A pizza oven is the ultimate way to take your pizza-making game to the next level. In fact, once you master the art of making pizza in a pizza oven, you’ll never want to order pizza again.
How a pizza is cooked plays a huge role in its final outcome. The reason why restaurant-quality pizza is so addicting is that it’s baked at an extremely high temperature over a short period of time. This creates a dough that’s evenly cooked and perfectly crispy on the outside yet soft and chewy on the inside. It also allows for the pizza’s cheese to brown perfectly. The best way to replicate this at home is by using a pizza oven.
Keep reading to learn more about pizza ovens and how to choose the right one for your home pizza-making needs.
Our Top Picks:
- Best Value: Bertello Gas & Wood-Fired Pizza Oven
Jump to Review - Best Outdoor Gas-Fired: Ooni Koda 16 Gas Pizza Oven
Jump to Review - Best Outdoor Wood-Fired: BIG HORN Wood-Fired Pizza Oven
Jump to Review - Best Design: ROCCBOX by Gozney
Jump to Review - Best Budget Gas-Fired: Camp Chef Italia Artisan Pizza Oven
Jump to Review - Best Budget Indoor Pizza Oven: Presto Pizzazz Plus
Jump to Review - Best Grill Top Pizza Oven: Cuisinart CPO-700 Grill Top Pizza Oven
Jump to Review
How Do Pizza Ovens Work?
There are a few different types of pizza ovens: wood-fired pizza ovens, gas-fired pizza ovens, convection pizza ovens, and more. How a pizza oven works precisely will depend on the pizza oven’s design and fuel source. However, all pizza ovens share one thing in common: they attain high temperatures efficiently while promoting airflow to ensure an evenly cooked crust.
Because of the high temperatures that they’re able to reach (often in the 800 °F or 900 °F range), cooking a pizza can take less than 90 seconds. Conventional ovens, on the other hand, typically reach maximum temperatures of just 450 °F, so cooking a pizza with homemade dough can take up to 20 minutes.
The 7 Best Pizza Ovens in Canada in 2024
After analyzing dozens of pizza oven models, we’ve compiled a list of the 7 best indoor and outdoor pizza ovens for your homemade pizza needs.
Ooni Koda 16 Gas Pizza Oven
With its wall of flame gas burner, the Ooni Koda 16 is one of the best outdoor gas pizza ovens on the market in Canada. Not only is it stylish and minimal, but it’s excellent at what it does: cooking pizzeria quality pizza quickly and effortlessly. It’s small, measuring just 25″ in width, so it can easily fit on a balcony or small terrace.
Costing over $800, the Ooni Koda 16 is pricey, but well worth the investment if cooking restaurant-quality pizza from home is important to you.
It’s easy to ignite and heats up to 500 °F in under 20 minutes. Once heated, it can cook a stone-baked pizza in just 60 seconds. However, the cooking time will ultimately depend on the oven’s inside temperature. Amazon users reported cooking a pizza in less than 2 minutes at 800 °F.
Controlling the temperature inside the oven is easy, with a dial located on the right side of the oven. In addition to pizza, the Ooni Koda can be used to roast veggies, meat, or fish.
As a gas-based pizza oven, the Ooni Koda 16 must be hooked up to a propane tank in order to generate heat. For obvious reasons, the gas tank is not included.
Bertello Gas & Wood-Fired Pizza Oven
The Bertello is one of our favourite outdoor pizza ovens because it can be used as either a gas-fired oven or a wood-fired oven. It’s initially a standard wood-fired oven, but can be converted to gas using the provided gas burner attachment. You can also use both at the same time, which is very convenient for lighting your fire and preheating the oven quicker.
In terms of performance, the Bertello can reach impressive temperatures over 930 °F to cook a Neapolitan-style pizza in under 90 seconds. Its open concept design provides excellent airflow to evenly cook your pizza. It also has cordierite stone at its base to help regulate heat.
Using the provided wood tray, you can essentially use the fuel of your choice: wood, wood pellets, or even charcoal. You will have to reload the tray a few times throughout the cooking process, which can be difficult for inexperienced wood-fired oven users.
A small downside is that it doesn’t have a built-in temperature gauge. However, it comes with a handheld thermometer that lets you easily monitor the inside temperature.
