Best Ooni Pizza Oven: Choose the Right One for You

When looking to buy a pizza oven for your home, there are so many options on the market these days. The Ooni pizza ovens have been around for a few years now, and they have many different styles and features you can go with. I personally own an Ooni pizza oven and I think they are one of the best brands you can go with.

Why Choose an Ooni Oven

Ooni has had time to perfect its pizza ovens. I think they are the best pizza ovens for at-home use. They now have a wide range of pizza ovens you can choose from based on your preferences and needs.

I have been using my pizza oven consistently for the last 3 years and still love it. One thing I love about the Ooni is the versatility of the oven. You can make so many things in it, even beyond pizza.

I also love how many people are using Ooni ovens now. It makes it much easier to find helpful tips and recipes. You can look up how to make anything in an Ooni these days.

Ooni also has a wide range of accessories so you can build out your pizza tool kit very easily.

How to Choose The Right Ooni

As I mentioned above, there are so many Ooni pizza ovens to choose from. When looking for the one that works best for you, there are a few things to consider. Look into the size of the oven, the price, the design, how portable it is, and the fuel source it offers.

Size

There are two main sizes of Ooni ovens. There are the 12 and 16. The 12 will fit 12-inch pizzas and the 16 will fit 16-inch pizzas. The 16 does tend to be quite a bit more expensive but it has more versatility. The 12-inch is nice because it is less expensive and more portable.

Price

Ooni pizza ovens can range in price from $299 - $899. The more expensive options typically increase with the size of the oven as well as the number of fuel types it offers.

Design

All of the Ooni ovens have a similar style. One main difference you will see is that the ovens that can do wood-fired pizzas will have a tall shoot on the back of the oven. Whereas if it is just gas or electric powered it will not have this. Also, some of the ovens are made with a powdered steel coating while some are just stainless steel.

Portability and Storage

All of the Ooni pizza ovens are considered portable pizza ovens. Some of them are much easier to store or be moved. If portability is important to you go with something more compact and lighter like the Karu 12 or Fyra 12.

If you aren’t worried about portability you can go for something larger and a little bit heavier like the Karu 16 or the Ooni Volt.

Fuel Source

Besides size, the main difference between the Ooni pizza ovens is the fuel source. There are 3 main fuel sources you can get. There is wood, gas, and electric. Many of the pizza ovens come with the ability to use multiple fuel sources. The Karu lets you do both wood and gas. The Fyra is just for wood but you can buy an add-on package to be able to convert this to a gas-powered one if you would like.

No matter what heat source you use you will be able to get your pizza oven to very high temperatures.

There are benefits to using each type of fuel source. With wood, you get that distinct wood-fired flavor in your pizza. You can even use different types of wood to switch up the flavors. The downside of using wood is that it is a little harder to maintain a consistent temperature. Wood burns quickly so you need to be checking the temperature of your oven often and be able to add in more wood chips as needed.

With a gas pizza oven, the temperature is much more consistent. You can set it and have a steady temperature throughout baking. Gas-powered is really nice when you are cooking for a crowd or making a lot of pizzas. You won’t need to be fiddling with the heat of the oven after each pizza.

The last fuel source type is electric. The main benefit of the electric pizza oven is that it can also be used indoors. If you live in a colder climate and want to have pizzas year-round, this is a great option to go with.

Ooni Pizza Ovens

There are 4 main lines of the Ooni pizza ovens. There is the Karu, Koda, Fyra, and Volt. Some of these options have multiple versions. Here is a quick breakdown of each of them.

Karu

The Ooni Karu pizza oven comes in 12, 12G, and 16 models. Karu is Ooni’s multi-fuel pizza oven option. All of these pizza ovens can be used with wood, charcoal, or gas propane. One this to note is that you do need to buy an additional attachment if you want to use the propane method.

