Composite: Supplied, Ooni
There’s nothing quite like cooking al fresco, whether it’s your own outdoor space or a camp site. And, as much as I love a classic BBQ, a pizza oven really takes things up a notch – something I discovered when I was given the opportunity to review the Ooni Koda 2.
As someone who tends to go for quick and easy meals, I assumed that making restaurant-quality pizza would be too hard or take a lot longer than the 60-90 seconds of cooking time suggested by many of the top pizza ovens in Australia. But with my love of outdoor cooking (and my curiosity) I was game to try it – and to spare no details in my review.
I quickly found a new obsession: perfecting my Neapolitan-style pizza skills at home. It’s still a work in progress for me – but the process is delicious.
Meet the reviewer
Amy Bradney-George is Better Homes and Gardens’ deals editor and has contributed as a digital writer since 2024. She’s always looking for opportunities to upgrade her outdoor spaces and enjoys cooking up tasty food – as long as it’s not too complicated!
Ooni Koda 2 review verdict
- Rating: 9 out of 10
- My rating in a nutshell: The Ooni Koda 2 is easy to set up and use straight out of the box, with a light, compact design that makes it easy to store or pack in the car, and minimal cleaning. Finding the right temperatures to perfectly cook the base and crust takes a bit of time, so it’s best suited to people who want to learn to make pizzas in an authentic way or those with experience.
Pros
- Compact design that’s portable (I plan on taking it camping)
- Easy to set up – just plug in the gas bottle and turn the dial
- Reaches 500°C and cooks pizzas in minutes
- High quality 14-inch cooking stone that retains heat well between pizzas
- The price – at $749 it’s one of the best-value home pizza ovens
Cons
- The shape of the oven can make it hard for beginners to turn the pizza without it getting burned
- The flames sometimes light toppings or loose flour/semolina on fire – I’ve found turning the heat down after launching my pizzas helps
What’s so special about the Ooni Koda 2?
The Ooni Koda 2 is a gas-powered pizza oven that’s compact and portable so you can create fresh, Neapolitan-style pizzas wherever you want.
It has a patent-pending tapered flame gas burner system that’s designed to efficiently distribute heat and quickly re-heat the stone between pizzas. (A common issue I’ve heard about pizza ovens is the stone cooling down while a pizza cooks, then taking a long time to heat up again – not ideal if you want to share a meal together).
While compact, the Ooni Koda 2 has a generous cooking area big enough for 14-inch (or large-sized) pizzas. The design has a premium feel and the sturdy legs fold down for storage when it’s not in use.
What comes in the box with the Ooni Koda 2
The Ooni Koda 2 comes with all the essentials to start making pizzas, so you just need to have an LPG bottle you can attach. The pizza oven takes up most of the box, but here’s what else is inside:
- Koda 2 pizza stone
- Gas regulator hose
- Matchstick lighter (optional, as there’s also a battery powered ignition)
- Torx key
- Two AA batteries for the ignition
My review of the Ooni Koda 2 after testing it out as a pizza-making novice
First up, I was pleasantly surprised by how easy it was to get the Ooni Koda 2 up and running. The last time I built a BBQ, it took hours before we could fire it up, but I think the Koda 2 took about 25 minutes. And most of that was me reading the instructions carefully to make sure I wasn’t missing anything.
Once the Koda 2’s legs were unfolded (easy), it was just a matter of putting batteries in for the ignition, then placing the stone in the oven. I must say, I was impressed with how nice the stone is – it felt luxe!
After that, I connected my little LPG gas bottle, then pressed and turned the dial to light it.
At this point, I thought we were good to go. But I had missed something in my instructional reading: you need to season the pizza oven first. This is simple but takes time – you need to turn the heat up to full for 30 minutes, then turn it off and let it cool down before wiping it with paper towel.
It reminded me of the way you need to season cast iron skillets or pans, and makes sense. So for anyone new to pizza ovens, I’d suggest factoring that into your timing before starting to make your pizzas.
