WE'VE scoured the web for the best pizza ovens around, whether you're looking for a portable option or a barbecue topper. With a wide range of price options, these devices will help you take your homemade slice to the next level.
It’s easy to make pizzas in conventional ovens, especially if you’re just popping in a shop-bought one. But having a dedicated outdoor pizza oven means you can recreate the pizzeria-style crust that’s so hard to achieve otherwise.
That’s because pizza ovens are designed to cook pizzas from all directions and at much higher temperatures. The dough is in direct contact with the extremely hot base, which helps the crust to form and the dough to cook through without drying it out.
At the same time, the roof of the oven helps to direct the heat to the topping to flash cook it, so there’s no risk of the base burning while the topping is left raw.
You can get pizza stones for conventional ovens to help you achieve that crust of course, but they take an hour or more to heat up properly whereas dedicated pizza ovens might only take 20 minutes to heat up and then another couple of minutes for the actual cooking.
How to de-clutter if you have a beauty stash to last you a lifetime
Below are some of the best outdoor pizza ovens you can buy now.
Haloo Revolve Pizza Oven
- Haloo Revolve Pizza Oven, £549.99 from Robert Dyas - buy here
Haloo has just launched a brand new pizza oven, exclusive to Robert Dyas, and we're obsessed. If you've got high standards when it comes to pizza, you'll be massively impressed with the authentic-looking Neapolitan-style pizza this oven allows you to create.
One problem we've experienced in the past with pizza ovens is burned edges and unevenly cooked bases and toppings. But, since this one revolves 360 degrees on a cordite stone and heats up to 500 degrees celsius, the heat is evenly distributed and the pizza is cooked perfectly.
The oven is simple to use, too. There are no complicated controls, you just need to unfold the legs, pop in the stones, attach the motor and plug it into the gas, and then turn on the ignition. It heats up within minutes and comes with a free Infrared Thermometer to allow you to measure the heat before you stick your pizza in the oven.
Gas ovens are usually safer and more energy efficient because they're easier and quicker to turn off and on. And, in our experience, it only took about 90 seconds to cook each pizza, so we didn't need to leave the oven on for more than 10 minutes to feed a whole family.
Besides pizza, you can cook grilled vegetables, meat, seafood, and even baked desserts on this oven, so you'll get your money's worth if you do decide to invest.
La Hacienda BBQ outdoor pizza oven
- La Hacienda BBQ pizza oven, £79.99 from Amazon - buy here
This pizza oven from La Hacienda is made to be used on top of gas or charcoal range barbecues.
It’s super easy to use - you just need to put the removable pizza stone on top of the barbecue grill and then put the stainless steel hood over the top.
The oven will be pizza ready in about 10 minutes and there’s a dial on the top to tell you when it’s at the right temperature. It's handy and fairly affordable - what's not to like?
Progress Taste the World indoor pizza oven
- Progress pizza maker, £70 from Argos - buy here
When the cold nights set in and outdoor cooking is out, then the Progress pizza maker is a great addition for an authentic Italian taste. Making mini or large pizzas within minutes, it comes with large cooking plate and dough cutter.
I’m a savvy shopper – best time to shop for Xmas 2023 is sooner than you think
We tested it with a little one who absolutely loved shaping and cutting the dough, and deciding on toppings made it a fun family treat.
The mini pizza utensils help when cooking and serving and we found it was extremely easy to clean after. It is compact enough to fit in a kitchen cupboard. Additionally, it also makes a lovely present for someone who loves to cook.
Ooni portable outdoor pizza oven
- Ooni portable pizza oven, £249 - buy here
The portable Ooni pizza oven will heat up to 500°C in around 15 minutes and can make a 14-inch stone-baked pizza in just 60 seconds.
You can use the innovative gravity-fed pellet hopper that automatically feeds through hardwood pellets for effortless cooking.
A 3kg bag of pellets is pretty compact and will last for a good 2-3 hour pizza-making session. To keep a consistently high temperature, simply keep the pellets topped up and your pizza oven will stay nice and hot.
You'll be pleased to know the Ooni pizza oven has a powder-coated carbon steel shell that offers optimal heat retention. Your burn time and energy waste will be top-notch efficient.
DeliVita Wood-Fired Pizza Oven
- DeliVita Portable Wood-Fired Oven, £1,395 from Harrods - buy here
Frankly, we can't get enough of the Delivita Pizza Oven. If we had the money, we'd buy one without hesitation.
We tested one out over the course of a month, and by the end of the testing period, we found ourselves using it as much as our normal oven.
DeliVita was founded by an Italian, and some of the materials used to make its ovens are sourced in Italy (including stone from Mount Vesuvius), but they're made in the UK — specifically Yorkshire, the national home of steel.
