What Else Can You Cook in an Ooni? Recipes Beyond Pizza (2026)

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Yes, an Ooni cooks far more than pizza. Steak, whole fish, spatchcock chicken, sourdough, focaccia and skillet cookies all come out of the same chamber, and Ooni promotes its outdoor ovens for every one of them, provided the temperature matches the dish rather than the dial sitting at 500°C. If you are still mapping the lineup, the complete Ooni model guide covers every current and legacy oven; the point here is what to do once you own one.

The thing that separates a good non-pizza cook from a bad one is not the recipe, it is the temperature band plus the vessel. A chamber at 950°F blackens a chicken thigh long before its center reaches 165°F, while the same oven held at 175°C roasts it properly in 40 minutes. And almost nothing except dough goes on the cordierite stone: meat, fish, vegetables and desserts need cast iron or a high-temperature tray underneath them.

Ooni's own recipes span roughly 180°C to 500°C, which is a wider working range than most owners ever use. The rest is technique: which pan, where it sits relative to the flame, and what doneness cue actually tells you the food is ready.

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Quick Reference: The Ooni Temperature Ladder

What Your Ooni Model Can Actually Do

Two naming points cause most of the confusion. Karu 12G and Karu 2 are the same second-generation oven under two names, so techniques transfer directly. Karu 16 is a first-generation model still supported but superseded by Karu 2 Pro, which means its door and accessories are not interchangeable with the newer 16-inch oven.

The practical differences for non-pizza cooking come down to three things. An enclosed oven (Karu, Fyra, Volt) holds steady moderate heat far more easily than an open-front Koda. A door also traps steam, which is why a compact Dutch oven matters less on a Karu and matters a great deal on a Koda. And flame control is the whole game: gas ovens let you turn the burner down to a fraction of maximum, while pellet and wood fires have to be allowed to fall back to embers.

If you are shopping for an oven with this use in mind rather than pizza alone, the low end of the range is the spec to check. A Koda 12 reaches 500°C in about 15 minutes but holds very low settings less comfortably than the larger chambers; a Koda 16 gives you the room for a larger skillet, a whole fish or a chicken without crowding the flame; and the Koda 2 Max is the only Ooni in the lineup officially adjustable down to roughly 100°C / 212°F, which is what makes genuinely low roasting possible on gas. On the multi-fuel side, the Karu 12 keeps the door and chimney that extend its usefulness past pizza, the Karu 2 adds a ClearView glass door and integrated thermometer on the same 12-inch footprint, and a Karu 16 remains the roomiest legacy option for whole birds and larger trays. The Fyra 12 is superb at heat and awkward at holding 200°C; the Volt 12 is the opposite, which makes it the best of the older models for baking and desserts.

One nuance worth stating plainly: independent zone knobs on the Koda 2 Max do not make the two halves thermally separate. The zones share a single chamber, so heat migrates between them and the knobs behave more like a bias control than two fully independent ovens.

The Cookware Rule: Cast Iron, High-Heat Trays and Two Thermometers

Ooni's whole-branzino recipe states that alternative cookware should tolerate at least 400°C / 750°F. That single line disqualifies most household nonstick trays, and it is the reason cast iron dominates owner reports of successful non-pizza cooking. Nothing wet or fatty goes on the cordierite floor: it stains, smokes, and the fat can ignite near the burner.

The Ooni Cast Iron Skillet has a 9-inch round cooking surface, ships pre-seasoned, weighs about 6.4 lb, and comes with a removable handle and stainless-steel trivet. The removable handle is not a small detail: a conventional long-handled skillet often will not clear a 12-inch oven mouth, which is why the compact Ooni pans exist at all. It handles steak, salmon, eggs, cookies, brownies and vegetables.

The Ooni Grizzler Pan measures 12.2 × 6.2 × 2.2 in and weighs 4.74 lb, with raised ribs and the same detachable handle. Its narrow elongated footprint slides into a 12-inch chamber more easily than any round pan of comparable surface area, and it is rated to 950°F.

The Dual-Sided Grizzler Plate is the one-pan option: 13.6 × 12.5 × 2 in, 12.7 lb, one smooth face and one ribbed face, two removable handles, and Ooni lists it as fitting all Ooni pizza ovens. Because of its raised edges it is not induction-compatible, unlike the smaller cast-iron pieces. Its mass means a longer preheat and a slower response to flame changes than the skillet.

