How would you like to make wood fired pizza that actually tastes better than any you’d get from a pizzeria? Honestly, it’s more than possible.
It is possible to make homemade pizza using wood, from the comfort of your own home. Imagine your friends’ faces when you pull out an amazing smelling pizza.
All you need to do is invest in the best wood fired pizza oven. And, I’m going to help you with that…
I have tried and tested many different wood burning ovens, I wanted to share what I’ve discovered.
- Lightweight
- Fuel efficient
- Good quality pizza stone
- Sturdy and Durable
- Multiple fuel options
- Easy to transport
- Lightweight
- Quick to heat up
- Portable
- Good value for money
- Pick between wood or gas
- Cooks pizza in 60 seconds
Best Wood Fired Pizza Ovens
Now no matter what your skill level, EVERYONE can learn how to use a wood burning pizza oven.
The aim of this buyer’s guide is to help you find the best wood fired pizza oven. One that is going to be easy to light, quick cooking times & that gives your pizza that smokey flavour.
With so many options, it can be tough picking one. Below are my top 5 models that I have reviewed.
You can find a more detailed review of each model further down, as well as some tips and advice on what I look for.
- Ooni Fyra Pizza Oven – Best Overall (Editors Choice)
- Ooni Karu – Best Multifuel
- Gozney Roccbox
- Bertello Outdoor Pizza Oven
- Big Horn Wood Pellet Oven
Detailed Look At The Wood Burning Pizza Ovens
1. Ooni Fyra Pizza Oven (Editor’s Choice)
The Ooni Fyra Pizza Oven is the newer version of the Ooni 3. It was actually one of the first pizza ovens that used wood pellets. It’s also the model that I use on a weekly basis.
It features a “hopper” on the back so that you can continue to add more fuel to the fire. This allows it to burn for longer.
On the door there is also a handy viewing hole, so you can see how the flame and the pizza is doing.
It’s lightweight and incredibly sturdy. Overall the quality is great with a dome effect along the top to help with heat distribution.
- Lightweight
- Fuel efficient
- Good quality pizza stone
- Sturdy and Durable
- Easy to light
- Simple to set up
- Viewing window
- Only uses wood as fuel
2. Ooni Karu Pizza Oven
The Karu from Ooni is a great choice if you’re undecided on whether you want a wood burning pizza oven or gas. You can use wood, charcoal or you can use gas. (you do need to purchase an adapter)
It is compact, lightweight and can easily be transported. Perfect if you want to travel but still enjoy AMAZING pizza.
The karu comes in both 12 and 16 inches. So you can get the right size for what you need.
- Multiple fuel options
- Easy to transport
- Lightweight
- Quick to heat up
- Foldable legs
- 12/16” available
- Often out of stock
- Need to buy adapter to use gas
3. Gozney Roccbox
Gozney is a well-known and reputable company. Roccbox has won a number of awards for being an excellent wood burning pizza oven.
Great quality and lightweight, perfect for those looking for an outdoor pizza oven that is also easy to transport.
Unlike others you can decide between using wood or gas. So you can pick which is more suitable for you and your needs.
- Portable
- Good value for money
- Pick between wood or gas
- Cooks pizza in 60 seconds
- Quick & Easy to set up
- High demand
- Healthier than alternatives
4. Bertello Outdoor Pizza Oven
Bertello’s wood fired pizza oven was first seen on the Shark Tank TV show. Since then it has been selling around the world.
Like the Karu it uses wood and charcoal but you can also buy an addon to use gas. They do actually provide a complete package which includes the addon, along with other accessories such as peel, cover and thermometer.
Featuring a stylish design with 4 legs to make it sturdy. It has a lot of positive reviews.
Even though it’s not the cheapest, it is great value for money.
- Multifuel
- Compact
- Easy to use
- Sturdy
- Lightweight
- More expensive
- Gas adapter needed
5. Big Horn Wood Pellet Oven
Finally we have the oven by Big Horn, which uses wood pellets to fuel. Made from stainless steel to be durable, so you can use it for many years.
It does take longer to heat up than alternatives. It’s still ready for you to enjoy homemade pizza in as little as 20 minutes.
