Which Ooni pizza oven should you buy?

Demand for pizza ovens has surged as people continue to stay at home and spend more time entertaining themselves from the comfort of their gardens.

Ooni has proven to be a popular brand among amateur pizzaiolos - this year, several of Ooni's shiny pizza ovens have sold out online for weeks at a time.

If you're keen on picking up a portable pizza oven from this popular brand and are lucky enough to spot them in stock, it's easy to get lost in a variety of types, prices and cooking experiences.

We tried out a wide a range of Ooni's pizza ovens to find the ones that give a great user experience and cook pizzas sure to delight the taste buds (and perhaps widen the waistline).

Read on to find out everything you need to know about the Ooni pizza ovens available, the differences between them and our reviews of each model.

Or head to our pizza oven reviews to see our recommendations for brands such as Gozney and La Hacienda as well as Ooni

Ooni Fyra, £229

The successor to the hugely popular Ooni 3, the Ooni Fyra is Ooni's cheapest pizza oven (although, not by much) and is fuelled by hardwood pellets to infuse your pizza with extra wood-fired flavour.

The detachable chimney is for venting out the smoke that makes the oven burn extra hot to cook pizza in as little as 60 seconds.

Key things to know

• The pellet hopper at the back automatically feeds hardwood pellets into the burner, minimising waste and reducing the need for you to tinker with the fuel during use.
• Wood pellets need to be ordered online and are not readily available from shops unlike gas, charcoal and real wood. They also do not come included with the oven.
• Keeping the temperature maintained in a wood-fired oven takes more skill than other pizza oven types.

See how we found balancing the wood-fired temperature in our Ooni Fyra first look review.

Ooni Koda, £249

The gas-fired offering in Ooni's pizza oven range, the Ooni Koda is arguably the most convenient of Ooni's pizza ovens.

The knob on the back allows consistent and straightforward temperature control, and it has a built-in ignition so there's no need to fiddle around with matches.

Key things to know

• This is the smallest and lightest Ooni pizza oven and the lack of a chimney means it takes up less space during transportation.
• The Koda 16, a larger variant of this gas-powered pizza oven, can cook pizzas up to 40cm (just over 15in) in diameter. This model cooks pizzas up the 30cm (just under 12in) in diameter.
• A propane gas tank regulator and a 1.2-metre hose come included, which is compatible with large propane tanks you might already use with your barbecue.

Head to our Ooni Koda first look review to find out if the gas fuel had an impact on the pizza's flavour.

Ooni Karu, £249

The Ooni Karu is one of Ooni's most versatile pizza ovens, giving you a complete set of options in terms of fuel and cooking experience.

It can be used with real wood or charcoal (or a combination of both), or you can buy the gas-burner attachment separately (£64.99) and heat it up with propane-fuelled fire if you're short on time.

Key things to know

• The door needs to stay shut during during cooking with this model, so you'll have to check your pizza when rotating it to judge how close to done it is.
• The pizza stone is 15mm thick, which is thicker than the pizza stones in other Ooni options. This will add to the time the oven needs to reach cooking temperature, but will help with crisping up the base.
• At 12kg, it's the heaviest of the Ooni pizza ovens, although the chimney can be detached and a carry bag can be bought (£39.99) for ease of transportation.

See which cooking method we preferred best in our Ooni Karu first look review.

Important info to take on board before you buy an Ooni pizza oven

• If you buy your pizza oven direct from Ooni, you get a three-year warranty included and Ooni accepts returns within 60 days of purchase.
• A pizza peel is an essential tool for cooking and it's important to note that Ooni pizza ovens don't come with a peel included. Ooni sells its own range of pizza peels and serving boards, ranging from £20 to £65.
• Unlike some other pizza ovens, such as the Gozney Roccbox, Ooni pizza ovens don't have heat-resistant shells, so during cooking the outside of the oven gets very hot. Make sure to keep children and pets away during cooking to avoid any risk of burns.

There's one other Ooni pizza oven we haven't got our hands on yet, the Ooni Pro, which can be used with all three fuel types and is designed to cook meat, vegetables and even bread as well as pizza.

We'll update this story with a link to our review of it as soon as we've tried it out.

In the meantime, head to our guide on how to buy the best pizza oven for expert tips and advice on each pizza oven type, as well as a step-by-step guide on how to make your own pizza dough.