Gerzsi

This post contains affiliate links. If you buy through them, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Read our disclosure. Chef Gerzsi is our cartoon head chef; his kitchen notes come from Tamás, a real head chef with 25 years in professional kitchens. We haven’t tested these ovens ourselves: every product fact below comes from independent testers, linked inline. The stories are just for fun.

From Gerzsi’s backyard: On his day off, Gerzsi decided his pizza oven needed a proper stone base. A beaver does not do “a few bricks on the patio.” A beaver does foundations. By noon he had a level, mortared plinth, a drainage channel, and, for reasons nobody asked about, a small dam across the garden hose. By dinner the neighbors had pizza and Gerzsi had a plan for a second, larger plinth. “For the dough,” he said. The dough did not need a plinth.

A backyard pizza oven gets hotter than any home kitchen oven, which is the whole point: blistered crust in a minute or two instead of a pale pie in fifteen. But they differ a lot in fuel, size, weight and how much attention they need. Here’s what independent testers found, which ovens they rate best, and what a professional cook knows about using that kind of heat.

The pizza ovens at a glance

Oven	Fuel	Max size pizza	Price (Oct 2026)	Tested by
Solo Stove Pi Prime · Check on Amazon	Propane	13 in	$399.99	Food Network (Best Overall), Tom’s Guide (Best Budget), ATK (Highly Recommended)
Ooni Koda 2 · Check on Amazon	Propane	14 in	$499	ATK (Winner)
Ooni Karu 2 · Check on Amazon	Wood or charcoal (gas burner sold separately)	12 in	$449	Tom’s Guide (Best Overall)
Gozney Dome (Gen 2) · Check on Amazon	Wood, charcoal or propane	16 in	$2,299.99	Food Network (Best Professional-Grade), TechRadar (Editor’s Choice)

ATK = America’s Test Kitchen. Prices are list prices on each brand’s own US store, checked October 4, 2026; they change often, so tap “Check on Amazon” for today’s price. Max pizza size is as reported by the testers (Food Network for the Dome).

Best overall for most backyards: Solo Stove Pi Prime

• Who it’s for: first-time pizza oven owners who want gas convenience at a moderate price.
• Fuel: propane.
• Size: 13-inch pizzas; about 30 lb.
• Heat: Popular Science’s tester had it hot in under 15 minutes and saw over 900°F at the maximum setting; ATK measured a 732°F stone.
• Price: $399.99 at Solo Stove’s US store (October 4, 2026).

What the testers say: Food Network named it Best Overall, calling it lightweight, beginner-friendly and intuitive to control, with a lifetime warranty (Food Network). Tom’s Guide made it the Best Budget pick, praising the easy setup and pizzas in about 90 seconds (Tom’s Guide). America’s Test Kitchen rated it highly recommended: virtually no assembly, and beautifully charred pizzas in under two minutes (America’s Test Kitchen).

One honest caveat from the testers: it doesn’t spread heat perfectly evenly, so you’ll be turning pizzas, there’s no built-in thermometer, and the stainless steel body stays very hot for over an hour after cooking (Popular Science). Gerzsi recommends not sitting on it to admire your work.

America’s Test Kitchen’s winner: Ooni Koda 2

• Who it’s for: cooks who want a slightly bigger gas oven that handles a typical 14-inch home pizza.
• Fuel: propane.
• Size: 14-inch pizzas.
• Heat: ATK reports a 20 to 30 minute heat-up and an ambient temperature of 874°F.
• Price: $499 at Ooni’s US store (October 4, 2026).

What the testers say: America’s Test Kitchen named it the winner of its outdoor pizza oven test. Setup is easy, the powerful rear burner and a flame-shielding visor brown the toppings well, the 14-inch stone fits the pizzas most people make at home, and its weight keeps it sitting securely on a table (America’s Test Kitchen).

One honest caveat from the testers: it’s powerful enough that you need to watch it closely to avoid burning, and some testers needed help moving it (America’s Test Kitchen).

Best for real fire: Ooni Karu 2

• Who it’s for: people who want live wood or charcoal flame, with the option to add gas later.
• Fuel: wood or charcoal; Ooni sells a gas burner separately.
• Size: 12-inch pizzas.
• Heat: Tom’s Guide reports 10 to 12 minutes to reach 750°F.
• Price: $449 at Ooni’s US store (October 4, 2026).

What the testers say: Tom’s Guide named it Best Overall in its pizza oven guide for its fuel flexibility, quick assembly (under 15 minutes) and how well it serves a small group (Tom’s Guide).

One honest caveat from the testers: it isn’t sized for big parties, and the temperature needs active attention (Tom’s Guide). That’s the trade with any live fire: more flavor and theater, more babysitting.

The big backyard splurge: Gozney Dome (Gen 2)

• Who it’s for: serious enthusiasts who make lots of pizza and want a permanent backyard oven that also roasts and bakes.
• Fuel: wood, charcoal or propane (natural gas in some regions).
• Size: one 16-inch pizza or two 10-inch pizzas; about 137 lb.
• Heat: Food Network reports a 950°F maximum and about 40 minutes to heat; TechRadar timed 40 to 45 minutes.
• Price: $2,299.99 at Gozney’s US store (October 4, 2026).

