Portable or Built-In? Outdoor Wood Fired Pizza Oven Types Explained

An outdoor wood fired pizza oven can make a great addition to your patio entertaining set up. Here, we give you some insight into the different types available and help you figure out which one is right for you. We’ll show you which are our favorites after all our research. We’ve done a lot of the homework for you so you can get right down to enjoying your outdoor wood pizza oven faster.

Fall is here and it makes me think of pumpkins and scary ghosts, and also hanging out on the back patio around the fire pit. But sometimes I get tired of hotdogs and s’mores (is that even possible, you ask?!?) and I want to be able to do more. An outdoor wood burning pizza oven is just the thing!

Why would you use an outdoor wood fired pizza oven?

If you are here, you probably already have a pretty good idea of why you would want an outdoor pizza oven. For one thing, they are just really cool….well, cool in a hot sort of way. Very romantic. Makes you think of Italy. How could that not be romantic? Baking outdoors can also seem rustic, but it can also be very practical.

Do you avoid baking inside when it is hot outdoors? Using an outdoor wood fired oven can keep the heat outside and your house cool inside while still allowing you to bake to your heart’s content. You can do more than just pizza in a wood fired oven. If you can do it in a regular indoor oven, you can do it in an outdoor wood fired pizza oven. There are some different techniques and you might need to pay a bit more attention to the project, but the results can be outstanding. Plus, you can impress all your friends when you invite them over for a make your own pizza party. You may never get a weekend to yourself again!

How does a wood burning pizza oven work?

An outdoor wood burning pizza oven uses wood as the fuel to heat a thermal mass that then cooks the food. In the case of most wood fired ovens, the thermal mass is brick or ceramic or stone lining the floor of the oven. The wood fire rests directly on the floor of the oven, heating up the thermal mass. Pizzas and breads are placed directly onto the floor of the oven to bake. The roof of the oven is often brick or masonry as well, or it can be made of curved steel which is often double-walled and insulated much like a standard indoor oven.

Can you cook anything else in an outdoor wood burning pizza oven?

Absolutely. It is just a big oven. Best known for pizzas, it is also great for other breads. You can do meats and vegetables in a wood fired pizza oven too. Basically, anything you can do in a standard electric or gas oven.

What’s different about cooking with an outdoor wood burning pizza oven?

First of all, you need to build up the fire and “pre-heat” the oven. This can take from 20 minutes to an hour depending on various factors including outdoor temperature, type of wood fuel and style of your oven. Due to the distribution of the heat inside a wood fired oven, you will need to be more vigilant while cooking in the oven. Since the fire is to one side of your food, you will need to rotate frequently so as not to overbake one side of your food. You will need to heat up the oven and If you have never cooked with a wood burning oven, it is going to take a little practice, but you can do this….really you can. You are a foodie, and you know it, so you will want to learn this entertaining skill.

What are some different types of outdoor wood fired pizza ovens?

There are many different models and types of wood fired ovens available. Here we cover some basic types and tell you our favorites in each category.

Small Portable Outdoor Pizza Ovens

This type of outdoor pizza oven is small enough that you can take it camping or tailgating. It can be moved easily by hand and packed up and put into your car, if you desire. You can take it to your friend’s house for a pizza party. It is not built for permanent installation, though some have covers available to protect them from the elements if you leave them outside. These models usually use a small form of fuel, like wood pellets or wood chips. These are usually relatively inexpensive compared to their larger non-portable cousins.

Here are two best-selling models of small portable patio ovens that you may enjoy:

The Uuni 3 Portable Pellet Pizza Oven

Also called the Ooni 3 Portable Pellet Pizza Oven. This small boxy-shaped oven that consists of a 430 stainless steel oven chamber with a cordierite stone thermal mass on its floor. There is a fire box at the back with external access to install the wood pellets. A short vent stack at the front of the unit draws flame from the firebox across the roof of the oven chamber to heat the thermal mass and cook food. The oven features four short metal legs and can sit safely atop an outdoor countertop.

Features: Temperatures can reach up to 900ºF and the unit can cook up to a 13” pizza. The baking chamber is about 13.2 inches square and 4.3 inches high. The whole unit is 8.6”H x 14.1”W x 25.2″L and 25.2” high including the chimney. It comes with a removable door and a pizza peel.