Delivery and customer service is handled by Marco, a charming Italian man who evidently cares abundantly that you get the best out of your oven, to the point of giving us his number if we had any questions. Over WhatsApp he gave us tips on cooking the best chicken wings, and other customers have had similar experiences: one on TrustPilot summed it up well when they said that DeliVita is "quite simply the most helpful, thoughtful and thoroughly engaging company".
The oven itself is also a marvel: it's spectacular to look at thanks to the array of colours available (ours was a lovely olive hue that felt very suitable for cooking Italian food) and thanks to great insulation, it can go on any surface; we put ours on a plastic table at the end of the garden and it was completely unmarked.
Getting the oven going takes a bit of practice, but it's is a serene ritual, and it takes no longer than heating a normal oven: you make a fire using a firelighter and a few bits of wood, and leave it for 20 minutes or so; then you push the fire to the back of the oven, and you're ready to cook.
The pizzas we had using this were amazing (thanks to pre-made dough you can purchase from DeliVita's website), but we were impressed by everything we made: we did tandoori, the aforementioned chicken wings, steaks and more, and DeliVita even has a cookbook to provide inspiration.
The main obstacle, obviously, is the stratospheric price tag, meaning that this is something that only the lucky few will be able to afford. However, in summer (and winter, if you're brave enough), this can become your main cooking appliance — and it's a real pleasure to use.
READ MORE:
- Best gas BBQs
- Best patio heaters
- Best charcoal BBQs
La Hacienda steel multi-function pizza oven
- La Hacienda steel multi-function pizza oven, £144.50 from Amazon - buy here
An alternative from La Hacienda is this stylish multi-function pizza oven.
It comes with a stand and grill, so you can use it without the pizza stone as a barbecue. When you're bored of pizzas, you can grill meat and fish.
There’s also a temperature dial on the front to let you know when it’s easy to use.
Bullet wood-fired outdoor pizza oven
- Bullet wood-fired pizza oven, £189.99 from Very - buy here
This wood-fired pizza oven with folding legs is great for smaller gardens.
There’s a fuel gate at the back so it’s easy to add more wood when cooking, while in the front there’s a stainless steel door that you can close to reduce heat loss.
It comes with a pizza stone but you’ll have to buy your own peel to use with the oven.
Pizzacraft Deluxe pizza oven kit
- Pizzacraft Deluxe pizza oven kit, £151.95 from Amazon - buy here
This pizza oven kit is designed to transform your existing kettle barbecue into a pizza oven.
It will fit 18-inch and 22.5-inch grills and comes with a stainless steel kettle converter, a 15-inch Cordierite pizza stone, a 13-inch folding aluminum peel and a charcoal fence. It'll help you achieve the smoky flavor of a professional pizza oven.
The time it takes to heat up will vary depending on the type of fuel and how powerful your barbecue is.
BLAZE BOX BBQ Pizza Oven
- BLAZE BOX BBQ Pizza Oven, £54.99 from Amazon - buy here
This budget-friendly, portable pizza oven comes with a 10mm pizza stone, magnetic door and temperature gauge going up to 450 degrees Celsius. It's perfect for small group gatherings.
You can put it on top of barbeques and gas grills and it will be perfect for making not only pizzas but bread and other delicious dishes. It has a classic stainless steel design that is easy to clean.
Firepit outdoor pizza oven
- Firepit pizza oven, £199.99 from Amazon - buy here
If you want to impress your friends and family at gatherings, we've got the pizza oven for you. This welded fire pit is made from 4mm steel and will fit up to a 12" size pizza.
It is fired by wood to give it that classic Italian taste.
You also get a stainless steel paddle to use as a pizza tray to cook on. You don't even need to do anything - it comes fully assembled.
Sage Pizzaiolo smart indoor pizza oven
- Sage Pizzaiolo, £729.99 from Lakeland - buy here
Sage The Smart Oven Pizzaiolo replicates a classic outdoor fire pit pizza oven but all in the comfort of your own home. It's compact and efficient.
It cooks pizzas in just two minutes, and can even reach up to 400C.
The Sage also comes with pre-set functions such as authentic wood-fired, deep-pan pizza, thin and crispy, frozen or New York style.
Personalised pizza oven
Personalised portable pizza oven, £250 from Oakdene Designs - buy here
This authentic wood-fired pizza oven is super easy to assemble.
It slots together without any tools in under five minutes, but not only that but it can be personalised with initials.
We think this would make a great gift for the pizza lovers in your life as it looks very stylish too.
Made from thick mild steel with bamboo and steel carry handles, it's also medium weight coming in at 18kg.
We love that it is portable and can be taken away on camping trips, visiting friends, garden parties and much more.
OFYR outdoor pizza oven
- OFYR pizza oven 100, £225 from OFYR - buy here
The OFYR pizza oven is a great offering for those who like authentic Italian pizza and want to make it the original way.
