Our Ooni Pizza Oven

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We’re talking all things Ooni! Ever since we discovered the Ooni pizza oven, our pizza-lovin’ world has never been better: with Ooni, we make incredible homemade Neapolitan-style pizzas in less than 60 seconds right in our backyard! this Recipe for Later! It’s always been my dream to have a gorgeous wood-fired outdoor pizza oven in my backyard. A little frivolous,…
hand transferring homemade pizza from a pizza peel to an Ooni pizza oven (model: Ooni 3)

We’re talking all things Ooni! Ever since we discovered the Ooni pizza oven, our pizza-lovin’ world has never been better: with Ooni, we make incredible homemade Neapolitan-style pizzas in less than 60 seconds right in our backyard!

It’s always been my dream to have a gorgeous wood-fired outdoor pizza oven in my backyard.

A little frivolous, maybe, but our Sunday night pizza dates have been one of the most treasured parts of our weekly routine ever since we got married. Plus, if you ask me there’s nothing better than having a reputation for making the best homemade pizza on the block…ya know?

My dream was quickly put on pause back when we bought our house in 2016 & learned that our lot isn’t big enough to install a full-fledged pizza oven (insert majorly sad face here -#SouthMinneapolisProblems!).

Luckily, the heartbreak was short-lived. Quickly thereafter we discovered Ooni, & ever since then our pizza-lovin’ & pizza-makin’ world has never been the same.

I’m super excited to share my Ooni pizza oven review today since I get so many questions about our Ooni whenever I share behind-the-scenes of our homemade pizza nights over on Instagram. Long story short? We are obsessed with our Ooni 3!

This post will walk you through everything there is to know about the Ooni pizza oven, including (click to jump to each section!):

What is Ooni?Ooni pizza oven (model: Ooni 3) sitting on a patio table with flames coming out of it.

Ooni is a portable outdoor wood-fired pizza oven. We happen to think it’s the best outdoor pizza oven out there! You can learn more over on Ooni’s website, but here are a few of our favorite features:

  • Ooni pizza ovens are incredibly lightweight. Unlike permanent brick or wood-fired pizza ovens, Ooni can easily be picked up & transported. You can make homemade pizza pretty much anywhere you want. (Seriously! More on that in a sec…)
  • Its design is genius, & revolutionary! You can cook homemade pizza in 60 seconds or less! Specifically built for optimum airflow, Ooni pizza ovens can reach & maintain high temperatures north of 900 degrees F! When it comes to pizza, high temps are goooood. High temps help pizza dough quickly transform to a perfectly chewy-but-crispy crust, all while drawing any excess moisture out of any sauce, cheeses & toppings you have on your pizza. The result? Crispy crust, with no sogginess. A pizza lover’s dream!
  • Ooni pizza ovens heat up very quickly. Depending on the model you have, it’ll reach 900+ degrees F in 10 minutes or less. (Less time than it takes to order pizza for delivery!)
  • & they’re fueled by really accessible sources, such as wood pelletspropane gas, or even charcoal. If you have a grill on your patio, chances are you already have the fuel you need for an Ooni pizza oven! Plus, there’s no need to learn how to build or tend to a wood fire, which is really an art form in itself.
  • & the best part? Ooni is super reasonably priced. With models starting at just $250, Ooni pizza ovens are a fraction of the cost to build & install a permanent wood-fired pizza oven.

Ooni vs. Uuni pizza oven: 

Before we dive into things further, let’s quickly address the elephant in the room: what’s the difference between Ooni & Uuni?

The answer? Nothing! Ooni and Uuni pizza ovens are the SAME thing.

At some point last summer, Uuni pizza ovens changed the spelling of their name to Ooni. My guess is their original spelling may have proved difficult to pronounce in different markets around the world, so they changed things up.

Because the change was recent, you will still see Uuni pizza ovens, as well as Ooni pizza ovens, but fear not – they are the same, high-quality outdoor pizza ovens! hand transferring homemade pizza from a pizza peel to an Ooni pizza oven (model: Ooni 3)

Ooni 3 vs. Ooni Pro: 

Ooni makes a couple of different models, including the Ooni 3 and the Ooni Pro. While both are small, outdoor pizza ovens that will help you make in.sane. pizzas in your own backyard, they have some key differences. We own the Ooni 3, though we have some friends who own the Ooni Pro. After using both, I can honestly say that both are great!

