{"id":2143023,"date":"2025-05-20T16:29:06","date_gmt":"2025-05-20T21:29:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tasteofhome.com\/?p=2143023"},"modified":"2025-05-20T16:29:06","modified_gmt":"2025-05-20T21:29:06","slug":"ooni-koda-2-pro-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tasteofhome.com\/article\/ooni-koda-2-pro-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Ooni Koda 2 Pro Review: Our Expert’s Top Pizza Oven Option for Even Heat Distribution and Larger Pies"},"content":{"rendered":"Pizza ovens have been hot on the market for years now, allowing you to skip delivery or take-out and make restaurant-quality pies at home. Ooni has become one of the most beloved pizza oven brands, with options for ovens powered by gas, wood, wood pellets and even the electric Ooni Volt oven<\/a>. I've tested more than 11 different outdoor pizza ovens<\/a>, including a model from each category of the Ooni pizza oven line-up<\/a>.\r\n\r\nI speak with many home pizza cooks, and the number one desire I hear is that they wish for more room in their oven to cook larger pizzas to share with family and friends. The new Ooni Koda 2 Pro<\/a> not only delivers on more space, but its unique tapered dual flame provides better heat distribution and control. To discover more about the Ooni Koda 2 Pro, I put it to the test in my own backyard. While the Ooni Koda 16<\/a> has been my go-to for years, this oven just might replace it at the top of my list. Here's how it performs.\r\n\r\n[SINGLE_AFFILIATE_PRODUCT product_name=\"Ooni Koda 2 Pro Pizza Oven\" short_description=\"This gas-powered pizza oven has two interior side burners for even cooking and plenty of room to make 18-inch pies.\" image=\"2145097\" image_credit=\"MOLLY ALLEN FOR TASTE OF HOME\" pr_name=\"Ooni\" pr_url=\"https:\/\/go.skimresources.com?id=131817X1598243&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fooni.com%2Fproducts%2Fooni-koda-2-pro\" pr_display_text=\"Shop on Ooni\" retailers_2_name=\"Williams Sonoma\" retailers_2_url=\"https:\/\/go.skimresources.com?id=131817X1598243&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.williams-sonoma.com%2Fproducts%2Fooni-koda-2-pro-pizza-oven%2F\" retailers_2_display_text=\"Shop on Williams Sonoma\" retailers_3_name=\"Ace Hardware\" retailers_3_url=\"https:\/\/acehardware.dttq.net\/09n0nY\" retailers_3_display_text=\"Shop on Ace Hardware\" \/]\r\n

What is the Ooni Koda 2 Pro Pizza Oven?<\/h2>\r\nThe Ooni Koda 2 Pro<\/a> is an 18-inch pizza oven. At just over 26.9 by 25.7 by 15.5 inches, it offers plenty of space for making larger 16-inch or 18-inch pizzas. Or, you have the option to make two smaller personal pizzas at once; you could also use the spacious interior for roasting pans and cast iron. The oven is constructed from powder-coated carbon steel, making it durable for outdoor use, with a thick (0.8-inch) cordierite pizza stone inside. The stone is 21 inches at the front and tapers to 18 inches at the back.\r\n\r\nThe oven sits on three aluminum folding legs, each with rubber at the base to keep it from sliding on any heat-safe surface you choose to use it on. At the large opening, there is a glass visor that helps to keep heat in. However, it can be removed before heating up the oven in order to place larger pans inside.\r\n\r\nThe ignition and battery-powered temperature dial are located on the side of the oven. It controls interior burners on both the right and left sides of the oven, creating even heat distribution. Once the oven has preheated fully, it can reach up to 950 degrees Fahrenheit, or it can be lowered for cooking a variety of other pizza styles and foods, all the way down to 320 degrees.\r\n

How We Tested It<\/h2>\r\n\"Ooni\r\n\r\nI've been testing the Ooni Koda 2 Pro in my outdoor space since April 2025. I tested it by cooking a variety of foods, most notably, pizza, of course!\r\n

Set-Up<\/h3>\r\n\"Ooni\r\n\r\nBecause the Ooni Koda 2 Pro offers much more surface area for cooking pizzas, I was concerned it would be difficult to remove from the box. While the oven certainly is large, it felt more lightweight than I anticipated. I was able to remove it from the box and set it on my table by myself. Once the oven was placed on the table, I unfolded the legs and then slid the two halves of the pizza stone in.\r\n\r\nAssembly was easy, mostly; what took the most time (and required following the most specific directions) was setting up the included digital thermometer. It requires adding the battery and affixing a metal mount to the oven. Once everything was set up, the next steps were to connect a propane tank, turn the ignition dial and allow the pizza oven to preheat. Easy as pie!\r\n

Cooking<\/h3>\r\n\"Ooni\r\n\r\nFiring up the Ooni Koda 2 Pro is simple. First, attach a propane tank via the gas hose and open the valve. Then, turn the ignition dial until it clicks and the burners ignite. Both side burners will illuminate, with the flames heating up the pizza stone within 30 minutes. The digital thermometer is battery-powered, so it can be turned on to monitor the oven's temperature as well.\r\n\r\nAfter making multiple pizzas, I found that the cook time on all of my pies was consistently between 60 seconds to 90 seconds. Of course, a thicker dough would require a longer cook time.\r\n\r\n\"Ooni\r\n\r\nThe most significant highlight of this pizza oven is the dual burners. They create even heat distribution, so the entire surface of the pizza stone maintains the same temperature, rather than working with hot spots in other pizza ovens. This flame design also provides better, even cooking for the top of the pizza and the browning on the crust as the heat almost rolls over the top of the pizza. It wasn't necessary to turn the pizza as frequently throughout cooking, which I appreciated.\r\n\r\nWhile cooking, I was surprised by how warm the exterior of the oven got, especially in comparison to other Ooni models. This wasn't an issue for me, but it is certainly something to keep in mind while the oven is in use.\r\n\r\nWith so much space in the oven, it's possible to place a roast pan or cast-iron skillet<\/a> inside, providing the ideal environment for roasting meats and vegetables as well.\r\n

Cleaning<\/h3>\r\nWhile I have tested pizza ovens for years and know my dough well, mishaps are inevitable once in a while. For one pizza, I ended up with a hole in the base, which created a big burnt cheesy mess on the pizza stone. I found this issue easier to clean up in this pizza oven, with the even heat distribution making a huge difference. With burnt-on food, it's helpful to just turn the heat up on the oven to high and let it cook off before scrubbing with a pizza oven brush. However, cleaning the steel edge at the opening of the pizza oven is a bit more challenging, and I discovered that the exterior part of the oven is prone to scratches.\r\n

Pros<\/h3>\r\n