Choose the Best Portable Ooni Pizza Oven
People regularly ask me, “What’s the best Ooni pizza oven?” “What pizza oven should I buy?” or even “What’s your favorite pizza oven?” That’s kind of like asking my which kid is my favorite! I’ve got 4 kids, and they each have their own strengths and weaknesses, so this is a really tough question.
SPOILER ALERT: I’ll give you a hint. More often than not, I recommend a pizza oven that rhymes with Yoda. I’m just not going to tell you yet if that is the full size Yoda or baby Yoda.
The thing is that there is no perfect pizza oven out there for everyone. In order to answer the above questions, I have to ask my own questions. I will try to narrow down your choices using my most common questions.
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Most important question: “How much are you looking to spend?”
There are all kinds of pizza ovens out there – from the $300 portable pizza oven to $10,000+ outdoor kitchen with built-in pizza oven. It’s good to know what they’re looking for. I don’t know what’s worse – suggesting a $3,000 pizza oven to someone with a $500 budget, or suggesting a $500 pizza oven to someone with a $10k budget. I’m going to feel foolish either way if I don’t ask this question first.
But, since this is an Ooni Pizza Oven Ultimate Buyers Guide, I will instead ask the question, are you looking to spend $400, $600 or $800 on a pizza oven, plus $50 to $200 on accessories? The second half of that question is important so they don’t blow the whole wad on the oven and not have a pizza peel. It also will help you decide which pizza oven accessories they need.
Question 2: “Do you want to cook with a real fire or gas?
Of course, by real fire I mean cooking with wood, charcoal or even wood pellets. If you want to cook with gas, do you want to use propane or natural gas. Being able to hook your pizza oven up to your house’s natural gas connection is nice, but it also narrows your choice down since at the time of this article, only the Ooni Koda 16 and Karu 16 have the option for natural gas.
This question really is super important – just ask BBQ grill fanatics! Have you ever seen a big green egg in a debate with a Traeger guy? It’s hilarious! And they are not even on talking terms with the propane grill users.
Wood and Charcoal
That same debate carries over into the pizza oven world. But the dynamics are different. The real question is “If a pizza is only in the oven for 60-90 seconds, does the smoke even have time to add flavor?”
Pizza oven purists would argue yes, the extra flavor is worth the extra effort.
I figure that the best argument that the wood crowd has is that according to the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana (or AVPN) International Regulations:
The cooking must be done exclusively in a wood-fired oven, which has reached a temperature between 430-480C°. With these temperatures, just insert the pizza for 60-90 seconds. The pizza will cook evenly across the entire circumference.
– AVPN International Regulation
If you have been on the Ooni website lately, you might recognize the name of this organization. According to Ooni.com, the brand new Ooni Karu 16 is “the first and only pizza oven to be ‘Recommended for Domestic Use’ by the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana”. Of course, if that is important enough to you, then you can stop reading right now and buy your Ooni Karu 16 right now!
Cooking with wood is your fuel of choice if you are cooking 1-3 pizzas with the primary goal of making the very best pizza possible – getting every bit of flavor possible. For this person, extra flavor is worth the extra time.
In my opinion, cooking with wood is for the Reddit r/pizza purists that post pictures of their pizzas and critique each others crust and recipes – not that there is anything wrong with that….
Remember, I told you that there is a perfect pizza oven for everyone. For many, many people, wood fuel pizza ovens are the right choice.
Wood Pellets
And, do you get the same smoke flavored benefit from using wood pellets? Let’s be honest about the wood pellets – some people like them, but I am waiting for my Ooni Fyra to show up before I make a decision. I have used wood pellets on an Ooni Pro 16 (yes, I bought the wood pellet add-on if you can believe that! The things I do for you!). I also have an Ooni 3 which was replaced by the Ooni Fyra. We just ordered the Ooni Fyra because I think that it is worth trying out so I can give you my educated opinion about it.
And I’m a Traeger guy, so I like wood pellets. Let’s just say that if the Ooni Fyra had a pellet box with an electric auger that keep my pizza oven at a regulated temperature, then I would be a huge fan! But, that is not in a pizza oven that I know of. Having to manually add pellets at just the right time is like getting the hassle without all of the flavor. But you do have a cost advantage going this route. And I believe that having an Ooni Fyra with wood pellets is definitely better than not having a pizza oven at all!
Gas Burner
Gas users argue that if there are flavor advantages to using wood or charcoal to cook pizza, they are not worth the hassle when you are cooking a lot of pizzas at one time.
