Ooni Koda 16 Review – Better Than a Wood-Fired Oven?

Do you want to make wood-fired pizza at home, but don’t have the space or money?  I always dreamed about a wood-fired pizza oven at home. And I was certain that I could never make proper Neapolitan pizza at home without one. But I was wrong.

After a few hundred pizzas in the Ooni Koda 16 under my belt, concluded that you can make at least as good pizza without a huge, heavy, and expensive wood-fired pizza oven that you need to preheat for hours. The Ooni Koda 16 heats up in 20 minutes and can bake perfectly crispy, charred pizza in less than 60 seconds!

If you want to make amazing Neapolitan or New York-style pizza right from your balcony or backyard in minutes, then the Onni Koda 16 is the best product I’ve tried!

Like a wood-fired pizza at home

I always dreamed about baking proper Neapolitan pizza at home. And I thought a wood-fired pizza oven was the only option. Since I live in the city, I’ve baked pizza on my pizza steel for the last few years. Which is great, but not quite Neapolitan pizza.

Heat is the key. The only way to get the Neapolitan pizza crust, that’s crunchy and charred on the outside, yet light and soft on the inside is a 60-second bake at 800-900°F (430-480°C). But that’s simply not possible in a regular home oven. Even with a pizza stone or pizza steel. I was therefore really excited when I heard about the Ooni Koda that can reach temperatures like a wood-fired oven but is small enough to be used on my balcony!

Neapolitan pizza in the Ooni Koda 16

The first bite was divine! I’ve lost count of the number of Margherita’s I’ve had at home, but this was different. It took me right back to Italy and true Neapolitan pizza. The crust, the amazing combination of tomatoes and melted mozzarella. I can’t describe the flavor in words – you have to experience it!

In other words, the Ooni Koda 16 can make amazing Neapolitan pizza! It reaches the right temperature, has a stone with the right conductivity, and can bake pizza in less than 60 seconds. If I’m going to be completely honest, I can’t tell the difference between a pizza made in the Ooni Koda and a wood-fired pizza oven.

Baking pizza in 60 seconds

The oven gets hot and can bake pizza in 60 seconds or less. The floor of the oven reaches 800°F (430°C) in around 20 minutes. This is the same temperature you bake pizza in a wood-fired oven.

Temperature and pre-heating time

Ooni promises on their website that the oven can reach 500°C, or 950°F, in 20 minutes. I haven’t been able to reach more than around 900°F (480°C) in my Koda oven, let alone in 20 minutes.

But I most often bake pizza at 800-850°F (430-450°C), so the fact that I haven’t been able to reach a full 900°F doesn’t matter that much to me, personally.

It can reach 800-850°F (430-450°C) range in around 20 minutes, so I can still bake pizza after only 20 minutes of preheating. And baking Neapolitan pizza after only 20 minutes is way faster than a wood-fired oven, and also faster than using a pizza steel in the home oven. So that’s great!

L-shaped burner

Unlike other Ooni models, the Ooni Koda 16 comes with an L-shaped burner, meaning the burners are located along with two of the walls of the oven. The back and left side. This helps the oven heat up faster and also helps bake the pizza faster and more evenly. You still have the turn the pizza, since it’s hotter closer to the heat source, just like in a wood-fired oven. But you don’t need to turn the pizza as often as in most other pizza ovens with burners only in the back.

Heat distribution in the Ooni Koda 16

The oven is hotter in the corner between the burners, and coolest in the opposite corner.

I found placing the pizza in the center gives the best result for Neapolitan pizza.

Temperature control

The oven comes with a dial to adjust the flame of the burners. This gives you full control over the temperature of the oven. So you can both bake Neapolitan-style pizza at really hot temperatures and New York-style at lower temperatures.

Size – a large oven for large pizzas

The Ooni Koda 16 has an interior size of 16.5 x 16.5 inches (42 x 42 cm) and can fit a 16-inch pizza.

Personally, I think the oven is a bit small for 16-inch pizzas. It’s hard to move it, and easy to get too close to the burners.

But for 10-12-inch Neapolitan pizzas, it’s perfect! I appreciate the extra space around the pizza that gives a more even bake and more room for turning the pizza. So I wouldn’t go for a smaller oven, like the Ooni Koda 12. Mostly because of the extra space that makes turning the pizza easier. But it’s also nice to have the option to bake larger pizzas, and not be limited by the size of the oven.

Weight and portability

At 40 lbs (18 kg), the Ooni Koda 16 is portable, but the size and weight make it a bit inconvenient to move it around too much.

Fuel – Gas

The oven runs on propane gas and comes with a connector so you can just hook it up to a propane tank.

If you live in the US, you can also use natural gas if you get a Natural Gas Conversion Kit on Ooni’s website for 50 dollars.

Unboxing and first impression

The oven came well packaged. The pizza stone was even packaged in a special, solid bubble wrap to protect it from breaking during shipping.

The oven itself felt solid, well-built, and looked nice with its black finish.

What comes in the box?

