You can’t beat a BBQ, but all my friends regret buying their pizza oven! Here’s why I think this new Ooni model is set to be a kitchen favourite

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There’s no denying a BBQ in summer is must, but the pizza oven has yet to make quite the same impact. If fact it’s one appliance many of my friends have come to regret. 

I’ve personally had mine for years – and while I do too, think £500+ is a lot of money for an piece of kit that only makes an appearance a few months a year – I love it. 

Ooni’s new indoor model, the Volt 2 is the brand’s newest iteration of its original Volt 12 pizza oven – a compact electric number exclusively designed for indoor use. 

Now while that might not sound appealing at first, especially in the wake of so much kitchen gadget regret, I’m here to make the case for the indoor pizza oven.

If you happen to be a big fan of the Italian staple, having an indoor one that reaches temperatures of 450 degrees Celsius gives you access to professional-looking and tasting pizzas 365 days a year. 

That temperature is only 50 degrees cooler than a gas-powered outdoor oven and a good 200 degrees hotter than many standard ovens.

And with the British weather constantly keeping us on our toes, I think the Volt 2 will be just as popular as the BBQ. 

We also recently reviewed the Cuisinart indoor pizza oven, which our reviewer really enjoyed using, as well as plenty of outdoor ovens including the Ooni Koda 2 and Gozney Arc Lite.

As a self-confessed pizza-making and dinner party addict, I’m very much sold. But if I haven’t quite managed to convince you yet, you can read my full review below to see why I think it’s a must-have gadget for every middle-class household.

Our verdict

The Ooni Volt 2 is a worthy upgrade from the original model. It’s sleeker, offers better heat distribution and gives you even more control over oven temperature.

The introduction of cooking modes now means it’s even easier to use for both pizza and standard oven cooking. All I had to do was tap a button to switch between high heat Neapolitan pizza and the oven and grill modes. There’s even a grill rack included with the new model

I was also very impressed with the oven’s new ‘proofing mode’, which keeps the oven at a low 20 degrees Celsius, allowing you to quickly defrost your dough balls or give your fresh dough a boost.

Fancy features aside, I was also blown away by the results of this pizza oven. The Volt’s redesign is more than just looks – the heating element inside has been tweaked to offer better coverage and a more even crust with a lot less turning. Every pizza I made came out perfectly crisp on the outside and soft on the inside – professional pizza indoors has never been easier in my opinion.

Ooni Volt 2 indoor pizza oven review 

Design and features

As you can see from my side-by-side comparison, the Ooni Volt 2 is remarkably different from its predecessor. It’s smaller, sleeker and utilises a touchscreen, as well as a control dial. I personally prefer this to the old dials and find it’s easier to use and keep clean.

As well as a classic Neapolitan pizza mode, there are also settings for thin and crispy pizzas, thicker pan pizzas, oven and grill modes and of course, that excellent dough proofing mode.

You’ll also notice there are a couple of buttons labelled 1 and 2. These are customisable modes that let you create and save your own presets based on your heat preferences. You can set things like the crisping intensity, max heat and timer, which makes life so much easier if you’d rather not keep fiddling around with all the manual settings.

This new and improved model also has a removable filter that collects unwanted smoke and particles and better steam release, so the inside of your oven doesn’t get too hot and steamy.

Performance

I always found the original Ooni to be particularly excellent at thin and crispy pizza, but it often struggled with thicker doughs, cooking them too quickly on the outside.

However, the Volt 2 seems to fix this issue for the most part, as I initially tested it with a thicker, puffier dough before cooking a thinner one after using the various presets. One thing I’ve noticed with all pizza ovens – electric or otherwise – is that they get better with age. Once the stone has had time to properly ‘season’, the taste and texture of the crust improves.

I also tried cooking some bread and a frozen oven pizza in the Volt using the lower temperatures, and these also came out great – though my oven or air fryer would have done the same job.

The real selling point here is how hot it can safely get indoors – this is something your indoor oven simply can’t do, and the result is properly crispy restaurant-style pizzas.

It’s also worth mentioning that Ooni sell their own frozen dough balls – both as a one-off and as a subscription. So if you’re not a confident cook but still want perfect pizza every time, they’ve made that pretty easy too. I enjoy making my own pizza dough, but I still keep a few of these in the freezer for emergencies. They’re quick to defrost with the proof setting and even quicker to cook.

Value for money

This is likely going to be a bit of a sticking point for some people. At £500, the Volt 2 isn’t exactly a budget model. In fact, some of Ooni’s outdoor gas ovens are cheaper than this. Although you do have to factor in the rather expensive gas refills into those – which could add a couple of hundred pounds to the running costs each month.

I would argue that the Volt 2 isn’t overpriced for what it is, however. It’s a premium product with a matching price tag

How does it compare to similar products?

The Ooni Volt 2 is one of a few indoor pizza ovens that are worth buying. We more recently reviewed the Cuisinart indoor pizza oven, which our reviewer also rated very highly – even going as far as to say it made her a pizza convert. And at £300, it is temptingly affordable compared to Ooni’s £500 price tag – though it’s not quite as sleek-looking and performance is a little slower.

Ninja’s outdoor electric pizza oven has also impressed our team of reviewers, and at £300 it’s another bargain. Of course, it’s outdoor-only, so keep that in mind if you want to use it on rainy days.

Other outdoor ovens we rate include the Gozney Arc Lite (£549) and Ooni Koda 2 (£400); both use propane gas and scored highly in our tests.

How does it rate online?

The Ooni Volt 2 has already received some incredible praise online. Reviews are particularly happy with the heat-up times of under 20 minutes and its ability to properly cook thicker Detroit-style pizzas.

One reviewer said: ‘Little over 90 seconds to cook each was fantastic. Less than 20 minutes to reach 430 degrees. Pizzas were great and been trying a few different dough recipes over the past week to try and reach perfection’

Another said it was perfect for pizza all year round: ‘Have been using an outdoor gas-powered oven for a few years now but always struggled with regulating the temp for NY style. The Volt 2 is perfect for NY and Detroit style. So easy to use and great consistency, pizza and pizza.’