When I’m cooking with friends or family, I would rather focus on them than spend time regulating the temperature and adding more firewood when needed. I’d rather spend more time teaching them to stretch the dough and helping inspire them to use their imaginations and make something more than a standard pepperoni pizza (even though I love those too!). The time I spend with them is worth more than any extra ounce of flavor I may, or may not, get from cooking with wood in my pizza oven.
I have 4 kids, so when cooking for 6 people, I never make less than 5 pizzas. And more often than not, we cook pizza for 1 – 2 families besides our own. I can tell you right now that I am not using wood and/or charcoal for cooking 10-15 pizzas.
What type of pizza chef are you?
The gas vs. wood vs. wood pellet debate is why Ooni offers several pizza ovens that have multi-fuel cooking options.
Only cooking a few pizzas? Go ahead and pour on the smoke flavor (for 60 to 90 seconds). Feeding a crew of people? Better strap on the gas burner.
Have you decided if you are a wood, gas or pellet person?
Question 3: “What do you want to do with your pizza oven?”
Of course, this question only sparks more questions:
“Do you want to take your pizza oven tailgating, camping, or cook with it lots of places that are not your home?”
“Are you just going to use it for cooking in your back yard?”
“Are you planning on using it for large groups (or even catering)?”
As you can see, these questions are designed to measure how much you are planning to move your oven. If you’re taking it camping, then you’ll probably want it small. If you are cooking for large groups or catering, you might want to have a little bigger, more comfortable pizza oven. You also might be able to spend a little more for it.
12 Inch Pizza Ovens – Pros and Cons
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Cons
16 Inch Pizza Ovens – Pros and Cons
Pros
Cons
Pizza Oven Recommendations
If you were to ask me which child I would recommend to help you move a bunch of heavy boxes or play a song on the piano, I would without hesitation recommend my son. If you were to ask for one of my children to sing you a song or whip up a killer pizza, I would recommend any one of my daughters.
So, just like recommendations for my children depend on the situation, so does my recommendation for pizza ovens. Below are my recommendations.
Spending under $500 (including accessories)
Most Recommended
Ooni Koda 12
Great pizza oven for beginners. Easy to use without having to constantly manage the temperature.
The Ooni Koda 12 is great for families that regularly cook several pizzas at time (instead of 1 or 2).
Entry level pizza oven that is budget friendly for families, gifts, and learning to cook pizza.
Best for camping or tailgating – especially when used with a 1 lb propane bottle. Quick startup and easy cleanup.
To learn more about the Koda 12, checkout our article, Complete Ooni Koda 12 Review.
#1 PRODUCT
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Spending Between $700 – $900 (including accessories)
Most Recommended 16 inch Pizza Oven
Ooni Koda 16
Easiest 16 inch pizza oven to use – easy to manage temperature.
Most portable 16 inch pizza oven.
Best Pizza Oven for families that need to cook more than 2 pizzas at a time.
Lowest cost 16 inch propane pizza oven option.
Check out our Ooni Koda 16 Review.
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Which Ooni Pizza Oven Is Most Often Recommended?
So, yes the Koda ovens are easily the most recommended Ooni pizza ovens based on the answers people give me to the questions above. Most frequently, people end up buying the Ooni Koda 12 (or Baby Yoda) for the price. Many people fall in love with the oven and simply choose the Koda design that most closely fits their budget. I once worked with a company that gave each member of their executive team an Ooni Koda 12 for a unique Christmas Gift. Feedback was great and most were really excited for it.
Conclusion
Maybe you can tell that I am really passionate about helping friends and family enjoy the experience of cooking pizza in an oven. From catering our family reunion, to hosting church youth gatherings, to putting on backyard parties – I have been able to teach hundreds of people to make their own pizza in fun and creative way.
If you are on the fence about whether or not to buy a pizza oven, then you probably should. Do it for your family, do it for your friends, and do it for yourself. You can easily pay for it with the money that you save going out to eat – especially paying $15 per pizza at these pick-your-toppings restaurants. Make your home your favorite pizza restaurant and share these experiences with your friends and family – and make a few more friends – with your own Ooni pizza oven.
As someone from Long Island, New York, Thomas knows what it takes to make a good pizza. He understands that it’s a combination of high-quality ingredients, well-rounded pizza ovens, and a little bit of love. From the dough of a Neapolitan-style pizza to the wood that powers a wood-fired pizza oven, he has you covered. Thomas’ love of pizza is what got him here and he hopes that you’ll enjoy pizza as much as he does soon.