What’s Good:

• It’s small and portable and low-priced.
• It can cook a pizza in 90 seconds.
• Gets good ratings.

What’s Not So Good

• It’s small size limits what you can cook.
• Operates on wood pellets only.

Operation can be finicky. The firebox needs to be carefully tended. Pizza needs turning often. Lots to do at once.

Should you choose this oven?

This oven might work for you if you specifically want a pizza oven that you can move around from place to place and you are excited about the idea of the wood fired flavor of pizza baked on a stone outdoors. This oven is less of an investment than larger models.

Check the price of the Uuni 3 Portable Pizza Oven on Amazon

The Wood Pellet Pizza Oven

Belying it’s name, this is actually a multi-fuel oven. This small oven is crescent shaped, more like it’s larger counterparts. It has a curved steel oven chamber with a baking stone for thermal mass. It has a similar conceptual design to the Uuni, with a fire box at the back with external chip access. There is a short vent stack to draw fire through the oven chamber. It has four short metal legs as well. You can use wood pellets, wood chunks or chips or even charcoal or lump coal in it.

Features: Temperatures can reach up to 900ºF and the unit can cook up to a 12” pizza. The baking chamber is about 13.2 inches square and 4.3 inches high. The whole unit is 4.5″H x 14″D X 12.5″W. The baking stone is 12.5” square. The door has a temperature gauge on it. It comes with a pizza peel, a rocker style pizza cutter, a 4 oz sauce ladle, a 12″ pizza pan, a baking stone and a cover.

What’s Good

• It’s small and portable and low-priced.
• You can use multiple fuel types in it.
• It comes with a lot of accessories.

What’s Not So Good

• It’s small size limits what you can cook.
• Operation can be finicky. Can be difficult to maintain temperature while juggling pizzas in front.

Should you choose this oven?

You will like this oven if you really want the portable model and you like the traditional look of it. You will probably want this model if you’d like to be flexible with what fuel you use. The added accessories make the cost almost the same as the Uuni.

Check price of the Wood Pellet Pizza Oven on Amazon

Mid-Sized Prefabricated Metal Ovens with Fixed or Rolling Installation

If you are wanting a substantial outdoor cooking appliance, you may want to look at these models. This type of oven is moderately heavy and can be used on a cart or set on an outdoor countertop. It is made of double-walled steel with a layer of insulation and has a single piece or multi-piece thermal mass on the floor. There is no firebox, but rather the fire is built directly on the oven floor and moved to the back or side when the oven is up to temperature and baking begins. Small logs and pieces of seasoned wood are used for fuel.

Here are a couple of our favorite mid-sized ovens:

ilFornino Basic Wood Fired Pizza Oven

This oven is made of a curved sheet of 430 stainless steel that is double-walled and has a layer of light weight refractory insulation. The thermal mass on the oven chamber floor is made of 6 pieces of 1 inch thick medium density firebrick manufactured in New York. It comes on a 30-inch tall stand with wheels and plenty of space for wood supplies. It can also be mounted on an outdoor countertop of appropriate materials.

Features: This arch-shaped oven is 46.5” L x 30.75” W. It can achieve temperatures up to 1000°F and can heat to baking temperatures in 35 minutes to an hour. The Basic model has 6 pieces of 1-inch thick medium density firebrick on the floor of the oven. There is a lot of cooking space on the floor of the oven and you could cook three or four 12-inch pizzas at a time, but realistically, you will have to rotate them a lot, so it’s probably one or two at a time. But they cook very quickly…usually in 2 or 3 minutes and sometimes as quickly as 90 seconds. It comes with a brush/scraper tool and a pizza peel and the door features a built-in temperature gauge. The oven weights about 200 lbs and the cart weights about 80 lbs.

What’s Good

• Heats up quickly and maintains heat.
• Has large cooking area.
• Solidly constructed and well insulated.
• Can be used without the cart.

What’s Not So Good

• Interior floor brick isn’t always level.
• Heavy to move on casters. Needs solid surface to roll.

Should You Choose This Oven?

You should choose the ilFornino Basic Wood Fired Pizza Oven if you want a robust outdoor oven that will maintain heat well and produce consistent results. This is for the outdoor cook who wants a permanent or semi-permanent oven installation.

