. It can indicate what type of experience you are going to have with it. Not all ovens are the same. Some simply rely on a fire area and a top metal cooking area as seen above. Others come with better results when you think about the overall versatility of the oven, especially in the case of those with all types of accessories such as thermometers.
But you need to ask yourself if the design of the oven is compatible with your patio or garden. Most of these are small and you’ll need to place them on a table or some type of elevated structure. It can take a long time to find the best position for your oven, but you need to consider this when thinking about its design.
If you want to impress your friends, you should always consider the most versatile designs in this class which come with plenty of extras. If you can choose an oven where the flame is visible at least partially, you are certainly going to get a lot of questions and compliments. Even a design with an included thermometer tends to be a bit more special and people generally tend to ask questions about the right cooking time. If you want to break the ice at a party with a common conversation topic, brining such an oven outdoors tends to be the best approach since everybody is intrigued by their looks.
Maintenance
It shouldn’t be too complicated to clean an oven. You can easily do this with a brush, dishwasher liquid, water, and a sponge. The problem lies in the designs that are simply too complicated to use, especially those that are hard to clean.
Ideally, all of its parts should be removable. But you certainly need to clean the cooking area thoroughly. Some of the simplest designs above can be cleaned with ease. But others are simply too complicated to clean and they can take a long time to look sparkling clean.
Accessories
The accessories your oven comes with are also important. They dictate the cooking experience you get. We strongly recommend getting an oven with a thermometer and other accessories such as rubberized legs to store on hardwood tables.
Wood fired and gasovens come with their own accessories. Outdoor ovens are known to make restaurant quality pizza. Even portable pizza ovens are known for these high quality results. The way restaurant quality food is made is similar as they also use wood. But pizza oven kits often don’t come with thermometers, heat retention cooking stones, flame compartments, or even with a stable base that doesn’t scratch the wood on the patio. Wood fired pizza is the best and the most similar to the one in a pizza oven shop.
Thermometers
A built-in thermometer can indicate when your oven is ready to make the pizza. It can also be the only indicator you look at when it comes to perfecting the dough of your Italian meal. You can simply choose the designs that come even with the simplest thermometer if you want to keep an eye on the entire cooking process up-close.
Stone cooking surface
Some ovens come with a large cooking stone which holds your pizza. These stones can be an excellent addition as they can prevent the dough from sticking and they can also act to improve cooking time as the stone is known to slowly lose heat in comparison to steel.
Legs and storage
The legs of the oven are also important. Some are short and others are tall. Some scratch tables while others are made with anti-slip rubber legs. You need to consider these aspects and even think about where you’re going to store your oven since many of these simply don’t have what it takes when it comes to the overall versatility of a folding profile.
Final words
Some of the best outdoor pizza ovens are made to last for years. You don’t need to ever upgrade these if you plan properly and if you know which one to buy. All of the products reviewed above are made to last for years. You can rely on them both in the summer and in the winter to make delicious pizza to mimic some of the best from famous pizzerias.
You should also look at the products that are made to be easy to clean. In the current climate, bacteria is also important as you want your family to be healthy. This is why you should also prioritize ovens that are very easy to clean.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best outdoor pizza ovens?
Most users agree the best outdoor garden pizza ovens are those that run on wood and pellets. They tend to come with the best flavour profile and it even makes the final results resemble those you get in some of the best pizzerias.
What kind of stone do you use for a pizza oven?
A baking stone is the best to add to your pizza oven. Unpretentious and excellent at heat management, a baking stone is also an inexpensive purchase which can considerably improve the taste of your pizza.
What is the best wood to use in a pizza oven?
Maple is a top wood given its dense fibres. It tends to be more difficult to light up but it lasts longer. Oak, ash, and walnut follow next. It might even be a good idea to test out various wood to see if and how they impact the taste of the pizza not only to see which of these lasts longer.
Can you cook burgers in a pizza oven?
You can cook burgers, bacon, cookies, and other simple goods in a pizza oven. Some even rely on these ovens to make delicious mushrooms filled with dripping cheese. But the main purpose of these ovens is for their small heat source to help you cook pizza with various toppings. Since they are small, you can even cook one slice at a time, especially with the help of a temperature gauge.
Should I oil my pizza stone?
You don’t need to oil your cooking stone. It would be a waste of time and money. Stones tend to absorb oil and they don’t need it in the first place since the dough doesn’t stick to the stone. But you need to oil all other metal surfaces which can be used instead of the traditional stone.