• The pizza oven itself
• The pizza stone that goes into the oven
• Gas cable
• Manual
• Match-holder

First-time setup

Setting up the oven was super easy, and took less than 5 minutes. All I had to do was take it out of the box, fold out the legs, and put the pizza stone in place. Then hook it up to my gas tank. That’s it.

Price

The Oon Koda 16 cost 500 dollars.

It’s not a cheap cooking accessory or even compared to smaller portable pizza ovens. But it’s much cheaper than a wood-fired Neapolitan oven that can run in the 10’a of thousands.

Warranty and guaranty

Ooni also offers a 60 days Great Pizza Guarantee. So if you can’t make great pizza with the Ooni Koda 16, they let you return the oven for free and get your money back. I can however confidently say that retuning it was never an option for me, even the first pizza came out amazing!

In addition to that, Ooni also offers a 3-year warranty for all their pizza ovens.

Free shipping

Ooni also offers free shipping in the US for purchases over 35 dollars. You can read more about the free shipping here.

What you need to get started

In addition to the oven itself, there are a couple of things you need to get started baking pizza.

1. Gas to fuel the oven

Since the Koda 16 is fueled by gas, you need a propane tank or the Natural Gas Conversion Kit plus access to natural gas to light up the pizza oven.

2. Pizza peel to transfer the pizza in and out of the oven

You need a pizza peel to transfer the pizza in and out of the oven. In addition to turning the pizza during baking.

Read more about pizza peels here.

3. Infrared thermometer to check the temperature

You will also need an Infrared thermometer to check the temperature of the oven. Else you may end up burning the bottom of your pizza or underbake it.

You can of course (and you should!) check how the bottom is doing during baking, but having an infrared thermometer that can read the temperature of the braking surface instantly is going to make things a lot easier.

Ooni has its own IR thermometer, which can be found on its website. I haven’t personally tried that, but if you want to read more about thermometers, check out my article on the best pizza oven thermometers.

4. Oven brush for cleaning

You’ll also need an oven brush to clean the oven after use. There will be residues and burnt food soils on the stone, that you want to get rid of.

Other accessories available for Ooni Koda 16

Ooni makes a lot of accessories for the Ooni Koda 16.

Turning Peel

In addition to a pizza peel, a turning peel makes it easier to turn the pizza while baking for an even bake. Using a turning peel requires a little bit of practice, but when you master the craft, it’s going to be easier to turn pizza and you’ll get a better result.

Cover

If you’re like me and don’t want to not move the oven around a whole lot, a cover is convenient to protect the Koda 16 from the weather when left outside.

Pan

The oven can also be used for baking and cooking other things than pizza, and Ooni makes a pan that’s perfect for chicken, beef, or other types of meat.

Ooni Koda 16 vs wood-fired oven

If I’m going to be perfectly honest, the biggest benefit a wood-fired oven has over the Ooni Koda 16 is that it’s cooler. It’s something special about wood-fired ovens. They have a charm to them. But handling a wood-fired oven is an art form, and far harder to master.

A wood-fired oven can also bake several pizzas at the same time, whereas the Ooni oven only can handle one.

The Ooni Koda 16 can bake just as good pizza as a wood-fired oven. It reaches similar temperatures, and it also does so faster! But in addition to that, it heats up way faster and uses much cheaper fuel than a wood-fired oven.

But the two biggest advantages for me is the Ooni Koda 16 are the portability and price. For only 500 dollars you can have your own Neapolitan pizza oven on your city apartment balcony! That’s pretty cool!

Even though I still have a dream of owning a wood-fired Neapolitan pizza oven, it’s for the charm, not because it can make better pizza than the Ooni Koda 16.

Ooni Koda 16 vs 12

If you don’t have space, are on a budget, or simply want a lighter, more portable pizza oven, the Ooni Koda 12 is a great alternative!

The Ooni Koda 12 can bake just as good pizza as its bigger brother, Koda 16, but it’s much smaller. This means it’s limited to 12-inch pizzas. The Koda 12 also has only burners in the back, so you need to turn the pizza in more.

The Koda 12 is however more compact and lighter. Something that makes it more portable than the Koda 16. It’s also a bit cheaper at around 350 dollars.

The Koda 12 is similar, but a smaller and more compact version. Personally, I appreciate the extra space the 16 gives, even though I bake 12-inch pizzas most of the time. It simply gives me more control, a more even bake, and makes turning the pizza easier. But if you’re on a budget, the Ooni Koda 12 can make an equally good pizza!

Conclusion: Is the Ooni Koda worth it?

I’m impressed by the Ooni Koda 16 pizza oven, it has the limitations that come with a small portable pizza oven, but it can make amazing Neapolitan pizza. And that’s what’s most important!

It bakes perfectly charred pizza, with a crispy exterior and a soft and fluffy interior in 60 seconds or less. It’s also easy to use, spacious, and heats up fast.

The oven is also portable and can be used almost anywhere. Ooni also offers a 3-year warranty in addition to 60 days Great Pizza Guarantee. I did however not need to use any of them so far! I’m really happy with the oven – and there will be many more amazing pizzas to come!

You can’t make better Neapolitan-style pizza at home for 500 dollars. So if you want to make real Neapolitan pizza at home, the Ooni Koda 16 is the pizza oven for you!

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