Our Pick: Nuwave
Check price on Amazon →Nuwave Pizza Oven Review (2026): Is It Worth It? + Better Alternatives
Let's clear this up first: the Nuwave Pro Plus 2 isn't a pizza oven at all - it's an infrared convection countertop multi-cooker that can bake a pizza the way any oven can. If you want true, blistered pizza-oven results, you want a real pizza oven. Here's our honest read on the Nuwave for what it actually is, and the three real electric pizza ovens to buy instead.
By The Pizza Oven Review Desk · ~9 min read · Updated 2026-06-28
Find your pizza oven.
Answer a few quick questions and we'll point you to the best pizza oven for you — from this guide's picks.
Get matchedOur top picks
Tap a pick → check today's priceWe have to start this one with a category correction, because it's the whole point. The Nuwave Pro Plus 2 is not a pizza oven. It's an infrared convection countertop oven - a multi-cooker that bakes, roasts, air-fries, reheats, and, yes, can cook a frozen or thin pizza the way any kitchen oven can. It shows up in 'pizza oven' searches because it cooks pizza among many other things, not because it's built to make pizzeria pizza. If you've landed here expecting a verdict on a dedicated pizza oven, the honest, time-saving answer up top is: this isn't one, and if real pizza-oven results are what you want, you should buy a real pizza oven. We'll explain exactly why, and point you to the right ones.
Here's the distinction that matters. A real pizza oven exists to do one thing: drive a stone floor to extreme heat - ideally past ~900°F for true Neapolitan, or 700-850°F for great electric pizza - so a crust blisters, domes, and chars in seconds to a few minutes. We judge every oven on that peak floor temperature, on whether it can join the 60-Second-Pizza Club, and on heat recovery between bakes. An infrared convection oven like the Nuwave is a general-purpose appliance: it cooks with circulated hot air and infrared elements at conventional oven temperatures, with no screaming-hot pizza stone and nothing close to the floor heat that makes pizza-oven pizza. It will cook a pizza. It will not make the leopard-spotted, puffy-rimmed pizza the ovens on this page exist to make. That's not a knock on the Nuwave as a multi-cooker - it's just the wrong tool for this job.
Standard disclosures: Nuwave did not pay for this review, has no relationship with this site, and didn't know we were writing it. Because the Nuwave is a general-purpose appliance rather than a pizza oven, we assess it here on its published specifications, its product listing, and owner feedback, and we measure it against the one thing this site cares about - making real pizza-oven pizza. Its listing publishes no tested pizza-floor temperature, and our verified dataset carries none, so we won't invent one. Every detail was checked against our dataset in June 2026. If you buy through our links we may earn an Amazon commission at no extra cost to you, which never changes a rating or our category call.
The short version
- The Nuwave Pro Plus 2 is an infrared convection countertop multi-cooker, NOT a dedicated pizza oven - it cooks pizza the way any oven does, not the way a pizza oven does.
- Real pizza-oven pizza needs an extremely hot stone floor (700-850°F electric, ~900°F+ for Neapolitan); a convection multi-cooker runs at conventional oven temperatures with no such floor.
- If you want a true blistered, fast-baked crust, buy a real pizza oven - the Nuwave will bake a serviceable pie but not a pizzeria one.
- The real electric pizza ovens to buy instead: the Ooni Volt 2 ($699, 850°F, indoor-capable) is the benchmark; the Ninja Artisan ($399, ~700°F) is the value pick; the Cuisinart Indoor ($299, ~700°F) is the budget countertop real oven.
- Verdict: a fine multi-cooker, but the wrong tool for pizza-oven pizza - route to a real electric pizza oven if pizza is the goal.
| Oven | Type | Peak temp | Real pizza oven? | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nuwave Pro Plus 2 (this review) | Infrared convection multi-cooker | Not published (convection) | No | Check price |
| Ooni Volt 2 | Electric pizza oven | 850°F | Yes | ~$699 |
| Ninja Artisan | Electric pizza oven | ~700°F | Yes | ~$399 |
| Cuisinart Indoor | Electric pizza oven | ~700°F | Yes | ~$299 |
The Nuwave against the three real electric pizza ovens we'd send you to instead - every spec verified against our dataset and the brands' pages in June 2026. Temperatures are manufacturer-stated except where noted; the Nuwave publishes no pizza-floor temperature.
The Pizza Oven finder
Which pizza oven is right for you?
Answer a few quick questions and we'll point you to the best pizza oven for you — from this guide's picks.
