The Ooni Fyra 12 is Ooni’s wood pellet oven — the only model in the range that runs exclusively on fuel pellets rather than gas, wood logs, or charcoal. It sits between the entry-level gas Koda 2 and the multi-fuel Karu range, and it occupies a specific niche: people who want real fire and a degree of wood-smoke flavour without the complexity of managing full logs.
Ooni Fyra 12 Specs
| Spec | Detail |
|---|---|
| Fuel | Wood pellets only |
| Max pizza size | 12 inch |
| Max temperature | 500°C |
| Preheat time | 15 minutes |
| Weight | 10.2 kg |
| Dimensions (L×W×H) | 72 × 31 × 73 cm (with chimney) |
| Stone material | Cordierite |
| Hopper capacity | ~1 kg pellets |
| Fuel consumption | ~1 kg per hour at full temperature |
How the Fyra 12 Works
The Fyra uses a gravity-fed hopper at the rear of the oven. You fill it with hardwood pellets, light them with a small amount of kindling or a firelighter, and the pellets feed down into the burn chamber as they’re consumed. Unlike a gas oven where output is controlled by a dial, the Fyra requires active management — you control temperature by adjusting the chimney baffle (which controls airflow and burn rate) and by adding more pellets as needed.
In practice, once you’ve used it a few times the process becomes straightforward. Light, wait 15 minutes, cook. The main variable is pellet quality — damp or low-density pellets burn poorly and make temperature management harder. Use food-grade hardwood pellets (oak, beech, hickory) from a reputable supplier and the oven performs well.
Cooking Performance
At full temperature the Fyra reaches 500°C and cooks a 12-inch Neapolitan pizza in 60–90 seconds, on par with any gas oven in the same class. The cordierite stone stores heat well. The key difference from gas is that temperature fluctuates more — the oven cools between pellet loads and spikes briefly when fresh pellets catch. This means you need to pay more attention between pizzas, checking the stone temperature with an infrared thermometer before each launch rather than assuming it’s held.
The chimney on the Fyra creates strong convective airflow through the oven, which gives the top of the pizza good colour. The combination of radiant heat from the stone and convective heat from the airflow produces a crust that’s well charred on top and crisp underneath — closer to a traditional wood-fired result than a gas oven delivers, though without the intensity of flavour you’d get from a full wood log fire.
Smoke Flavour: Realistic Expectations
This is the most common question about the Fyra, and the honest answer is: there is a slight smoke influence, but it’s subtle. Pizza cooks in 60–90 seconds — that’s not long enough for significant smoke penetration. What you get is more about the character of the heat (flame-driven, variable, higher in the dome) than about smoke flavour in the food. If deep smokiness is your goal, a full wood-log oven like the Ooni Karu or a traditional wood-fired setup will deliver it better. If you want fire and a slight wood note with simpler management than full logs, the Fyra is a reasonable choice.
What the Fyra 12 Does Well
- Lightweight and portable: At 10.2kg with fold-flat legs, it’s genuinely easy to take to a friend’s house or a campsite with a flat surface.
- Real fire experience: If you want the ritual of building and managing a fire, the Fyra gives you that in a more accessible format than full wood ovens.
- Reaches proper temperature: 500°C, 15-minute preheat, 60-second cook — all of the core pizza performance is there.
- Good pellet hopper capacity: Approximately 1kg holds enough for a full cooking session of 6–8 pizzas without constant refilling.
Limitations
- Pellets only: If you run out of pellets, you’re done — no switching to gas or wood as a backup. The Karu range is multi-fuel; the Fyra is not.
- Temperature consistency: Gas ovens hold temperature more steadily. The Fyra requires more attention between pizzas, especially when cooking many in a row.
- Pellet quality matters: Cheap or damp pellets lead to poor performance. Budget on good quality hardwood pellets as an ongoing cost. See our guide to the best wood pellets for pizza ovens.
- Cleaning: Wood combustion produces ash. The Fyra needs cleaning after each use — the burn chamber and hopper need to be cleared of ash and any unburned pellets. Gas ovens are effectively maintenance-free by comparison.
- 12-inch maximum: Like the Koda 2, the Fyra tops out at 12-inch pizzas. If you regularly cook for 4 or more people, the smaller size means more cooking time cooking sequentially.
Fyra 12 vs Koda 2
These are the two entry-level 12-inch Ooni models at a similar price point (~£299–£379 new). The choice comes down to fuel preference. The Koda 2 is gas-only: easier to use, more consistent temperature, no ash, instant on/off. The Fyra is pellet-only: requires more attention, produces ash, but offers real flame and a slightly more traditional experience. If ease of use is the priority, choose the Koda 2. If the fire aspect matters to you, choose the Fyra.
Fyra 12 vs Karu 12
The Karu 12 is multi-fuel — it runs on wood and charcoal, and accepts a gas burner attachment. It’s heavier and more expensive than the Fyra, but the multi-fuel capability gives far more flexibility. If you think you might want gas as well as wood, or want to experiment with charcoal, the Karu is the better long-term investment. The Fyra’s advantage is simplicity: pellets are easier to manage than logs, and the hopper-fed system requires less fire-building skill.
Verdict
The Fyra 12 is a good oven for a specific buyer: someone who wants the experience of cooking with real fire in a portable, relatively simple package, and who doesn’t need the flexibility of gas or multi-fuel. It’s not the easiest oven to use and it requires more effort than gas, but it performs well at temperature and produces genuinely good pizza. If you go in with realistic expectations about what wood pellets deliver versus full wood logs, it won’t disappoint.
Related: best wood pellets for pizza ovens | Ooni Koda 2 review | Ooni Karu 2 review | best portable pizza ovens | how long to preheat a pizza oven
