
Pros
- Large glass window
- Bluetooth connectivity
- Hinged door helps oven heat more evenly
- Added air vent to help control temperature
Cons
- Heavy
Over a decade ago, Ooni built its first portable pizza oven with a design that many have mimicked. Our previous pick for the best pizza oven, the Karu 16, has been replaced by the Karu 2 Pro. It’s the exact same as the Karu 16 with three new features: an air vent, Bluetooth-connected thermometer, and an even larger window on the oven door.
Like the Karu 16, the Karu 2 Pro makes 16-inch pizzas fired either with propane or wood. In testing, we liked the locking door with a glass window, which helped maintain a consistent temperature and allowed us to keep an eye on our pizza while it cooked.
Ooni also added a digital thermometer to this model that monitors air temperature in the oven via a wired probe. That info is sent to your phone so you can be in the kitchen prepping more pies or enjoying company instead of babysitting the oven.
Using the propane burner is easy and gets the job done, but we appreciate the large firebox for wood, which provides a lot more flame across the top of the oven. The large capacity also had us refilling it less frequently than smaller wood-fired ovens.
The Karu 2 Pro also doubles as a capable charcoal grill if you want to cook meat or veggies. While we like a dedicated grill for burgers and steaks, the Karu 2 is a do-it-all outdoor kitchen if you have limited outdoor space. The addition of the new air vent even gets it down to a consistent 200 degrees Fahrenheit for low-and-slow cooking.
Key Specs
| Body | Powder-coated carbon steel |
| Cooking Surface | Pizza stone |
| Temperature | Up to 950 degrees F |
| Fuel | Wood, charcoal, or propane with optional adapter |

Pros
- Even cooking without having to turn pizza
- No fuel needed, simply plugs in
- Preset cooking modes for temps and time
Cons
- Only gets up to 700 degrees Fahrenheit
- No peel included
The Ninja Artisan is the only electric outdoor pizza oven we've come across that's worth a double take. It needs to be covered if left outside because of the electrical components, but the body is made of weather-resistant steel.
There's no hassling with pellets or propane—simply plug it in, preheat, and start cooking. It has a max temp of 700 degrees Fahrenheitahrenheit, which is less than most gas and wood-fired ovens, but it's not necessarily a bad thing.
While a 1,000-degree oven that makes pizza in 90 seconds sounds easy, there's a lot more to it. Shredded mozzarella starts melting in seconds, the dough crust needs a minute to bake, and toppings may require a different cooking time. Electric temperature controls and a lower max heat offer more runway before taking off on your pizza-making journey. Another plus of an electric outdoor pizza oven is even cooking because there's no need to turn the pizza when it's in the oven.
The Ninja has built-in preset pizza modes to cook different styles of 'za: Neapolitan, New York, thin crust, and pan. It preheats to respective target temps for each and then prompts you to add the pizza. Hit start and it starts counting down for a perfectly timed cook.
We tried the thin crust setting, which cooked our pizza at 550 degrees Fahrenheit for four minutes. When the timer went off, out came an evenly cooked pepperoni pizza.
The Neapolitan setting worked great as well. It cooked the pizza at 700 degrees F for two and a half minutes yielding an impressively crisped crust with some leopard spotting.
Key Specs
| Body | Stainless steel |
| Cooking Surface | Pizza stone |
| Temperature | Up to 700 degrees F |
| Fuel | Electric |
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Pros
- Lightweight
- Compact shape
- Reaches same high temps as large ovens
Cons
- Small size limits pizza size
A lot of outdoor pizza ovens are portable enough to pick up and move, but they aren't designed with transportation in mind. Fair—most of us park them in the backyard. Gozney put more thought into portability than its competitors with the Tread pizza oven.
It weighs 30 pounds, has two handles on top, and has a manageable square shape. It can go from home to tailgate with ease. We tested the Tread with the collapsible Venture Stand, which gives you a cooking space wherever you take it.
Getting the Tread fired up only takes a few seconds when using the control dial on the side. The flames instantly extended across the roof of the pizza oven, and we wanted things to get hot, so we preheated for about 20 minutes. Once it reached an optimal temperature, we were ready to pitch the first pizza.
The compact size can fit up to 12-inch pies, which is plenty big for personal pizzas. In testing, we found that the oven has great heat retention, so you can cook them one after another. We also found the opening offered enough wiggle room to rotate the pie with a pizza peel for even cooking.
The Tread comes with a built-in thermometer on the side, but we still used an infrared heater to measure the temperature of the pizza stone itself. The quick-release gas hose and regulator make for quick setup, too. For those that plan to take the Tread on-the-go, Gozney also has a handy carrying case.
Key Specs
| Body | Aluminum, stainless steel |
| Cooking Surface | Pizza stone |
| Temperature | Up to 950 degrees F |
| Fuel | Propane |