Pizza Oven quiz
Question 1 of 1
What matters most to you?
💡 Good to know
The Nuwave Pro Plus 2 is an infrared convection countertop multi-cooker, NOT a dedicated pizza oven - it cooks pizza the way any oven does, not the way a pizza oven does.
01 · The One You're Researching
The One You're Researching
Nuwave Pro Plus 2 Infrared Oven
A capable infrared convection multi-cooker - but it is not a dedicated pizza oven.
On the bench: An infrared convection countertop oven that bakes, roasts, and air-fries at conventional oven temperatures - no screaming-hot pizza stone, no tested pizza-floor temperature. It cooks pizza like any oven, not like a pizza oven.
Let's be straight about what this is. The Nuwave Pro Plus 2 is an infrared convection countertop oven - a multi-cooker that bakes, roasts, air-fries, dehydrates, and reheats. It circulates hot air and uses infrared elements at conventional oven temperatures, and like any oven, it can cook a pizza. That's why it surfaces in pizza-oven searches. But cooking pizza is one of many things it does, not the thing it's built for, and that distinction is the entire reason this review exists.
None of this makes the Nuwave a bad appliance. If you want one countertop box that air-fries, roasts a chicken, and occasionally heats a frozen pizza, it may serve you well, and we'd judge it on those terms elsewhere. But this is a pizza-oven site, and on the one question we exist to answer - will it make real pizza-oven pizza? - the honest answer is no. If pizza is the goal, skip it and buy a real electric pizza oven; the three below are built for exactly that.
- Fuel
- Electric (infrared convection multi-cooker)
- Peak temp
- Not published as a pizza-floor temperature (conventional convection oven, not a hot-stone pizza oven)
- Max pizza size
- Not published (general-purpose countertop oven)
- Weight
- Not published
- Price
- Check price
What we like
- Versatile multi-cooker: bakes, roasts, air-fries, reheats
- Countertop convenience for general cooking
- Can cook a serviceable pizza like any kitchen oven
- Lower cost than a dedicated electric pizza oven
Worth noting
- Not a pizza oven - no extreme-heat stone floor for a real crust
- Runs at conventional oven temperatures; no blistered, fast-baked pizza
- No tested pizza-floor temperature; wrong tool for pizza-oven results
Who should buy it: Buy the Nuwave only if what you actually want is a general-purpose infrared convection multi-cooker - air-frying, roasting, reheating, with occasional pizza among many tasks - and pizzeria-style pizza is not your goal. If you came here to make real pizza-oven pizza, this isn't the right product; buy one of the real electric pizza ovens below instead.
What we don't like: It is not a pizza oven, and it's marketed into pizza searches anyway - it has no extreme-heat stone floor and runs at conventional oven temperatures, so it can't produce a true blistered, fast-baked crust. It publishes no tested pizza-floor temperature. As a multi-cooker it may be capable; as the dedicated pizza oven this site is about, it's the wrong tool.
Bottom line: The most useful thing we can tell you is what the Nuwave isn't: a pizza oven. It's an infrared convection multi-cooker that does many kitchen jobs and can bake a serviceable pizza the way your regular oven can - but it has no extreme-heat stone floor, so it can't make the blistered, fast-baked, pizzeria-style pizza the ovens on this site exist to make. As a multi-cooker it may be fine. As a pizza oven, it's the wrong tool, and you should buy a real one.
02 · Best Real Electric Pizza Oven - The Benchmark
Ooni Volt 2
A real electric pizza oven that hits 850°F - indoor-capable, with a true hot stone floor.
On the bench: Manufacturer-stated 850°F on a real pizza stone, with dual elements and indoor capability - the benchmark electric pizza oven, built to do the one thing the Nuwave can't.
This is the oven the Nuwave only pretends to be. The Ooni Volt 2 is a real electric pizza oven: a stated 850°F on an actual pizza stone, dual top-and-bottom elements that bake evenly, and - crucially - indoor capability, so you get pizza-oven results on a kitchen countertop with no propane or wood. That 850°F is the difference between cooking a pizza and making pizza-oven pizza: it blisters the rim and crisps the base fast, the way the Nuwave's conventional convection heat simply can't.
It's a real spend and a substantial countertop oven, but for indoor electric pizza done right, the Volt 2 is the benchmark and the upgrade worth pricing over any general-purpose multi-cooker.
