The best pizza ovens of 2023 — these are the ones we tested and loved
Overview
Table of Contents
Whether you're particular about the kind of pizza you like, or you're just an outdoor cooking enthusiast, a pizza oven is a handy gadget to have in your backyard (or on your countertop). Most models on the market now can churn out wood-fired Neapolitan pies, crispy thin crust versions, and even decadent Chicago-style deep dish pizza.
There are also plenty of portable models small enough to take in the car for your next weekend camping (or glamping) trip, football game tailgate, or picnic lunch — just make sure you check the fire restrictions in your area before cranking up the heat for a homemade pie.
How hot do pizza ovens get?
While the conventional oven in your kitchen probably only gets up to 500 or 550 degrees Fahrenheit, pizza ovens need extreme heat for quick dough rising times and optimal crust bubble-age. You can expect a good outdoor pizza oven to reach 900 to 950 degrees Fahrenheit, but you can still achieve charred leopard-spotted Neapolitan pizzas at 700 to 750 degrees Fahrenheit.
Apple AirPods Pro 3 Noise Cancelling Heart Rate Wireless Earbuds — $219.99 (List Price $249.00)
Apple iPad 11" 128GB Wi-Fi Retina Tablet (Blue, 2025 Release) — $274.00 (List Price $349.00)
Amazon Fire HD 10 32GB Tablet (2023 Release, Black) — $69.99 (List Price $139.99)
Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless Noise Canceling Headphones — $248.00 (List Price $399.99)
Blink Outdoor 4 1080p Security Camera (5-Pack) — $159.99 (List Price $399.99)
Fire TV Stick 4K Streaming Device With Remote (2023 Model) — $24.99 (List Price $49.99)
Shark AV2511AE AI Robot Vacuum With XL Self-Empty Base — $249.99 (List Price $599.00)
Apple Watch Series 11 (GPS, 42mm, S/M Black Sport Band) — $339.00 (List Price $399.00)
WD 6TB My Passport USB 3.0 Portable External Hard Drive — $138.65 (List Price $179.99)
Dell 14 Premium Intel Ultra 7 512GB SSD 16GB RAM 2K Laptop — $999.99 (List Price $1549.99)
How fast do pizza ovens cook?
Given that most pizza ovens run at an insane heat, cooking time happens FAST. We're talking start to finish in as little as 60 seconds up to a few minutes. You definitely won't have time to pop your pizza in and scroll on TikTok while you wait for it to cook. Cooking with a pizza oven requires dedicated attention due to the quick cooking times, and you'll also have to learn how to manage the heat on your oven while you chef it up.
Gas vs. wood pizza oven
Most of the outdoor pizza ovens on the market run on either wood or propane gas, with a few natural gas options. A wood-powered stove will give you an amazing smoky taste, but it requires more work to maintain a fire while you cook. Gas-powered stoves, on the other hand, won't offer the same smokiness but are generally easier to manage, and can easily be preheated before cooking. Gas pizza ovens also hold the temperature steady with little fluctuation.
If you're looking for a pizza oven to use indoors, the pickings for quality ovens are pretty slim (with the exception of our pick, the Breville Pizzaiolo). All indoor-friendly pizza ovens will be powered by electricity though, FYI.
If you're ready to ditch the weekly Friday night Domino's delivery, check out these hands-on tested pizza ovens to make your perfect slice at home.
Breville Smart Oven Pizzaiolo
Best for indoor use
The Good & The Bad
- Can be used inside or outside
- Doesn't require charcoal or wood
- Comes with a pizza stone, peel, and deep dish pizza pan
- Cooks extremely fast
- Has settings for multiple types of pizza
- Actually gives you leopard spotting on Neapolitan pizzas
- Ability to control top and bottom temperature manually
- Expensive
- Won't quite get you that smoky, wood-fired taste, but gets pretty damn close
- Doesn't get quite as hot as a wood-fired oven
Why We Like It
If you're looking to make restaurant-style pizza but don't have the outdoor space for a wood or charcoal-powered pizza oven, the Breville Pizzaiolo (available at Amazon and Breville) is one of the only countertop ovens that gets you to a high temperature. Even though it doesn't get quite as hot as a traditional pizza oven, the Pizzaiolo reaches up to 750 degrees — hot enough to make Neapolitan-style pizza with charred, crisp crust (a.k.a leopard spotting) — and can cook a pizza in just two minutes.
The Pizzaiolo features preset modes for New York style pizza, deep-dish pizza, thin and crispy pizza, and frozen pizza. It also features a manual setting that can adjust the top and bottom heating elements separately, allowing you to truly customize your pie.
Check out our full review of the Breville Smart Oven Pizzaiolo
Details
Ooni Fyra 12 Wood Pellet Pizza Oven
Simplest, most straightforward oven
The Good & The Bad
- Reaches up to 950°F
- Portable, simple design
- Gives pizza a real rood-fired taste
- Solid price point
- Steep learning curve
- No built-in thermometer
Why We Like It
While some pizza ovens come with a plethora of extra features and a high price point, the Ooni Fyra 12 (available at Amazon and Ooni) keeps things simple while still churning out excellent, wood-fired pies.