Big Horn cannot reach as high temperatures as the other ovens – Although it still only takes 90 seconds to cook a pizza.
- Sturdy and Durable
- Good value for money
- Made from high quality stainless steel
- Cooks pizza in 90 seconds
- Heaviest pizza oven in this list
- Takes longer to heat up and cook
Why Buy A Wood Fired Pizza Oven?
The first question you need to ask yourself is why wouldn’t you buy a wood burning pizza oven?
Let’s go through just a couple of reasons why you should (and won’t regret it)
Amazing Flavours
You want that smokey taste right? A wood burning oven will do that.
The flame is drawn through the oven and over the pizza, it’s this that cooks it. The smoke also draws through the oven and out the chimney. Exposing the pizza to the smokiness and giving it that authentic flavour.
A nice homemade dough, your favourite toppings and wood fired pizza….what could be better?
Nothing, it honestly tastes better than any pizza you’ll find in a restaurant.
Quicker To Make
It’s true, using a wood fired pizza oven is actually quicker than using your conventional oven.
A wood burning oven will reach temperatures of 500°C. That is hot! The pizza will be cooked in just 60-90 seconds. Perfect for making a single pizza or multiples if hosting a pizza party.
It’s Not Just For Making Pizza
Okay so the main reason you want a wood fired pizza oven is for making pizza right? But that’s not all it can make.
They’re perfect for other dishes as well. Ribeye steak cooked under the flame…amazing!
So many choices from meat, sides to bread. It’s fun just experimenting.
How To Use A Wood Fired Pizza Oven
When I first got a wood burning oven, I was worried that it might be tough to use. I was completely wrong!
I couldn’t believe how easy they are to actually use. Probably helps when you get a decent one!
It takes a little time to master but you’ll be making wood fired pizza in no time!
There are different types of wood fired pizza ovens, however they all work in generally the same way. Make sure to check the instructions for the one you get. (I use the Ooni Fyra)
The first thing you need to do is check that the chimney is open. This is important as it allows the flow of smoke to go through the oven which helps with heating it up.
Portable wood fired ovens will have a compartment for the wood pellets. You would fill this up with a burner to light it.
Some might require you to place the wood below the grill or stone.
Before lighting the wood, make sure the pizza stone is inside the oven. It’s really important that this heats up with the pizza. It will break if it’s cold and goes into a warm oven.
Light up the fire lighter and place it back into the pizza oven. After 5 minutes the wood pellets should start to light. Keep checking and add more pellets when needed.
You can start cooking your pizza once it reaches 500 degrees.
If the oven has a door then make sure you keep it on. This will help it to keep the heat.
It’s a bit of an art keeping the fire going, you just need to keep checking to make sure there’s enough wood.
Remember it gets very hot, so the pizza won’t take long to cook at all. (It surprised me that it only took 60 seconds the first time I made one)
Leave the oven to heat up again before adding the next pizza. Don’t forget to keep adding wood pellets.
TOP TIP: Don’t stretch out and add the pizza toppings until the oven has reached the right temperature.
What You Should Look For In A Wood Fired Pizza Oven
There are a couple of things you want to look for in a wood burning pizza oven.
How Long It Takes To Heat Up
You don’t want to rush a great pizza.
But it’s possible to have INCREDIBLE pizza without having to wait ages.
Wood fired pizza ovens like the Ooni Fyra do claim that the oven only takes 15 minutes to get to temperature.
This is because of the shape of the oven and how the heat flows.
The ones that sit on the BBQ for example or the tall BBQ looking ones will take longer. In fact some of those can take up to an hour.
So I aim for one that will heat up in 10-20 minutes. That way you can get on with making and enjoying your pizza.
Size and Capacity
Do you need a wood burning pizza oven that takes up half your garden? I doubt it!
How many pizzas are you making?
Even if you plan to have a pizza party, since wood fired pizza ovens will have a pizza ready in 60 seconds you can make enough by cooking them one at a time.
I started with the 12” but do find the 16” ideal for when cooking multiple things in the same oven.
I like the portable pizza ovens above, since they are easy to store. I have a tall BBQ style oven in the corner of the garden. There’s just nowhere to put it and I never use it.