Here are a few key differences between the Ooni pizza ovens:

  • Size: The Ooni Pro is almost double the size of the Ooni 3. Ooni 3 is suitable for making 12-inch pizzas, while with an Ooni Pro you can make up to 16-inch pizzas or use it to make wood-fired meats or roasted veggies.
  • Fuel: The Ooni 3 is fueled by wood pellets, while the Ooni Pro is a little more versatile. You can fuel an Ooni Pro with wood pellets, charcoal, or even propane gas.
  • Portability: If you’re looking for a portable pizza oven, both are great options. The Ooni 3 is smaller & can be packed in its bag to easily take with you whever you want. The Ooni Pro is a bit larger and requires more to move it, though it is possible.
  • Price: Because the Ooni Pro has more features, it has a bigger price tag! Ooni Pro runs at $599, while the Ooni 3 runs at $300.

Which Ooni pizza oven is right for you is really a matter of what you’re looking for in an outdoor pizza oven.

After using it for 2 years, we absolutely adore our Ooni 3. It’s a really great entry-level outdoor pizza oven.Bearded man in green shirt lighting an Ooni 3 outdoor pizza oven with propane torch.

The fact that our Ooni 3 is fueled by wood pellets is not a big deal for us since we always have some on hand for our Traeger grill. (Side note: while we don’t own one, Ooni now also sells gas burner attachments, which allow you to convert your Ooni 3 to be gas-powered, just like the Ooni Pro.) Plus its size is perfect for us, since so often we’re just cooking for 2 or hosting a pizza party where everyone makes their own personal pizzas anyway!

However, I am honestly considering upgrading to the Ooni Pro at this point! Despite the higher price tag, we’re really comfortable with using Ooni & we have so much fun with it that it would be awesome to be able to use it to make other wood-fired noms!

Where to buy Ooni (Uuni) pizza oven: 

You can purchase Ooni outdoor pizza ovens at a number of places, including Ooni’s website. We bought ours off of Amazon, which was a total breeze. With our Prime membership, our Ooni arrived just 2 days later!

And don’t forget – depending on when it was built, you may see it labeled Uuni pizza or Ooni pizza on the side, but they are the same thing!

How to use an Ooni pizza oven:Bearded man in green shirt transferring homemade pizza from a pizza peel to an Ooni pizza oven (model: Ooni 3)

Our favorite part about our Ooni pizza oven (other than the amazing pizza we make with it, obviously!), is the fact that it’s pretty darn simple to use!

  • First, find a spot for your Ooni: Ooni’s design is pretty ingenious – the Ooni retains most of its heat, allowing you to place it on pretty much any surface (within reason, of course – be sure to reference your owner’s manual!). We set ours on our wooden deck table & it works like a charm!
  • Light your Ooni: Depending on your model, this step will vary slightly. To light our Ooni 3, we first make sure to fill its pellet hopper with wood pellets, then use a propane blow torch to light them. Ooni’s site is a great resource, with a whole support section filled with how-to videos that walk you through things step-by-step.
  • Assemble your pizzas: While the Ooni preheats, you can work on the most fun part: assembling your pizzas! You can check out this post for more details & tips for making pizza at home, plus some of our favorite combinations of pizza toppings. Get creative & have fun with it!
  • Cook your pizzas: Use a pizza peel to transfer your assembled pies into the Ooni, one by one. The pizza will cook in about 1 minute – be sure to carefully rotate it halfway through to ensure both sides of the pizza cook evenly.
  • Repeat! Continue cooking as many pizzas as you’d like. We suggest giving the Ooni a minute or two between pizzas to let the pizza stone come back up to temperature, ensuring all of your pizzas cook evenly & properly.

Placing wood pellets in the pellet hopper in the back of the Ooni 3 outdoor pizza oven.Bearded man in green shirt lighting an Ooni 3 outdoor pizza oven with propane torch.Bearded man in green shirt lighting an Ooni 3 outdoor pizza oven with propane torch.hand transferring homemade pizza from a pizza peel to an Ooni pizza oven (model: Ooni 3)

How hot is pizza oven? 

