Tried and Tested: Ooni Karu 12G Pizza Oven review
Is the popular Ooni pizza oven worth the hype? One shopper is now “obsessed” with the “most advanced” oven that can make much more than just pizza at home.
These products are hand-picked by our team to help make shopping easier. We may receive payments from third parties for sharing this content and when you purchase through links in this article. Product prices and offer details are not assured, and should be confirmed independently with the retailer. Learn more
Mamma mia, I’m never ordering takeaway pizzas ever again.
My Instagram and TikTok accounts are decorated with a mouth watering stream of cooking videos and kitchen hacks, plus the odd saved folder with recipes I ‘swear’ I’ll make later... knowing I definitely, most likely, won’t. So I was sceptical when I read that you can use pizza ovens for food other than well, pizzas.
Then Ooni released what it calls the ‘world’s most advanced portable pizza oven’ – the Karu 12G’ multi-fuel pizza oven*. It quickly turned my home into Rome after cooking one cheap 12-inch truffle pizza that tasted at least triple its price. And the fact it can easily switch from an authentic wood fire pizza party to a charcoal or gas-fuelled barbecue just scored extra cannoli points in my book.
But is this pizza oven actually a worthwhile and practical investment? Check out my first impressions below.
HOW WE TESTED THIS PRODUCT
At news.com.au checkout, it’s our mission to help you make informed shopping decisions. To ensure you buy the right product at the best price, we rigorously test products so you don’t have to. As well as sorting through mountains of consumer reviews, product manuals and conducting thorough product research, our team of expert writers puts each product we review through a series of hands-on tests to ensure we give you honest feedback about its performance and whether it’s worth your hard-earned money.
In this article
- Features of the Ooni Karu 12G Pizza Oven
- Is the Ooni Karu 12G easy to set up?
- Is the Ooni Karu 12G easy to use?
- Is the Ooni Karu 12G big enough?
- How hot does the Ooni Karu 12G get?
- Is the Ooni Karu 12G actually portable?
- Is the Ooni Pizza Oven worth the money?
FEATURES OF OONI KARU 12G PIZZA OVEN
Here are the main features to expect from the portable pizza oven.
Multi-fuel pizza oven
The pizza oven works with either wood, charcoal or gas. Using wood and charcoal is great for making traditional wood-fired pizza, while using an Ooni Gas Burner turns it into a gas pizza oven.
Borosilicate glass door
Keep an eye on your food without opening the oven and releasing the heat.
ClearView technology
There’s no need to regularly wipe the glass door because the ClearView technology will prevent soot and ash from building up and blocking your view.
Built-in thermometer
Monitor the temperature inside the oven using the integrated thermometer. Keep in mind you’ll probably want to use a specific food thermometer if you want to check the temperature of the actual dish.
Ooni Great Pizza Guarantee
Similar to boxed mattresses, Ooni offers a 60-day trial period where you can return the pizza oven if it doesn’t satisfy your tastebuds. Of course, there are a few conditions, such as:
• you have had the oven for at least 28 days
• made at least five attempts to “cook GREAT pizza”
• purchased the pizza oven through Ooni’s website.
• must notify Ooni within 60 days from the delivery date.
Five-year warranty
You can extend your one-year warranty to five years when you register through the Ooni website.
Pros of the Ooni 12G multi-fuel pizza oven
+ Can use charcoal, wood or gas to fuel the pizza oven.
+ Budget friendly wood-fire pizza oven.
+ Can use the gas burner with the oven door open or closed, unlike the previous Karu 12.
+ Has a compact and portable design.
+ Reaches 500 degrees Celsius in 15 minutes.
+ The brand offers a 60-day Ooni Great Pizza Guarantee.
+ Free delivery (in mainland areas).
Cons of the Ooni 12G multi-fuel pizza oven
- Gas burner is not included.
- Outside use only.
IS THE OONI KARU 12G EASY TO SET UP?
I’m not fan of instructions or flatpack furniture, so it was a relief to see the Karu 12G pretty much ready to go straight out of the box and you just need to attach a few accessories.
The most time consuming part was attaching the gas tank to the Ooni gas burner, and this was partly because I had an old gas tank with the wrong parts.
IS THE OONI KARU 12G EASY TO USE?
Who knew making homemade pizzas could be so easy? As someone who has never used a pizza oven or grilled, the Karu 12G was surprisingly super simple to use.
To be honest, I’m quite clumsy and was terrified of accidentally flinging the pizza towards the back of the oven and creating a mini bonfire inside the oven. Using a pizza oven also requires more elbow grease the a standard convection oven, so it was another mental battle overcoming the fear of a ‘Hansel and Gretel’ situation. Fortunately, the multi-fuel oven doesn’t feel overwhelmingly hot to work with. In fact, it felt safer than a regular oven (or even a stove top).
To see how well Ooni’s portable multi-fuel oven performs and whether it can be a practical purchase for those who don’t want pizza every couple of days, I made sure to try cooking steaks, skewers and a variety of vegetables as well as pizza of course.
Pizzas
I made a truffle pizza in 60 seconds. It didn’t taste like the glorious Sizzler toast dupe I love at my local Italian restaurant, but it was still delicious.
The number of toppings was kept minimal, which helped cooked everything through evenly and thoroughly within no time. To make it, I used a pre-made pizza base, Alfredo sauce for a white base then added some cheese and a cheap truffle sauce from ALDI as well as garlic powder and Italian seasoning.
