Top Countertop Indoor Pizza Ovens for Home Use, Tested & Reviewed
Updated: Aug. 01, 2024
Make delicious pizzas in your own kitchen at home. Here are the best indoor pizza ovens to consider, according to our testing.
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Outdoor pizza ovens have become increasingly popular for cooking restaurant-quality pizzas at high temperatures at home. But what if you don’t have the room in your backyard or patio to set up a pizza station? Or, what if a cold climate (hello, Wisconsin!) separates you from melty, cheesy goodness six months out of the year? Luckily, an indoor pizza oven is an option.
Indoor pizza ovens mimic what an outdoor pizza oven can do. Typically, they’re all-electric, harnessing high heat to cook a pizza in a matter of minutes. The very hot temperatures result in a crispy crust, cooked toppings and wonderfully melty cheese. I make pizza at home in either an outdoor or indoor pizza oven at least once a week, and I’ve tested multiple brands and designs. These are the best indoor pizza ovens to consider for your next pizza night.
Best Overall
Ooni Volt
Pros:
- Easy to use
- Reaches 850 degrees
- Indoor and outdoor use
- Balance dial to customize the cook on the pizza
Cons:
- High price point
- Takes several hours to cool
Ooni has earned a top spot on the best outdoor pizza ovens list. The brand has multiple oven designs for outside use, including models that use gas, wood and charcoal. The Ooni Volt is an outdoor and indoor pizza oven with an all-electric, plug-and-play option.
The Volt is constructed with stainless steel and coated carbon steel for a durable, modern design. It can sit on any heat-safe surface but does need quite a bit of space with its dimensions of 24×21 inches. It has a large window at the front of the folding door, so watching your pizzas while they cook is easy. The oven takes 20 minutes to preheat to reach 850 degrees, but the temperature dial is flexible enough to turn it down to 150 degrees for ultimate customization.
Plus, the indoor pizza oven includes a cordierite pizza stone that warms with a bottom heating element and another heating element at the top of the oven. Both of those heating elements are adjustable once the oven comes up to the preheated temperature to allow you to choose the perfect cook for your pizza. If you love a thin Neapolitan-style pizza, this definitely comes in handy.
As I shared in my Ooni Volt review, I use the Ooni at home at least once a week and love how simple it is to operate. It’s easy to turn on and preheat, and there isn’t much need to watch the pizza closely as there is with an outdoor pizza oven with a live flame. Depending on the toppings, I’ve found that I can cook pizzas between 90 seconds to three minutes. I definitely still keep an eye on my pizzas to check on how much browning I’m getting, but there isn’t as much of a need to constantly turn them. Helpful pizza oven accessories such as Ooni’s perforated pizza peel are sold separately for this oven.
I’ve been using the Ooni Volt for just over a year now and am still blown away by its versatility and performance. It’s been fun to get to know this pizza oven even further, putting its dual-heating elements and possibilities to the test. I’ve made a variety of different types of pizzas, from thin to thick crust, in the oven, and have even baked chocolate chip cookies in it.
Temperature range: Up to 850 degrees | Heat source: Electric | Weight: 39.7 pounds | Dimensions: 24.2 x 20.8 x 10.9 inches | Power: 1600 Watts | Voltage: 120 Volts
Best for Beginners
Cuisinart Indoor Pizza Oven
Pros:
- Beginner-friendly
- Includes pizza peel and deep dish pan
- Integrated cooling technology
- Lower price point than other options
Cons:
- Limited cooking space
- Only reaches 700 degrees
Cuisinart’s indoor pizza oven is a great option for those who want to make quality pizza at home without complicating things (and without the higher price tag!). The pizza oven has a simple on/off switch and a temperature dial ranging from 350 degrees to 700 degrees. Reaching the top temperature takes 20 to 30 minutes to preheat. Constructed from stainless steel, the oven weighs much less than other options on the market at 25 pounds and is 17.5 x 19 inches.
