Mini Gas Pizza Ovens

How small are mini gas pizza ovens?

There is no official size for a mini oven, and makers tend to say "compact" or "portable" instead. As a working rule, we treat a small gas pizza oven as one that takes a 12 to 14-inch pizza and weighs under about 18kg, so one person can lift it and find room for it on a garden table.

That rule matters because the pizza size alone can mislead. The Witt Piccolo Rotante has a 13-inch stone but weighs 26kg, more than twice as much as an Ooni Koda 12 that cooks almost the same size of pizza. Look at the weight and outer dimensions before you look at anything else.

Small gas pizza ovens compared

These are the genuinely small models from our range. The numbers come from the product listings, but listings can be wrong, so where a UK retailer, the maker or a published test disagreed (the Koda 2, Diavolo and Tread), we've used that figure instead. Check the details before you buy.

Oven	Pizza	Weight	Size (cm)	Max temp	Heat-up
Ooni Koda 12	12-inch	9.25kg	62 x 39 x 29	500°C	15-20 mins
Delivita Diavolo	12-inch	10.5kg	46 x 62 x 32	500°C	20 mins
Gozney Arc Lite	12-inch	12kg	43 x 48 x 30	500°C	About 20 mins
Gozney Tread	12-inch	About 13kg	41.8 x 48.4 x 32	500°C	15-25 mins
Ooni Koda 2	14-inch	About 16kg	54.5 x 47.2 x 33.3	500°C	15 mins
Morsø Forno Spin	Not listed	17kg	53 x 57 x 35	400°C	20 mins
Gino D'Acampo Modena	14-inch	18kg	44 x 65 x 35	500°C	15 mins
Ooni Koda 16 (for scale)	16-inch	18.2kg	64 x 59 x 37	500°C	20 mins

Two things stand out. The jump from 12 to 14 inches adds several kilos, and the top temperature barely changes across the group, so a smaller body rarely means less heat. The Forno Spin is the exception at 400°C, though BBC Gardeners' World still rated it their best gas pizza oven, and its stone turns for you so there's less to do mid-cook. Heat-up figures in real use can run longer than the listing: the same test took 25 minutes to bring a Tread up to temperature.

Quick picks by what matters most

• Lightest: Ooni Koda 12, at 9.25kg.
• Good kit in the box: Delivita Diavolo, with a carry bag, peel and temperature gun.
• Smallest footprint: Gozney Tread and Arc Lite, both under 50cm deep.
• Most room for the size: Ooni Koda 2, which takes a 14-inch pizza.
• Least effort mid-cook: Morsø Forno Spin, with its turning stone.

Which small oven suits your space?

Patios and small gardens

A compact outdoor pizza oven on a solid table is all you need. Gardeners' World picked the Arc Lite as its best pizza oven for small spaces, saying it takes up little more room than a typical air fryer. It arrives assembled, so you slot in the stone, connect the gas and start cooking.

Camping, festivals and trips away

Carrying weight and fuel matter most here. The lightweight Diavolo comes with a carry bag, a folding pizza peel and a temperature gun, plus a second regulator for camping-style gas canisters, so you aren't tied to a full-size bottle. The 9.25kg Ooni is lighter still but needs a propane bottle. If you travel often, read our guide to portable pizza ovens too.

Couples and small households

One pizza at a time sounds limiting, but you can cook a pizza in 60-90 seconds on most of these models, so the queue moves quickly. Cooking for a bigger crowd is where a 14-inch oven, or one of our extra large pizza ovens, starts to earn the extra space.

12-inch or 14-inch?

A 12-inch stone is the natural size for a mini oven and pairs well with our 12-inch pizza makers. It's light and quick, but the margin for error is small: a pizza that's slightly too wide can touch the burner side and catch. A 14-inch model gives you more room to turn the pizza and to launch it without hitting the walls, which beginners tend to appreciate. Its listing puts the cooking area at around 20% larger than the Koda 12's.

Our suggestion: go for 12 inches if you'll carry your portable pizza oven around or store it on a shelf. Go for 14 inches if it will mostly stay in the garden, and you can manage the extra kilos.

What to look for when buying

Mini gas pizza ovens look alike in photos, so the details below do most of the sorting.

• Weight without packaging. Some listings quote the boxed weight, so compare like with like. Forneza's 24kg figure, for example, includes packaging.
• Legs that fold. They reduce the storage height, which matters if your compact oven lives in a shed or car boot.
• Flame layout. Makers shape the gas burner to spread heat around the pizza stone, from Ooni's L-shaped and tapered flames to Gozney's lateral one. All of them still need you to turn the pizza, unless the stone rotates.
• Ignition. Most use a push-and-turn dial. Some need batteries, including the Koda 2 and the Witt.
• Floor thickness. A thicker pizza stone holds heat for the next bake. The Modena and Tread have 12mm floors, and the Witt has 15mm.
• What's in the box. Many ovens come without a peel or cover. Forneza's bundle includes a peel, cover and thermometer, while Gozney sells most accessories separately.
• Warranty. Ooni and Gozney list up to five years, and Ooni's depends on registering the oven. The Gino D'Acampo models list two years.

Which gas do you need?

Propane or butane

Use propane, sold in the UK as patio gas, unless your manual says otherwise. Butane stops vaporising at around 0°C, so it can struggle on a cold evening, while propane copes with any British winter. Ooni and Gozney gas ovens are built for propane. The Diavolo also runs on camping gas, which makes it a flexible portable pizza oven for trips away.

