Ooni’s New Pizza Oven Is Absolutely Massive—and It Makes Incredible Pizza
We tested the pizza oven by making Neapolitan, Detroit, and Roman-style pizzas to see if it could bake up perfect pies quickly.
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My first outdoor pizza oven was the Ooni Koda 16. I still remember my husband excitedly firing it up and the magnificent corn, scallion, and Parmesan Neapolitan-style pizzas we baked in it. The crusts were puffy and chewy, and the bottoms had that coveted leopard spotting. It was easy to use, and the 16-inch opening made it a cinch to launch, turn, and retrieve each pie.
While bigger isn’t always better, Ooni recently launched a behemoth version of my beloved Koda 16: the Ooni Koda 2 Max. This whopper of a pizza oven is 24 inches wide, comes with two pizza stones, and sports a dual-burner gas system. This theoretically allows for endless possibilities and combinations, like pan pizza on one side at medium heat and Neapolitan on the other at high heat (though that sounds stressful). It also makes it easy to launch and turn pizza or cook multiple pizzas at once.
To see if this giant oven is worth the space and $1,000 price, I fired it up, burned through a tank of propane, and made tons of pizza, including Neapolitan, Roman, and Detroit-style pies.
The Tests
- Heat Test: I timed how long the Ooni Koda took to reach its highest temperature with both burners on full blast. I used an infrared thermometer to gauge the temperature of the stones and compared it to the stated temperature on the display screen and the Ooni Connect app.
- Neapolitan Pizza Test: With the oven at its highest heat setting, I made Neapolitan pizzas, noting how easy it was to launch, turn, and retrieve each pie.
- Roman-Style Pizza Test: I made thin, crispy Roman-style pizza scrocchiarella to see if I could control the oven’s temperature and not bake up blackened pies.
- Dual Pizza Test: I fired up the oven and adjusted the temperatures on both sides to bake two different styles of pizzas: Detroit and Neapolitan. It was a test to see if each burner could be tuned so that one side of the oven was significantly hotter than the other.
- Usability Tests: Throughout testing, I noted how easy the oven was to set up, use, and clean.
What We Learned
More Space Meant Less Stressful Throwing, Turning, and Fetching
The spaciousness of the Ooni Koda 2 Max made it easy to launch, turn, and remove pizzas.
I’ve tested a few outdoor pizza ovens and one of the most stressful parts of baking up a pie is the takeoff. If you accidentally hit the edge of the oven, the pizza ends up in a tangled heap of sauce, dough, and toppings. I’ve had it happen, and it’s a bummer.
This was not the case with this oven. It’s a mind-boggling 24 inches wide. Throwing a single 12-inch pizza in it almost felt like a waste, but at the same time, it also made the whole experience much less stressful. I could easily throw two 10-inch pizzas, then turn and retrieve them without the oven cramping my style (literally). It was even easy to sidle in a Detroit pizza pan with oven mitts.
It Heated Up Quickly
With a huge surface area and lots of space, I thought the oven would take forever to reach high temperatures. But it surprised me, hitting 660°F in 11 minutes—that’s pretty fast. It kept climbing and hit 850°F, where it stabilized, in about 38 minutes. This is impressive considering other much smaller ovens we’ve tested take about 30 to 40 minutes to hit this temperature. The Ooni Koda 2 Max might be large, but it’s neck and neck with smaller ovens when it comes to heating times.
…And Cooked Pizzas Fast
Thin Neapolitan pizzas cooked up in a lickety-split 22 seconds. I actually should have turned the temperature down a bit after throwing the pies, since I ended up with a few ashy pepperoni. Instead, I tried using my turner peel to shield the top, but the oven’s heat retention and firepower were so good that it didn’t do much to protect the thin slices of cured meat. Don’t be like me: Turn that heat down a little after launching so your toppings don’t scorch. The Detroit pizza also cooked quite quickly, in about 12 minutes at a lower temperature.