Our Test Kitchen tried this indoor pizza oven and found that the internal light was bright and incredibly helpful to watch the cooking process. “It was fun to watch the transformation and pretty essential considering the crusts cook so quickly with a fairly small window of doneness,” says Peggy Woodward, RDN. She also notes that this pizza oven is really simple to operate and the front decals imprinted on the door to note cooking times for different types of dough and pizzas are very helpful. Pizzas cook in about five minutes, with a 12.5-inch cooking area to accommodate 10 to 12-inch pizzas.
Cuisinart also makes a great 3-in-1 outdoor pizza oven, but this one is all-electric and sits easily on your countertop. It has built-in fans for cooling, which Woodward notes make a bit of noise, but are helpful for cooling the oven down faster after use.
Temperature range: Up to 700 degrees | Heat source: Electric | Weight: 25 pounds | Dimensions: 17.5 x 19 x 11 inches | Power: 1800 Watts | Voltage: 120 Volts
Best for Small Spaces
Breville Pizzaiolo Electric Pizza Oven
Pros:
- Compact for indoor use
- Reaches 750 degrees
- Adjustable settings for the ideal pizza bake
- Includes pizza peel and deep dish pan
Cons:
- High price point
- Limited cooking space
Breville’s Pizzaiolo indoor pizza oven is known as a smart oven, and for good reason. It’s incredibly intuitive to use and clever as can be. Straight out of the box, the oven is simple to prep for pizza making. All you have to do is take it out of the packaging, slide the pizza stone in, plug in the oven and turn it on.
The oven is constructed from stainless steel and comes in two color options: Brushed steel or black truffle. The stainless steel construction provides durability and great heat retention, without the oven being too bulky or heavy. The sleek design very much resembles a toaster oven, but it’s a bit larger.
Powering on the oven is as simple as turning the temperature dial to select from various cook types: New York-style pizza, thin-crust pizza or a piping hot temperature setting to resemble wood-fired pizza. You can even use the oven to bake a frozen pizza. When I turned the dial to preheat the pizza oven to 750 degrees, it took 17 minutes to get up to the proper temperature and beeped to signify when it was hot enough for cooking.
To test this oven, I prepped several pizzas using the included metal pizza peel. Once the pizza dough had been stretched and topped, it was time to launch. When the oven door is opened, the pizza stone is pulled out toward the opening of the door, making it easier to launch in the tight space. This is just meant for 12-inch pizzas, after all. After a successful launch, it only took two to three minutes for each pizza to be cooked throughout.
While I like to watch my pizzas cooking through the front window, there is a timer to set if preferred. There’s no need to turn the pizza while cooking in this oven, thanks to the fact there’s no live flame. Instead, top and bottom heating elements do all the work, making for a nice even bake. You can choose to move the dial to adjust the top temperature and deck temperature to cook any pizza exactly to your liking. Every pizza I made came out with a perfectly crisp leopard-spotted base, with even browning and even cooking of the toppings and melted cheese.
While the oven is on, a fan is working to improve the movement of heat on either side of the oven. That’s also very helpful if too much flour residue ends up on the pizza stone — the fan will help move smoke out of the oven so it doesn’t stay captured inside. The oven itself gets pretty hot at peak temperatures, but I was surprised that the top was only warm. The double-paned glass door on the front was exceptionally hot, but the handle kept cool the whole time.
Overall, I was impressed with the cook on my pizzas coming out of this oven. With a temperature range of 350 degrees to 750 degrees, it offers enough versatility to utilize it for cooking other small items as well. The oven also came with a pizza pan for making deep-dish pizza, along with the metal pizza peel. I prefer a perforated or wooden pizza peel to prevent dough from sticking while sliding a pizza into a pizza oven, but this still did the job while performing multiple tests. Next time, I will plan to swap it out for another peel I prefer. After making pizzas, each time it took quite a while for this oven to cool down to the touch.
