4 Types of Outdoor Pizza Ovens - Which is best for you?
If you’re looking to put a pizza oven in your backyard kitchen, you’ve come to the right place.
We’re going to discuss pizza oven design as well as the four different types of pizza ovens.
Some of these can be purchased outright with little to no installation, while some may require a contractor or heavy DIYing skills. To get the best results, you may want to invest in a contractor to hire builders. You want to ensure your pizza oven looks great and performs the way it should.
Did you know you can cook a variety of foods in pizza ovens? We’ll go over some of those later. It’s also a great centerpiece for your outdoor patio area. You can use it as a firepit for late night gatherings of family and friends during summer.
Here’s a quick look at four different types of pizza ovens.
Metal
One of the easiest ways to get your pizza oven up and running fast is to buy a metal oven. These are already made and can be shipped right to your door. They’re easy enough to install yourself or you can hire a builder.
These ovens are generally smaller than a full pizza oven. The max capacity is limited to one, 14-inch pizza, as seen in the above photo.
A metal oven is great for many reasons! They’re more budget friendly and smaller than other types of pizza ovens. So, they’ll take up less space in your backyard, giving you more space in your outdoor kitchen. They also are portable, so if you move, you can take it with you.
The drawbacks are small, but there are some we should mention. Metal ovens are generally smaller and can only cook small batches. They also will get incredibly hot, so be careful around the oven!
Other pizza ovens are insulated with cement and brick and are not hot to the touch. And, since these pizza ovens are premade, you don’t have many choices when it comes to looks.
You can also get a permanent metal pizza oven. This oven can fit quite a large pizza (20+ inches!). So, if you shell out the money, you can get a permanent pizza oven in your backyard.
Or you can even build one yourself. Keep reading to learn more!
Brick
How cool does this look? If you’re wanting to build a permanent oven in your backyard, brick is the way to go. You could even build a fantastic looking brick oven pizzeria!
Besides brick being a good stylistic choice, it is a great insulator. Think about your chimney at home – it’s probably made of brick!
Unlike metal ovens, brick ovens are cold to the touch on the outside. Still, you should exercise caution when your oven is on.
Among the many styles of brick oven pizza ovens is this type. When building your oven, think about practicality alongside function! Having your wood below your oven is key. You can easily add more wood to the fire and it’s separate from the oven allowing for safe use.
Here’s another large, lovely, brick oven that doesn't shirk from greatness! This pizza oven is highlighted with a beautiful arch and the wood stacked underneath. To the left is a prep counter, presumably for making pizzas. To the right is a bench to wait for your pizzas. Order up! And, in the left foreground, a beautiful wooden table awaits some pizza goodness.
Stone
This stone pizza oven is unique and looks straight out of Lord of the Rings in the Shire. We absolutely love the wooden supports, rounded stone design, and brick chimney.
Most of this oven is a mix of stone and cement, and that’s where the magic happens. Since stones are rarely symmetrical, the design of the oven is far different than the rigid, five-sided brick ovens we’ve seen. The rounded shape helps circulate heat in the oven, baking your pizza evenly.
Cement
Finally, cement pizza ovens! These rounded ovens are great heat distributors and one of the coolest looking ovens you can make. This oven has beautiful intentional craquelure and a little swoop to mark the transition from red to cream. It’s beautiful!
This oven follows the same design concept as a typical pizza oven, but with a rounded cement top. A metal chimney sticks out of the cement to allow heat and smoke to escape. It’s also painted a beautiful red, reminiscent of Utah red rock!
You’ll also note that the base is made of bricks. This is a budget-friendly way to go!
And, below is another example of a rounded cement oven. Make sure you get a pizza stick to grab your pizzas. You wouldn’t want to reach in there with your hands!
Hopefully you’re inspired by some of these different types of pizza ovens! They’re beautiful additions to your outdoor kitchen, or a great start to building a beautiful backyard.
If you want more inspiration for pizza ovens and outdoor kitchen design, follow us on Pinterest! We’ve got boards on backyard ideas and backyard kitchen ideas.
Thanks for following along! We hope to see you next time.