When cooking pizza in a pizza oven, you want it hot, hot, HOT! High temps help pizza dough quickly transform to a perfectly chewy-but-crispy crust, all while drawing any excess moisture out of any sauce, cheeses & toppings you have on your pizza. The result? Crispy crust, with no sogginess. A pizza lover’s dream!

The Ooni pizza oven can reach temperatures north of 932 degrees F, which means you can cook a Neapolitan-style pizza in your Ooni pizza oven in 60 seconds or less!

How to clean an Ooni pizza oven: 

Another great thing about Ooni pizza ovens is the fact that they’re really easy to care for – super low-maintenance!

  • Exterior: Wipe your Ooni down every so often with stainless steel cleaner to keep it looking sparkly & fresh. Be sure to use non-abrasive materials when you’re cleaning its exterior to avoid scratches!
  • Interior: Because the Ooni operates at such high temperatures, there is really no need to disinfect the cooking surface or the inside of the oven – the oven basically cleans itself!

One important disclaimer, however, is to be sure to wipe down the pizza stone within the Ooni prior to each use, a lesson we learned the hard way!!!

Last summer we made pizzas for my niece & nephew, & my poor nephew complained that his pizza tasted bad. Thinking he was just being a picky toddler, we ignored him. Later, Chris went to finish off my nephew’s pizza, since he refused to eat it himself, & we realized that the bottom of the crust was covered in burnt flour! Poor guy! His pizza was the first one we cooked, so any residual flour that was in the pizza oven from the last time we used it had burnt when the pizza oven was preheating & clung to his poor pizza’s crust.

We’ve learned the easiest way to avoid this is to quickly clean your pizza stone before you start cooking pizzas. While the Ooni is preheating, quickly & carefully clean off the pizza stone by using a pair of grilling tongs to pinch some wet paper towel. Run the wet paper towel around the pizza stone, & it’ll pick up any residual flour from the last time you made pizza. Easy peasy!

Other suggested outdoor pizza oven equipment:

pizza peels & bench scrapers in a kitchen - other equipment that makes operating an Ooni pizza oven even easier.

While purchasing an Ooni pizza oven is certainly an investment, there are a couple of other tools we’ve come to really lean on as we’ve learned to use our Ooni. For us, the biggest mental hurdle to doing pizza night at home is it feeling overwhelming or difficult & just being easier to go out & grab a couple of pies at our neighborhood pizza joint instead.

These couple of tools have helped us really streamline our homemade pizza night process, keeping things really fun & really easy-just how pizza night should be!

  • Wood Pellets: The Ooni 3 is fueled by wood pellets, which we always have on hand at our house for our Traeger grill. We love Traeger’s pellets! Their Hickory wood pellets are a great option if you’re looking for something a little more all-purpose; it lends a nice smoky-but-neutral flavor to pizzas. We really love using their Applewood pellets; they lend a more distinctly smoky flavor that we absolutely love on pizza!
  • Propane Lighter: Really comes in handy when you’re firing up your Ooni! We like these standard propane fuel cylinders, with a long-neck torch. The lighter is powerful enough to quickly ignite the wood pellets, & the long neck attachment keeps your hands happily away from the flame.
  • Thermometer: A digital thermometer really comes in handy when you’re trying to determine whether your Ooni is up to temperature. This point-and-shoot infrared thermometer is a staple in our kitchen! All you have to do is open the Ooni’s lid, point & read! It’s fast, precise, great quality & only $15!
  • Small wooden pizza peels: The metal peel that comes with the Ooni pizza oven is admittedly not our favorite. It’s actually the only part of our Ooni experience we haven’t loved! Instead, we bought several of these peels & couldn’t love them more (we have size “large”). At a little more than $10 a pop, they’re very reasonably priced & the perfect size for our 10-inch pies. Plus, when we’re making a lot of pizzas at once, it’s really nice to be able to give everyone their own pizza peel & let them have a hand at assembling their own pizza without waiting around for their turn to use the 1 pizza peel.
  • Semolina flour is a must! The key to making pizza on an Ooni pizza oven is being able to transfer it quickly from a pizza peel to the Ooni’s pizza stone. I dust our pizza peels with semolina flour before placing the crust on them & assembling the pizzas. Semolina flour has a coarse texture, which helps the pizza slide off the pizza peel very easily. Before you go to transfer the pizza into the Ooni, give the peel a little wiggle to make sure the pizza slides easily. If not, no big deal: carefully lift the edges of the pizza & sprinkle extra semolina flour under them – should work like a charm!

