Reviewers describe the Ooni Karu 2 Pro as a workhorse for outdoor kitchens, praised for switching between wood, charcoal, and gas fuels. The Bluetooth thermometer and spacious interior come up as the big wins for cooking large pizzas and meats, though users note the oven takes considerably longer to heat up than the manufacturer claims. Heavy weight and the need for separate accessories, an infrared thermometer for stone temps among them, are the common complaints. Dedicated outdoor cooks who want fuel flexibility more than portability are the buyers here.
Full review
Wood, charcoal and gas in one chamber
The Karu 2 Pro's argument is that one oven covers every fuel. A metal tray at the back holds wood or charcoal and catches the ash, a removable rear hatch lets you refuel mid-cook, and switching to propane means loosening two screws to swap the tray and hatch for the burner assembly. A baffle opens and closes to control airflow, which is the main lever for holding a temperature on solid fuel. The catch is that the gas burner is not in the box at $849, so the fuel flexibility the oven is sold on costs extra before you can use it.
Thirty to forty minutes from a cold start
Ooni rates the oven at 950°F and quotes 15 minutes to get there. Pala Pizza's Kevin Hansen recorded 30 to 40 minutes on the gas burner at full flame, starting from a stone sitting at 44°F, and did not test whether a hard wood fire closes the gap. That is a wide margin between the claim and the observation, and it matters for planning dinner rather than for the cooking itself. Once the stone is loaded the heat is genuinely fierce, and a pizza left in at full flame will scorch rather than cook.
The rear flame cooks the first pizza hardest
Heat enters at the back and rolls forward along the ceiling toward the front vent, which is not how a kitchen oven behaves and takes some unlearning. Pala Pizza found the first pizza of a session routinely comes out more done than intended until the technique adapts. What works is to launch, drop the flame so the base firms up, then bring the heat back to colour the top while turning the pie. Handled that way the results hold up: Pala Pizza described good leoparding on the crust with the gas burner and a sausage pizza with a crisp undercarriage and a soft, puffy rim.
Bluetooth thermometer reads air, not stone
The included digital thermometer pairs to a phone, which is genuinely useful for prepping dough indoors while the oven comes up outside. It reports chamber air temperature, though, and the stone is what cooks the base. Pala Pizza pointed out there is no probe for the stone at all, which makes an infrared thermometer a required accessory rather than an optional one; trusting the app alone is the quickest way to launch onto a surface that is not ready. The unit does take a food probe input, which is more relevant to the roasts and large cuts the 17-inch chamber is big enough to hold.
Sixty pounds and a long list of extras
This is a fixed-position oven whatever the marketing suggests. It arrives at roughly 83 lbs boxed and settles at about 60 lbs assembled, and while the density that weight signals is a real strength, moving it is a two-person job or a cart. Assembly is the easy part and can be done alone: fit the thermometer, drop in the cordierite stones, hang the glass door and lock the chimney with a single clockwise turn. Budget past the sticker price, though, because the gas burner, an infrared thermometer, heat-resistant gloves and a stone brush are all separate purchases on an oven that already costs $849.
Strengths
- +Highly versatile multi-fuel capability allowing cooking with wood, charcoal, or gas (with separate burner)
- +Includes Bluetooth-enabled digital thermometer for remote temperature monitoring via smartphone app
- +Spacious interior (17-inch width, 5.5-inch height) accommodates 16-inch pizzas, steaks, and large cuts of meat
- +Simple assembly process that can be completed solo using included tools
Watch-outs
- −Heating time is slower than advertised, taking 30-40 minutes to reach full temperature rather than the claimed 15 minutes
- −Heavy weight (approx. 83 lbs in box, 60 lbs assembled) makes it difficult to move without assistance or a hand truck
- −Lacks a built-in probe for measuring pizza stone temperature, requiring a separate infrared thermometer
How it compares
The Ooni Karu 2 Pro offers unmatched fuel versatility with wood, charcoal, and gas options, surpassing the gas-only Ooni Koda 2 Pro and the electric Ninja Artisan. While it provides a spacious interior similar to the Ninja Woodfire, it is significantly heavier and slower to heat up than the rapid-firing Gozney Tread or Arc XL.
Rating sources
“This cook just really put this over the edge for me... these were quite literally the best detroits I've ever made.”
“I was super impressed it made a lovely Pizza the flavour was incredible the stone just made the crust rise perfectly so yeah as far as my first bake goes I was super happy with it and the Karu Pro made a fantastic pizza”
Our 4.8 score is the average of these published ratings. Ratings marked * were derived from the reviewer’s written analysis or video transcript — the publisher didn’t print an explicit numeric score, so we inferred one from their own words. Click through to verify. More about methodology.
