The answer to cooking up a ‘pizza’ perfection every time
Falling firmly in the camp of homeware gadgets you don’t need but want, Ninja’s Artisan Electric Outdoor Pizza Oven & Air Fryer is by no means a necessity in your open-air cooking arsenal. But after tasting a slice of pizza from its easy-to-use electric oven, this appliance is bound to become a family favourite that can’t be topped.
Sliding onto the UK scene in April 2025, Ninja’s latest alfresco appliance takes all the guesswork out of creating pizza at home. Compact, premium-looking and delivering authentic flavours (yes, seriously!), once you’ve heated the pizza stone, the clever contraption delivers ready-to-scoff 12-inch thin crust Margherita in just five minutes — with no wood, coal or pellets necessary for heat.
Rebecca Shepherd / Foundry
Being a Ninja creation, this oven does more than just cook five different styles of pizzas pretty evenly. It can also bake, air fry and prove, too. So you get a high-quality air fryer and pizza oven into one. Reasonably priced when compared to the (indoor) Ooni Volt 12 or the Witt Etna Rotante Pizza Oven, Ninja’s latest creation is perfect for pizza chef newbies or those on a budget.
Design and Build
- Temperature of up to 370°C
- Weight: 11.9kg
- Dimensions: H32cm x L59cm x W42cm
- Light inside
It’s always pretty humbling when a Ninja gadget arrives. They come in big boxes, you see, and the Ninja Artisan Electric Outdoor Pizza Oven & Air Fryer is no different. Once you’ve unboxed the gadget and unwrapped the additional items, including a 12 x 12-inch pizza stone, a 30 x 30cm bake tray, a perforated pizza peel which you’ll need to put together with a screwdriver, an air fry basket and quick start guide, you just need to lift the 11.9kg oven and place it on a table outside.
Rebecca Shepherd / Foundry
At 32cm high, 59cm long and with a width of 42cm, the pizza oven is pretty chunky. But it’s nowhere near as big (or heavy) as rival models, such as the Ooni Karu 16, which weighs a massive 28.4kg.
To make the cooker suitable for cooking, just wipe down the inside and outside with a damp non-abrasive paper towel or cloth. Then place the pizza stone at the bottom of the oven, with the Ninja logo at the front right-hand corner.
Temperature and time are already set for you – that’s what makes this oven so easy to use
With its matt grey body, four black legs and stainless steel trim, the Ninja oven is beautifully designed. The door takes up three-quarters of the front of the oven and unlike the Ninja Woodfire Electric Outdoor Oven, it comes with a viewing window and light switch so you can watch your pizza rise, bubble and cook before your eyes.
Rebecca Shepherd / Foundry
The on/off switch is located at the back, while the front of the oven has four touch buttons and a dial. The first is the mode button that lets you flick between cooking functions, like pizza, bake, prove and air fry. After you’ve selected a mode, you’ll need to use the dial to choose from five pizza presets, including artisan, thin, New York, Pan or custom. Then tap the dial in to start (or stop) the cooking process.
With the artisan, thin, New York and Pan preset, the temperature and time are already set for you – that’s what makes this oven so easy to use. But if you intend on cooking a calzone or frozen pizza, for example, you can tweak the settings using the temp and time buttons.
Each pizza preset comes with a set preheat time, ranging from 5-7 minutes to 15-25 minutes. The hotter the chosen temperature, the longer the oven will take to heat up.
One of this oven’s strengths is also one of its weaknesses. The outdoor electric oven is powered by (you guessed it) electricity. This means that you won’t have to fork out for wood, coal or gas. But you will have to ensure you have a plug within touching distance, as this oven comes with a 1.5m long cord. This may be the ideal length if you have an outdoor plug, but for those who don’t, an extension lead may be needed.
Performance and Features
- Five pizza modes
- Easy-to-use digital display
- No turning necessary
- Can cook 12-inch pizza
- Tricky to clean
Ninja has earned its reputation as the biggest name in the air fryer market. And its technical excellence extends to outdoor pizza ovens, too. I say this because this oven is packed full of features and it doesn’t skimp on performance either.