- Fuel
- Electric (indoor-capable)
- Peak temp
- 850°F (manufacturer-stated)
- Max pizza size
- 12 in
- Weight
- 38.8 lb
- Price
- ~$699
What we like
- A real electric pizza oven: stated 850°F on a true hot stone floor
- Indoor-capable - pizza-oven results on a kitchen countertop
- Dual elements for even, blistered bakes
- Ooni build quality, support, and longevity
Worth noting
- ~$699 - the priciest pick here
- Substantial countertop footprint at 38.8 lb
- Stated 850°F is hot for electric but below ~900°F Neapolitan
Who should buy it: Buy the Ooni Volt 2 if you want true electric pizza-oven results indoors - a real 850°F stone floor and blistered crusts on a countertop, no fuel required. It's the right pick for a serious indoor-pizza buyer who came to a 'pizza oven' search wanting actual pizza-oven pizza.
What we don't like: At $699 it's the priciest pick here and a real spend versus a budget multi-cooker. At 38.8 lb it's a substantial countertop oven, and at a stated 850°F it's hot for electric but below the ~900°F of top gas/wood ovens for true Neapolitan. It does one job - pizza - rather than the Nuwave's many.
Bottom line: This is what an electric pizza oven actually is: the Ooni Volt 2 drives a real stone floor to a stated 850°F, blisters a crust the way a pizza oven should, and does it indoors on a countertop. Where the Nuwave is a multi-cooker that happens to bake pizza, the Volt 2 is purpose-built for pizza - and it's the benchmark we'd send any serious indoor-pizza buyer to.
03 · Best Value Real Pizza Oven - Half the Price
Ninja Artisan Outdoor Pizza Oven
A real electric pizza oven at ~700°F for $399 - purpose-built, not a multi-cooker.
On the bench: Manufacturer-stated ~700°F on a real pizza stone with multi-mode cooking - a genuine electric pizza oven at roughly half the Volt 2's price, doing the job the Nuwave can't.
A real pizza oven for the price of a fancy multi-cooker. The Ninja Artisan is a dedicated electric pizza oven: a stated ~700°F on a real stone, with multi-mode settings tuned for pizza and quick bakes. That ~700°F is well above what a conventional convection oven like the Nuwave delivers, and it's paired with an actual pizza stone - so you get a crisp, properly baked crust instead of a serviceable one.
It's an outdoor electric oven and a smaller 12-inch class, so it's not the indoor benchmark - but as the value real pizza oven, it's exactly what a Nuwave shopper who actually wants pizza should price first.
- Fuel
- Electric (outdoor)
- Peak temp
- ~700°F (manufacturer-stated)
- Max pizza size
- 12 in
- Weight
- 34 lb
- Price
- ~$399
What we like
- A real electric pizza oven with a true hot stone, not a multi-cooker
- Stated ~700°F - far past any convection oven
- Roughly half the price of the Volt 2 benchmark
- Multi-mode settings tuned for pizza and quick bakes
Worth noting
- Cooler than the Volt 2 (stated ~700°F vs. 850°F)
- Outdoor electric, smaller 12-inch class
- Stated temperature is the manufacturer's figure, not clocked
Who should buy it: Buy the Ninja Artisan if you want a genuine electric pizza oven - a real hot stone and a proper crust - without paying benchmark money. It's the right value pick for a buyer who came to a 'pizza oven' search wanting real pizza-oven results at a sensible price.
What we don't like: At a stated ~700°F it's cooler than the Volt 2's 850°F, so bakes are a touch slower. It's an outdoor electric oven and a smaller 12-inch class, and the temperature is the manufacturer's figure rather than one we clocked. It does pizza, not the Nuwave's many other jobs.
Bottom line: If you want a real electric pizza oven without the Volt 2's price, the Ninja Artisan is the value pick: a stated ~700°F on an actual pizza stone, purpose-built for pizza, at $399. It's hotter and more pizza-focused than any convection multi-cooker, and it bakes a genuine crust the Nuwave can't.
04 · Best Budget Real Oven - Indoor Countertop
Cuisinart Indoor Pizza Oven
A budget indoor electric pizza oven at ~700°F - real pizza-oven design for $299.
On the bench: Manufacturer-stated ~700°F on a real pizza stone, indoor countertop - the cheapest way here to get a genuine electric pizza oven instead of a convection multi-cooker.
The budget way to do it right. The Cuisinart Indoor Pizza Oven is a dedicated electric pizza oven at a budget-friendly $299: a stated ~700°F on a real pizza stone, sized for the countertop and designed for pizza first. Unlike a convection multi-cooker, it has the hot stone and the pizza-focused design that produce a genuinely crisp, properly baked crust.
