I Tested the New Ninja Pizza Oven, and It’s Magnificent

I’ve been making pizza for over 15 years. In my younger days, I worked in a restaurant that had a wood-fired pizza oven, and during the pandemic, I made pizza in my apartment’s oven multiple times a week. I even bought one of the earliest outdoor pizza ovens before they became super popular, and I’ve tested out several top models from brands like Gozney and Ooni in the past few years. I tried out Ninja’s Woodfire 8-in-1 outdoor oven when it dropped a few years ago, and while it was a powerful cooking tool and made solid pizza, its features were too varied for it to be an oven I’d recommend solely for slinging pies. I always wondered when Ninja would finally release a fully dedicated outdoor pizza oven that could compete with the best ones I’ve tested. Well, they finally did.

With the Ninja Artisan 5-in-1 electric pizza oven, which came out last month, the brand has completely nailed it, releasing one of the best and most affordable outdoor pizza ovens I’ve ever used. On top of the unbelievable base price, it’s actually on sale for $70 off right now.

Ninja Artisan 5-in-1 Portable Electric Pizza & Outdoor Oven

When I first heard about this oven, I was thrilled that Ninja wanted to send me one to test out. It came in mid-April, and I’ve been testing it for about a month now. Ninja’s oven is as good as pro-grade electric ones I’ve tested that cost three times as much — the only big difference here is that the Artisan 5-in-1 only reaches a max temperature of 700°F, which I think is more than enough to fire Neapolitan pizzas in one’s backyard. On that note, the “5-in-1” actually refers to temperature presets for Neapolitan, thin crust, New York, pan, and custom pizzas rather than different cooking functions. The oven heats up fairly quickly — you’ll be ready to cook in less than half an hour, which is about the same amount of time it takes to heat a pizza stone or steel in your oven or to fully fire up a propane-fuelled pizza oven outside. 

As far as the pizza goes, it’s downright delicious. I tried out four different dough recipes on the Ninja Artisan, ranging from 48-hour ferments to same-day dough, and each of them did exceptionally well, with impressive leoparding and crispy but fluffy crust. The oven heats very evenly, so you don’t need to rotate the pizza during cooking unless you want to go the extra mile for a slightly more visually consistent crust — but the pizza will cook thoroughly regardless. 

There’s a handy timer that you can manually start when the pizza begins baking, telling you when it thinks your pizza is done. I’m definitely of the mindset that the pizza is done when it’s done, and no timer is better than your eyes, but if you’re just starting out and need a little help pinpointing when you might want to start thinking about pulling the pizza, it’s a good feature.

The design is straightforward and easy to use for beginners and pros alike. At 20.78 x 16.22 x 12.4 inches and weighing in at about 30 pounds, it’s light compared to other electric ovens, hence the “portable” distinction. But the flip side is that it’s only portable insofar as you’re still near an electrical outlet. (By comparison, the Ooni Volt is 10 pounds heavier, though it does have a bit more hardware inside.) The buttons on the front are clear, with a helpful button that brightly lights up the inside so you can check your pizza. My only real complaint about this oven is that I wish the button interface had been backlit. Since they’re under the door, the buttons can be hard to see in the dark. I used the oven on my porch, and once the sun was going down, I had to use my phone flashlight to read the buttons. That said, if your porch is better lit than mine or you’re cooking during the day, this shouldn’t be a problem. 

Whether you’re a pizza novice, an occasional pie slinger, or someone who’s been doing it for years, the Ninja Artisan 5-in-1 portable electric pizza oven is an incredible choice — its quality is top-tier, especially for this price. I’m seriously impressed with it and look forward to continuing to test out new doughs and styles. Grab one while it’s a shockingly low $230.

Shop More Ninja Outdoor Appliances

Ninja ProChef Wireless Thermometer

Ninja Woodfire 8-in-1 Outdoor Oven

Ninja Blast Portable Blender

Ninja Woodfire Outdoor Grill & Smoker

At the time of publication, the price was $230.