Check the price of the ilFornino Basic Wood Fired Pizza Oven on Amazon

ilFornino Professional Series Wood Fired Pizza Oven

A step up from the ilFornino Basic, the Professional Series oven boasts some substantial upgrades, namely thicker gauge steel, more insulation and a solid cooking surface. This model can cook a 12-inch pizza in only 70 seconds.

Features: The oven is 46.5” L x 30.75” W and has a cart that is 30” tall. The total height of the oven with chimney stack is 84”. The floor of the oven features a solid sheet of 1” medium density firebrick manufactured in New York. The door features a built-in thermometer. The Professional oven also comes with a brush/scraper tool and a pizza peel.

What’s Good

• Heavy-duty construction and insulation.
• Maintains temperatures well.
• Large, smooth solid cooking surface.

What’s Not So Good

• Heavy to move around. Needs solid surface.

Should You Choose This Oven?

The ilFornino Professional Series Wood Fired Pizza Oven will be a good choice for you if you want a semi-permanent or permanent installation for your pizza oven. You will like this oven over the Basic model if you are willing to pay a little more for the added insulation and solid cooking surface.

Check price of the ilFornino Professional Wood Fired Pizza Oven on Amazon

Prefabricated Traditional Style Countertop Ovens

If you are wanting a the romance of a more traditional look for your outdoor kitchen but don’t want to go all the way with a large built-in oven, a prefabricated traditional style oven may be just the thing for you! These ovens are handmade in Europe and come ready to begin baking. They are constructed of layers of masonry, rockwool insulation and refractory cement, with brick or stone facades and iron doors. The white domes can be left as-is or painted, tiled or bricked to suit any décor. They are very heavy, weighting in at around 1000 lbs and are meant for permanent installation on a sturdy countertop that thas been specified to hold the weight of the oven.

Here are two top recommended choices:

Famosi Authentic Pizza Oven

This attractive dome-shaped masonry oven features a dark brown stone facade with a cast iron split door.

Features: The interior oven space is dome-shaped but is approximately 31” W x 31” D and 20” H. The oven door is 12” wide and 14” wide and is split so the upper and lower portions can be opened individually. This oven can cook up to 30 pizzas an hour and can accommodate up to two 12-inch pizzas at one time, cooking them in just 60 to 90 seconds. Its unique feature is that it can also accommodate a spit for rotisserie roasting. This oven is about 1200 lbs.

What’s Good

• Attractive authentic facade.
• Heats up quickly and maintains heat consistently.
• Can produce lots of pizzas quickly.
• Rotisserie feature allows roasting.

What’s Not So Good

• Very, very heavy. Requires pallet jack, chain hoist or other heavy to equipment to set in place.
• Must be seasoned carefully to minimize inevitable cracking.

Should You Choose This Oven?

The Famosi Authentic Pizza Oven is the right oven for you if you are ready to have a permanent installation and you have the location and means to install this hefty oven. You will enjoy the authentic look and broad functionality of this attractive masonry oven that allows you to not only bake pizzas quickly and easily, but allows you to bake a wide variety of other foods as well, including doing rotisserie roasting.

Check price of the Famosi Authentic Pizza Oven on Amazon

Pizzaioli Traditional Brick Wood Fired Oven

With a construction similar to the Famosi Authentic Pizza Oven, the Pizzaioli Traditional Brick Wood Fired oven boasts a terra cotta look facade with an extra-wide opening to accommodate larger pizzas.

Features: The dome-shaped interior oven space is approximately 33.5” D x 31.5” High and 15” High. The oven door is extra wide, at 19.7” and 10.6” High. This oven can also bake up to 30 pizzas an hour and can accommodate up to two 12-inch pizzas at one time, cooking them in just 60 to 90 seconds. It weighs a substantial 1000lbs.

What’s Good

• Extra wide door can accommodate large pizzas.
• Lovely facade to accommodate a variety of decors.
• Heats up quickly and maintains heat consistently.

What’s Not So Good

• Very, very heavy. Requires pallet jack, chain hoist or other heavy to equipment to set in place.
• Must be seasoned carefully to minimize inevitable cracking.

Should You Choose This Oven?

