Gozney Dome Pizza Oven Review

Our reviewer was sent a sample of the Gozney Dome Pizza Oven so she could test it in her own backyard. Keep reading for our full product review.

Outdoor pizza ovens are becoming more popular, and the Gozney Dome is a new contender in the race for backyard space. Gozney is no stranger to pizza ovens, since they also make the popular Roccbox.

I’ve owned and tested quite a few pizza ovens, and baked plenty more in my home oven, so I was more than ready to knead multiple batches of dough to thoroughly test both the wood and gas cooking options. While ham and pineapple pizza didn’t make an appearance, there were plenty of pizzas with varied toppings that made their way from kitchen to peel to oven.

Setup Process: Bring a friend

There’s not much setup involved with the oven, aside from lifting it onto its new home, whether it’s a table, an existing cart, or the Gozney cart. This oven is heavy and a bit bulky, so it requires at least two people to lift it safely.

Once the oven is in place, the digital display needs its battery, which is included. Before the first use, a short burn-in is required. Then, it’s just a matter of choosing gas or wood, preheating, and cooking.

Design: It’s a beast

Unlike many of its more portable competitors, the Dome is a heavy-duty and very heavy oven—think of the difference between a kamado grill and a kettle grill. Weighing in at 128 pounds, this is well insulated, which is important when pizzas cook so quickly and there’s no door to close.

The dome shape is attractive, and the optional stand gives it a safe place to rest, with two side tables and two shelves to hold extra items. Built into the dome, below the cooking surface, is a niche that can be used to store wood, stash small tools, or hold the chimney cover during cooking.

The dual-fuel oven I tested includes a ceramic puck to seal the open hole on the left or right side of the oven, depending on which fuel is used. When cooking with gas, the puck sits in the hole on the right, providing just a little more space for the pizza inside the oven. Flames from the burning gas come up from the hole on the left and depending on how high the heat is, the flames may lick across the top of the oven.

When using wood, the hole on the left is sealed with the puck while a grate is placed on the right. Wood is started in the center of the oven to heat the stone, then moved to the left, and then finally moved to the right over the grate. Ash falls through the grate into the ash catcher, keeping the oven a bit neater.

While cooking with gas was a bit easier, cooking with wood was more fun and added some smoky taste to the pizza. Both methods produced excellent results.

While this oven isn’t tall enough to roast a turkey, it can handle more than pizza. Besides the integrated thermometer that measures internal temperature, it also has two ports for the included probe thermometers, which can be used when roasting meats. Upcoming accessories will make it even more versatile. The oven has an accessory port that can be used for the yet-to-come cold smoker or pellet burner accessories.

Performance: Super-hot yet easily adjustable

When it comes to making pizzas, it’s certainly impressive to heat-blast the pie and cook it in 30 seconds or so. It’s also amusing to watch the crust rise and bubble as it cooks, going from raw to golden, to a little bit of char. That’s great for thin crust, minimally topped pizzas. This oven certainly excels at that type of cooking.

Thicker pizzas or those with a lot of toppings require a slower cook so the interior can be thoroughly baked without turning the exterior to charcoal. Thanks to the integrated thermometer and easy gas adjustment with a dial, this oven can handle that as well. Even better, when cooking with gas, it’s easy to keep the temperature constant.

When cooking with wood, there’s a bit of a learning curve to make sure there’s just enough fire, but it’s simple enough to add more wood when more heat is needed. Because it’s a small, well-insulted space, it doesn’t take a lot of wood to keep the oven hot.

I also decided to try searing some meat—previously cooked using sous vide—in the oven. I used a cast iron griddle, which I preheated along with the oven. The meat seared on the bottom from the heat of the pan, and seared on top from the flames.

Portability: Semi-permanent

While this isn’t built-in, like a brick oven, it’s a two-person lift. If the oven will need to be regularly—or even occasionally—moved across the deck or across the yard, the best option is to place it on a heavy-duty wheeled cart so it can become a one-person effort. This is definitely not something you’d toss in your trunk to take to an outdoor potluck.

Care and Storage: Like a grill

When using gas, there’s very little debris inside the oven to clean, aside from some crumbs or cheese spills that are likely to simply burn off. When using wood, there’s likely to be some unburned wood, along with ash, left inside the oven. Once everything is cool, the inside can be brushed clean and the ash catcher can be emptied. It was surprising how little ash was produced in testing. The exterior can be wiped clean.

Like a grill, this is likely to spend its life outdoors. While the exterior won’t be hurt by rain or snow, it’s wise to cover the grill to keep rain, snow, and debris out of the cooking chamber.

Accessories: A wide variety, and some are must-haves

Along with the pizza oven I tested, Gozney provided a generous selection of accessories, and some of them may be must-haves. Top of the list is the stand. Not only does it hold the oven securely, it has wheels that make it a one-person job to move the oven. I was able to handle it on my own, albeit with some struggle, on my uneven lawn. On a smooth deck or patio, it would be a breeze. Since the oven is likely to live outdoors, the cover is a good purchase since it fits the oven perfectly.

Other accessories that are available now are a pizza peel, pizza turning peel, pizza serving tray, wood, wood handler, pizza cutter, dough scraper, and dough cutter. Experienced pizza makers may already have tools they can use, but it’s good to know where to buy all the toys.

More accessories are coming soon, including a Neapolitan archway to retain even more heat, a rope-sealed door for bread baking, a steam injector, a mantle for the front of the oven to provide extra space for moving pizzas, a wood rack, a cold smoker, and a pellet burner.

Price: High, but you don’t need a bricklayer

This is definitely on the high end of outdoor pizza ovens, costing two or three times the amount of other, more portable outdoor ovens. For people who are passionate about their pizzas, it may be a worthy investment, and although it’s heavy, it’s certainly more portable than a built-in brick oven.

Competition: There are cheaper options

Ooni Karu 12 Multi-Fuel Pizza Oven: I previously tested the Ooni Karu 12 Multi-Fuel Pizza Oven, which also works with either wood or gas, but one major difference is that the wood doesn’t get burned inside the oven—instead, it’s loaded in the back and the flames come forward inside the grill. That setup works well, but it’s a bit less fun than building a fire inside the oven, as is done with the Gozney. The Ooni is less expensive than the Gozney, and easier to move since it’s much lighter, while the Gozney is more heavy-duty. Both work well to make pizzas, so the decision may come down to affordability.

Breville The Smart Oven Pizzaiolo: The Breville The Smart Oven Pizzaiolo that I also tested is an easy decision for people who prefer to cook indoors. While it’s not as large or versatile as the Gozney, it’s easy to use, and you don't have to worry about the weather. It’s also expensive for a home appliance, but Breville has a reputation for making durable, high-quality products. Here, the decision comes down to a preference for indoor or outdoor cooking.