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Top 3 Ooni Portable Pizza Ovens – Ooni Karu vs Ooni Fyra vs Ooni Koda
Love homemade pizza? An Ooni portable pizza oven will totally change your life.
These handy little wood-fired ovens make hot, fresh pizzas in less than 60 seconds. They’re perfect for parties, backyard barbeques, or just weeknight evenings with the family. If you ask any home chef, they’ll tell you an Ooni oven is the must-have cooking appliance of the year.
The problem is, Ooni makes more than one portable pizza oven. So, how can you choose the best model for your home?
This article will walk you through three of the best models Ooni offers right now, including the benefits and drawbacks of each.
Why Ooni?
Ooni is a Scottish pizza oven company that has become increasingly popular in the US within the last few years.
They produced the world’s first portable wood-pellet fired pizza oven in 2012, and since then, have been promoting awesome products for home pizza chefs around the world.
So, what sets Ooni ovens apart from other home pizza ovens on the market?
For one thing, there’s the speed. An Ooni oven is designed to cook a full Neapolitan-style pizza in under 60 seconds.
Whether gas-powered or wood-fired, they heat up quickly and get to scorching temperatures you won’t find in any other home kitchen appliance.
Next, there’s the portability. Unlike a classic brick pizza oven, an Ooni oven is compact and lightweight. It can easily be moved from room to room or house to house whenever you need.
The compact size also makes Ooni an excellent choice for someone with limited cooking space. You can make wood-fired pizzas on your balcony or in the backyard — the oven can sit on any stable surface and folds away when you finish with it.
Is An Ooni Portable Pizza Oven Worth The Price?
If you’ve heard of Ooni before, you probably already know that these ovens aren’t the cheapest on the market.
That said, I think every Ooni model is fairly priced for the quality. You won’t find this kind of crazy fast cooking power or portability in any other home pizza oven. Plus, with multiple models available, there are some more budget-friendly options that won’t break the bank.
If you love cooking pizzas at home, an Ooni oven is absolutely worth the price. This is a high-quality, durable, and unique appliance that will totally change the way you cook.
The Top 3 Ooni Portable Pizza Ovens
Think an Ooni portable pizza oven would make a great addition to your home barbeque lineup? All you have to do is find the right model for you.
Ooni currently produces a line of 5 high-end portable pizza ovens. While each is slightly different in size and function, they all have the same awesome capacity: to cook a full pizza in under a minute.
To help you make your choice, I’ve narrowed down the top three Ooni portable pizza ovens. Here’s my thoughts on my fave’s.
1. Best Overall: Ooni Karu 12 Pizza Oven
The Ooni Karu 12 pizza oven is the ultimate tool for home chefs. This is a top-quality portable oven with an insulated door to maintain high temperatures.
While it might take some time to get used to (like any professional cooking tool), it will make an awesome addition to your home cooking arsenal.
The coolest thing about the Karu, as opposed to other Ooni models, is that it comes with multiple fuel options. You can use charcoal or real wood to heat the oven.
It’s also gas compatible with the Ooni gas burner attachment — that means you can use it indoors on a cold winter night.
Despite its high-quality build and versatility, the Karu oven comes at a fairly affordable price (much cheaper than the original Ooni Pro oven).
I would recommend it to anyone who wants a seriously cool, adaptable, and versatile pizza oven at home.
Features:
- Multiple fuel options
- Insulated door for optimal heat retention
- Corrosion-resistant steel body
- Compatible with gas burner attachment
- Heavy-duty pizza stone inside
2. Best Budget Pick: Ooni Fyra 12 Pizza Oven
This little pizza oven is incredibly powerful for the size and price. The Ooni Fyra 12 pizza oven is fueled by wood pellets, which gives you consistently scorching temperatures with practically no maintenance.
Unlike a wood-burning pizza oven, the Fyra heats up quickly and maintains its heat while you’re using it – but you still get the wood-fired taste of a classic Neapolitan-style pizza.
The oven can reach up to 932 degrees Fahrenheit in about 15 minutes. At that temperature, you can cook a pizza in less than 60 seconds.
The only thing some users have complained about is that the Fyra is almost too powerful — your pizza can get burnt if you don’t monitor it.
At just 22 pounds, this budget-friendly Ooni is a great choice for someone with limited cooking and storage space.
Features:
- Wood pellets heat the oven quickly, with minimal waste
- Large cooking surface
- Lightweight, portable body
- Easy to use
- Cool-to-touch door handle
3. Best Gas-Powered Option: Ooni Koda 12 Pizza Oven
While a wood-fired pizza oven is a lot of fun, it simply isn’t a practical option for everyone. That’s why Ooni makes a gas-powered model with easy-to-use settings.
The Ooni Koda 12 pizza oven is an awesome choice for beginning pizza chefs. With gas power, it’s easy to set and control the temperature inside the oven. It heats up quickly and will maintain its heat for as long as you’re cooking.
On top of its convenience, the Koda is also one of the most portable options in the Ooni lineup. It weighs just over 20 pounds and can fold away for easy storage.
It doesn’t have a door (which keeps the weight light) but aims to retain optimal heat without wasting any energy.
This oven would be a spectacular choice for any home chef or pizza aficionado. It also comes in a larger size the Ooni koda 16 Gas Powered Pizza Oven.
Features:
- Gas-powered for quick, convenient use
- Easy temperature dials
- Flamekeeper technology retains internal heat
- Lightweight, portable build
- Corrosion-resistant steel
How To Use Your Ooni Pizza Oven
Now that you’ve had a look at the top 3 Ooni portable pizza ovens on the market, let’s talk about their many uses.
Obviously, the Ooni is designed to cook pizzas, but it can do more! Ooni users are constantly testing out new recipes in their ovens, including roast chicken, potatoes, and even desserts.
The pizza stone in each oven can be removed for ease of cleaning and maintenance.
The most important factor to remember when using your Ooni oven is safety. Be sure to use your oven outdoors, in a well ventilated and open space.
While the oven won’t heat up the air around it, a fire can occur if it tips over or sparks, oris setup too close to combustible materials.
With that in mind, you should always use your Ooni oven on a stable, fireproof surface. Ideally a countertop or table with a stainless steel or cement product surface.
The Bottom Line: Find The Ooni Oven That’s Right For You
As you can see, an Ooni portable pizza oven is a fun, versatile cooking tool that will totally revolutionize your backyard barbeques.
While I am a fan of the wood-fired options, that doesn’t mean they’re right for everyone.
Plenty of cooks prefer the convenience of a gas-powered portable pizza oven like the Koda, or the waste-free heat of a wood pellet oven like the Fyra.
Here’s the bottom line: every portable pizza oven in the Ooni line is powerful, durable, and tons of fun.
Choose the model that’s best for your lifestyle, and you’ll enjoy amazing home-cooked pizzas for years.