After choosing the pizza mode, twisting the dial to a thin crust pizza style and starting the preheating process, I watch the oven get to work heating up to the right temperature. After around 13 minutes, the iconic Ninja alarm sounds, letting me know that the gadget has reached the desired temperature and the pizza is ready to be cooked.
Rebecca Shepherd / Foundry
I scoop my pizza onto the peel, open up the oven door and slide my pizza onto the pizza stone. After closing the door and pressing down the dial, the four-minute countdown starts. Pressing the light button, I can see the pizza turn from pale to golden in minutes.
Once the timer reaches zero, the oven beeps once more, alerting me to the fact that the pizza is ready to be scoffed. When I open up the oven, a plume of smoke rises into the air. But as it dissipates, like magic, it reveals a delicious-looking pizza in its place. Crispy, crunchy and full of gooey strands of cheesy goodness, I’m amazed how evenly-cooked every inch is – especially considering I didn’t have to turn it once.
I can see the pizza turn from pale to golden in minutes
It feels too good to be true. So once again, I repeat the process, this time trying out an artisan style. This mode takes 18 minutes to heat up, but you’ll only have to keep the pizza in the oven for three minutes. While my pizza-shaping skills quite clearly need some TLC, a puffy, crusted pizza with glorious bubbles is once again delivered to my plate.
Rebecca Shepherd / Foundry
Like me, you’re probably wondering what the catch is. But you’ll have a hard time finding one that’s enough to put you off this pizza oven. While there is no gas smell or wood chips to clear up, you will have a hard time getting the pizza stone as good as new. Ninja recommends submerging the stone in water to get it clean, or popping it in the dishwasher. But even after completing this, the stone looked like it had been lovingly used rather than good as new.
Another negative about the design is that it can only be used outdoors, which surprised me, given that it’s electric. Plus, even with an extension lead, its shorter-than-necessary cable meant that I had to place it in an awkward position by my patio doors.
Price and Availability
Ninja’s Artisan pizza oven is priced at £299.99 in the UK and is widely available from retailers including Currys and Argos, and from the Ninja website. But we’d advise checking the price at different retailers as many have it on offer.
In the US, it’s priced at $299.99 and you can buy it direct from Ninja, or from Amazon, among other outlets. Again, check prices before you buy to find the best deal.
But even at full price, Ninja’s pizza oven is far less expensive than rival models, such as the Etna Rotante, the Ooni Karu 16 or the Gozney Roccbox, and much easier to use than the similarly priced, wood-fired Ooni Fyra. However, Ninja has other outdoor oven models with grills that may be a better fit for you. Compare them in our round-up of the best Ninja air fryers and cookers.
Should you buy the Ninja Artisan Electric Outdoor Pizza Oven and Air Fryer?
I honestly didn’t think it was possible to recreate a taste of authentic pizza from home and especially with an electric appliance. But after trying out Ninja’s pizza oven, I’m eating my words, along with a slice.
Simply choose which style of pizza you’d like and let the Ninja do all the hard work
The good news is that this oven delivers on creating great-tasting pizza and all you need is some open space, be it a balcony, patio or garden, to get going. It also takes away all the guesswork that can come with more authentic-looking gas or wood-fired ovens. You simply choose which style of pizza you’d like and let the Ninja do all the hard work.
I love the fact that this oven also comes with a pizza peel so you don’t need to buy one separately. But one point to consider is where you’ll stash this piece of outdoor kit – and what you’ll place it on to use it.
Ninja says its oven is weather-resistant for year-round outdoor use, but I won’t be leaving this gadget outside for the Great British weather to have its way with. If you intend to do so, it’s probably worth buying the Ninja Artisan Electric Outdoor Pizza Oven & Air Fryer, Stand and Cover Bundle which is on sale for £289.99 if you’re in the UK.
Other points to consider include whether you’ve got an outdoor plug (or extension lead to hand) and whether you can get over the fact that your pizza stone won’t stay in pristine condition – even after a cycle in the dishwasher. That said, these bugbears are a small price pay when you can get pizzas on tap all summer long.