During testing, Culture Reporter Tim Marcin noticed that it took a bit of practice to get pizzas cooked just right — and for good reason. At 950°F, the Fyra gets ripping hot, and can cook pizzas in one minute. It takes some rehearsing to get the cooking and the fire maintenance down, since you have to continuously feed wood pellets into a hopper to keep the flame going, but once you dial in those two aspects, you'll be churning out restaurant-quality pizzas in just a few minutes.
Check out our full review of the Ooni Fyra 12 Wood Pellet Pizza Oven.
Details
Gozney Roccbox
Best for precise pizza making
The Good & The Bad
- Has an included thermometer for more precise cooking
- Can be used with gas or wood
- Reaches 950°F
- Safe-touch silicone jacket to reduce likelihood of burns
- Cool design
- Heavy when compared to other portable pizza ovens
- Pricey add-ons
- Ability to use both gas and wood will cost you an extra $100
Why We Like It
Whether you're an expert pizza maker or just a control freak, the Gozney Roccbox is a great option for making the wood-fired pizza experience a little more streamlined. It has a built-in thermometer, a silicone outer for ✨safety✨, and can be used with either propane gas or wood pellets. It also reaches up to 950°F, so it cooks pizzas fast.
The downsides of this oven are that it's pretty pricey, and anything extra will cost you. During testing, we noted that you really need the turning peel ($85, sold separately) to make cooking in this oven easier. Using the dual fuel function will also cost you, since you'll need to pay $100 extra for wood pellet functionality.
If you purchase from Amazon, you'll need to add the wood burner to your cart separately. Purchasing directly from Gozney gives you the option of selecting a dual fuel oven ($599) or a gas-only one ($499).
Details
Gozney Dome
Best for big pizza guys
The Good & The Bad
- Sleek, modern color options
- Sturdy and well-insulated
- Easy to get to a high temp fast
- You can choose between wood only or wood and gas powered
- Integrated digital thermometer
- Air ventilation controls
- Steam injector for adding more moisture while cooking (ideal for bread)
- Ability to add on other cool accessories
- Roomy enough to cook pizzas larger than 12 inches
- Accessories (like the stand and door) are sold separately
- Expensive
- Only worth it if you appreciate all the extra features
Why We Like It
If you identify as a "big pizza guy", the Gozney Dome might be for you. It's the most high-end of the pizza ovens on this list, with fancy features like a steam injector, customizable air ventilation controls, and an integrated digital thermometer for precise pizza making.
Like other wood-fired pizza ovens during testing, the Gozney Dome proved to have a steep learning curve at first. We found that it took some practice to keep the fire going with wood while also ensuring the pizzas didn't burn during their short stint in the oven. Using gas is much easier and tended to be more precise, but didn't offer that smoky, wood-fired taste. It'll also cost you an additional $300 if you want a dual fuel option.
During testing we found that the Gozney not only made incredible pizzas, it also created nicely cooked salmon, steak, vegetables, and more — fast.
Details
Topics Kitchen
We hands-on tested each of the pizza ovens in this list, and each one was chosen because it had over a four-star user review rating and came from brands that are well known for making top notch pizza ovens and other kitchen essentials. We stuck mostly to wood- and gas-powered pizza ovens with one selection of an indoor-friendly model, but we stayed away from any pizza ovens that didn't reach at least 700 degrees.
Some factors we considered while testing were:
Ease of use and learning curve: Trying out a pizza oven as a novice is not for the faint of heart. We tested gas-powered, wood-powered, and electric ovens to see how difficult they were to use and maintain heat while cooking. We also cooked multiple types of pizza and non-pizza meals in each oven to see how they fared in the high heat.
Fuel type: We compared the performance of each fuel type, including noting the differences for ovens that use both gas and wood.
Temperature: Using either integrated or external thermometers, we tested how hot each oven got and saw firsthand how heat affects pizza making.
You'll also notice that this roundup is mainly made up of reviews previously published on Mashable. If you want to learn more about any of the products that have been previously featured on our site, click on the review link in the product cards to head to the full write-up.
Jae Thomas is a Colorado-based Shopping Editor for Mashable. They specialize in pet tech, smart fitness gear, finding the perfect gift, and sourcing the top deals on shopping holidays like Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Jae has worked at Mashable since 2020, where they've written countless deals roundups and product reviews. Before Jae came to Mashable, they received a B.A. in Journalism and English Literature from New York University and wrote food and lifestyle content for publications like Bon Appétit, Epicurious, The Daily Beast, Apartment Therapy, and Marie Claire.
When they're not testing products or writing about online shopping, you'll find Jae whipping up an elaborate meal, hiking, camping, or training their dogs, Miso and Dashi. Reach out to them on X at @jaetaurina or by email at [email protected].