• Karu 16: The biggest distinction with the Karu 16 is the size difference. This pizza oven can fit a 16-inch pizza versus a 12-inch pizza like the other versions. Another differentiator is that the 16 has the ability to do a natural gas hook-up while the 12 versions do not. Since it is larger this pizza oven is heavier than your other options.
• Karu 12G: The Karu 12G is the size down from the 16 but works very similarly. These 2 have similar materials and look very similar in design. This option is just smaller so it is easier to move and store but it can only make 12-inch pizzas.
• Karu 12: The Karu 12 is the least expensive version. It also makes a 12-inch pizza and it has a multi-fuel hookup. The main difference is this option is made with brushed stainless steel while the 12G and 16 are made with powder-coated stainless steel.

Koda

The Ooni Koda pizza oven is fully gas-powered. These are very sleek because they do not need the chimney shoot that the wood-burning ovens have. This makes it easier to store and fit into your space.

• Koda 16: Similarly to the Karu the 16 is just slightly larger than the 12 version. Also, the Koda 16 has the option for a natural gas hook-up.
• Koda 12: The Koda 12 makes a small pizza than the 16. It also doesn’t have the option to do a natural gas hook-up. This one strictly uses propane. The benefits are the price of this one is much lower and it is about half of the weight (20lbs vs 40lbs)

Fyra

The Ooni Fyra is a specifically a wood-fired pizza oven that makes 12-inch pizzas. It is in their lower-end price range while still producing a great pizza. This one is also made with powder-coated steel. This option is also very portable weighing in at only 22lbs. You will get that delicious wood-fired flavor in your homemade pizza.

Volt

The Ooni Volt series is Ooni’s electric pizza oven. This one can be used for indoor and outdoor use. It is a higher price than some of the other pizza oven options. The major benefit is the versatility to have it work well throughout the season is a major plus for some people.

Best Ooni Pizza Oven for Price

The best model for the price is the Karu 12. It is the least expensive version but it can use multiple fuel sources and it is lightweight for portability. This is the first pizza oven I ever got. It was a great starting size to learn how to use an outdoor pizza oven.

Best Ooni Pizza Oven for Portability

For portability, I would go with the Fyra 12. It is a lighter-weight option. It is also a wood pellet oven which is great for cooking in different locations. Being able to use wood pellets makes it much more portable. Carrying around a bag of wood pellets is much lighter than a tank of propane.

If you are ok with spending a little more, the Karu 12G is a great option too. This one also has a wood fired fuel source and it has an integrated thermometer so you don’t need to bring a separate thermometer to check the oven temperature.

Best Ooni Pizza Oven for Pizza Professionals

If you have been making pizza for a while and you want to up your pizza game I would go with the Karu 16. This gives you the most versatility when it comes to making your pizzas. You have flexibility with the size and the fuel source.

Best Ooni Pizza Oven for Entertaining

If you are thinking of using your pizza oven for a pizza party or to cook for a lot of people, you should go with the Koda series. These are gas-powered pizza ovens and they are much easier to keep at a consistent temperature throughout your baking period. You don't have to worry about constantly checking the temperature and adding more wood. The temperature control makes it easy to make the perfect pizza every time.

If you are looking for an easy-to-compare chart go to the comparison page on the Ooni website to see everything side by side.

Things to Know Before Buying an Ooni

Before purchasing your Ooni there are a few things that you should know.

1. The pizza oven does not come with a pizza peel. You need to buy this separately. Ooni has its own branded version. If you want to buy it somewhere else just make sure it fits the size of the Ooni oven you choose.
2. Even if the oven says multi-fuel you might need to buy the gas/propane fuel hook-up as an add-on.
3. There is a bit of a learning curve. Whether this is your first time making pizzas or you're a seasoned pizza maker, using a different style oven always takes a little bit of practice. I suggest making a few extra pizza doughs for your first time around just in case one flops or burns. After a couple of times using it you will be a pro!
4. Get yourself an infrared thermometer if you are purchasing the Fyra 12 or Karu 12 to be able to tell the temperature. This comes in handy with you are using it as a wood-fired oven as the temperature can shift quite a bit when heating with hardwood pellets.

Enjoy!

Whichever pizza oven you choose I hope you enjoy your delicious homemade pizza in your new pizza oven! You can purchase your Ooni pizza ovens on the Ooni website or Amazon.