Being stuck at home forces us to make activities fun and making pizzas in a wood-fired pizza oven can sure be fun.
So here are the best wood-fired pizza ovens under $500 that you can get for your home.
Even the best cooks in the world are not able to make pizzas without the proper tools and appliances.
That is why you need something that will help you in cooking pizzas perfectly.
Pizza ovens are great because they are specifically designed to cook pizzas.
They are meant for baking foods so they produce a lot of heat in order to attain the finish you want.
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Conventional ovens are great because they too can also produce a lot of heat.
However, they might be good with other baked goods such as muffins but they do not do too well with pizzas.
See, there is a certain temperature that the oven needs to reach in order to make pizzas.
This temperature is often not attained by conventional ovens so they do not make pizzas perfect.
The reason for the high temperature that needs to be reached for cooking pizzas is because it makes the crust crispy almost instantly.
This makes the pizza authentic and beautifully cooked.
Speaking of authentic pizza, you cannot make one in a conventional oven.
That is because these types of ovens do not create smoke that seeps into the pizza dough and the toppings.
Wood-fired pizza ovens are reasonable options for making authentic pizzas.
They are able to reach high temperatures while also keeping the authenticity of the process and the pizza.
There is also a problem with our market as there are a lot of choices, most of them are expensive too.
So we listed the best ones for you that you can buy with a budget of $500 only.
Best Wood-fired Pizza Ovens Under $500
So now that you know the benefits of using wood-fired pizza ovens, let us get straight to the list of the best ovens that you can buy for under $500, and then you can start shopping.
1. Roccbox Pizza Oven
This pizza oven is perfect for beginners as it is one of the most popular and easiest pizza ovens to use.
It does not involve any complicated controls and is very capable of cooking pizzas.
Roccbox is the leading brand in producing pizza ovens that can cook pizzas authentically.
That is why you should also expect them to be on this list multiple times as they have a lot to offer.
The Roccbox Pizza Oven is one of the pioneers of the pizza ovens that came out along with the Ooni Pro.
It is a simple pizza oven and is very compact, however, it produces a lot of heat which cooks your pizza instantly.
This Pizza Oven is multi-fueled and it uses wood as a fuel which still gives you that authentic wood-fired taste.
The fuel attachment can be changed easily if you need your pizza oven to be gas-fueled which makes this oven one of the best.
The Pizza Oven has a really well-insulated design so the heat retention on this pizza oven is amazing and you pretty much get all the accessories that you need in order to get started with cooking pizza inside this oven.
==> Get the Best Deals on this Roccbox Pizza Oven
The Pizza oven comes in with a nice carry bag that makes this entire pizza oven portable.
It is probably one of the best pizza ovens on the list and the fact that you can get this oven for $499 is what makes it one of the best out there.
I personally do recommend the Roccbox Pizza Oven, however sometimes it just goes out of stock due to limited availability.
In that case you can check out the Ooni Pro pizza oven which is pretty similar but just $100 more than the Roccbox Oven.
The space it provides is good enough so I was only able to cook 10-inch pizzas in it and your pizzas would be done in a couple of minutes which is great for someone looking to cook an awesome pizza inside this oven.
2. Ooni Fyra 12 Pizza Oven
This pizza oven is the predecessor of the Ooni 3 which was named based on the local language of the Ooni owner.
It means four in that language but it also sounds like fire for most of us.
So while the background itself is interesting enough, this pizza offers more than a dramatic story.
It is one of the most powerful wood-fired pizza ovens on the market right now.
Just like most pizza ovens from Ooni, this pizza oven is surprisingly portable.
It only weighs 22 pounds which made it easy for me to transfer it anywhere I want and cook pizzas there.
I was also able to put it in the car and use it in campings and tailgating trips.
This pizza oven does have a chimney but that was not a problem as Ooni made those features portable too.
See, there are two protrusions on this pizza oven.
One is the larger chimney while the other is the pellet hopper, both can be detached and folded to be stored inside the pizza oven.
Along with that, the classic foldable legs of Ooni pizza ovens are also in the Ooni Fyra.
This made it easy for me to store it in a small backpack or slide it inside the car trunk for transport.
==> Get the Best Deals on this Ooni Fyra Pizza Oven
Within 20 minutes, this pizza oven was able to reach a temperature of over 900 degrees Fahrenheit.
The automatic hopper really made it easy for me to cook without worrying about the fuel.
3. Napoli Bertello Pizza Oven
If you talk about portability, Ooni is not the only brand that can produce such pizza ovens.
The Bertello, formerly known as Napoli, is a great oven that can also cook authentic pizzas.
It has a 13.5-inch cordierite baking stone which made it possible for me to cook 12-inch pizzas with enough space to rotate the pizza when needed.
