Is an Outdoor Pizza Oven Actually Worth Buying?

Outdoor pizza ovens seem to have gone from being a bit of a novelty to something you see in gardens everywhere, and I can absolutely understand the appeal. Homemade pizza is already one of those meals that feels a bit more fun than an ordinary dinner, so being able to cook it outside in a couple of minutes sounds pretty good.

But pizza ovens aren’t particularly cheap, and I’m always wary of buying something that seems like a brilliant idea at the time but ends up taking up space after the novelty has worn off. So if you’re thinking about buying one, I think the bigger question isn’t whether they make good pizza – it’s whether you’ll actually use one enough to justify the cost.

The speed is probably their biggest selling point

A gas pizza oven can usually be heated and ready to cook in around 15 to 20 minutes, depending on the model, and once it’s properly up to temperature a pizza can cook incredibly quickly.

That’s particularly handy if you’re feeding a few people because you can get into a bit of a production line with everyone choosing their own toppings and pizzas going in one after another.

You also get that lovely crisp base that’s difficult to recreate in a normal kitchen oven because pizza ovens can reach much higher temperatures.

Gas or wood-fired?

This is probably one of the first things I’d think about before buying one.

Wood-fired sounds lovely and definitely has more of the traditional pizza-oven experience about it, but gas is going to be easier if you mainly want something you can switch on, heat up and start cooking with.

There are plenty of different sizes and styles available now too. If you’re looking at the more premium end of the market, Gozney Pizza Ovens are one of the better-known options, and BBQs2u has a range of the ovens and accessories together so you can compare the different models.

I’d definitely compare sizes as well as prices before buying. A huge oven might look impressive, but if you’re only ever likely to make a couple of pizzas at a time then you could end up paying more – and finding somewhere to store something much bigger – for no real benefit.

Think about where you’re going to keep it

This is one of those boring practical things that’s easy to overlook when you’re imagining lovely summer evenings making pizza in the garden.

Where will it actually live?

Some pizza ovens are portable enough to move around or take away with you, while others are something you’d probably want to give a more permanent home to. If you’re planning to take yours camping or away in the car, I’d check the weight and dimensions rather than simply assuming that ‘portable’ means it’ll be easy to lug around.

You’ll also need to think about storage when you’re not using it and whether you’ll need to buy a cover, stand or any other accessories on top of the cost of the oven itself.

You don’t have to just cook pizza

This is probably what would make me more likely to buy one because I wouldn’t want to spend a decent amount of money on something that only came out for the occasional pizza night.

Because pizza ovens reach such high temperatures, you can use them for much more than pizza. Flatbreads are an obvious one, but depending on the oven and the cookware you’re using, you can also cook things like roasted vegetables, meat, fish and bread.

I’d still be realistic about this, though. If you know you’re only interested in making pizza, don’t convince yourself you’re suddenly going to become someone who spends Sunday afternoons baking artisan bread outside just to justify buying one. 😂

So, is a pizza oven worth it?

I think it depends entirely on how often you’ll use it.

If you regularly have people round, enjoy cooking outside or already make homemade pizzas, then I can see a pizza oven getting plenty of use. A gas model in particular makes the whole thing relatively quick and easy without having to build and manage a fire first.

If you’re picturing using it twice during the summer and then storing it in the shed for the other 363 days of the year, I’d probably save the money.

And if you do decide you want one, I’d spend some time comparing the size, fuel type and what is actually included in the price rather than automatically going for the biggest or most expensive model. The best pizza oven isn’t necessarily the fanciest one – it’s the one you’ll actually use.

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