Two thermometers do more for this kind of cooking than any other accessory. The Ooni Digital Infrared Thermometer is calibrated for cordierite with adjustable emissivity for other surfaces, and it is the only way to confirm you are holding 180°C rather than guessing from a built-in ambient gauge. The TempPro TP19H instant-read probe covers the other half: internal temperature. Char on the outside tells you nothing about whether poultry has reached 165°F / 74°C. The thermometer buying guide covers the full field if you want alternatives.

For whole fish, chicken thighs and pasta bakes you need a real vessel, not a stone. Look for stainless or cast iron rated to 400°C and sized from the oven mouth rather than from the nominal pizza diameter. A high-temperature roasting pan around 12 × 15 in covers most large-format Ooni recipes, though that size will not fit every 12-inch model in every orientation. A turning peel is useful for pita and naan and largely redundant for skillet dishes, where tongs or the pan handle do the job. The pizza oven pans guide breaks down the rest of the cookware categories.

Do not add an aftermarket front door to a Koda. Those ovens are engineered as open-front gas appliances, and Ooni warns that unauthorized doors can trap heat or combustion gases. If you want an enclosed chamber, the answer is a Karu or a Fyra, not a modification.

High-Heat Proteins: Steak, Lamb and Sausage

Steak is the single most consistently reported non-pizza use, and the technique is uniform across models. Take the oven and a cast-iron pan toward roughly 500°C / 930°F, preheat the pan about 5 minutes once the oven is hot, then reduce the burner to medium or low before the meat goes in. On a 1-inch steak, expect roughly 2 to 3 minutes per side with rotation to manage flame exposure.

Ooni's steak recipe cites culinary targets of about 125°F / 52°C for rare and 135°F / 57°C for medium-rare. For conservative safety guidance, the USDA specifies 145°F / 63°C plus a 3-minute rest for intact beef and lamb cuts. Thick steaks work far better than thin ones here, because a thin cut chars on the outside before you have any control over the center. Sous-vide or reverse-seared steak is the ideal candidate: cook the center first, then use the Ooni purely as a searing tool. Picanha's fat cap produces noticeably more flare than a lean sirloin, so oil the meat sparingly rather than flooding the iron.

Lamb chops follow the steak logic rather than a long-roast logic. Ooni's recipe targets about 350°C / 662°F, warms the cast iron 1 to 2 minutes, then cooks roughly 6 to 8 minutes with a flip at the midpoint. The USDA benchmark for whole cuts is 145°F / 63°C plus a 3-minute rest. Keep fatty chops away from the strongest part of the flame to limit flare, and work in small batches.

Sausages begin in a fully heated oven around 450 to 500°C. In cast iron, allow roughly 4 minutes, flip or rotate, then another 4 minutes and finish as needed. Ground-meat safety is 160°F / 71°C for beef or pork sausage. High fat output makes a pan non-negotiable; vegetables should cook separately or be moved clear of the direct flame while the sausages finish.

Poultry: Wings, Thighs and Spatchcock Chicken

Chicken wings are among the most frequently reported successes. The gas method runs a cast iron pan at roughly medium burner with about a 15-minute preheat, then the pan sits just inside the oven mouth rather than pressed against the flame. Cook about 2 minutes, flip and rearrange front to back, then another 2 minutes, charring briefly at the end if you want more color. The internal target is 165°F / 74°C. Sauce goes on after cooking or very late in the cook: sugary glazes and butter burn or separate at these temperatures, and a cold, crowded pan steams wings instead of searing them.

Chicken thighs are the clearest demonstration that an Ooni is not a one-temperature appliance. Ooni's roast-thigh method starts the chamber at roughly 175°C / 347°F, uses a large roasting tray, and runs 40 to 45 minutes with periodic rotation before rising toward 220°C / 428°F for a final 10 to 15 minutes of browning. If direct flame starts burning the surface, cover loosely with foil. Internal target stays at 165°F / 74°C. Gas owners simply throttle down; wood and charcoal users need a modest fire rather than a pizza-sized one.

Spatchcock chicken runs at approximately 240°C / 464°F for about 45 minutes on a Grizzler or cast-iron plate, rotating the bird roughly every 10 minutes and basting during the turns. Probe the thickest part of the breast or thigh to at least 165°F / 74°C. A 16-inch or larger oven makes this markedly easier; a small bird can fit a 12-inch model, but check that wings and pan edges do not project into the flame. The Fyra can do it, though holding a steady 240°C on a pellet fire takes active management. The Volt 12 holds temperature more easily but has the least physical room.