The Pizzaioli Traditional Brick Wood Fired Oven is for you if you enjoy the terra cotta facade and are seeking a permanent installation of an authentic looking pizza oven. It is a very heavy oven and you need to be prepared for the use of heavy lifting equipment to get it into place, as well as taking care to season it properly to minimize cracks. You will also enjoy the extra wide door and the efficiency of a well-insulated masonry oven.

Check price of the Pizzaioli Traditional Brick Oven on Amazon

Traditional Style Built-In Outdoor Wood Fired Pizza Oven Kits

For the ultimate outdoor pizza oven experience, you can have the full treatment with a traditional style built-in outdoor wood fired pizza oven relatively quickly and easily with a built-in oven kit. These kits come with prefabricated masonry pieces, insulation batts and the door, as well as installation materials and instructions to get you well on your well to your dream built-in pizza oven. Buying a built-in pizza oven kit can eliminate a lot of the guesswork involved in building a functional design, and the kit manufacturers are also helpful with other aspects of installation, so you aren’t left totally on your own. These kits can be installed by your contractor or by you, if you are handy and enjoy a home project. Either way, there is great value in buying a prefabricated kit that comes with the security of a having a functional design already in place.

Here are some of our favorites:

Chicago Pizza Oven CBO-500 Residential Outdoor Pizza Oven Kit

This small but mighty oven comes in 5 pieces, including the dome, hearth pieces, door arch and door as well as insulation batting. The pieces are

made of cast refractory cement with stainless steel fibers for added strength. The kit also comes with installation materials including anchors and mortar. You get to add the exterior that you like best, be it tile, brick or stone. The design is very low maintenance and the kit weighs only about 400 lbs which is significantly than the completely prefabricated models like the Formosi and the Pizzaioli. This design has been certified to UL and NSF4 standards.

Features: The CBO-500 has a low dome-shaped interior and a flue system that is shaped to generate temperatures up to 1000°F. The cooking surface is about 27” x 22” and the door is arched cast iron. The kit also comes with a pizza peel, a brush an infrared thermometer.

What’s Good

• Maintains consistent heat.
• Weighs less than a handmade prefabricated oven.
• Design the exterior décor as you please.

What’s Not So Good

You need to be handy or hire someone to put it together.

Should You Choose This Oven?

You should choose the Chicago Pizza Oven CBO-500 Outdoor Pizza Oven Kit if you really want a built-in but you don’t have the equipment to lift a prefabricated model. You will also enjoy the peace of mind of a UL approved design. And you will have fun decorating the outside to your personal tastes.

Check the price of the  Chicago Pizza Oven Outdoor Oven Kit on Amazon

Cuore Ovens Model 1000 Plus Gourmet Wood Fired Oven Kit

This kit comes in a LOT of pieces. There are seven pieces for the dome and several more for the base and cooking surface. The kit also comes with a thermal blanket and a cover for the oven mouth. The kit weighs close to 700 lbs. but the pieces come apart. It will require more than one person to move and assemble pieces.

Features: The cooking surface of the Cuore 1000 is 36 inches in diameter. It comes with a thermometer that is inserted in a slot in the front of the oven. This oven can achieve temperatures up to 1000°F.

What’s Good

• Solid construction helps maintain consistent heat.
• Large cooking surface.
• Gets overwhelmingly positive reviews.

What’s Not So Good

• Heavy as delivered, but pieces can be moved separately.

Should You Choose This Oven?

If you would like to have an extra-large built in wood fired oven with the ease of a prefabricated design delivered to your door, the Cuore 1000 Plus is going to be the right oven for you. You will have the ability to design the décor to your personal tastes while relying on the pre-engineered functional design of the oven to satisfy your baking requirements.

Check the price of the Cuore 100 Plus Pizza Oven Kit on Amazon

Concluding Thoughts

Whether you are looking for a simple portable pizza oven that you can take to the tailgate party or a fantastic, personally designed authentic outdoor wood fired pizza oven for your dream outdoor kitchen, we hope we’ve given you some food for thought! The next thing you need to be doing is baking some real food!

Let us know how we did. Do you have any comments or thoughts about choosing an outdoor wood fired oven? Do you own one? If so, tell us what you like and don’t like about your oven. We hope to hear from you soon.