Pros
- Temperature presets take out the guesswork
- Doesn't take up a lot of space on a countertop
- Can be used for a variety of cooking needs
- Great for first-timers
Cons
- Doesn't fully replicate a wood or propane-fired oven
You'd be hard-pressed to find an electric pizza oven that gets the job done like the original Ooni Volt, but the Ooni Volt 2 is an honorable step up. This model has a smaller carbon footprint than its predecessor, and it's even easier to use.
Messing with temperatures can get complicated quickly, but the Volt 2 has three presets for cooking Neapolitan, New York, and Chicago Deep Dish-style pizzas to perfection. We usually use an infrared thermometer to gauge the temperature of pizza stones, but we trusted the presets and weren't disappointed.
On the same topic, this pizza oven also has an impressive temperature range, reaching up to 850 degrees Fahrenheit. Beyond pizza, you can use this oven for plenty of other cooking tasks like roasting veggies, broiling meat, making a toasty grilled cheese, and baking cookies. Basically, the world is your oyster with the Volt 2.
While this electric pizza oven doesn't exactly mimic a wood-fired or propane-fueled model, it has its place in the kitchen. The Volt 2 can be used all year long, is capable of cooking plenty of your favorites, and is much easier to manage. Even if you already have an outdoor model, we'd go so far as to say that you might need this indoor version, too.
Key Specs
| Body | Aluminum, steel |
| Cooking Surface | Baking stone |
| Temperature | Up to 850 degrees F |
| Fuel | Electric |
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Pros
- Automatic rotating pizza stone
- Built-in thermometer
- Pizza peel included
Cons
- Electrical component could break
The brand best known for stainless-steel cookware has made an impressive outdoor pizza oven. The design is familiar with one addition—an automatic rotating pizza stone.
Typically rotating pizza stones are a gimmick you find on budget pizza ovens to make up for a low temperature range. All-Clad's pizza oven, however, has both firepower and an effective rotating stone that runs on four AA batteries and only requires a push of a button to start. The stone rotates at a slow, consistent speed to ensure even cooking.
All-Clad includes other niceties, like a built-in analog thermometer, matchstick holder in case the igniter fails, and an oven floor that's easy to clean. The pizza stone takes up the majority of the interior, so after cooking is done, it can be removed with little to no burnt remnants collecting at the bottom.
The directions are simple and straightforward to follow, though we wish there was a little extra in terms of cooking tips. As with all the other models on this list, we set aside some time to preheat the oven during testing. The All-Clad reached 900 degrees Fahrenheit in just over 10 minutes.
While we love the automatic rotating stone—as with anything—the more moving parts, the more potential for those parts to break. Overall, All-Clad's oven has great build quality, including the electrical box that houses the batteries. We expect it to last as long as the pizza oven is kept covered.
Key Specs
| Body | Steel |
| Cooking Surface | Pizza stone |
| Temperature | Up to 900 degrees F |
| Fuel | Propane |

