This $300 pizza oven can easily help elevate your summer pizza nights

If you enjoy homemade pizza but don’t like the hassle that comes with it, an electric pizza oven may be the perfect upgrade. The Ninja Artisan Outdoor Pizza Oven is aimed at people who want delicious pizza nights without having to deal with things like propane or wood pellets, unlike many other pizza ovens.

I need to preface this review by admitting that I’m not a pizza connoisseur, but I did end up making quick restaurant-style pizza using the oven, thanks in large part to its simplicity and user-friendly design.

The oven plugs into a standard outdoor outlet and reaches 700°F. It is worth noting that although it is electric, it is not suitable for indoor use.

It features five pizza settings: Neapolitan, New York, Thin Crust, Pan Pizza, and Custom that you can quickly switch between. It comes with a pizza stone that can cook 12-inch pizza. Although I found that the 12-inch size was perfect for me and my husband, some may want the option of making larger pizzas when feeding a larger crowd.

Because the oven has heating elements on the top and bottom, the pizza cooks evenly and consistently without you having to rotate the pie, control the flame, or constantly monitor the cooking process, especially once you get familiar with the different modes.

Just like the cooking process, preparation was very easy. All I had to do was remove the oven and pizza stone from the box and packaging, plug it in, and start the preheating process.

I first tested the Neapolitan setting, which cranks the oven to a maximum temperature of 700 degrees Fahrenheit and can cook pizza in just three minutes. The oven took about 20 minutes to preheat, and it beeped to let me know it was ready. I made my first pizza on a pizza peel Ninja sent me next to the oven (sold separately), and I was able to rock it easily on the pizza stone inside the oven.

Then, all you have to do is press the “Start” button to start cooking the pizza and start the timer. While the pizza is cooking, you can set the timer using the dial if you want it to cook for a custom amount of time.

As I watched the pizza through the small front window and an interior light to make sure it didn’t burn, the three-minute cooking time ended up being perfect, leaving me with a pizza with an airy crust, puffy edges, and light charring. Airy crust is something I’ve never been able to achieve when making homemade pizza in my standard kitchen oven.

For the subsequent Neapolitan pizza I made, I didn’t have to keep an eye on it and instead relied on the timer to beep and let me know when it was ready.

It’s worth noting that if you’re looking for that authentic wood-fired flavor, you won’t get it with this oven. But if you’re happy with consistent, reliable results, this oven is perfect for you.

I also tried the New York setting, which sets a lower temperature than the Neapolitan setting and takes longer to cook. I’ve used this setting for heavy pizza to get even baking and more doneness in the center. With this setting, I got less char on the crust, which is what I was looking for.

As for cleaning the oven, it is fairly simple and low-maintenance, as you do not have to deal with soot from an open flame. The interior can be easily wiped down with a damp cloth to remove crumbs and any light messes. As for the pizza stone itself, I scraped off the residue after it cooled, because you’re not supposed to use soap on a pizza stone because it’s porous, can absorb water, and is likely to crack or break when exposed to high heat.

What I love most about a pizza oven is that homemade pizza nights no longer feel like just a weekend activity. Previously, making pizza at home was too much of a weekday project, so I saved it for the weekends. But with how quick and easy the Ninja Artisan Oven is to use, homemade pizza now feels like something I can quickly make after work without it feeling like a task.

I think this pizza oven is worth buying if you want to make restaurant style pizza at home without the complexity of traditional pizza ovens.

The Ninja Artisan Pizza Oven costs $300 and comes in four colors: green, gold, blue, gold, black, gold, and dark gray.