Let’s Talk About Its Dual Burner System
A big part of what makes the Ooni Koda 2 Max unique is its dual burner system. When I was doing background research, I kept reading about how it lets you cook wildly different things at once. And if you’re searing a steak on one side and want to char some veg on the other, I get it. But I was skeptical in the case of pizzas: Who is going to sling Neapolitan pizzas at the same time as a pan pizza? But, for science, I gave it a go and cooked a Detroit pizza on one side and threw a few Neapolitan pies on the other. The results were fantastic: The Neapolitan pizzas were nicely charred and the Detroit pie had the requisite crispy edges and bottom and chewy, tender crumb. That said, adjusting the dual burners to wildly different temperatures—aiming for 550°F for the Detroit pizza and 850°F for the Neapolitan—proved impossible. I wound up throwing the Neapolitan at around 740°F on the right side, while the left side hovered at 700°F for the Detroit. While it’s a big oven, it’s difficult to get one side super hot and the other a more middling temperature.
The Thermometer Was Fairly Accurate
Most built-in thermometers—be they on a grill, pellet smoker, or in this case, pizza oven—are inaccurate. That’s why I was surprised that the one on the Ooni was pretty on point during my heat test. Nine minutes in, the onboard display said the temperature was 525°F. My infrared thermometer readings were 530°F on the left, 545°F in the center, and 526°F on the right, for an average of 534°F, which was only nine degrees off. While this was impressive, I’d still invest in an infrared thermometer for utmost accuracy when baking pizzas.
The App Has Potential
The pizza oven connects to the Ooni app, which displays real-time temperatures for each side of the oven. This theoretically lets you set the oven up and go inside to prep, while still being able to monitor temps. It would be a fantastic feature if it didn’t disconnect immediately after I stepped foot inside. While it’s good if you’re puttering around the backyard near the oven, I wish I could see the oven temps from a greater distance.
The Verdict
If you LOVE making outdoor pizzas and have the money and space to allow for it, the Ooni Koda 2 Max is a great oven. It heated up quickly considering its massive size, and the spacious opening and cooking area made throwing pizzas stress-free. The proof was in the pudding too: It baked up fantastic Neapolitan, Roman, and Detroit-style pizzas.
That said, if you only see yourself making pizzas outside once in a while, I recommend a smaller, less pricey Ooni oven. Also, while the dual-zone temperature control was nice in theory, I don’t know how useful it is in practice unless you want to deal with the drama of throwing two pizzas at once.
But, overall, it’s a fantastic outdoor pizza oven that heats up quickly, bakes killer pizzas, and feels roomy doing it.
The Pros
The Ooni Koda 2 Max was easy to set up, ignited quickly, and climbed to 860°F in 38 minutes, which is quite impressive considering it’s so large. Its wide cooking surface and gaping opening also made it easy to throw and retrieve pizzas. It cooked thin-crust pizzas blisteringly fast, in about 22 seconds, and gave them lovely leopard-spotted undercarriages. It also baked up a perfectly cooked, crispy-edged Detroit pan pizza, showcasing its versatility. Overall, it’s a fantastic pizza oven that does its job well.
The Cons
Make no bones about it, it’s expensive. It’s also huge, and I’d recommend having a large, heatproof outdoor table to set it on. It burned through propane quickly, and having a spare tank on hand was useful. The dual burners were a nice feature, but I did find it difficult to home in on wildly different temperatures. Finally, I would have loved it if the app and oven had better long-range connectivity—as it was, it dropped the signal every time I went inside.
Key Specs
- Internal width: 24 inches
- External dimensions: 29 x 16.5 x 25.5 inches
- Maximum temperature: 950°F
- Fuel type: Propane
- Warranty: 5 years
- Features: App connectivity, digital temperature hub, dual burner setup
- Comes with: Two stones, two burners, two probe thermometers
FAQs
What is the difference between the Ooni Koda and the Ooni Koda 2 Max?
The Ooni Koda comes in two sizes: 12 and 16 inches. Both of these ovens have a single stone and a single burner. The Ooni Koda 2 Max is 24 inches and sports two burners and two pizza stones.
Can the Ooni Koda 2 Max be used indoors?
No, the Ooni Koda 2 Max runs on propane or natural gas, and should only be used outside or in a well-ventilated area.
Why We’re the Experts
- Grace Kelly is a commerce editor at Serious Eats and has been testing kitchen equipment for almost three years.
- She tested the Ooni Koda 2 Max over the course of a month, using it to make Neapolitan, Roman, and Detroit-style pizzas.
Editor’s note: We received a press sample of the Ooni Koda 2 Max, but all of our opinions are our own.