The ones above are lightweight and easy to store.
How Long Does It Stay Hot
Something to think about is just how long the oven will stay hot for.
As long as you continue to feed the ovens with wood then they should continue to retain their heat.
The great thing about the ones above is that it’s so easy to top up with wood pellets. Allowing you to keep them going for as long as you need them.
In Fact they should be able to keep their temperature for hours and hours.
Some such as the large BBQ looking wood burning pizza ovens can be a bit harder to keep hot. I struggled to continue to keep the fire going a few times. Which meant the pizza took longer to cook.
As a side note, you also want to look for one that cools down fairly quickly. Making it much easier for you to move if you need to.
For example the Ooni Fyra cools down in about an hour.
Frequently Asked Questions
I had so many questions when I started looking at wood fired pizza ovens. Over time I have been doing a lot of research.
So I wanted to answer some of the questions I had to begin with, in case these are the same questions you have.
Q. Are Wood Burning Pizza Ovens Worth It?
Only you can answer this to be honest. For me I’d say yes. (In fact its one of the best things I’ve purchased in awhile.)
Do you enjoy eating pizza?
Do you want to make authentic Neapolitan pizza?
Does the thought of cooking on fire interest you?
If you answered any of the above then yes a wood fired pizza oven is worth it.
Q. Is Pizza Cooked On Wood Healthier?
Generally yes it is. And for several reasons.
- Traditional Neapolitan dough doesn’t have oil or sugar. So therefore less fat and calorie content
- You are cooking the vegetables quicker, which means they keep more of their vitamins and antioxidants. Making them healthier.
- It’s also healthier on the wallet, since much cheaper to produce
To compare it…
A 12 inch wood fired pizza base is 468 calories.
The base of a pizza from dominos is roughly 800+ calories.
Q. Does Wood Fired Pizza Taste Different?
You will often find that it does taste very different to that cooked in your home oven.
Since the wood burning pizza oven cooks at a much higher temperature. It allows the crust to really puff up.
The base tends to be crispier. Again as it cooks quicker, the toppings are able to retain more of their flavour.
Plus I just love that smoky taste you get from the pizza.
Q. What Can I Cook In A Wood Fired Pizza Oven?
This was an important question for me. I enjoyed pizza but I didn’t plan on making alot of it. (Little did I know that I would become obsessed with making homemade pizza.)
If you have the equipment, there isn’t much you cannot cook in a pizza oven. For example having a nice cast iron griddle pan will allow you to make;
- Wood fired meats such as steak, chicken and duck.
- Tasty garlic and rosemary potatoes
- Grilled vegetables
- Stir fry
- Fajitas
- And many more things
As you can see, they can make almost anything you want.
Q. What Type of Wood Should You Use?
The type of wood you need to use in your wood burning pizza oven would depend on the actual oven itself. They will either use wood pellets or logs.
One thing that is very important is that you use hardwood and NOT softwood.
Hardwood burns longer and doesn’t produce as much smoke.(This is because softwood has more water content)
You also want to make sure that the wood you intend to use is food grade. This means its safe to burn to cook food on and wont contain any toxins.
There are so many different types of wood which give your pizza a slight subtle flavour. For example you have maple, oak, hickory and ash.
You can also get wood that’s been treated for extra flavour with apple, plum, almond, cherry and even chestnut.
Q. How Hot Do Wood Fired Pizza Ovens Get?
Wood Fired Pizza Ovens will usually get to 950°F (500°C). This is the temperature needed to be able to make authentic Neapolitan pizza. It’s this heat that makes the crust rise so well and form that INCREDIBLE flavour.
The Bottom Line
Hopefully this guide on the best wood fired pizza ovens have helped, along with the reviews of the different ovens. If you are wanting to make authentic pizza in your own home (that’s better than any pizzeria pizza) then these are the ones I would recommend.
My favourite by far is the Ooni Fyra. It’s the one I use on a weekly basis. I even take it on holiday with me. Perfect for those camping trips or when staying in a lodge.
- Temperature in 15 Minutes
- Pizza in 60-90 Seconds
- Easy To Use
- Lightweight
- Portable
- Fuel Efficient
- Viewing Window
- Great Value For Money
