Ooni Koda 16 Review: Our Expert’s Top Choice for a Beginner-Friendly and Versatile Pizza Oven
Updated: May 07, 2024
Make homemade pizzas, seared steaks and even desserts in this pizza oven. Here's our full review of the Ooni Koda 16.
Our editors and experts handpick every product we feature. We may earn a commission from your purchases.Learn more.
An outdoor pizza oven is not only the ideal tool for making delicious homemade pizza, but it’s also fun to use. Nothing beats a pizza night on the deck or in the backyard with friends and family. And I’ve hosted them countless times with my Ooni Koda 16 pizza oven.
As a professional baker and pizza oven enthusiast, I’ve tested 10 different pizza oven options on the market including Solo Stove, the Ooni Volt and the Ooni Karu 12G. I’ve owned the Ooni Koda for over two years now. This is definitely one of the top ovens I go back to every time I’m cooking pizzas.
What is the Oona Koda 16?
The Ooni Koda 16 is a gas-powered pizza oven. It has a connecting gas hose that hooks up to a small propane tank like your regular home barbecue. The exterior of the pizza oven is covered with a powder coating. This gives it a sleek design while also making it weather-resistant. The oven reaches incredibly high temperatures and has plenty of space to cook homemade pizzas. You can also use this versatile oven for cooking with cast iron for a variety of other meals.
VIA MERCHANT
We Tried It
Ooni Koda 16
This gas-powered outdoor pizza oven reaches up to 950 degrees and is designed for large pizzas, meats, fish and vegetables.
Ooni Koda 16 Features
The Koda 16 is constructed from carbon steel, which makes it incredibly durable. My oven actually accidentally fell out of a truck during a move and it was perfectly fine. The thick steel creates great insulation to keep heat in, and the wide opening at the front makes it easy to turn pizzas.
This is one of the largest pizza ovens in the Ooni line-up, so it’s not ideal for someone hoping to save on space. However, that extra space inside always comes in handy for me, and at just under 40 pounds, it’s still movable to be able to store or even take out for tailgating.
The cordierite stone provides a beautiful cooking surface, and it heats up quickly to allow for that fast 30-second cook on the base of the pizza. From there, I turn it a few times to cook the toppings and finish the crust—it only takes about 90 seconds to fully cook a pizza from launch to finish. Once cooked, I like to pull the pizza out of the oven and let it rest for a minute or two before grabbing my pizza cutter and digging in.
How We Tested It
I’ve been testing the Ooni Koda 16 for over two years.
Set-Up
The Ooni Koda 16 is one of the easiest pizza ovens to set up. It shipped in a large cardboard box with plenty of padding. Once it arrives, all you have to do is open the box and pull the entire unit out. Extend the three folding legs, unwrap and gently place the cordierite stone inside. Attach the gas hose and you’re ready to fire it up! Set up the oven on a heat-safe surface for cooking. Ooni recommends a seasoning process for the first use of your oven. I lit my oven and let it sit on high heat for 30 minutes before using it.
Lighting the Pizza Oven
The Ooni Koda 16 has an ignition and temperature dial on the side of the oven. Once the gas tank is flowing, it’s quick and simple to turn the knob to ignite the burner. However, it’s important to stand to the side of the oven rather than in front—you’ll keep clear of the rush of heat that comes out. Once the oven is lit, I keep it on high to allow it to preheat for 20 minutes. I like to cook my pizzas right around 750 degrees, so I always let the stone heat up accordingly and check the temperature with an infrared thermometer to make sure it’s hot enough before the first launch.
Cooking Pizzas
The Ooni Koda 16 was the first pizza oven I ever used, and there was a bit of a learning curve at the beginning. It’s crucial to prep the dough with plenty of semolina or flour to keep it from sticking to the pizza peel. However, you don’t want too much of that flour going into the pizza oven and burning the bottom of your pie. To avoid that, I always use a perforated pizza peel, which lets the excess flour slide out before launching the pizza.
Once a pizza is in the oven, it takes about 30 seconds for the bottom of the crust to set, thanks to the heat of the pizza stone. I always cook with my flame on medium for better flexibility. The Ooni Koda 16 has an L-shaped burner, so the live flame is only on the left and back of the oven. I have found this design makes it much simpler to cook and turn your pizza without having to worry too much about burning it. The extra cooking surface area definitely helps out with that, allowing you to keep the pizza in the heat while avoiding the live flame.
Cooking Other Items
While pizza is the number one food I cook in my Ooni Koda 16, I’ve also used this oven for a variety of other things. I’ve cooked apple crisps in this oven in a cast iron skillet, as well as used it to make incredibly juicy burgers and flavorful chicken. This can also be achieved in the Koda 12, but I’ve found that the extra surface area of the Koda 16 makes it that much easier.
