The Gozney Dome Pizza Oven Costs $2,000, But I'd Buy It Anyway

Pizza might be a food you can find practically anywhere on Earth, but it's also a food that takes a lot of technique and artistry to make well. One key to great pizza is ultra-high temperatures beyond what a standard oven can achieve, and in recent years, there's been an uptick in outdoor models specialized for perfect pizza. Gozney was among the first of these brands, and its original Roccbox made the name legendary among foodies. The Gozney Dome is a step up from there, representing the ultimate in power and luxury.

But the thing is also incredibly expensive, so I had to make sure it was worth the buy. In a series of tests—including a side-by-side lab test that pitted this model against its biggest competitors—countless pies were kneaded, stretched, and topped, and the Dome proved its mettle. While ham and pineapple pizza didn’t make an appearance, there were plenty of varied crusts, sauces, and toppings that made their way from kitchen to peel to oven. This machine is a major splurge, but it could well be worth it.

To put it simply, the Dome is a beast in terms of both cooking and physical size. Unlike many of its more portable competitors, this heavy-duty (and very heavy) oven should probably be set up at least semi-permanently. It weighs in at 128 pounds—you're going to need a friend or two to move the pallet it's delivered on, and once it's in place, it's not going anywhere. But that weight and density also mean the oven is well-insulated and holds onto a lot of heat, which is important when pizzas cook very quickly and there’s no door to close. If a cheaper, lighter model is the equivalent of a kettle grill, this is like a kamado.

This version of the dome can use either wood or propane as fuel, which is useful for obvious reasons but also makes it more accessible to both beginners and advanced pizza-bakers. It's easier to control the temperature with gas, while using wood rewards careful tending of the fire with a smoky flavor you can't really get any other way. To switch between fuels, you simply move a ceramic puck from one hole in the back of the oven to the other, which opens the chimney and seals off the gas burner, or vice versa. (Of course, you have to do this while the oven is cool; you must choose either wood or gas for each cooking session.)

The Dome's design is really well thought-out in general, with a built-in pizza stone to cook on and a niche beneath that can be used to store wood, stash tools, or hold the chimney cover during cooking. There's also a built-in digital temperature display that connects to the included probes, a dial to adjust airflow (and thus temperature), and a removable flue for ventilation when you're using wood as fuel.

It can sit on any surface that isn't flammable and has sufficient clearance, but Gozney's Dome stand gives the oven a custom-fit, secure place to rest. The stand's side tables, shelves, and hanging hooks add lots more storage space, and its wheels make the Dome a bit more portable.

In operation, the Dome blew me away. It created crisp crust on the bottom, with evenly golden-brown cheese across the top and sides. That's even the case with a topping-packed supreme pizza and one with a whole-wheat crust: Both cooked in two minutes, with nice flavor and no burnt patches or undercooked doughy spots. The oven's 16-inch-wide opening can accommodate larger pies than many other models, and the bigger interior space lets you move small items closer to or farther from the heat to perfect doneness. That roominess also helped me grab and rotate pizzas without burning any fingers.

The maximum temperature you can achieve in the Dome is about 950 degrees, absolutely high enough to make a proper Neapolitan pizza in 30 to 60 seconds, but it's also fully adjustable to get lower temperatures more appropriate for thicker pizzas and other dishes. Used to sear steaks (that had previously been cooked sous vide) on a cast-iron griddle, I got a nice color in just seconds, on both the top and bottom at the same time with no flipping required. While the opening isn’t tall enough to roast a turkey, you can do a lot of different slow-roasting tasks, especially with the integrated thermometer probes to measure internal temperature.

In gas mode, operation couldn't be easier: You turn the propane flow up and down to control the temperature. The flames heat the stone and back of the oven, and when the gas is turned way up, they lick up across the top to broil pizza cheese, meats, veggies, or whatever you're flash-roasting. Keep in mind, though, that the dense oven needs a long time to heat up. It took 45 minutes in testing to reach maximum temperature.

Using the Dome as a wood-fired oven is a bit more complicated. You build the fire in the middle of the oven and let it heat for 30 minutes before moving the flaming wood to one side, on top of a grate that lets ash drop into a removable tray. As you cook, you have to adjust the air-flow dial and feed in more wood at the right pace to maintain the temperature you want. There's a learning curve to it, but you'll be rewarded with incredible flavor. I was actually surprised at how little wood was needed to keep the oven going and how little ash it produced at the end, too.

Cleanup is easy. Since the high temperatures will burn away pretty much any residue, all you have to do is brush out the interior once the grill is cool. If you're using wood, you'll also have to pull out and dump the ash compartment. The Dome is meant to live outdoors like a grill and can hold up to rain and snow—provided you cover the flue with the included cap so water can't get into the interior of the oven. You can also buy a fitted fabric cover from Gozney for either the Dome by itself or the Dome and its stand.

Pizza-making calls for lots of tools and toys, and Gozney makes all kinds of accessories that work specifically with the Dome. The stand is pretty much a must-have, and there are a full set of pizza-making tools available, including a standard peel, a special small peel for turning, a dough cutter, dough scraper, and pizza cutter. Having some items like these is helpful for best results, but you don't have to buy Gozney's fairly pricey versions.

Other accessories help expand the abilities of your oven. The Neapolitan arch reduces the size of the opening and gives maximum temperature and heat retention for quick-cooking pizzas. The rope sealed door helps regulate heat at lower temperatures for more consistent roasting and baking, while the steam injector is intended for breads. On top of that, the Dome has an accessory port, a slot for planned extras including an automated cold smoker and pellet burner. (Neither of these is available yet.)

These accessories are all great, but unfortunately they add extra cost to what is already a very expensive item. The Dome starts at $2,000, and you could easy tack on another $500 or more to fully kit it out. That's a massive investment that only people really passionate about pizza should even consider undertaking. And there are models out there for only a few hundred dollars that can get you similarly high temperatures and charred results. On the other hand, the Dome can also hold its own against the kind of custom-built brick oven that requires professional installation and runs into the tens of thousands of dollars.

Gozney vs. Ooni

Gozney has one obvious competitor in the cult-favorite-pizza-oven category, and that's Ooni. Its closest model to the Dome is the Karu 12 Multi-Fuel Pizza Oven, which also works with either wood or gas. One major difference is that the wood doesn’t get burned inside the oven—instead, it’s loaded into a separate firebox in back. The Karu 12 costs a heck of a lot less than the Dome and achieves similar results, though it's smaller and can only accommodate a 12-inch pizza. It's lighter and easier to move around, but it also doesn't hold heat as well and will drop in temperature more significantly when you add cold or room-temperature food.

For professional-level pizzas indoors, there's also the Ooni Volt 12, which uses electrical power to achieve ultra-high temperatures on your countertop. It made it to well over 700 degrees in testing but couldn't get quite as hot as outdoor wood- and gas-burning ovens. On the other hand, it's much more convenient to use and controls its temperature quite accurately with just the spin of a dial. It's the most expensive Ooni model, but it costs half as much as the Dome.

Why Trust The Spruce Eats?

This story was written by Donna Currie, a longtime writer for The Spruce Eats and author of "Make Ahead Bread." She personally tested the both the Gozney Dome and Ooni Karu 12 pizza ovens at home. It was updated with further Lab testing data by The Spruce Eats commerce writer Jason Horn, who also tested the Ooni Volt 12 at home. A Chicago native, he honestly prefers deep-dish, but a dedicated pizza oven is helping to maybe change his mind.