It's an entry-tier oven, so build is simpler and we assess on specs and owner feedback rather than clocked numbers, and it's a smaller 12-inch class - but as the cheapest real electric pizza oven, it's the budget alternative a Nuwave shopper who wants pizza should price first.
- Fuel
- Electric (indoor countertop)
- Peak temp
- ~700°F (manufacturer-stated)
- Max pizza size
- 12 in
- Weight
- 24 lb
- Price
- ~$299
What we like
- A real electric pizza oven with a hot stone - not a multi-cooker
- Indoor countertop convenience, no fuel
- Budget $299 - often no more than a capable multi-cooker
- Stated ~700°F - far past conventional convection heat
Worth noting
- Entry-tier build; assessed on specs + owner feedback, not clocked
- Cooler than the Volt 2 (stated ~700°F vs. 850°F)
- Smaller 12-inch class; stated temperature, not measured
Who should buy it: Buy the Cuisinart Indoor if you want the cheapest genuine electric pizza oven - a real hot stone and a proper crust indoors - for around the price of a multi-cooker. It's the right budget pick for a buyer who wants real pizza-oven results without overspending.
What we don't like: Entry-tier build, so fit-and-finish and durability vary by unit, and we assess on specs and owner feedback rather than clocked numbers. At a stated ~700°F it's cooler than the Volt 2, it's a smaller 12-inch class, and the temperature is the manufacturer's figure. It does pizza, not the Nuwave's many tasks.
Bottom line: If you want the cheapest path to a real electric pizza oven indoors, the Cuisinart is it: a stated ~700°F on an actual pizza stone, designed for pizza, at $299. It's the budget real-oven answer to the Nuwave - lower price than a multi-cooker, but built to make a proper crust the Nuwave can't.
More ovens worth comparing
Beyond this guide — the highest-rated ovens across every fuel and budget, with a live price check on each.
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases, at no cost to you.
Quick shop: every pick
Skip the scroll — the whole lineup, with a live price check on each.
- Nuwave Pro Plus 2 Infrared OvenThe One You're ResearchingNuwave · Check priceCheck price on Amazon
- Ooni Volt 2Best Real Electric Pizza Oven - The BenchmarkOoni · ~$699Check price on Amazon
- Ninja Artisan Outdoor Pizza OvenBest Value Real Pizza Oven - Half the PriceNinja · ~$399Check price on Amazon
- Cuisinart Indoor Pizza OvenBest Budget Real Oven - Indoor CountertopCuisinart · ~$299Check price on Amazon
How we chose
This is a brand review written to help you decide - and in this case, the most useful thing we can do is correct the category and point you to the right tool. We judge every oven on three things: the peak floor temperature it can reach, membership in the 60-Second-Pizza Club (a true Neapolitan in 60-90 seconds), and heat recovery between bakes. The Nuwave Pro Plus 2 is an infrared convection multi-cooker, not a dedicated pizza oven, so we assess it against that standard: it cooks pizza like any oven, with circulated hot air at conventional temperatures and no screaming-hot pizza stone. We have not bench-fired this unit for pizza, its listing publishes no tested pizza-floor temperature, and our PA-API-verified dataset carries none - so we state that plainly rather than inventing a number. Where we cite temperatures for the alternatives, we label them stated (the real ovens' figures here are manufacturer-stated electric peaks).
Every type, temperature, and ASIN comes from our PA-API-verified dataset and the brands' own product pages; we never invent a spec. No brand has paid for placement and no rating is for sale. The alternatives on this page are the real electric pizza ovens a shopper who wants pizza-oven results should buy instead - chosen because they're built for the one job the Nuwave isn't. The goal is to make this review a launchpad to the right product, not a dead end.
Key terms
- Infrared convection oven
- A general-purpose countertop appliance (the Nuwave) that cooks with circulated hot air and infrared elements at conventional oven temperatures. It bakes, roasts, and air-fries - and can cook a pizza like any oven - but has no extreme-heat pizza stone, so it isn't a pizza oven.
- Peak floor temperature
- The temperature of a pizza oven's hot stone floor - the number that blisters a crust. Real electric pizza ovens run 700-850°F; ~900°F+ is true Neapolitan territory. A convection multi-cooker like the Nuwave has no such floor, which is the core reason it can't make pizza-oven pizza.
