Anyone who has pulled a pizza out of a regular kitchen oven knows the disappointment. The base is soft, the cheese is barely bubbling, and it just does not taste like the real thing. The problem is not the recipe. It is the temperature. A standard home oven maxes out at around 250°C, and that simply is not hot enough to cook a proper pizza.
Ooni pizza ovens fix that. They reach up to 500°C, which means a fresh pizza goes from raw to perfectly cooked in about 60 seconds. Crispy base, puffy crust, those little charred spots that make it look like it came out of a proper wood-fired oven in Naples. And they are compact enough to sit on a patio table, a balcony, or even a kitchen bench. There are a few different Ooni models available at Minimax, each designed for a different kind of cook. Here is a breakdown to help you find the right pizza oven based on your budget, space and cooking preference.
The Ooni Koda Range: Plug In, Turn On, Cook
The Koda models run on gas, and that is the whole appeal. No fire to build, no wood to source, no ash to clean up afterwards. Connect the oven to a gas bottle, hit the ignition, and it is ready to cook in 15 to 20 minutes. Heat control is as simple as turning a dial. For anyone who wants genuinely great pizza without turning it into a weekend project, the Koda range is hard to beat.
Ooni Koda 12 Gas Powered Pizza Oven ($499) Compact and light at just 9.25kg, the Koda 12 is easy to move around and stores away without taking up much space. It reaches 500°C in 15 minutes and cooks a 12-inch pizza in 60 seconds. Comes with a cordierite stone baking board and a gas regulator. A great starting point for anyone new to pizza oven cooking.
Ooni Koda 2 Pizza Oven Black ($669) The newer, more capable model. The cordierite baking stone is 50% thicker than the original, which means better heat retention and a faster reheat time between pizzas. The mouth of the oven is wider too, making it noticeably easier to slide pizzas in and rotate them while cooking. A stainless steel ledge at the front lets you rest a pizza while checking it. At 16kg and 54.6 x 72.1 x 33.3cm, it needs a bit more bench space, but the extra performance is worth it.
The Ooni Karu Range: Wood-Fired Flavour, Done Right
Gas is convenient, but wood-fired is something else entirely. The Karu range is built for cooks who want that authentic smoky flavour and the satisfaction of cooking over a real fire. It runs on wood or charcoal straight out of the box, and for weeknights when convenience wins, the Ooni Karu Gas Burner ($159) can be added separately to switch to gas.
Ooni Karu 2 Pizza Oven ($649) Weighing 15.3kg, the Karu 2 reaches 450°C in around 15 minutes. The glass door uses Ooni's ClearView™ borosilicate glass, so you can watch the pizza cook without opening the oven and losing heat. A built-in analog thermometer takes the guesswork out of fire management. The legs fold down and the chimney detaches for easy storage and transport.
The Ooni Volt Range: Great Pizza, Any Weather
Not everyone has a backyard, and even those who do know that Australian winters can make outdoor cooking less appealing. The Volt 2 is Ooni's electric model, designed to sit on a kitchen bench and plug into a standard power point. It still reaches the temperatures needed for proper Neapolitan pizza, rain or shine.
Ooni Volt 2 Pizza Oven Polar White ($899) Features Pizza Intelligence™ technology, which automatically adjusts the balance between top and bottom heat throughout the cook. Three built-in pizza presets cover Neapolitan, Thin & Crispy, and Pan Pizza, with a Dough Proofing Mode and a Boost setting for extra top-heat when a more charred crust is the goal. Fits a 30cm pizza, weighs 17.8kg, and is about 30% more compact than the original Volt 12. Also available in Charcoal.
Shop Ooni at Minimax
The full Ooni Pizza Oven range is available at Minimax, both online and in-store. Free delivery applies to orders over $130, and Click & Collect is available at all 15 Minimax stores nationwide. Minimax also stocks the complete range of Ooni accessories, including pizza peels, turning peels, cast iron skillets, and the infrared thermometer, everything needed to get the most out of whichever oven you choose.