woman in blue shirt sprinkling semolina flour on small pizza peel to make it easier to transfer homemade pizzas into the Ooni pizza oven

plays well with butter pizza night tips & tricks:

For more homemade pizza tips & tricks, be sure to check out this post. I give more details & tips for making pizza at home, plus some of our favorite combinations of pizza toppings. Get creative & have fun with it! man and woman feeding each other homemade pizza, made in ooni 3 outdoor pizza oven.

Wrapping up!

It’s obvious that we adore our Ooni pizza oven, but now I’m dying to know – do you have an Ooni or another type of outdoor pizza oven? Do you have any other questions about your experience with our Ooni 3 that I can help answer? Be sure to comment below – I can’t wait to chat!Ooni pizza oven (model: Ooni 3) sitting on a patio table with flames coming out of it.

follow along with me on instagram, facebook, & pinterest for more easy, modern recipes & fun!

thank you so much for reading & supporting plays well with butter. this post includes affiliate links for products i truly love & use on the reg in my own home. all opinions are always my own! should you make a purchase using one of these links, pwwb with earn a small commission at no extra cost to you, which helps me continue to bring you great original content. photos by the insanely talented veronica barnes.

Hi there, I'm Jess!

If there’s 1 thing to know about me, it’s this: I am head-over-heels in love with food. I’m on a mission to make weeknight cooking flavorful, fast, & fun for other foodies, & PWWB is where I share foolproof recipes that deliver major flavor with minimal effort. Other true loves: pretty shoes, puppies, Grey’s Anatomy, & my cozy kitchen in Minneapolis, MN.

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Comments

  1. 1.2.23
    Barb said:

    We have the older Oonie 3 given to us. We don’t have a problem with hearing up enough as much as the bottom burning. I did read about the burnt flour that could’ve been the problem. It happens to several pizzas though within 30 seconds! Maybe there is something else I don’t know about. Thanks for any help.

    • 1.4.23
      Erin @ Plays Well With Butter said:

      Hey Barb! We haven’t experienced that problem before – we’d recommend reaching out to the Ooni support team to help troubleshoot. They have some great resources on their site here: https://support.ooni.com/

  2. 9.24.21
    George Williams said:

    Good luck getting your Ooni beyond 650 degrees! I know of three people who have various models and no combination of wood and charcoal will get them beyond it. I’ve even added a fan which helps get it to 675. My guess is that a lot of people adding info here are paid to do so.

    • 3.2.22

      Hi George – We were not paid or otherwise compensated by Ooni for our review (if so, we’d have disclosed at the top of the review as legally required by the FTC). I can’t speak to your experience, but using a point & shoot infrared thermometer, we’ve measured temps as high as 950 degrees F on the cooking deck. Our model is one of the first they released, so I also can’t speak to newer models. Everything we’ve shared in this post is true & reflects our honest experience.

  3. 8.8.21
    Kathleen Carini said:

    Hi, we love our pizza oven also, but the last couple of times we used it the bottom of the pizza wasn’t getting crispy. We tried several pizzas and have put it away out of frustration! Any suggestions would be helpful. Thank you

  4. 7.28.21
    Angela Bassett said:

    Are you still enjoying your pizza oven? I’m considering getting one, but can’t decide between the gas or wood b

  5. 3.25.21
    Greet said:

    Hi,
    How Easy is it to control the temperaturen of the ooni. I am considering buying one but I not only want to use it for baking pizza. I also want to bake bread and order pastries and so on. But they don´t need such a high temperature. How do you keep it lower and constant?
    Regard,
    Greet

  6. 3.20.21
    Rosie said:

    Hi. Thank you so much for this. We are excitedly awaiting delivery by of our ooni koda. While we’re waiting I want to get the accessories organised so I have a couple of questions if that’s ok. My head is wrecked regarding wooden versus metal pizza peels. As complete novices are the wooden peels easy to use and also does the handle size matter as the wooden ones seem to have shorter handles. Also wondering is investing in the pizza turning peel worth it? And lastly is the thermometer essential? Thanks so much for any advice you can offer.

