Three Budget-Friendly Pizza Ovens, Reviewed

As much as we love a dependable home-oven pizza recipe (and we mean love; we have the recipes to prove it), there’s something incomparable about the particular crisp and chew a higher-temperature flame oven achieves on dough.

Over the summer, Chatelaine editors tested out three different pizza oven models at different price points to determine if investing in one of your own is worth it. We liked what we tried, but also have some practical advice, regardless of what type of model you’re into.

BakerStone

The American company BakerStone aims to recreate the speed and performance of fancy backyard wood-fired pizza ovens with stoves that either fit on top of larger barbecues or hook into your existing propane tank. I tested a standalone pizza oven, which connected easily to our barbecue’s gas tank. (Note: the accompanying user manual advises you should perform a complicated safety test with water to make sure it’s hooked up properly, which, uh, we did not do, but if you’re a stickler for safety the hookup process may be more complicated.)

After hookup, it’s simple to use: It takes 15 to 20 minutes to heat up, and an indicator shows when the temperature’s in the right range for pizza. I dressed my pizza dough on a wooden peel that came with the oven—ensuring it was well-floured first—then slid it in. The 12.75-inch-wide oven is far hotter at the rear than the front, so you’ll have to rotate the pizza regularly, but once I got the hang of it I got that slightly charred, doughy, pizza-shop smell I never get when making pizzas in the oven. After three to four minutes of cooking and turning the pie (using an accompanying metal spatula), the pizza was done, with a convincingly professional look and taste. (Though I still have some work to do at dough shaping.)

So, bottom line—if you’re serious about pizza, but not in a Gwyneth Paltrow-backyard-wood-pizza-oven kind of way, this is easy to use and quick. And, while I hesitate to recommend anything gas powered—if we’re serious about the climate crisis, we need to cut down what we burn—propane, while still a potent greenhouse gas, is at least cleaner than burning wood or charcoal. (Take that, GP.) And note, while this oven is billed as portable, it’s more portable in that you might carry it from your basement to your backyard, but probably not to the park, unless you are incredibly serious about tailgating. The full kit also comes with a griddle, so you could use it to sear or roast, though I haven’t tested that function yet. —Gillian Grace, deputy editor, digital

BakerStone Original Series Portable Gas Pizza Oven and Griddle Combo, $338.

Ooni Koda

Three years ago, I was lucky enough to test out Ooni’s then-recently launched Koda 12, a gas-powered pizza oven with collapsible legs that makes it tabletop-friendly and portable. It was high-pandemic at the time, and we used that little oven so much that year. Pizza, naan, steaks—it’s able to handle a number of flat-ish foods well, and accommodates a 9-inch cast iron pan as well as a pizza peel, which comes with the oven.

Having pulled it out of storage earlier this summer for a new season of outdoor cooking, I’ll say the oven still stands up: it consistently heats up to 800F within 15 minutes and turns out reliably crispy, blistered pizzas within two to three minutes of baking. The only difference? I’ve gotten a bit better at the technique. Ooni’s 12-inch oven is still a little tight for managing the consistent turning required for an evenly cooked pizza, and learning how to do this without burning our hands was a bit of a learning curve. I’d recommend purchasing an additional pizza peel with a longer handle to do this safely, and to be able to make multiple pizzas in a shorter amount of time.

Also, shoppers take note: this model does tend to go on sale frequently, so keep an eye out for discounts! —Chantal Braganza, deputy editor, food

Ooni Koda 12 Gas Powered Pizza Oven, $469.

President’s Choice

PC’s pizza oven, launched earlier this summer, is physically longer and wider than other brands, but with the same 12-inch stone. The stone sits in the middle of the oven, is nestled low, and has space on either side of the oven walls, making it easier to rotate pizzas inside the oven than the Ooni Koda. Unlike the Ooni, though, it doesn't come with accessories.

This pizza oven also ignites similarly with a rotating dial. We found igniting a spark to be a bit tricky, but using a candle lighter got the gas successfully lit. The oven easily reached 900F within 15 minutes. Flames spread evenly across the back of the oven and heat travels along the top to the front heating the stone along the way. Burners are behind a handy shield that protects against flour and splash.

After sliding the pizza onto the blazing hot stone, we turned the oven all the way down to prevent pizza toppings from burning. The stone does a good job transferring heat to the pizza, making it easy to get a nice leopard pattern on the bottom of the crust. Rotating every 30-60 seconds, the pizzas came out with browned edges, crispy bottoms and steaming-hot toppings after cooking for a few minutes. The extra space on either side of the stone allowed the pizza to be turned inside the oven to maintain heat over the pizza. Even personal pizzas with generously heaped topping portions came out well.

Like other ovens, after each pizza is cooked, the stone drops to around 500F. Turning the dial back to full flame got the oven back to 900F by the time the next personal pizza was made ready to slide into the oven. Repeat above for as many pizzas as there are family members! — Sun Ngo, creative director

President’s Choice Propane-Powered Pizza Oven, $299.