If you prefer more toppings and sauce on your pizza (and who doesn’t), it’s better to use a lower temperature. But you will need to do quarter turns every 60 seconds, otherwise the pizza won’t cook evenly.
This pizza looked promising, dressed in a colourful mix of salami, ham, mushrooms, cheese, spinach and a tomato sauce base. After a similar cooking time, it turned out slightly soggy on the bottom. Despite the burnt pieces of spinach at the top, you can see pizza just wasn’t cooked that well. The second, third and... several attempts after this certainly improved with a little less sauce and fire.
For those who want wood-fired pizza but prefer to use gas, try leaving your pizza in a little longer. It won’t give the same authentic wood-fired flavour, but it will add a smokey taste.
P.S. For actual quality pizza topping ideas and pizza dough making tips, Taste.com.au has plenty of recipes and fantastic expert know-how on how to turn your home into a mini Italy.
Meat
When it came to steak, I thought nothing could beat the Philips 5000 Series XXL Connected Air Fryer I reviewed earlier. But I don’t think I’ve ever made a porterhouse steak so tender and melt-in-your-mouth delicious – and you’re telling me this was done in a pizza oven?
On low heat, it took a bit over 20 minutes to end up with a couple of nice, juicy and tender pieces of well-done meat. I also had another tray of chicken skewers alongside it, which required approximately 25 minutes and turned out just as perfect.
Vegetables
I’d like to think it was my cooking skills, but the Karu 12G (and luck) definitely played a big part in whipping up what was probably the best batch of veggies I’ve ever had. It was so flavourful and packed with that perfect smokey, mouth watering taste wood-fired pizza and BBQ fans love – even when the oven was operating on gas. The ‘test samples’ were basically gone by the time we sat down to eat.
And the potatoes? It couldn’t get any more crispier on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside.
IS THE OONI KARU 12G BIG ENOUGH?
The Ooni Karu 12G was more compact than I thought it would be, but it’s certainly spacious enough for a couple of small pizzas and, of course, one 12-inch pizza. I also placed two trays with veggies and skewers with no problem.
One thing to keep in mind is the Karu 12G is quite deep, so peeking through the glass door can be tricky when you’re trying to check on a tray or pizza that’s shoved all the way at the other end. The glass door is still very handy but in some cases, it was honestly just easier to pull out the food. To be fair, you do get a better sense of how quickly different dishes cook the more times you use the pizza oven.
HOW HOT DOES THE OONI KARU 12G GET?
According to Ooni, the Karu 12G takes 15 minutes to reach 500 degrees Celsius. This was pretty accurate, although I found it better to give it an extra few minutes – especially when using wood, which typically needed around 25 to 30 minutes for me.
Design wise, the pizza oven is comfortable enough to stand around (even during a warm summer) and the heat won’t slap your face whenever you open the door. It has powder-coated body and non-slip rubber feet, along with a cool-to-touch SureGrab door handle and a chimney baffle with a heat resistant handle.
IS THE OONI KARU 12G ACTUALLY PORTABLE?
Weighing 15.5kg, the Karu 12G isn’t the most lightweight accessory ever.
If you’re planning on bringing it to level up your camping (or glamping) experience, I recommend considering the carry cover for the Karu 12. The padded handles make it much more comfortable to hold. The cover is also waterproof and has an elasticated lining to secure the oven and provide a snug fit.
For a lighter option, there’s the Ooni Koda 12 Gas Powered Pizza Oven. It’s smaller and strictly gas fuelled, but the model still fits 12-inch pizzas and allows for a max temperature of 500 degrees Celsius.
IS AN OONI PIZZA OVEN WORTH THE MONEY?
Now, I’m someone who loves finding good bang for buck. For me, this means having an appliance or cooker that can deal with a variety of dishes. Otherwise, I’ll only use it on special occasions – and a backyard BBQ isn’t always going to be the top way to celebrate. That’s why I tried cooking pizzas as well as veggies and meat to see how well Ooni’s multi-fuel oven performs and if it’s actually a practical choice.
The verdict? The Karu 12G makes such a fantastic easy to use and pretty easy to clean alternative to a BBQ and is a great option if you like to go camping or caravanning. Pizza ovens usually take only either gas or wood, with wood-fired units costing at between $2000 and $4000. Even if you’re not a camper or plan on taking it anywhere, the unit is so compact it’s a great option for a space-saving cooker too.
The fact Ooni also has a 60-day Great Pizza Guarantee is also really handy and something not commonly offered by many brands (unless it’s a box mattress company). It’s a great way to see if a pizza oven really is for you, and online reviews suggest their customer service is very helpful. Ooni definitely nailed it with the Karu 12G multi-fuel pizza oven and I’m obsessed.
For more cooking upgrades, check out our round up of the best cast iron pans and Dutch ovens, as well as the air fryers and microwaves worth adding to your kitchen bench..
*Product and accessories were loaned by Ooni for a 100 per cent independent, honest review
Tried & Tested: Gozney Arc XL for ‘perfect’ pizza
The brand behind the beloved portable Roccbox and the luxe Dome pizza oven have finally brought out an oven for the average home user. But does it live up to the hype?
‘Best small electric BBQ’ shoppers rate
Whether you’re after an electric, gas or charcoal barbecue to keep in your backyard or bring on the go, we’ve got the pick for you.
Cordless lawn mower that’s ‘remarkably good’
The grass has never looked greener on your side of the fence, thanks to these top-rated electric lawn mowers.
‘Brilliant’ sand-free towel 2700 recommend
Sick of carrying the beach home with you? These towels will solve one of the few downsides of a day at the beach.