Temperature range: Up to 750 degrees | Heat source: Electric | Weight: 37.5 pounds | Dimensions: 18.1 x 18.5 x 10.6 inches | Power: 1800 Watts | Voltage: 120 Volts
What to Look for When Buying Indoor Pizza Ovens
Indoor pizza ovens can be a pricey investment, and the pizza oven options on Amazon and other retailers can be overwhelming. To find the best model for your needs, first consider your favorite style of pizza. The Ooni Volt allows more customization than other options, while the Cuisinart Indoor Pizza Oven is more beginner-friendly. It’s also important to consider the dimensions and weight of an indoor pizza oven. These kitchen appliances take up quite a bit of counter space, so it’s helpful to consider whether you want it to live on your countertop, or if you plan to move it before and after use. Finally, keep budget top of mind. Some models approach the $1000 price range, while others cost less than $400. It’s important to know how much you plan to invest.
How We Found the Best Indoor Pizza Ovens
We combined firsthand testing experience with our years of outdoor and indoor cooking knowledge to find the best indoor pizza ovens. We conducted first-hand testing of the Ooni Volt, Breville Pizzaiolo and Cuisinart’s pizza oven. To test the indoor pizza ovens, we timed how long it took to get up to certain temperatures, using an infrared thermometer to double-check for accuracy when the oven let us know it was up to the desired heat. We cooked multiple pizzas in the ovens at multiple temperature and style settings, noting how long the cooking time was for each. We also assessed how hot the exterior of the oven was while on and cooking, and how long it took for the oven to cool once it was powered off fully. We also researched comparable products and considered them based on features and reviews. Each oven was additionally assessed for how long it took to assemble and how easy it was to go from box to first use, what the oven was constructed from and if any additional accessories were included. Our decisions for the best indoor pizza ovens are based on the construction and durability of each oven, along with its performance, versatility and user-friendly nature.
Why You Should Trust Us
A former bakery owner obsessed with homemade dough, pizza and outdoor cooking, I have tested 10 different pizza oven models across a variety of brands, both for indoor and outdoor use. My list of reviewed models includes the Gozney Roccbox, Solo Stove Pi, Ooni Koda 16, Solo Stove Pi Prime, Gozney Arc and Blackstone pizza oven. I bring years of expertise as a recipe developer and writer focused on food and shopping guides to selecting the best indoor pizza ovens.
I tested both the Ooni Volt and Breville Pizzaiolo first-hand and utilized additional insights from the Taste of Home Test Kitchen team to share the best options for investing in an indoor pizza oven. Senior Food Editor and RDN, Peggy Woodward, brought her more than 20 years of experience in the industry to assist with testing indoor pizza ovens too.
FAQ
Is there such a thing as an indoor pizza oven?
While outdoor pizza ovens are incredibly popular, there are options to get the same results inside! Indoor pizza ovens are all-electric, so they don’t have a live flame. They work similarly to any small kitchen appliance but reach hot temperatures to cook a perfect pizza. While a pizza steel helps to cook pizzas with crisp crusts in your conventional home oven, an indoor pizza oven reaches higher temperatures.
How do you vent an indoor pizza oven?
Turning a pizza oven on to 800 degrees in your home kitchen sounds unsafe, but they’re fit for high temperatures. Indoor pizza ovens are built with insulation in mind, so there’s no need for special venting.
Can indoor pizza ovens be used outside too?
Most indoor pizza ovens run on electricity and are not built to battle outdoor elements. However, the Ooni Volt is fit for both indoors and outdoors because of its specific weather-resistant powder coating and carbon construction. This is the only Ooni model suitable for indoor and outdoor use. Always check your indoor pizza oven’s manual to be sure it’s set up in the proper space.
Is an indoor pizza oven worth it?
Indoor pizza ovens are an investment. However, if you’re someone who orders a lot of delivery pizza, this is a great alternative. An indoor pizza oven is a great way to start a pizza-making hobby.
Originally Published: October 24, 2023