  7. 3.15.21
    Emily said:

    Yeah! I was so inspired by your backyard date night. Ordered an Ooni at Christmas and started using it this weekend. We are hooked. Thanks for the info and tips for an at home date night.

  8. 11.2.20
    WILLIAM L KEMP III said:

    Ooni I’m preheating my ooni Koda Pizza Oven to 750° the upper crust and toppings are coming out perfectly but I can’t get the bottom of at the pie crisp it’s still chewy and doughy any advice

  9. 11.2.20
    WILLIAM L KEMP III said:

    Ooni I’m preheating my ooni Koda Pizza Oven to 750° the upper crust and toppings are coming out perfectly but I can’t get the bottom of at the cross chickpea crisp it’s still chewy and doughy any advice

  10. 11.2.20
    mike said:

    After you light the pellets to start, do you need to add more if just cooking a couple pizzas?

  11. 9.8.20
    Growly said:

    Having seen the same ad for the ooni many many times now, I went to the internet to ask, what is the point?

    First, to take issue with your review, you don’t ‘make’ pizzas in 60 seconds with the ooni. You may cook them in 60 seconds, but you don’t make them in that time. That out the way…

    I don’t eat that many pizzas, and I don’t live somewhere where I would want to go outside to cook one that often either. For the same reason I don’t own an expensive barbecue. It’s cold. It’s wet. The ooni is expensive. You have to invest in ‘accessories’, a thermometer, wood pellets, propane lighter…

    How many pizzas do you need to make, and then cook in the ooni, for it to be worthwhile? I really don’t want to be eating pizza for a year to justify the cost. Then, when it’s cold and wet, I’ll need somewhere to store it. I have an oven in my kitchen that cooks every kind of food inmaginable. I don’t see the point in spending hundreds of dollars for something that cooks pizzas outdoors, even if it does it quickly.

    • 9.8.20

      It seems like you’ve answered your own question – the Ooni doesn’t seem like a great fit for you. That doesn’t mean it isn’t a good fit for others. To each their own. Good riddance.

  12. 7.26.20
    Amanda said:

    What size pizza peel works with the Ooni 3?

    • 5.28.21
      Erin @ Plays Well With Butter said:

      Hi Amanda! The PWWB team loves these peels from Amazon (linked here) – they seem to work the best for us! We also love using this Semolina flour for easy transfers. Hope this helps!

  13. 6.20.20
    Kathy said:

    I’m thinking about getting the Ooni Frya but worried about their customer service. I haven’t had great experience getting answers from them and after some research realized that many people have complained about poor customer service. Can anyone share thoughts on this?

    Also I read a few comments below and it seems like cooking pizza isn’t as easy as it looks on all these Ooni videos. Is that true? Now I’m reconsidering. I’ve been eyeing the Roccbox for some time and there are people who LOVE the Roccbox and say that it’s a better build than the Ooni, particularly the stone. The Roccbox can cook without a door so the pizza is easier to turn and since it’s heavier it’s more durable? I’m back to square one now. Can anyone weigh in on this? I really want a wood pizza oven which is why I stopped looking at the Roccbox (it was my initial favorite).

    • 7.3.20
      Daniel said:

      We have a Fyra and have had great (in fact superb!) support from the Ooni team with a couple of questions we had. They were back in touch via email within hours for each response (were in the UK). The Fyra looks brilliant and is built really well, can’t wait to experiment more with it. You won’t regret buying one!

  14. 6.12.20
    Dawn said:

    How do you control the temperature? Pizzas are all burning ??