In addition to the thermometer, the Bertello also comes with a gas burner adapter, a wood tray, a pizza peel, and a cover to protect it from the elements. It’s one of the few outdoor pizza ovens that actually comes with a cover.
BIG HORN Wood-Fired Pizza Oven
The Big Horn Wood-Fired Pizza Oven is one of the best budget-friendly wood-fired pizza ovens in Canada. Made from sleek stainless steel, the Big Horn does not disappoint in terms of design and build quality. Just 21” wide, the BIG HORN is smaller than most wood pizza ovens. It also doesn’t weigh much at 25 lbs, so it’s easy to move around.
What’s great about the Big Horn is that it can reach temperatures over 900 °F in less than 20 minutes. At that temperature, it can cook a perfect pizza in less than 2 minutes.
As a wood-fired oven, it does require some skill to fire up. You’ll have to know how to light a fire, keep it going, and consistently regulate the airflow as the pizza is cooking. Otherwise, you’ll end up with a burnt or poorly cooked pizza. You’ll also need wood pellets.
The main downside with the Big Horn is that it doesn’t have a built-in temperature gauge, so you’ll need a thermometer to keep track of the inside temperature. It also doesn’t come with a pizza peel, as many models do.
ROCCBOX by Gozney Outdoor Pizza Oven
If you’re craving wood-fired pizza but don’t want to deal with a wood-fire pizza oven, the ROCCBOX is for you. While it’s essentially a gas-fired pizza oven, it produces a rolling frame that almost mimics that of a wood-fired oven. You’ll end up with an almost perfect wood-fired pizza at the convenience of gas. With its unique stainless steel design and excellent heat retention, the ROCCMAN is hands done one of the best outdoor pizza ovens.
In terms of performance, the ROCCBOX can reach temperatures of over 930 °F to give you a perfectly charred crust in just 1 minute. It comes with a pizza stone to prevent burning and to ensure an evenly cooked crust. It’s made from sturdy steel, this pizza oven doesn’t disappoint in terms of quality.
The ROCCMAN is a great outdoor pizza oven if you have kids because of its safety features. Its outer body features a protective silicone coating, making it safe to touch.
What’s also great about the ROCCMAN is its small size. Measuring just 12.5 inches in width, it’s one of the smallest outdoor pizza ovens you can buy. Despite its small size, however, it weighs over 50 lbs.
Camp Chef Italia Artisan Pizza Oven
The Camp Chef Italia outdoor pizza oven is a stylish and budget-friendly gas-fired pizza oven. Measuring 30 inches in width, it has a sleek stainless steel design that will fit onto a balcony or small terrace. The oven has a double-layer ceiling to mimic the heat dynamics of a brick pizza oven. This ensures optimal heating for an evenly cooked pizza.
Similar to the Koda 16 above, the Camp Chef takes 15 minutes to heat up. It can heat up to over 750 °F, but it’s important to keep an eye on your pizza at high temperatures. Users have reported their pizza crusts burning at temperatures above 600 °F.
The Camp Chef has a built-in temperature gauge, to take away the guesswork. The inside temperature is easily controlled with a dial positioned on the front of the oven. That said, the Camp Chef is quite easy to use if you know how to operate a gas barbecue.
Presto Pizzazz Plus Rotating Pizza Oven
While it’s not exactly a pizza oven in the traditional sense, the Presto Pizzazz Rotating Pizza Oven is an innovative gadget for cooking pizza at home. Instead of inserting the pizza into an enclosed oven, the Pizzazz Plus is an open-concept pizza oven that evenly cooks the pizza by rotating it. This means you can watch the entire process from A to Z.
Compared to using a conventional oven to cook pizza, the Pizzazz is a much more energy-efficient cooking method. According to Presto, you can actually save 60% in energy consumption.
The Pizzazz is easy to use, with just two settings to worry about: cooking time and which heat elements you want to use (top, button, or both). When cooking a pizza, you’ll need to use both heat elements. In addition to pizza, it’s a quick way to cook frozen foods or even cookies, since there is no reheating required.
Overall, the Pizzazz Plus is an excellent pizza oven alternative if your budget is limited, and you can benefit from a multipurpose appliance.