This is perfect for small parties and meals.
The fire at the back of the pizza oven offers a lot of heat and the interior is heated evenly.
It is one of the portable pizza ovens that have the most amazing insulations among many ovens.
Since it uses wood as the main fuel, the front part of this pizza oven can gather soot.
However, you will hardly notice it because of the matte black finish all over the pizza oven itself.
That is why cleaning the pizza oven is not that big of a deal.
This pizza oven can also reach temperatures of up to 900 degrees Fahrenheit but more often it stays at 800 degrees Fahrenheit.
==> Get the Best Deals on this Napoli Bertello Pizza Oven
This temperature is still able to cook pizzas in just 2 minutes.
What I liked most about this pizza oven is that the company gave the option to switch from wood as fuel to other sources.
You can go with pellets and even propane gas if you want to with this pizza oven.
This will give you more options if ever you run out of fuel while cooking and you are away from home.
4. Ooni Karu Pizza Oven
Another pizza oven from Ooni that will surely impress you and cook your pizzas perfectly.
This is also one of the earlier models that Ooni has produced which is also very portable.
It comes with the perfect airflow control system with vents at the back and a chimney at the front.
These two combine for the perfect circulation of air for keeping the heat at the right temperature.
It has its own cordierite pizza stone which also helps in retaining the heat.
The stone collects the heat from the fire at the back and then helps in distributing it evenly throughout the interior.
Because of its small stature, this pizza oven only needs 15 minutes of preheating time to reach its maximum temperature.
It can go up to 932 degrees Fahrenheit which is perfect for pizzas.
With that temperature, you will be able to cook pizzas in just 60 seconds.
That way, you will be able to cook multiple pizzas in just a few minutes which makes it perfect for pizza parties.
What I loved the most about this pizza oven is that you can switch to other fuels.
You can go with charcoal or even buy the Ooni burner attachment for propane gas if you need to.
==> Get the Best Deals on this Ooni Karu 12 Pizza Oven
I also liked the chimney control as I was able to control the temperature not only by putting the chimney cap on but also by turning a small lever in the middle of the chimney itself.
5. BioLite Basecamp Pizza Dome
BioLite Basecamp Pizza Dome pizza oven might not look like the design that we usually see in wood-fired ovens but it is portable enough.
It is actually specially made for those who love to go camping and trekking.
It uses small woods and even sticks in order to fire up the chamber. It has a dome lid which helps in distributing the heat evenly inside to cook the pizza quickly and with a crispy crust.
The burner is also located at the bottom which means that this pizza oven really prioritizes the crust of the pizza. You will be able to cook pizzas with the perfect crispy crust every time.
The lid has holes on the side which allows for proper airflow.
You can limit the amount of air that escapes by slightly turning the lid to open the holes wider or narrower to control the temperature.
The lid also has its own thermometer which means that you will be able to keep track of the temperature inside the pizza oven.
It also has its own baking stone made from cordierite.
==> Get the Best Deals on this Pizza Oven
This pizza oven has a stand and the cooking chamber is separated from the firebox.
That is what I liked the most as I did not have to worry as much about the pizza getting burned.
Within 20 minutes, I was able to cook in this pizza oven.
Keeping track of the pizza in it was also easy as it does not need a table to set it up, I just stood beside and waited for it to finish cooking.
6. KettlePizza Pro 22 Kit
While most users will not consider this as a pizza oven, it is able to bring out the same advantages that we have discussed. It is able to produce pizzas with crispy crusts.
This is basically a grill that comes with a pizza kit that you can use or place right on top of the grill.
That way, you will be creating an environment that mimics the inside of a pizza oven.
This kit has its own baking stone and pizza peel which can make the cooking process a lot easier.
It is able to collect as much heat as it can in order to cook the pizzas in less than 3 minutes.
With that, you will be able to bring it to other places and cook pizzas with it.
You can use this kit in other grills as well so that means that the temperature it produces depends on the grill.
==> Get the Best Deals on KettlePizza Pro 22 Kit
The full set comes with its own wood burner and a stand which is perfect for traveling.
It has its own wheels making it easy to move around on flat surfaces when you need to place it elsewhere.
What I loved the most about this pizza oven is the fact that I can use it on any grill that I have.
As long as your grill is large enough for the kit to fit, then you can use it with that grill.
Why Wood-fired Pizza Ovens?
While there are many reasons why you should pick wood-fired pizza ovens over conventional ovens, we have selected the more important ones so you can get a better understanding.
Before we get into the list of the best wood-fired pizza ovens under $500, let us see what benefits they can bring to you and your pizza. Here are the advantages of a wood-fired pizza oven.