  15. 5.6.20
    James Drakeford said:

    I’m really struggling to decide between the Pro and the 3 (or the Fyra as its newer version), having used both which would you opt for if you were buying again? Also do the different fuels make a marked difference? Thanks, James

  16. 4.20.20
    Colin said:

    This is awesome, thank you! Have you cooked anything besides pizza in your Ooni 3 or do you think it’s possible? I know you can do this in the pro, but I like the price tag of the 3 better =)

  17. 3.8.20
    Ellen said:

    We have an Ooni pro powered by gas. We have tried store bought dough as well as dough from our local pizza shop. We do not like the charred bottom crust. Any suggestions?

    • 3.11.20
      jess said:

      Hi Ellen! Some of the char is a little inevitable; it’s the nature of wood-fired pizza. You crust certainly shouldn’t be burnt to a crisp, though, with proper cook times. We aim for 60-90 seconds per pizza, rotating halfway through. One thing that might be happening with your Ooni is if you’re dusting your pizza peels with flour, that residual flour may be sliding on to the pizza stone when you transfer the pizza into the Ooni to cook. Without wiping out the flour, it will burn & adhere to any pizza that goes into the oven after. We wipe down our pizza stone before every use (prior to lighting the Ooni, of course) & it certainly helps eliminate any bitter, burned taste. Hope this helps!

  18. 12.27.19

    I’m considering purchasing the Ooni 3 (on another site at a fantastic price), but I’m curious. I asked someone if I could user Weber lighting cubes to light the pellets, and they said a blow torch is recommended. Well, I have a ‘mini’ blow torch that I purchased from Academy back in August. Would that do the trick or should I buy a bigger blow torch in order to do the trick? I want to be prepared, because when my pizza oven arrives, it will be difficult to hold off the temptation of making a pizza right away!

    • 1.8.20
      jess said:

      Hey Troy! A mini torch should work just fine. Hope you love your Ooni just as much as we love ours. Happy pizza makin’! =)

  19. 12.20.19
    Quinn Fullmer said:

    Hi, so we are using our ooni 3 for the first time with the premium pellets as recommended. Our pizzas are all tasting like gas or fuel. Do you know why? I called ooni and spoke to them and they couldn’t help.

    • 1.8.20
      jess said:

      Hey Quinn! That’s really odd! We’ve never run into that problem with our Ooni. The 2 things I can think of: 1) give your pizza stone a good wash. Maybe it was exposed to fumes at some point? Since the stone is porous it’ll absorb its surroundings. Giving it a good scrub would fix that. 2) Might be the pellets? Since they are the fuel source, they do impact the flavor of the pizza. I don’t have experience with Ooni’s pellets; we use Traeger pellets at our house & they work great. Highly recommend. Hope you can get this figured out!

    • 4.28.20
      Jenna said:

      Hi Jess,
      I just purchased the ooni 3 and am so excited! I was wondering if you have any recommendations for cooking a gluten free pizza? What gluten free option would you substitute the semolina flour with? Thanks so much and your photos are gorgeous!!

    • 5.1.20
      Ali said:

      We used ours for the first time and it tastes like chemicals really bad

      • 5.6.20
        James Drakeford said:

        Did you do the first ‘fire’ that they suggest prior to using with first pizza? Might be that if you didn’t

      • 5.24.20
        Karine said:

        We too have tried to cook pizza with Traeger Mesquite pellet and each time a chemical plastics terrible taste while burning the pallet as well as all over the pizza. Got PTSD after each time. Anyone has found out the reason for this terrible experience? I am ready to give it away!

        • 5.28.20
          Merissa said:

          I have an Ooni Koda fueled by propane but I am having the exact same issue. Pizza looks great but it has this very unappetizing lingering chemically, rancid taste to it every time. I’ve been trying to figure out what the issue is but can’t seem to find anyone with the same problem that has the same oven as me.

  20. 9.3.19
    Erin said:

    I have a new Ooni pro but have such s hard time getting the dough to cook through in the middle. The edges and cheese start to burn so I pull it out and the center is not cooked. I’ve tried it three times so far. We use propane. Any suggestions?

    • 9.5.19
      jess said:

      hi erin! are you rotating your pizza as it cooks? we do about 30-40 seconds, pull the pizza out quickly & rotate it, then back in for 30-40 seconds more. our crusts are usually pretty thin & cook up like a charm!