Seafood: Salmon, Whole Fish, Shrimp and Scallops

Salmon works on every model. Ooni's method targets roughly 370°C / 698°F with about a 5-minute cast-iron preheat and around 6 minutes for the referenced fillet. Oil the fish rather than pooling oil in the pan, which is the simplest way to avoid flare. Ooni's culinary target is about 50°C / 122°F for a softer center, while FDA guidance for fish is 145°F / 63°C. Position toward the center or front and rotate if the flame side browns too aggressively.

Whole branzino in a roasting pan with vegetables takes 15 to 20 minutes and is the recipe that sets the cookware temperature floor at 400°C / 750°F. The bones help protect the flesh from drying at high heat. This is a large-format dish: 16-inch and 24-inch chambers are strongly preferred, and a 12-inch oven needs a genuinely small fish and a compact pan. Rotate the pan for even exposure, and take the thickest section to 145°F / 63°C.

Shrimp and prawns suit the hottest setting in the book, near 500°C / 950°F, which makes them a natural fit even on the Fyra where a short aggressive cook is no disadvantage. Preheat cast iron with a small amount of oil for 1 to 2 minutes, cook raw prawns roughly 2 to 3 minutes shaking halfway, and stop when the flesh turns opaque and pearly rather than translucent. Sugary marinades should wait until the end.

Scallops need roughly 375 to 400°C / 707–752°F and a very short window: about 1 minute, rotate the pan, then another 45 to 60 seconds depending on size. They can be cooked in the shell on a high-temperature tray or out of shell in cast iron, which is safer than putting bare scallops anywhere near the stone. Doneness is an opaque, pearly center. The margin between browned and rubbery is thin enough that preheating the pan and having everything within reach matters more than raw oven temperature.

Bread and Dough: Focaccia, Sourdough, Pita, Naan and Bagels

Focaccia runs roughly 315 to 400°C / 600–750°F depending on thickness. Thick pan focaccia and fugazza work well in a Sizzler or a suitable baking pan, kept toward the front of a live-flame oven so the edge nearest the burner does not scorch, and rotated according to how it is rising and browning. This is also a good use of residual heat after a pizza session, because it does not require holding full Neapolitan stone temperature.

Sourdough is the dish that most clearly wants an enclosed oven. Ooni's general bread guidance targets roughly 260 to 305°C / 500–580°F, with a compact lidded Dutch oven strongly preferred on an open-front Koda because the lid retains steam and buffers the loaf from direct flame. A typical workflow preheats oven and Dutch oven for around 30 minutes, bakes lid-on initially, then uncovers for browning, for roughly 15 to 20 minutes total. On gas, drop to the lowest flame or switch off as the recipe dictates; on wood or charcoal, let the active flame fall back to embers. Karu and Karu 2, with their doors, are the easiest legacy-and-current models for this. The Dutch oven must clear both the oven mouth and the roof with its lid fitted, and those dimensions vary by model, so measure before buying one.

Pita is the safest direct-on-stone non-pizza food because it is still a dry bread dough. Target a stone around 315 to 370°C / 600–700°F, launch onto a clean stone, keep it away from the strongest flame, and expect roughly 30 seconds to 2 minutes until it balloons.

Naan wants approximately 400°C / 750°F, cooks directly on the stone in about a minute with turns roughly every 15 seconds, and needs a brief flip or finish as required. One caveat specific to compact ovens: large bubbles can balloon into the roof of a 12-inch chamber. Butter or ghee is safest brushed on after the bake or with close flame monitoring.

Other flatbreads sit in a practical range of 350 to 450°C / 660–840°F depending on dough thickness and enrichment. Thin piadina-style breads cook on preheated iron in about a minute, lean doughs can go straight on the stone, and oily or cheesy flatbreads are safer in a pan.

Bagels show the boundary of what an Ooni is. Ooni's bagel recipes operate around 260 to 300°C / 500–570°F and boil the bagels outside the oven first, typically about a minute per side, then stone-bake for roughly 6 minutes with regular turning. An Ooni is not a boiling appliance, and pretending otherwise is how people end up with dense bagels.