What the testers say: Food Network named it Best Professional-Grade: it arrives fully assembled, has an extra-large cooking surface and a digital thermometer with two probes, and carries a 5-year warranty (Food Network). TechRadar gave it Editor’s Choice and called it one of the best off-the-shelf pizza ovens money can buy, praising the dual stone and air temperature display and the even gas burner (TechRadar).

One honest caveat from the testers: it’s expensive, big and slow to heat, and TechRadar notes the wood-fire control kit is sold separately (about $200). Their advice: it’s for people who make pizza often; casual cooks are better off with a cheaper model (TechRadar). Gerzsi notes that at 137 lb, this is the one oven that genuinely deserves a stone base.

What matters in a backyard pizza oven

Fuel

Propane is the easy route: turn a dial and adjust the flame. Wood and charcoal give you live fire but need more work. America’s Test Kitchen found that multi-fuel ovens require more attention and messier cleanup when burning wood or charcoal, and that small wood chambers make the fire hard to maintain (America’s Test Kitchen).

Size

ATK considers a 14-inch stone ideal for the pizzas most people make at home (America’s Test Kitchen). A 12-inch oven is fine for a couple or small family; go 16 inches only if you regularly feed a crowd.

Heat

All four ovens here get far hotter than a kitchen oven. The difference is control: America’s Test Kitchen warns that its winning oven needs close watching to avoid burning, and that the hottest oven in its test, the Ooni Koda 2 Pro, tended to burn the outside of pizzas (America’s Test Kitchen).

Gerzsi’s kitchen note: In a professional kitchen we heat the surface, not just the air. A pizza stone needs time to soak up heat all the way through; if the flame looks ready but the stone isn’t, you get a burnt top and a pale, soft bottom. Preheat fully, and give the stone a minute or two to recover between pizzas.

Portability

Weight decides whether an oven lives on a table you can move or stays put. The Pi Prime is about 30 lb (Food Network); the Dome is about 137 lb and, as Tom’s Guide put it about the original Dome, not portable (Tom’s Guide).

Gerzsi’s kitchen note: At these temperatures a pizza is done in a minute or two, so the oven is never the slow part. You are. Do it like a kitchen line: dough balls portioned, toppings in bowls, peel floured, everything within arm’s reach before the first pizza goes in. And go light on toppings. Wet, heavy toppings don’t cook through in 90 seconds.

Gerzsi’s kitchen note: Take the dough out of the fridge well before you stretch it. Cold dough fights you and tears; dough at room temperature relaxes and stretches thin without a rolling pin.

Pizza oven FAQ

Should I get a gas or a wood-fired pizza oven?

For most people, gas. It’s quicker to light and easier to control, and all four picks here can run on propane (the Karu 2 with an add-on burner sold separately). Choose wood or charcoal if live fire is part of the fun for you; testers note it needs more attention and more cleanup (America’s Test Kitchen, Tom’s Guide).

How long does a pizza oven take to heat up?

Portable ovens take roughly 10 to 30 minutes: under 15 minutes for the Pi Prime (Popular Science), 20 to 30 for the Ooni Koda ovens (America’s Test Kitchen). A big insulated oven like the Gozney Dome takes about 40 minutes (Food Network).

How big an oven do I need?

America’s Test Kitchen calls a 14-inch stone ideal for typical home pizzas (America’s Test Kitchen). Smaller 12-inch ovens are lighter and cheaper but, as Tom’s Guide notes of the Karu 2, not sized for large parties (Tom’s Guide).

How fast does a pizza actually cook?

Fast. Popular Science’s tester cooked pizzas in about 90 seconds in the Pi Prime, up to three minutes with wetter toppings like fresh mozzarella (Popular Science). That’s why you rotate the pizza and never walk away.

The bottom line

For most backyards, the Solo Stove Pi Prime is the safest bet: three independent testers rate it at or near the top, and it’s about $400. Want a 14-inch stone? America’s Test Kitchen’s winner, the Ooni Koda 2, is about $100 more. Want real fire? The Ooni Karu 2. Want a permanent outdoor oven, and have a plinth-building beaver on call? The Gozney Dome.

Read next

• The best countertop ovens
• The kitchen tools a head chef actually reaches for

Chef-picked. Beaver-approved.

Sources

• America’s Test Kitchen — The Best Outdoor Pizza Ovens
• Food Network — Best Outdoor Pizza Ovens, Tested and Reviewed
• Tom’s Guide — Best pizza ovens: tested and rated
• Popular Science — Solo Stove Pi Prime review
• TechRadar — Gozney Dome (Gen 2) review
• Tom’s Guide — Gozney Dome review (original model)
• Solo Stove — Pi Prime price
• Ooni — Koda 2 price
• Ooni — Karu 2 price and fuel options
• Gozney — Dome (Gen 2) price and specs