When I tested out the original Ooni Koda 16, I thought it was the perfect size pizza oven.

Now, they’ve launched their new Koda 2 Max, with 24″ cooking area for cooking multiple pizzas at the same time (or a pizza and sides).

In this review, I’ll go through my experience cooking with this new pizza oven, and let you know if it’s worth going for such a large size.

Ooni sent me this pizza oven in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Ooni Koda 2 Max overview and first Impressions

Obviously, my first impression was, “Dang, this thing is huge!” Compared to every propane pizza oven I’ve tested, the Koda 2 Max is the biggest by a long shot.

Ooni has a knack for making a really good-looking pizza oven. It’s black and stainless and looks super sleek. It would definitely be a good-looking addition to just about any outdoor space.

I think the coolest feature of the new Ooni Koda 2 Max is the dual-temperature cooking feature. You can set each side of the pizza oven to a different temperature which gives you a lot more room to get creative with your cooking.

You could cook a Chicago-style deep dish pizza on one side and a thin-crust Neapolitan on the other. Or, you could skip the pizza altogether and use one side to bake potatoes and the other side to sear a steak to make a whole steak dinner right in your pizza oven.

The temperature gauges are easy to use and the oven lights quickly. The independent burners are located on either end of the oven. The burners light in the same way as any other gas burner does and the oven pushes the flame upwards into the top of the oven.

I found that the heat distribution across the entire surface of the oven was relatively even, but I did find that the temperature was slightly higher towards the edges closest to the flame which makes sense.

The Koda 2 Max comes with a glass visor that attaches to the front top portion of the entrance to the oven. The first thing I said was, “Can I take that off?” and the answer is YES! If you want to fit something larger in your oven or need to clean it, you can easily remove the visor if desired.

Ooni Koda 2 Max specifications:

Assembling the Ooni Koda 2 Max

I found the assembly to be smooth and relatively easy. The instruction manual provides detailed diagrams of every step of the process, making it very simple to assemble.

You could easily assemble the oven by yourself, but it’s always helpful to have an extra set of hands, especially with how large this particular oven is. I let my husband and my father take on the task because I’m about the least handy person to ever walk the planet. It only took them about 20-30 minutes to assemble the oven, assemble the table, and lay out all of the accessories.

The two pizza stones are a little heavy, so you do need to be careful when installing them to avoid pinching your fingers, but overall, the assembly was a breeze.

As with all grills and ovens, Ooni recommends that you season the oven prior to cooking in it. All you have to do is run the oven at the maximum temperature for 30 minutes, turn it off, let it cool, and wipe down the inside with a dry paper towel. Overall, this is a very simple process.

Cooking pizza in the Ooni Koda 2 Max

Of course I had to start by cooking pizza. I did two 12” pizzas side by side. One was a simple pepperoni pizza, and the other I added sundried tomatoes, fresh mozzarella cheese, and basil. I wanted to see how the oven handled the thicker mozzarella cheese and delicate basil.

Like with most pizza ovens, the pizza cooked very quickly. I would say the total cook time was about three minutes and my pizzas were done. I used the pizza peel to gently rotate both pizzas after about one minute because I noticed the edge closest to the flame was getting a little too dark, but this is pretty standard with any pizza oven.

One thing I’ve experienced with other models is that either the bottom or the top of the pizza cooks faster than the other, but I surprisingly didn’t have this experience with the Ooni. My pizza got a nice, crispy bottom without burning, and my cheese & toppings were cooked perfectly.

What else can you cook in the Ooni Koda 2 Max?

I love using pizza ovens to cook other things like steaks, salmon, potatoes, etc. The size of the Ooni Koda 2 Max, along with the dual-temperature zones, makes it really easy to cook a full meal right inside the oven.

I live in Texas and there are times when I just don’t want to fire up the oven and heat up my house, so I’m really excited to have an outdoor oven that I can use for all types of things.

Plus, I would argue that a pizza oven steak is one of the best steaks you can have. The process is similar to the infrared broilers that high-end steakhouses use to get that perfect crust on both sides.

One thing to keep in mind is that you do want to cook the steak in a cast-iron skillet to protect your pizza stones. You also want to preheat the cast iron skillet prior to adding your steak to get the best crust possible.

Ooni includes two wired meat thermometers that connect to the digital temperature hub. These can be used for roasting meat which adds to this oven’s versatility.

I tested the oven out with a few ribeye steaks on one side and a cast iron skillet with Brussels sprouts and onions on the other. The steaks got a great sear and finished cooking in just about 10 minutes, which is going to be really nice on busy nights!

A look at some of the accessories

Ooni offers many different accessories for their pizza ovens. They have the standard ones that you would expect like pizza peels, pizza cutters, and grill covers, but they have some other cool accessories that you may not find with other manufacturers.

Cast iron accessories

Ooni sent me a few of their cast iron accessories, including a skillet and Grizzler Pan, which is essentially a flat, cast iron pan with grates similar to a grill. These are great quality and fit perfectly in the oven for grilling steaks, sauces, and desserts.

The handles slide into place and are meant to be removed while the pan is in the oven to prevent the handles from getting too hot to handle.

I like the concept of the removable handles, but I did struggle with getting them in and out of the cookware while I was cooking. I felt as if I was going to drop the pans and had issues getting the handles to line up so I could quickly remove the pans. It makes it difficult when you’re reaching into very hot oven, so I wish they were a bit more user friendly.

I love that the cast iron accessories each come with their own trivets. Pizza ovens get hot, so you may not want to set a hot pan on your counter or table. The trivets make it easy to move from oven to table without issues.

Infrared thermometer

Ooni offers a handheld infrared thermometer that you can purchase to check the temperature inside of your pizza oven. It will run you $50 which is less than some other models on the market, but more than others. I’d say the price is about middle-of-the-line. It’s nice that they offer it for a one-stop-shopping experience!

Final thoughts: Should you buy the Ooni Koda 2 Max?

Overall, I’d say I’m a fan of this new Ooni pizza oven. I don’t really have anything negative to say about it. I love how spacious it is, I love that I can finally cook two 12″ pizzas in my backyard, and I love the dual-temperature zones for versatility with cooking.

One thing to mention is the price. The Ooni Koda 2 Max will run you about $400 more than their 16” Koda model and it’s almost twice as much as the Gozney Roccbox. That being said, this oven is significantly larger than either of those ovens. It’s also the only one with the dual-zone temperature function, which is a massive upgrade in my opinion.

I think the Ooni Koda 2 Max should be looked at as more than just a pizza oven. It’s more a full outdoor oven that can change the way you cook a lot of things outdoors. Can it make great pizza? Of course! But it’s important to keep in mind that it is able to do so much more.

Still not sure the Ooni Koda 2 Max is the right pizza oven for you? Be sure to check out our article ranking the 9 Best Outdoor Pizza Ovens on the market today!