Breakfast: Breakfast Pizza, Shakshuka, Baked Eggs and Bacon

Breakfast pizza is a genuine pizza-temperature dish at 450 to 500°C / 850–950°F with a 60 to 90-second bake. The technique matters more than the heat: build a cheese and topping well before cracking the egg in, so it cannot run off during the launch, and rotate frequently. The white should be set; how firm you want the yolk is personal. Bacon and mushrooms should be precooked, since raw bacon sheds far more fat than a 90-second bake can handle.

Shakshuka is the opposite end of the ladder. Ooni's method runs at approximately 180°C / 356°F, cooks the tomato and chickpea base for around 20 minutes, then turns the oven off after the eggs go in and finishes them on residual heat. Cast iron is required, and a gas Koda is ideal precisely because the flame can be extinguished instantly. Pellet and wood models need the fire planned down to embers well in advance.

Baked eggs belong in the same low band, roughly 180 to 200°C / 355–390°F, in a small skillet kept toward the oven mouth. On gas you can switch the flame off and let residual heat set them. The Volt 12 handles this configuration most straightforwardly. Standalone baked-egg timing varies enough that visual cues are more reliable than a number: opaque whites and a yolk at your preferred consistency.

Bacon goes in cast iron, never on the stone, and takes roughly 3 to 5 minutes depending on thickness with frequent tossing, cooked toward the front or at reduced flame. Rendered fat can ignite near the burner, which is the main reason to keep the pan clear of it. Cook bacon separately before adding it to a breakfast pizza.

Breakfast sandwiches are a finishing technique rather than a recipe with one setting. Cook the bacon, sausage or egg separately in cast iron, then toast the assembled bread and melt the cheese at moderate heat near the mouth, roughly 30 to 90 seconds depending on the bread.

Skillet Dishes and Sides: Cookies, Brownies, Mac & Cheese, Potatoes and Vegetables

The skillet cookie is a deliberate low-flame cook. Preheat at low flame to around 190°C / 374°F for about 15 minutes, turn the gas off, put the skillet in for approximately 5 minutes, then finish at minimum flame with repeated rotation, for roughly 16 minutes total. It is done when the edges puff and turn golden and a toothpick comes out clean except for melted chocolate. The Volt 12 reproduces this environment well. Residual heat on a pellet or wood oven is possible but far less repeatable.

Brownies target approximately 250°C / 482°F in a greased cast-iron pan positioned toward the front, roughly 10 minutes with regular rotation. A slight jiggle in the center is better than waiting until the middle is completely firm. The classic failure mode is exactly the pizza-oven imbalance: blackened perimeter and top with a wet center.

Mac & cheese runs at roughly 200 to 250°C / 390–480°F and starts with pasta boiled outside the oven for about 6 minutes, or until very al dente. Transfer to a skillet or pan, cover with foil, and place it in the area farthest from direct flame, rotating roughly every 5 minutes. Expect about 20 minutes covered, then 5 to 10 minutes uncovered for browning. The Ooni is the baking stage here, not a substitute stockpot.

Roasted potatoes have two workable approaches. For a proper roast, parboil roughly 10 minutes first, then use cast iron at a low, gentle flame for around 30 minutes. For a flash-char finish, put precooked or steamed potato pieces into extremely hot cast iron for rapid browning. The Fyra is far better suited to the flash-char version than to a carefully held 30-minute low roast. Pre-cooking is what prevents the burned-outside, raw-center result.

Roasted peppers work around 200°C / 392°F in cast iron for roughly 15 minutes with a shake every few minutes for padron or shishito types; sweeter peppers can take higher heat for blistering. Rotate the pan to avoid carbonization on the burner side. Broccolini has no definitive standalone Ooni timing, but the community technique is sound: lightly oil and season it, then a few minutes in cast iron at high heat until the edges char while the stems keep their bite. Keep garlic away from the fiercest flame, since it burns much faster than the vegetable.

Cauliflower is a char job, not a tenderizing job. Small florets in preheated cast iron develop color in roughly 2 to 3 minutes at temperatures approaching 500°C / 950°F. Large or thick pieces should be precooked, steamed or sous-vide first, then finished in the oven for browning.

Corn on the cob suits every model, best in a cast iron pan or heatproof tray rather than loose on the stone, at moderate to high heat with repeated rotation for even blistering. There is no reliable published Ooni time or temperature for it, so judge by color and kernel tenderness rather than a timer.

Desserts, Reheating and Sous-Vide Finishing

S'mores in pizza form run around 400°C / 752°F for a main bake of roughly 1 to 2 minutes with frequent rotation, adding the marshmallow only for the final 30 to 60 seconds so it does not incinerate. Standalone skillet s'mores should be run at much lower heat and watched continuously.