Pros
- Large capacity for different size pizzas
- Dual-fuel capability
- Digital display is useful for monitoring important cooking information
Cons
- Might be overkill for beginners
- Wind can blow out the flames
The Gozney Dome Gen2 is definitely a luxury pizza oven, but it's chock-full of features that could potentially make it a worthy investment for those who are dedicated to perfecting their pizza and baking crafts.
A 14-inch flue sits atop the roof of the oven, and this was helpful for maintaining airflow and flames. The Dome Gen2 comes with a standard propane burner, and the wood kit is optional. This helps simplify the process for newer pizza-makers, since wood-fired takes some time to master.
One of the highlights we appreciate the most is the size of the oven itself. After preheating, we had no problem cooking two midsize pizzas side-by-side, and we could move the pies around if we needed to slow the cook time.
It takes a little longer for the oven to heat up when using wood, but luckily, changing the fuel mode doesn't make the burner obsolete. We were able to fire up the oven with the burner first, then switched to wood when it reached the right temperature and turned off the propane.
We tested the Dome Gen2 on a somewhat windy day, and the propane burner blew out a few times. To offset this, we kept the temperature a little higher than usual and burned charcoal on the wood tray for better control.
The digital display is a very convenient feature. Instead of using an infrared thermometer, we could monitor levels in real time right on the pizza oven without worrying about accuracy.
Key Specs
| Body | Stainless steel |
| Cooking surface | Pizza stone |
| Temperature | 950 degrees F |
| Fuel | Wood, propane, or charcoal |
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Pros
- Temperature controls are user-friendly
- Easy assembly
- Durable construction
Cons
- No oven door can make cooking tricky in breezy conditions
A pizza oven from the smokeless fire pit folks? Sign us up. The ease of cooking with a propane burner is tough to beat.
It took us about 20 minutes to heat up the oven using propane, though you should expect a bit more time when it’s relatively cool out and less when it’s hot. In testing, the average cook time was about 90 seconds and required turning the pie every 20 seconds or so.
The Pi Prime’s manual not only had thorough assembly instructions, but a lot of helpful notes and tips to get started, including suggested target temperatures for different styles of pizza.
We found that managing oven and stone temperatures didn’t take too much time, although like other ovens without a door, breezy or windy days could make it more challenging. The oven opening on the Pi is 13 inches wide, so 12-inch pies are about as big as this oven can handle.
Similar to Solo Stove fire pits, ventilation holes line the bottom of the pizza oven for plenty of airflow. The Pi Prime is also constructed with durable 304 stainless steel to withstand high temps and different weather conditions.
Key Specs
| Body | Stainless steel |
| Cooking Surface | Pizza stone |
| Temperature | Up to 900 degrees F |
| Fuel | Propane |

Pros
- Great temperature control
- Reasonably priced for its features
- Easy to use
- High cooking temperature
Cons
- Can only make 12-inch pizzas
The Arc Lite is about as analog as it gets, equipped with only a pizza stone, ignition knob, and stainless steel insulated housing to bake your favorite pies. While this model is smaller and less features-heavy than the Dome Gen2 we’ve tested, that doesn’t mean it’s any less effective.
It didn’t take long for us to get the Arc Lite up and running. We just connected the hose to the propane tank then pressed and turned the knob to ignite. It took about 20 minutes for the pizza oven to warm up on a cooler spring day, and we maintained an internal temperature of 800 degrees Fahrenheit. The Arc Lite reaches 950, but that high heat requires more attention so you don’t overcook your pie.
The pizza we made was ready in about 90 seconds, and had the crunchy crust and bubbly cheese we desired, and the only downside we really came across during testing is that the Arc Lite is limited on size and can only cook up to 12-inch pizzas. Great for everyday bites, but not ideal if you’re looking to host and make multiple pies at once.
Key Specs
| Body | Stainless steel |
| Cooking surface | Pizza stone |
| Temperature | Up to 950 degrees F |
| Fuel | Propane |
Amber is a Reviews Editor with bylines on Popular Mechanics, Runner’s World, Bicycling, and Best Products sites. Specializing in kitchen gadgets, small appliances, lifestyle, and consumer tech, she brings hands-on testing and a detail-oriented approach to every review. In her free time you can likely find her trading trinkets at an EDM festival, searching for hidden gems at thrift stores, or cuddling with her two cats.
Danny Perez is a Reviews Editor for Popular Mechanics with a focus on men's style, gear, and home goods. Recently, he was coordinator of partnership content at another product journalism outlet. Prior to that, he was a buyer for an independent men's shop in Houston, Texas, where he learned all about what makes great products great. He enjoys thrifting for 90s Broadway tees and vintage pajama sets. His spare time is occupied by watching movies and running to impress strangers on Strava.

Brad Ford has spent most of his life using tools to fix, build, or make things. Growing up he worked on a farm, where he learned to weld, repair, and paint equipment. From the farm he went to work at a classic car dealer, repairing and servicing Rolls Royces, Bentleys, and Jaguars. Today, when he's not testing tools or writing for Popular Mechanics, he's busy keeping up with the projects at his old farmhouse in eastern Pennsylvania.