Regulators and hoses

UK propane appliances usually run at 37 mbar. Many ovens sold here include the right regulator and hose, but check the listing, as some leave them out and others are imports set up for other countries. The Cozze 17-inch in this range, for instance, lists 50 mbar and says it's optimised for Germany and Austria. Also check how the regulator fits your bottle, as cylinders from Calor and other suppliers don't all use the same connection.

How much gas will you use?

Less than you might think. Ooni quotes around 0.39kg of propane for 10 pizzas on the Koda 2, or 0.78kg on the larger Koda 2 Pro. Going by that figure, a 5kg bottle would cover more than 100 pizzas on the Koda 2, although long preheats and cold weather will reduce it.

Gas, wood or electric?

Gas is the easy fuel for a small pizza oven: turn the dial, wait around 20 minutes, cook, then switch off. The flavour question divides people. BBC Good Food says the smoke from a wood-fired pizza oven can't be matched on gas, while Ooni, which sells both, calls the difference minimal because the cook is so short. If authentic pizza to you means real smoke and tending a fire, gas may not satisfy you. If you want dinner on a Tuesday, it probably will.

• Gas-fired: dial control like a hob, no ash, quicker to heat than wood. You do need to buy a bottle and keep it filled.
• Wood-fired: more smoke and theatre, but temperature control takes practice. See our free standing wood fired pizza ovens.
• Multi-fuel: the Ooni Karu burns wood or charcoal and takes an add-on gas burner, and the Gozney Roccbox also comes as a dual-fuel model. You can't burn both fuels at once. Compare our multi fuel pizza ovens.
• Electric: the only type here that's usable indoors, and only where the maker says so. Have a look at our electric pizza ovens.

Getting good results from a small oven

• Let the floor heat through. The air heats well before the stone does, and an infrared thermometer shows when it's ready.
• Follow any first-use steps. The Tread's stone needs 30 minutes of curing before its first cook, for example.
• Turn down before you launch. Dropping the flame stops the top burning before the base cooks.
• Keep toppings light. Wet, overloaded pizza dough sticks to the pizza peel and tears. Flour or semolina under the dough helps it slide.
• Turn it every 15-20 seconds. The side nearest the flame cooks fastest. A small turning peel makes this far easier.
• Pause between pizzas. Thin floors cool quicker, so wait a minute or two when you're cooking several.

Pizza isn't the only option, either. Gozney and Delivita both promote their ovens for roasting and baking, and vegetables or fish in a cast-iron pan work well at lower heat. A compact chamber does limit what fits inside, so measure your pans first.

Accessories worth adding

• A pizza peel to launch and retrieve each pizza. Some brands don't include one.
• A turning peel, as the short cook leaves little time to fiddle.
• An infrared thermometer if your oven has no gauge.
• A weatherproof cover or travel bag, particularly if the oven lives outside.
• Heat-resistant gloves for handling pans.
• A gas bottle and spare fuel, since most ovens don't come with one.

Safety and storage

Mini gas pizza ovens are for outdoor use only, however small and tidy they look. Ooni says this plainly about its own range. Burning gas in a garage, tent or awning risks a build-up of carbon monoxide, and the NHS warns it's colourless and doesn't smell, so you can't tell it's around you.

• Stand the oven on a stable surface. Gardeners' World advises stone or concrete patios, heat-proof material on a wooden deck, and a few metres' gap from fences and low branches.
• Keep the hose away from the hot body of the oven and check it for cracks before you cook.
• Turn off the gas at the bottle when you finish, then disconnect it before you put the oven away.
• Let the oven cool fully first. The Tread is listed at around 20 minutes.
• Store the oven dry and covered. Keep gas bottles outdoors, upright and ventilated, never in a shed with the oven.

Cleaning is simple. The heat burns off most residue, so you only need to brush the pizza stone once it's cool. Don't use soap, as it soaks into the porous surface. Unlike a wood fired pizza oven, there's no ash to clear.

Brands in our small gas range

Ooni and Gozney make most of the best-known small ovens, and both list warranties of up to five years. Delivita is a strong portable pizza oven choice, and Gino D'Acampo, Morsø, Witt and Forneza offer different takes on the same idea. For a look at the wider ranges, browse our Ooni pizza ovens and Delivita gas and electric pizza ovens.

Mini gas pizza oven FAQs

Can I use a mini gas pizza oven on a balcony?

Only if your manual, your lease and your building's rules all allow it, as some flats restrict bottled gas and open flames. It also needs plenty of open air and clear space around it. If gas isn't allowed, look at an electric model.

Can I use one indoors or in a garage?

No. An outdoor pizza oven on gas needs open air because of the fumes and heat. For cooking indoors, choose an electric pizza oven the maker says is safe for it.

Do I need a stand?

Not usually. A solid table or worktop that can take the weight and heat is enough, and most models sit on built-in or folding legs. A stand is handy if you have no suitable surface, or want a permanent spot.

Can they cook anything other than 12-inch pizzas?

Yes, within reason. Flatbreads, steak, vegetables and fish in a small pan all work. Just check the door opening and the internal height first.

Are small ovens as hot as big ones?

Most reach the same 500°C as larger ovens, and a Neapolitan-style pizza can take as little as 60 seconds. The trade-off is less stone mass, so temperature drops a little sooner between pizzas.