Peaches tolerate full pizza-oven exposure: Ooni's peach pizza bakes at roughly 500°C / 950°F. For standalone fruit, use a Sizzler or cast iron and a much shorter controlled sear rather than putting wet fruit on cordierite, judging doneness by caramelization at the edges. Pineapple behaves similarly, sliced or speared rather than left in large cold chunks, rotated rapidly because the sugar chars quickly. Use it as a short final cook after a meat dish; the risk is confusing caramelization with bitter burnt sugar.

Reheating is a real but opportunistic use. An Ooni can bring back pizza, breads, roasted meat and skillet dishes, but full 500°C is almost always unnecessary: use a reduced flame or a lower electric setpoint and keep the food toward the mouth. Anything wet or sauced belongs in a pan rather than on the stone. Meat leftovers should reach 165°F / 74°C, per USDA leftovers guidance. The Volt 12 is the most convenient model for conventional-oven-style reheating, while a Fyra is rarely worth firing for one small low-temperature reheat. If leftovers are the main event, the dedicated pizza reheating methods guide covers the alternatives.

Finishing sous-vide meat is one of the strongest cases for owning an Ooni alongside a water bath. The sous-vide stage handles internal doneness; the Ooni supplies browning at a speed a domestic oven cannot match. Preheat cast iron very hot, dry the meat meticulously, oil the meat rather than the pan, and expect roughly 1 to 2 minutes per face depending on thickness. Thick ribeye, sirloin and picanha respond best, as does already-cooked turkey or chicken that only needs color.

Melting and toasting works on the same principle: cheese melts and bread toasts extremely quickly under Ooni top heat, so use a low or moderate flame, or residual heat, keep the food near the mouth and rotate. Expect tens of seconds to a few minutes. The current Volt 2 explicitly advertises cheese melting and bagel toasting, which confirms this as a designed-for use rather than a workaround.

What an Ooni Should Not Do

There is no practical boiling. Bagels and pasta are boiled elsewhere and finished in the oven, and any recipe implying otherwise is working against the appliance.

Wet or fatty food should never go directly on the cordierite stone. Cast iron or another high-temperature vessel is the standard answer, and it also protects the stone from the kind of staining that is cosmetic but permanent. If your stone has picked up dark patina from fat, the pizza stone care guide explains what is normal and what is not.

There is no blanket low-and-slow capability across the range. First-generation Koda, Fyra and Karu ovens are less convenient than a smoker or slow cooker for hours at 225 to 300°F, but the Koda 2 Max is officially adjustable down to roughly 212°F / 100°C, so an absolute claim that an Ooni cannot cook low is out of date.

Lid-on braising is limited by physics: a 12-inch mouth and low internal height rule out large Dutch ovens, even though a compact one is genuinely useful for bread. Capacity limits show up constantly. An oven that reaches the right temperature may still be the wrong oven for a spatchcock chicken or a whole fish, because the pan cannot rotate without touching the flame.

And ordinary nonstick cookware has no place in the chamber unless it is explicitly rated for the temperature. Ooni's own whole-fish recipe sets the bar at 400°C / 750°F, which most household trays never reach. Fuel choice affects all of this, and the fuel comparison guide covers how gas, wood, charcoal and pellets behave when you need steady moderate heat rather than maximum output.

Conclusion

An Ooni is a high-output oven with a wider usable range than most owners ever explore. The dishes that work best are the ones that reward either extreme: steak, lamb, shrimp, scallops and flatbreads at the top of the ladder, and shakshuka, skillet cookies, brownies and mac & cheese at the bottom. Bread sits in the middle and reveals the real dividing line between models, since an enclosed Karu or Fyra holds moderate heat more comfortably than an open-front Koda.

The equipment that pays off is unglamorous. A cast-iron skillet, a high-temperature tray rated to 400°C, an infrared thermometer for the pan and stone, and an instant-read probe for the food will get you through every category on this page. Adding an aftermarket door to a Koda is not on that list, and neither is trying to boil anything.

If you are still choosing an oven rather than learning the one you have, start with the model-by-model Ooni brand guide and the pizza oven size guide, then check the temperature guide for the pizza side of the same oven. Owners who cook beyond pizza tend to end up with an Ooni Cast Iron Skillet as their default vessel, and it remains the single most useful purchase for anyone moving past dough.