I’m going to be completely honest, I didn’t go into testing the Ninja artisan electric outdoor pizza oven with high expectations. I just wasn’t sure that Ninja could pull off the perfect pizza in a machine that also doubles as an outdoor air fryer. But, I am happy to admit that I was wrong and that this oven and its performance blew me away.
Setting up the artisan pizza oven couldn’t have been easier. It comes already assembled and you just need to plug it in. That, of course, is a little bit of a hurdle to start with, as you do need to have an outdoor socket or be close to socket. Unlike the karu 2, the Ninja artisan has a whole menu of controls that you can use to cycle through different settings.
When it comes to pizza, there are five pre-programmed settings, including artisan, thin crust, New York, pan and custom. These settings are invaluable, especially if you’re new to cooking your own pizzas, because they take the guesswork out of the whole process. To get started you just need to select your style, wait for the pre-heat process and then when it makes that famous Ninja beep, you’re ready to get cooking.
The great thing about this oven is it doesn’t need as much micro-management, (Rachael Penn/The Independent)
It took around 15 minutes to reach full temperature, which was a lot quicker than the karu 2, but it did feel a little slow, given that it’s electric and the max temperature is just 370C. But once it reached full temperature, the results were impressive and pizza was ready in two minutes.
The great thing about this oven is it doesn’t need as much micro-management. You don’t need to turn your pizza at any point and there are no hot spots or uneven browning. In fact, pizza came out with a really nice leopard spot crust that was perfectly chewy, and if you like that style but don’t like the charred taste, this is ideal. The cheese also cooked evenly and browned nicely. Considering this is an electric oven, the pizza looked (and tasted) genuinely impressive.
It’s hard to find fault with this oven, which produces genuinely great pizza (Rachael Penn/The Independent)
The compact size of the Ninja artisan is also another huge plus, particularly if you have a smaller garden. Plus, since there’s no fuel or fire involved, it’s also a good choice if you have a balcony. It’s easy enough to clean but removing the stone is a little fiddly, so if you do need to remove the stone to wipe off any burnt-on flour or use the air fryer basket, it may cause a bit of frustration.
It’s also worth thinking about storage – even with a cover, I wouldn’t keep this outside at all times. Given electricity is involved, I wouldn’t want to risk getting it wet, so you’ll need some space indoors to store it when not in use.
But beyond a little bit of a tussle with the stone, it’s hard to find fault with Ninja artisan. It is easy to set up, easy to use and it produces genuinely great pizza.
Key specifications:
- Fuel type: Electric
- Outdoor or indoor: Outdoor
- Dimensions: 31.4cm x 40.3cm x 57.2cm
- Weight: 15kg
- Maximum temperature: 370C
- Pizza size: 12in
- Presets: Artisan, thin crust, New York, pan, custom