Tucking into a pizza is an unparalleled delight. That's why it's no surprise that demand grows every year for pizza ovens at home, with all of us wondering how we can replicate this Italian classic in our back gardens.
What's more, as the sun starts to shine, one of the best pizza ovens is also a way to bring the whole family together outside, with a delectable end result to tuck into as a reward for manning the fire.
Whether it's a pizza party in the garden you have in mind or an oven you can transport to the beach, Ooni is one of (if not the) top-rated pizza brands out there in terms of quality, as we delved into in our feature on Ooni vs Gozney, another titan brand.
To get you one step closer to a homemade Margherita, we'll be breaking down which Ooni will suit you and why based on our experience with the options we've tried and loved here at Ideal Home. We've tried every Ooni that's been released yet, so it's fair to say that we're big fans.
Which Ooni pizza oven should you buy?
Fuel type: Multi-fuel, with Wood, Charcoal & Propane Gas possible
RRP: £699
Pizza stone size: 42 x 62cm
This is Ooni's do-it-all pizza oven which we'd recommend to a foodie who wants to totally level up their outdoor cooking game. Make bigger pizzas (16 inches compared to 12) and get better at your craft thanks to the built-in temperature gauge. You can fuel it with wood, charcoal and propane gas too (if you buy the additional burner). The Karu is also available in the smaller 12 inch size.
Our full Ooni Karu review has more information.
Fuel type: Multi-fuel, with Wood, Charcoal & Propane Gas possible
RRP: £349
Pizza stone size: 33 x 33cm
Want a mess-free, easy-to-navigate pizza oven? Let us introduce the Ooni Koda, which produces crispy results without the need for charcoal or wood-pellet-related faff. It's easy to set up the propane gas system, and a great size for portability. If you want an easier way to the perfect pepperoni, the Koda is a star choice. The Ooni Karu is also available in the larger 16 inch size.
Our full Ooni Koda review has more information.
Fuel type: Wood Pellets
RRP: £299
Pizza stone size: 33 x 33cm
Are you looking to make this your best summer yet with your first-ever pizza oven? Then you should take a look at the Ooni Fyra 12, the most affordable option from the brand. It gives that authentic wood-fired taste and is incredibly versatile so that you can try out a range of other recipes too. It earned 5 stars from our notoriously hard-to-impress reviewer, which is the highest praise we can think of.
Our full Ooni Fyra review has more information.
Fuel type: Electric
RRP: £799
Pizza stone size: 33.6 x 34.2 x 1.5cm
If you live in flat or just don't have access to an outdoor space, the Ooni Volt is not just the oven for you, but bound to be a total gamechanger. To run it, all you need to do is plug it in and wait for it to reach the right temperature, before being able to cook gorgeous pizzas from the comfort of your living room. Available to use outdoors too, it's an amazing innovation from the brand.
Our full Ooni Volt review has more information.
Are Ooni pizza ovens worth it?
It's worth taking a look at why Ooni is such a major player in the pizza oven game. Ooni aims to elevate pizza at home from a frozen food into a fun outdoor (and now indoor!) activity, but not one that's too technical at the same time. It's a hard ask, especially given the British weather that all of us are working with.
The way Ooni do that is to create ovens that can reach ultra-high temperatures and stay there. Our top-rated pizza oven, the Ooni Karu, reached 500°C in 15 minutes during our tests and was then capable of cooking a pizza in 60 seconds (provided the base was thin enough -it's a learning curve).
500°C is, apparently, the number you need on the temperature gauge if you want a pizza that's crispy on the outside but perfectly cooked in the middle.
Our previous Head of Reviews Millie Fender is a signed-up Ooni fan, saying 'I rate them more than other pizza ovens, as in my experience they heat up and maintain their heat better than competitors. It means they're more efficient, and you spend less money on fuel in the long run.
You also don't have to wait long periods for your oven to get to the optimum temperature again, so your pizza party can go on undisturbed.'
Beyond the ability to make you into a perfect pizza maker, Ooni also has a great range, with prices starting at £299. Yes, their highest-end option does come in at £799, which is a little eye-watering, but at least you know that Ooni is good enough to cater to newbies and pizzaiolos alike.
The brand uses durable materials to craft the ovens, and offers a reassuring three-year warranty if you buy through the site, should anything go wrong, as well as a wealth of recipes and help on the Ooni website.
After testing Ooni ovens for ourselves at Ideal Home, our stand-out benefit is just how much you can do with these ovens. Our reviewers have tried everything from fajitas to potatoes in these ovens, with results that can genuinely rival the best BBQs. That means that they're certainly multi-functional buys.
We know versatility is super important when it comes to big-ticket purchases so that you can get your money's worth, which is why the ability to try so many recipes earns a big tick from us.
Another huge benefit with Ooni in 2024 is that they do in fact have an indoor option now too, which is electric. The Ooni Volt has been a total game-changer for those without a garden, with the ability to run this oven inside, and still reach those super high temperatures needed for Neopolitan pizzas. We've been trying it out for a few months, and we love it.
It is worth noting that, on the downside, Ooni pizza ovens don't come fully equipped with everything you need from the offset. You'll need a pizza peel to pop your dough into the oven and remove it successfully, which you can buy separately (and a bit cheaper on Amazon). Ooni ovens also don't have heat-safe exteriors, so always take care while using them and afterwards, as it gets seriously hot.
Let's start with the basics, which are the budget, space and skillset you're working with.
If you're just getting started, and tend to find an overcomplicated set-up an immediate deterrent, then a gas-powered option (the Koda) will probably suit you, as these ovens take the least time to get you from unboxing to a perfectly cooked Haiiwian (controversially).
If you're an aficionado of the pizza game already, then why not upgrade when it comes to size and fuel type, and give yourself every possible option available, so that your next pizza party goes down in the history books? You can do that best with the Karu, which has a viewing window and door to keep it at an optimum temperature too.
The Karu and Koda both come in 12 and 16-inch size options, so there's really a model to suit everyone regardless of how you want to fuel your oven, and how big your garden is. It's best illustrated in this size comparison chart, from Ooni, which outlines all of the key metrics you need as you choose.
Meanwhile, if you only have indoor space to work with, or if you have a suitable balcony space (with an outdoor plug handy!), then the Volt will be the choice for you. The same goes for if you prefer electric BBQs (which are all the rage) thanks to how convenient they are to set up and run.
How do the Ooni Karu, Koda and Fyra compare?
So, which Ooni pizza oven is best?
Our reviews of Ooni pizza ovens have never scored less than 4.5 stars out of five, so you're in safe hands regardless of your final choice. Plus, with the announcement of a brand new supersized Ooni, the Koda 2 Max, we're prepared for the possibility that the best model out there might be about to change.
But for right now, if you want to know the one that we rank as the absolute unbeatable, tell-your-friends best? It's the Karu, which will keep a pizza enthusiast busy for years to come, with extras like the in-built temperature gauge and viewing window which make the mega price tag hurt a little less.
But as you already know by now, the objectively best choice is not necessarily the oven for you. The more affordable options from the brand, like the Fyra at half the price, a compact, portable, easy to use and clean buy too, were almost impossible to fault in our at-home tests.
With all that said and done, all that's left to do is start perfecting your dough-making skills for when your Ooni arrives at your door.