2-Year Update
I’ve been using the Ooni Koda 16 for two years, and it’s still the pizza oven I go back to time and time again. When I have friends over for a pizza party, it’s consistently their choice when I give the option of a few others to use. While some users have noted that the L-shaped flame makes for uneven heating and cooking, I find it part of the appeal. That specifically shaped flame allows you to control the cook of your pizza by turning it to capture the heat. Plus, the interior gives me plenty of space to work with, allowing me to turn my pizzas with ease.
I have kept the oven consistently outside in a variety of types of weather, without any issues. Its carbon steel construction has held up through plenty of elements and moving, staying pretty well unchanged from the day I got it. There are a few scratches on top and there are signs of staining and wear on the pizza stone itself, but it doesn’t affect performance. I like to think of it as a memento of the hundreds of pizzas I’ve cooked and enjoyed in the oven.
I still love the convenience of cooking with gas, allowing me to precisely control the flame height with the temperature dial and find the size to be a perfect fit. The one key lesson I’ve learned along the way is that your Ooni accessories are sure to come in handy for making better pie, especially a perforated pizza peel to eliminate too much transfer of flour onto the stone while cooking.
Pros
- Easy to set up
- Gas-powered for ease of use
- Reaches 950 degrees
- 16-inch cooking area provides plenty of space
- Durable carbon steel construction with folding legs
Cons
- Pizza tools sold separately
- Learning curve at first with the live flame
FAQs
Is the Ooni 16 better than the 12?
While I haven’t tested the Ooni Koda 12 on my own, I have tested other 12-inch Ooni models. I love the functionality of the electric Ooni Volt, or choosing between gas and wood in the Ooni Karu 12G. However, the extra cooking space in the Koda 16 makes all the difference to me. You can certainly still make smaller pizzas, but the extra room makes for easy turning or for placing a cast-iron skillet or griddle in the oven.
Can I use the Ooni 16 indoors?
Use the Ooni Koda 16 for outdoor use only. It is fueled by gas from a propane tank, which should not be utilized indoors. The Ooni Volt is the only model from Ooni that can be used both indoors and outdoors. Using the Ooni pizza steel is another great option for indoor cooking.
What Other Reviewers Had to Say
Curious what others have to say about the Ooni Koda 16?
Verified Amazon purchaser Stewart Fox said it’s a great pizza oven. “This is a terrific product. First, it came very well packaged. There is virtually no setup. It’s easy to use, cooks pizzas very fast and they come out great. The first pizza I made came out good, by the fourth, they were coming out perfect. Really happy with this product. Highly recommended.”
Another five-star reviewer, Chris, noted that it has become part of a pizza tradition at his house. “My kids and I regularly make mini pizzas on this thing. It’s easy to operate and works great. There’s a bit of a learning curve when making pizza, but the oven part of it was easy and reliable and fun.”
Product Comparison
The Ooni pizza oven line-up includes two options with a 16-inch cooking area. The Ooni Karu 16 allows for cooking with wood, charcoal and gas, while the Ooni Koda 16 allows for cooking with gas only. There’s a bit more of a learning curve with the other models, especially due to the flame placement and if you plan to cook with other fuel sources. If you’re hoping for ease of use, gas is the simplest. You get temperature and flame regulation for perfectly cooked pies.
The Ooni Koda 12 and Ooni Koda 16 are virtually the same. The main differences are portability and the cooking area. The Koda 16 offers better versatility to move food around in the oven without being confined, ultimately making it simpler to use. Other brands such as the Solo Stove Pi Prime, Ninja Woodfire and Cuisinart pizza oven are highly rated by our team of reviewers, but they still have a smaller cooking surface area.
Why You Should Trust Us
There’s no denying I’m a pizza oven enthusiast. To date, I’ve tested 10 models, including the rotating Blackstone pizza oven, dual-fuel Gozney Roccbox, new-to-the-market Gozney Arc and even a handful of indoor pizza ovens. My pizza prowess is matched by the Taste of Home culinary team, who has lent their expertise to testing multiple models in the outdoor Test Kitchen. Together, we have decades of experience in recipe development, product reviews and kitchen appliances.
Final Verdict
If you’re searching for a pizza oven to add to your backyard or patio setup, the Ooni Koda 16 is a great option. Because of its 16-inch cooking area, it is easier to use than many other models, whether you’re cooking pizzas or using it for other foods. Cooking with gas allows for great heat regulation, overall resulting in the best pizza-making experience for beginners looking to hone their craft.
Where to Buy the Ooni Koda 16
VIA MERCHANT
We Tried It
Ooni Koda 16
This gas-powered outdoor pizza oven reaches up to 950 degrees and is designed for large pizzas, meats, fish and vegetables.
Ready to launch? The Ooni Koda 16 retails for $599 and can be purchased on Ooni’s website among other retailers like Amazon, Williams Sonoma and BBQ Guys. Once it arrives, all that’s left to do is gather your favorite pizza toppings!
Originally Published: September 19, 2023