- 60-Second-Pizza Club
- Our shorthand for ovens that bake a true Neapolitan in 60-90 seconds, which requires a ~900°F-plus floor. No electric oven here is a member, but the real ones (Volt 2, Ninja, Cuisinart) at least have a hot pizza stone; the Nuwave does not.
- Dedicated pizza oven
- An appliance built to drive a stone floor to extreme heat for blistered, fast-baked pizza - the only kind of oven this site reviews on the merits. The Ooni Volt 2, Ninja Artisan, and Cuisinart Indoor qualify; the Nuwave, a multi-cooker, does not.
Questions, answered
Is the Nuwave pizza oven any good?
As a 'pizza oven,' no - because it isn't one. The Nuwave Pro Plus 2 is an infrared convection countertop multi-cooker that air-fries, roasts, and reheats, and can bake a pizza the way any kitchen oven can. But it has no extreme-heat pizza stone and runs at conventional oven temperatures, so it can't make the blistered, fast-baked, pizzeria-style crust a real pizza oven exists to make. As a general multi-cooker it may be perfectly capable; for real pizza-oven pizza it's the wrong tool, and you should buy a real electric pizza oven instead.
What's a better alternative to the Nuwave for pizza?
A real electric pizza oven - that's the whole answer. The Ooni Volt 2 ($699) is the benchmark: a real 850°F hot stone, indoor-capable, purpose-built for pizza. The Ninja Artisan ($399) is the value pick: a genuine ~700°F pizza oven at roughly half that price. And the Cuisinart Indoor ($299) is the budget real oven: a ~700°F hot stone indoors, often for no more than a capable multi-cooker. Any of these will make real pizza-oven pizza; the Nuwave won't. Buy the tool built for the job.
Can the Nuwave make real pizza?
It can bake a pizza, but not pizza-oven pizza. Real pizza-oven results - a blistered, puffy rim and a crisp, fast-baked base - come from an extremely hot stone floor (700-850°F electric, ~900°F+ for Neapolitan). The Nuwave is a convection multi-cooker that runs at ordinary oven temperatures with no such stone, so you'll get a serviceable pizza like you'd get from your kitchen oven, not the leopard-spotted crust the ovens on this site are about. If that crust is what you want, you need a real pizza oven.
Why does the Nuwave show up in pizza oven searches if it isn't one?
Because it cooks pizza among many other things, and it's marketed broadly. The Nuwave Pro Plus 2 is a versatile infrared convection oven - it bakes, roasts, air-fries, reheats, and yes, can heat a pizza - so it appears in 'pizza oven' results even though it isn't a dedicated pizza oven. That's exactly the confusion this review exists to clear up: if you want a multi-cooker, it may suit you; if you came looking for a pizza oven, it isn't one, and a real electric pizza oven (Ooni Volt 2, Ninja Artisan, Cuisinart Indoor) is what you actually want.
What temperature does the Nuwave reach for pizza?
It doesn't publish a tested pizza-floor temperature, and our verified dataset carries none, because it's a convection multi-cooker measured like a conventional oven, not a hot-stone pizza oven - so we won't quote a figure. The more useful point is that whatever its convection temperature, it lacks the extreme-heat pizza stone that makes pizza-oven pizza. Real electric pizza ovens publish their peaks - 850°F for the Ooni Volt 2, ~700°F for the Ninja Artisan and Cuisinart Indoor - because that hot stone is the entire point.
Should I buy the Nuwave or a real electric pizza oven?
If pizza is your goal, buy a real electric pizza oven - that's the clear recommendation. The Nuwave makes sense only if what you truly want is a do-everything countertop multi-cooker and pizza is incidental. For genuine pizza-oven results indoors, the Ooni Volt 2 ($699) is the benchmark; for value, the Ninja Artisan ($399); for the lowest price on a real oven, the Cuisinart Indoor ($299). Each of those is built to make pizza-oven pizza; the Nuwave is built to do a bit of everything, pizza included but not specialized.
Filed under Review
Part of Brand & Budget Oven Reviews
Keep reading
The Best Electric Pizza Ovens (2026)
Every real electric pizza oven ranked on peak stone temp and crust quality - the ovens to buy instead of a multi-cooker.
The Best Pizza Ovens (2026)
Our master ranking across every fuel and budget, judged on peak floor temp, 60-second bakes, and heat recovery.
The Best Pizza Oven for Beginners (2026)
The most forgiving real pizza ovens for your first bakes - including indoor electric picks.