It cooks on a traditional firepit or round barbecue and consists of a double-sided cast iron plate, with a pizza stone placed on top and a double steel cloche with the outside rotating around the inside.
It also comes with the all-essential pizza paddle for easy delicious pizza in minutes.
Flamemaster BBQ with Pizza Oven
- Flamemaster Kettle 18-inch BBQ with Pizza Oven Extension, 114.99 at Robert Dyas - buy here
If you're worried that a pizza oven would take up too much real estate in your garden, why not get a barbecue that has one built in? This 18-inch charcoal kettle barbecue is ideal for cooking up a storm for your nearest and dearest this summer, whether you want classic BBQ grub or an authentic pizza. The pizza oven extension ring sits on top of the barbecue rim with a lid on top, and it also comes with a pizza stone if you want to take the traditional route. Plus, at just under £115, it's a total bargain.
How do you find the right pizza oven for you?
Which pizza oven you pick will depend on whether you want to use it indoors or outdoors and how big your garden, patio or even balcony is.
You also need to think about the type of fuel it’ll use and whether this will affect the flavour of your pizza.
And finally, there's the price. Pizza ovens can vary a lot in terms of price depending on whether or not it’s portable, and the “per use” price will vary too depending on what type of fuel you use.
Portable, barbecue-top or stand-alone: which pizza oven is best?
The three main types of pizza ovens are portable, barbecue-top and stand-alone.
Portable ones are designed to be small enough to move around. Because of this, they tend to be a bit more expensive.
Usually, there’s a main oven chamber on top of a small stand, plus a chimney. The fuel is at the back of the chamber, like the ones you see in pizzerias, and the pizza goes in the front. There’s some assembly required but you can also put it away in storage after use.
You can also get electric pizza ovens, which are for indoor use and are generally much smaller. There are two types of electric pizza ovens - ones that look like a smaller version of a regular oven and ones that look like a pan with a hood over the top.
Barbecue-top pizza ovens involve a base, a hood and sometimes a converter that goes over your regular barbecue. You can also get these as part of a barbecue set.
Your pizza is cooked using the heat from the barbecue, which can vary a lot. These devices are generally the cheapest and they’re easy to assemble and store, but it can take a little longer to heat up and get the temperature right.
If you’re buying one that doesn’t come with your barbecue, double check the measurements to make sure it will fit on your existing grill.
Finally, there’s the stand alone pizza oven. It’s a serious investment as you’ll need to build it from scratch and of course you’ll need space in your garden for it. If you move house, it’s unlikely you’ll be able to take it with you so that’s worth bearing in mind, too.
Which is better, gas, electric, charcoal or wood-fired pizza oven?
It’s much easier to control the temperatures on gas and electric pizza ovens. And as you can turn them off at the flick of a switch, there’s no wasted fuel either.
Charcoal or wood-fired pizza ovens are better for flavour, adding an extra layer of smokiness to your pizza.
However, it can be more wasteful if you only want to cook one or two pizzas, as you still need to put in the same amount of fuel as if you were cooking more to get the temperature up, so these may be best if you have a big family or want to entertain regularly.
How much do pizza ovens cost?
The price of a pizza oven varies greatly from brand to brand and type to type. For example, you can get a basic countertop pizza oven for around £40 However, you could also spend as much as £40,000 for the most sophisticated models.
You average mid-range pizza oven though, like the ones listed in this article, will set you back somewhere between £100 and £1,500.
Where to buy pizza ovens in the UK?
It's pretty easy to get your hands on a pizza oven. They're available from many major supermarkets and shops and specialist shops, including but not limited to:
- Amazon
- Robert Dyas
- Lakeland
- Very
- Argos
- Harrods
- Selfridges
- B&Q
- Ooni UK
- Delivita
How to use a pizza oven
Pizza ovens are a great addition for any household that absolutely loves authentic pizzas. Although they may take up a little space they are worth it for the classic taste that can not be replicated in a standard home oven.
Depending on the type of pizza oven you have purchased always start with the instructions.
If it's a wood-fired pizza oven you will need to make sure the door of your pizza oven and the chimney smoke control vent are both open when lighting.
Start with placing some kindling in the centre of the oven and build up the wood gradually. You will notice the pizza dome turning black — this is normal.
You can also check the temperature of the oven against the desired heat for the pizza. If it is a gas or electric pizza oven, it will have settings that are more automatic and finely tuned than a wood-fired pizza oven.
What else can you cook in a pizza oven?
The good news is there is a lot of other things you can cook in a pizza oven- making it a one-stop-shop for other delicious goodies.
You can cook flatbreads, chestnuts, seafood, meat, vegetables, fish, jacket potatoes and even steaks with barbecue sauce on.
Just make sure to thoroughly wash the inside of oven and stone plate before you use it again.