Cooks Quickly
While most pizzerias can bring their ovens to temperatures of up to 800 degrees Fahrenheit, conventional ovens simply cannot go to that temperature and are sometimes stuck at the half.
This can still cook the pizza but it will take longer and will not be very ideal for busy people.
This also prevents the crispiness that you get on the crust of the pizza with high temperatures.
Wood-fired pizza ovens are able to produce temperatures of even more than 800 degrees Fahrenheit.
That way, your pizza will be cooked within 2 minutes or sometimes 60 seconds.
Compared to conventional ovens that will take around 30 minutes to preheat and with a temperature of only 500 degrees Fahrenheit, it will take another 15 minutes to cook the pizza.
So if you are a busy person, even if you do not go out of the house, but you need to work all the time, then the perfect pizza oven for you is something that can reach higher temperatures.
Adds Flavor
In order to consider a pizza “authentic”, you will need something to help you with the flavor.
This flavor is not specifically found on the dough, the toppings, cheese, or in the pizza itself.
Rather, the flavor comes from the pizza oven itself, or more specifically, the fuel.
Gas and electric ovens can never give you the authentic flavor of a pizza as they do not produce smoke.
Wood-fired pizza ovens, on the other hand, have the ability to produce a lot of smoke.
This smoke will then seep into the food making it taste a little bit different and more authentic.
This can be observed in the earlier models of ovens that were used in cooking pizzas in ancient times.
Those brick ovens also use wood for heating up the chamber of the oven.
The heat is then distributed well inside the oven and the smoke adds to the authenticity of the pizza.
This creates a perfect taste that is significantly different from pizzas cooked in conventional ovens.
Retains Nutrients
This advantage also roots from the ability of wood-fired pizza ovens to produce high temperatures quickly.
They cook the food as fast as they can which makes them good.
Good because they spend less time cooking and good because they are able to keep all the nutrients in the food.
This is especially true if you are using vegetables for pizza toppings.
The quick cooking process allows the pizza oven to keep all the antioxidants and nutrients in the food.
A longer cooking process will cause the reduction or depletion of these nutrients.
Versatility
Aside from being able to cook pizzas, wood-fired pizza ovens are also able to cook other foods.
Because of the heat they produce, they can sear meat or cook other baked goods perfectly.
Versatility also goes with the pizza oven’s ability to switch fuels and save energy.
Yes, we said that they are wood-fired but you can also use wood pellets and charcoal in some of these ovens.
What To Consider Before Buying A Pizza Oven
So there you have it, the list of the best wood-fired pizza ovens under $500.
Now, you should take a look at this simple guide that you can use in order to select the best pizza oven.
You can easily just select the one that you like the most from the list as they are surely great but if you decide to go for others, then you can use this guide to help you get the best out of your budget.
Fuel Type
Of course, we have already discussed here what advantages wood-fired pizza ovens have.
So in case you still do not want that, you can opt for different types of fuel that are more convenient.
Such pizza ovens might be using propane gas or charcoal for heating up the chamber.
However, you should select the pizza oven that uses the fuel that is most accessible to you.
Do not buy a propane-fueled pizza oven if you want something to connect to your natural gas source.
That will be totally different and it actually needs a permanent connection for safety.
Power
Again, the secret behind a perfectly-cooked pizza is the heat that the oven produces.
That is why you need to get the pizza oven that produces the most heat or power for cooking.
Most pizza ovens that are fueled by wood are small and portable.
With that, the fuel does not have a hard time heating up the chamber which makes them perfect for cooking quickly.
It also gives you more options to cook other recipes in them.
The higher the heat can go in a pizza oven, the more versatile it can get as it is able to cook other foods with its power.
Cooking Surface
This will depend mostly on your lifestyle so in order to select the best pizza oven for you, consider how you cook and for whom you are cooking most of the time.
So say, for example, you just cook pizzas for your family, you will not need a large pizza oven.
If you are a party person and you love cooking for a lot of people, then large pizza ovens are perfect for you.
Build and Design
You are going to need a specific setup for the pizza oven.
If you are buying a wood-fired pizza oven, then you will definitely need it to be placed outdoors to prevent fire hazards in the house.
That is why you also need to consider the materials that were used in building the pizza oven.
That way, you will know if it can handle the cold and the exposure to sunlight when cooking.
Conclusion
Making pizzas at home is both easy and complicated.
It is easy since you have more control over the ingredients that you want to put in but complicated if you do not have the right tools.
You need enough heat in order to cook the crust properly and evenly finish the toppings.
The authenticity of the pizza is also an important aspect that you can only attain with wood-fired pizza ovens.
So if you are looking for a fun way to spend your extra time with your family, make sure to look at the pizza ovens listed above and start cooking in your backyard or on your camping trips.
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