Making the pizzas and using the oven
As this was my first hands-on experience with a home pizza oven, I’d prepared with a deep dive into making pizzas with it. The Ooni website and app have great resources, including handy videos on how to stretch your dough. I also found interesting first-hand perspectives online, particularly on Reddit, YouTube and Instagram.
To make it easier for myself, I bought the most recommended ready-made dough I could find (this one from Woolworths). At some stage, I plan on making my own dough – Ooni’s recipe looks simple and tasty – but I want to focus on the cooking basics first.
Even though you can cook pizzas up to 14-inches in the Koda 2, my pizzas tend to be around 8-10 inches in diameter. (Note: This affects cooking time, which is why I’ve included them).
After stretching the dough, I added my toppings and checked the stone’s temperature, aiming for around 450°C as this Ooni video suggested.
Then, I slid the pizza onto the peel and launched it into the oven in one clean move. Feeling very pleased that it got in without any issues, I then used the peel to gradually turn it.
After about two minutes, the pizza looked great and the base felt cooked under the peel, so I took it out. After a minute or so to let the stone reheat, my husband launched his, following a similar process, and was also done in a couple of minutes. Both pizzas were a success!
But I will say some of my follow up pizzas haven’t cooked as smoothly. For example, the pepperoni caught on fire when I didn’t turn the flame down on my second attempt. So it’s a delicious and fun learning process for me.
Is the Ooni Koda 2 worth it?
The Ooni Koda 2 has a high-quality design, is easy to use and the $749 price tag is very reasonable for a pizza oven, making it great as a starting point for beginners or anyone who wants to level-up their pizza making skills without paying top price.
In fact, I’ve been happily recommending it to family and friends since I first used it. And, unlike some cooking appliances I’ve bought then hardly ever used, the Ooni Koda 2 gets fired up almost every weekend.
Making pizzas is really fun and the results have all been tasty. But I definitely have a new appreciation for the level of skill and experience needed to make restaurant-quality pizza. Even though I’m not there yet, this is one of the best cooking experiences – and pieces of equipment – I’ve ever had.
Where to buy the Ooni Koda 2
You can buy the Koda 2 online directly through Ooni, or at stockists including David Jones and BCF:
While the price is already competitive, if you want to save you could also wait for a sale like Black Friday. Or check out BHG’s round-up of discount codes and deals for David Jones and BCF.
Ooni also has a range of accessories, including pizza peels and digital thermometers – two items I now consider essential for getting started.
But there are also tables, storage covers and prep and serving gear. I also have the Ooni Connect Digital Temperature Hub, which sits at the front of the oven and gives an ambient temperature. I’ve found the temperature alerts handy when I’m busy prepping in the kitchen.
There’s also the new Ooni Rotating Stone, which turns the pizza for you and would be great for families or anyone who prefers less hands-on cooking.
Five key things I learned making pizzas with the Ooni Koda 2
- Temperature control is essential. I’ve found getting the stone to 450°C, turning the flame down then launching my pizza is the most effective way to get the base and toppings cooked. Leaving the flame up after launching has caused my toppings to light on fire once or twice!
- Less is more for toppings. As well as being more traditional for a Neapolitan style of pizza, fewer toppings keeps the dough from getting weighed down. And it means less chance of toppings spilling onto the stone.
- It’s hard to transfer a pizza to a warm peel. I made the mistake of using my peel to clear away a bit of ash in the oven once – never again. The dough is sensitive to temperatures and got a bit sticky, which made it harder to launch.
- Getting the iconic charred pizza crust is easy. This is one of my favourite parts of a pizza (with good dough). And I’ve managed it every single time I’ve used the Ooni Koda 2.
- Making fresh pizzas is a really fun group activity. The more we make them, the more I want to work on creating the perfect pizza dough and pizza sauce from scratch.
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