Karu 12 specs
| Brand | Ooni |
|---|---|
| Max temperature | 950°F |
| Max pizza size | 12 inches |
| Fuel | Multi-fuel (wood/charcoal; gas burner optional) |
| Weight | 26.4 lb |
| Preheat time | ~15 minutes |
| Price tier | $ Budget (under $750). See Amazon for today's price. |
- Gas burner attachment is sold separately.
Specs are compiled from manufacturer listings and may change between production runs. Confirm on the retailer page before buying.
The Ooni Karu 12 is the cheapest way to cook real wood-fired pizza: 950°F on wood or charcoal, folding legs, and 26.4 pounds. It is also the most hands-on oven in this guide — fire is a skill, not a setting.
Who the Karu 12 is for (and who should skip it)
It fits the flavor-first buyer who finds fire management fun rather than tedious. If you have cooked over wood before — grill, fire pit, smoker — the learning curve is short.
Skip it if you want push-button pizza. The Koda 16 gives you 950°F with zero fire tending, and for weeknight cooking that convenience wins for most people.
Fire management basics
Start the fire 15 minutes before you want to bake, feed small splits of hardwood, and learn to read the stone: too hot and the crust chars before the cheese melts, too cool and you get pale, floppy pies. An infrared thermometer is the best $30 accessory you can buy for any pizza oven.
Portability
At 26.4 pounds with folding legs and a locking chimney, the Karu 12 is the only oven here you will genuinely take to a friend’s house. That portability is a real feature, not a spec-sheet line.
Karu 12 vs the gas alternatives
The Karu’s honest competitor isn’t another wood oven — it’s the Ooni Koda 16. Same brand, similar money once you add the Karu’s gas burner, wildly different experience: fire craft vs push-button. Buyers who romanticize wood fire should read our fuel guide first — most wood-oven owners cook on gas 80% of the time, which is exactly the case for starting multi-fuel. If the budget is tight and the curiosity is real, the Karu 12 is the cheapest honest way to find out which side you’re on.
The bottom line
Maximum flavor per dollar, minimum convenience. Know which side of that trade you are on before buying.
Check the Ooni Karu 12 price on Amazon
