Ooni Koda 12 Gas Pizza Oven Single Product Review

Should you get the Ooni Koda 12?

Pizza ovens are the best way to enjoy delicious, authentic pizzas at home. They're known for quickly making evenly cooked pizzas with crispy crusts. Still, proper heat distribution is essential for evenly cooked pizzas, which can be influenced by the burner placement.

Ooni claims the Ooni Koda 12 can cook authentic stone-baked pizzas in 1 minute. Additionally, you can use it for various types of food. The BestReviews Testing Lab put the Koda 12 to the test to see if it's as quick and efficient as they claim.

Testing the Ooni Koda 12

The BestReviews Testing Lab tests products in a home setting to understand the experience buyers are likely to have.

For this article, the tester timed themselves while assembling the Ooni 12 to ensure the process was fast and straightforward. They are an experienced pizza oven user who owns an Ooni 16. They carried it around to test its portability and cooked several pizzas to compare its functionality and design to the Ooni 16.

What is the Ooni Koda 12?

The Ooni Koda 12 is a gas-powered pizza oven capable of reaching 950 degrees in 15 minutes. It’s compact, stylish and easy to use. It's mostly preassembled out of the box and comes with everything you need to get started except propane.

The oven is designed to produce authentic Neapolitan-style pizzas with a crispy crust, soft interior and evenly cooked toppings. Its high heat can burn most debris off the interior, so you don't have to do much to keep it clean.

See how it compares to other products in its space — check out our reviews for the best outdoor pizza ovens.

Ooni Koda 12 price and where to buy

The Oono Koda 12 costs around $400, and you can purchase it on Amazon. Comparable ovens cost around $200, so it’s on the higher end of the price spectrum.

How to use the Ooni Koda 12

The setup process for the Ooni Koda 12 Pizza Oven is simple. After removing the oven body and stone from their boxes, you extend the legs and insert the stone. Then, connect the gas line to a propane tank and depress the gas dial while turning it toward the “high” setting to ignite the oven. 

The gas shuts off automatically if the oven doesn't detect a flame, so you must let it heat up for a second before releasing the dial. Igniting it takes a while in some cases, but it isn't difficult. The fuel line was long enough to reach a tank set atop a small table, but a longer hose would enhance the possibilities when setting it up.

It's easy to insert the pizza stone if it’s level with the oven, but it can be a tight fit. Still, the compact dimensions make it difficult to get the stone out when you're done cooking pizza. This oven only has one burner, and it’s on the back side, so you’ll need to turn the pizza often to avoid a heat gradient or burnt crust.

It doesn’t have a built-in heat gauge, so some guesswork is involved when cooking your pizza. However, over time, you’ll know where to turn the dial and how long to leave it on before inserting your pizza.

Ooni Koda 12 benefits

The Ooni Koda 12 is easy to start and heats to around 950 degrees in 15 minutes. The 12-inch model's design makes it susceptible to wind, influencing the heating time. Nonetheless, it cooks delicious pizzas quickly, and with the right accessories, you can use it for cooking more than pizza.

It weighs around 29 pounds and is easier to pack than the Ooni 16. It's even lighter without the stone, and the compact, understated design makes an excellent addition to any outdoor space.

The three legs keep the oven stable. It didn't wobble when the testing team turned the pizza or in windy conditions.

Its operation is user-friendly, and it's easy to turn pizzas while they cook, even when using a full-size peel. Additionally, the high heat burns off most debris and flour, eliminating the need to clean it regularly.

Ooni Koda 12 drawbacks

It only has one burner that runs along the back of the unit, which can occasionally cause it to cook unevenly; this is worse when cooking on a windy day. Still, turning the pizza often combats this issue.

The compact dimensions are great for portability, but they make it challenging to remove the pizza stone. The size and single burner make it tricky to use at first. Practice makes perfect, but you’re sure to burn a few pizzas while learning how to use it.

It doesn't have a built-in temperature gauge, and some infrared heat guns aren't rated for the temperatures the oven can reach.

You’ll have to keep the dial compressed to keep it lit, and this can sometimes take a few minutes. While the testing team didn’t run into any issues with the gas line length, it could be limiting depending on how you plan to set it up.

Should you get the Ooni Koda 12?

The Ooni Koda 12 is for pizza enthusiasts looking for an entry-level pizza oven that only takes up a little space. Those who love authentic Neapolitan-style pizzas will surely enjoy making them at home. The setup process is quick and easy, taking only around 10 minutes when assembled by one person. 

It heats up quickly and reaches high temperatures in around 15 minutes, making it terrific for a quick pizza night. The compact design makes it easy to take on the go, so you can take it with you to any outdoor gathering. Additionally, the understated design fits any outdoor space. 

However, the uneven cooking due to the single burner design and the difficulty in removing the pizza stone may be deal-breakers for some.