Ooni Karu 12 Review 2026: Great value, tight fit

How I tested it

How I tested the Ooni Karu 12

I owned the Karu 12 for four years, cooked with wood, charcoal and the optional gas burner, and moved it between my garage, garden, another house and camping trips.

I compared the fuels during short pizza bakes and used the oven for both relaxed sessions and larger gatherings. My notes do not contain a laboratory-style temperature log, so the measurements below remain manufacturer specifications rather than my test results.

Fuel and heat

I came for wood, then often chose gas

I bought the Karu 12 intending to cook mainly with wood. Over time I switched partly, and sometimes entirely, to the optional gas burner because managing a fire while stretching, topping and launching could make solo cooking stressful.

My preferred solid-fuel setup was a stable charcoal bed with small pieces of hardwood for a stronger flame over the pizza. Wood occasionally held the stone heat better once that base was established, but gas was easier to control across several pizzas.

For a lighter 12-inch oven with straightforward gas control, read the Ooni Koda 12 review.

What changed on the plate

Fuel choice changed the ritual more than the flavour

During bakes of roughly 90 seconds, I could not discern a flavour difference between gas and solid fuel. The smell and experience of cooking over wood still added something to a slower, relaxed session.

That distinction shaped how I used the oven. I chose gas when speed and service mattered, and wood or charcoal when tending the fire was part of the occasion.

Portability

This is a genuinely portable multi-fuel oven

At 12kg, I could take the Karu 12 camping and move it between locations without much difficulty. Its portability survived real use rather than only looking good on a specification sheet.

The same compactness caused its biggest frustration. The 12-inch chamber left little room for turning a pizza or manoeuvring cookware.

Long-term ownership

Four years clarified which flexibility mattered

The oven held up well across four years of use. Its multi-fuel promise was genuinely useful, but only because I was willing to own the optional gas burner and change routines.

For one-person preparation and larger gatherings I usually chose gas. For a small session where fire management was part of the fun, I chose wood and charcoal.

Who should buy it?

Buy it if both fuel routines appeal

At the £299 UK list price I paid, the Karu 12 remains my strongest-value route into portable live-fire cooking. It is compact, flexible and easy to take somewhere else.

Before buying it for the multi-fuel promise, I would ask whether both fuels will genuinely be used. The optional gas burner costs extra, so an unused fuel system weakens that value.