Cuisinart CPO-700 Grill Top Pizza Oven Kit
The Cuisinart Grill Top Pizza Oven is another innovative gadget for cooking pizza without an actual gas-fired pizza oven. It’s essentially a 16” aluminum open-face box that cooks your pizza on top of a barbecue grill. It also features a cordierite baking stone at its base, to retain heat and ensure even cooking of the crust.
Since pizza requires high temperatures for optimal results, the oven has a built-in thermometer on top, so you can easily keep track of its inside temperature. It also comes with a 12” aluminum pizza peel with a wooden handle to safely remove your pizza from the oven.
The oven is highly versatile, as it can be used on any type of barbecue, whether it’s charcoal or propane. As long as it gets hot enough to heat the pizza oven to at least 400 °F.
Overall, the Cuisinart Grill Top Pizza Oven is a convenient and inexpensive way to cook restaurant-quality pizza using your barbecue as a heat source. It’s an affordable alternative to a standalone pizza oven.
What Are The Benefits of Cooking Pizza in a Pizza Oven?
If you’re a pizza addict and want to take your pizza-making skills to the next level, a pizza oven is a must-face cooking appliance. Here are the main benefits of getting a pizza oven for your home:
Excellent Pizza
When executed correctly, using a pizza oven to cook your pizza guarantees an excellent quality pizza every time. Ovens simply don’t get hot enough to cook a pizza professionally at 800 to 950 F temperatures. Nothing really compares to pizza that’s cooked evenly in a pizza oven, especially over a flame.
Multi-Purpose
While the same goes for a conventional oven, pizza ovens can be used to cook more than just pizza. You can use them to roast veggies, meat, and whatever you would cook is a toaster oven. This means you’re not just investing in a pizza oven. You’re investing in a multipurpose cooking machine.
Very Quick
Not only do pizza ovens heat up to high temperatures quickly, they also cook pizza quickly. Using a pizza oven that’s heated to 800 °F, you can have perfectly cooked pizza ready in just over a minute. With a conventional oven, cooking a pizza can take anywhere from 15 to 20 minutes.
Easy to Use
Since they’re designed for one thing (cooking pizza, obviously), pizza ovens are very easy to use. With gas-powered pizza ovens, you’ll simply have to ignite the oven and preheat it to your desired temperature. Wood pizza ovens, however, may require a bit more skill, since you need to create a decent fire.
Energy-Efficient
Another benefit of pizza ovens is that they are much more energy efficient than using a conventional oven. Depending on the time of year, conventional ovens can take anywhere from 20 to 25 minutes to preheat to 450 °F. A perfectly cooked pizza requires almost double that temperature to begin with. Since they’re much smaller than a conventional oven, most pizza ovens take about 15 minutes to preheat to very high temperatures.
How To Choose The Best Outdoor Pizza Oven?
There are many types of pizza ovens, each with its own cooking technique. Prices can range from $300 to well over $1000, so it’s important to choose the right one for your pizza cooking needs.
In general, the main criteria to look out for are the oven’s heating capacity, whether it’s gas-fired or wood-fired, its size, and of course, its price point.
Heating Capacity
When it comes to pizza ovens, heating capacity is important. You want a pizza oven that can effortlessly achieve temperatures as high as 900 °F. Without a solid heating capacity, you won’t get that evenly cooked pizzeria-grade pizza you’re looking for. It’ll also take longer to cook your pizza. Wood-fired pizza ovens, thanks to their high heating capacity and design, will ensure an evenly cooked, professional-quality pizza.
Space Available & Oven Size
Before getting excited about a pizza oven, make sure you have a good spot for it. Pizza ovens can be anywhere from 20 to 40 inches in width. For easy access, a pizza oven should ideally be placed on a table. Once the oven is hot, you won’t be able to safely move it, so avoid placing a pizza oven on a patio table.
Gas-Fired or Wood-Fired
Gas pizza ovens require gas or propane to work, whereas wood-fired pizza ovens require an open flame. Gas-powered pizza ovens are popular since they’re easy for most people to use. If you know how to work a barbecue, you won’t have trouble figuring out a gas pizza oven.
Wood-fired pizza ovens, on the other hand, require a bit more safety precautions and know-how. While wood-fired pizza ovens are great for that classic wood-fire flavour they produce, these pizza ovens have a steeper learning curve, and they tend to be messy since they produce ash.
