Review: Ninja Woodfire electric outdoor oven

We’ve evaluated numerous Ninja products at Senses, including the Ninja Double Stack XL Airfryer, Ninja Kitchen Pro Thermometer, Ninja CREAMi Deluxe 10-in-1 Ice Cream Maker, and Ninja Sizzle. We’ve been consistently impressed with their offerings. Now, as grilling season approaches, we’re turning our attention to the Ninja Woodfire electric outdoor oven (model designation: OO101EU).

What exactly is it? Ninja describes it as an “Electric outdoor oven with high heat, artisan pizza oven and BBQ smoker.”

Unboxing and Setup

The substantial box contains the oven, two packages of Woodfire pellets, a pellet scoop, grill grate, Pro-Heat tray, recipe book, and pizza stone.

A removable frame at the base of the oven accommodates the pizza stone for pizza baking. For all other functions, the Pro-Heat tray is placed in the frame, with the grill grate on top of the tray.

The inclusion of a built-in residual-current device (RCD) on the power plug is a notable safety feature, requiring a reset each time the oven is connected. Given the oven’s outdoor use and potential exposure to damp conditions, this is a valuable addition, especially for users without RCD protection in their electrical system.

The oven is controlled via knobs and buttons on the front panel. A selector knob allows users to choose from various cooking modes optimized for different food types. A dedicated “Woodfire Flavour” button enables smoke infusion (more on this function later). Time and temperature are adjusted using another knob, alongside a start/stop button.

A side-mounted container holds the Woodfire pellets, which are used to impart smoky flavor. Activating the “Woodfire Flavour” button initiates the smoking process, although this occurs automatically when using the dedicated “Smoker” mode.

Regarding the Woodfire pellets, it’s worth noting that Ninja’s pellets are manufactured by Bear Mountain BBQ, a reputable producer. Significantly larger 9 kg packages of Bear Mountain BBQ pellets are often available for roughly the same price as Ninja’s 900-gram packages.

With the setup complete, it’s time to begin cooking!

Pizza Baking Performance

As avid pizza enthusiasts at Senses, with regular home pizza-making sessions, testing the oven’s pizza capabilities was a priority.

We initiated the test by selecting the pizza mode and setting the oven to its maximum temperature of 370 degrees Celsius. The “Woodfire Flavour” option was also enabled to evaluate the smoke infusion. The oven first enters an “IGN” mode, igniting the Woodfire pellets, which takes approximately 5 minutes. It then transitions to “PREHEAT” mode, heating the oven and pizza stone to the target temperature, requiring roughly 30 minutes.

Once preheated, the oven signals readiness with a beep, prompting the user to insert the first pizza. Pressing start again after inserting the pizza activates a timer that counts down and alerts the user when the pizza is done. A brief recovery period is then required for the oven to return to the correct temperature before the next pizza can be baked, typically taking only a few seconds, but potentially extending to 1-2 minutes if the door is left open for an extended period during pizza removal.

For optimal pizza placement, using a pizza peel that fits the oven’s dimensions is highly recommended. While we had a peel that was adequately sized, Ninja offers a perfectly fitting pizza peel specifically designed for this oven.

After loading the pizza into the oven, we waited two minutes.

The result was an almost flawless pizza in just two minutes. The quality was impressively high, with a distinct wood-fired flavor imparted by the smoke infusion. However, we observed a slight inconsistency in heat distribution within the oven, leading to localized burning on certain areas of the pizza while the remainder was perfectly cooked. As shown in the image above, the top-left edge of the pizza is slightly darker. This pattern was consistent across approximately twenty pizzas baked during the testing period. This can be mitigated by rotating the pizza halfway through the cooking process, similar to the technique used in traditional wood-fired ovens.

While a minor issue, it’s worth noting. This uneven heating was primarily observed when using the maximum heat setting. Less pronounced heating inconsistencies were noticed in other pizza modes with lower temperatures.

Smoking Performance

Having assessed the pizza-baking capabilities, we then evaluated the oven’s performance as a smoker.

We selected the “Smoker” mode, reduced the temperature to 100 degrees Celsius, placed our spare ribs inside, and set the timer for 4 hours. The absence of a built-in thermometer became apparent during this process. A meat thermometer integrated directly into the oven would have been highly beneficial for monitoring the internal temperature of the meat without opening the door and releasing smoke. A device similar to the Ninja ProChef Wireless Thermometer would be a valuable addition for achieving consistently optimal results.

After approximately 4 hours, we removed the spare ribs, brushed them with BBQ sauce, increased the temperature to 180 degrees Celsius, and cooked them for an additional ten minutes. The final result was:

We were very pleased with the outcome, and the smoky flavor was clearly discernible. While the included Woodfire pellets provide a general-purpose flavor profile, we recommend experimenting with different types of pellets, such as hickory, for a more intense smoky flavor, particularly when smoking spare ribs.

We also tested cooking chicken and salmon, achieving similarly satisfying results.

Conclusion

After extensive testing of the Ninja Woodfire over several weeks, we are highly impressed. Its performance as a pizza oven is excellent, exceeding our initial expectations. The smoking capabilities were also surprisingly effective. The ability to precisely control the oven temperature and maintain it consistently is a significant advantage, especially compared to the challenges of maintaining consistent temperatures in a traditional charcoal grill during extended smoking sessions.

Potential drawbacks include the absence of a built-in thermometer and the slight heat distribution inconsistencies observed in the hottest pizza mode. The latter can be addressed by rotating the pizza during cooking. Additionally, during longer smoking sessions, we found it necessary to refill the Woodfire pellets and restart the ignition process, suggesting that a larger pellet container would be beneficial. However, these are relatively minor concerns.

The recommended retail price is SEK 4,995 (although many retailers are currently offering it for around SEK 4,000). While this may seem substantial, it is worth considering that the Ooni Volt 12, a dedicated electric pizza oven without smoking capabilities, costs an additional SEK 3,000.

Overall, we highly recommend the Ninja Woodfire, awarding it a strong purchase recommendation.

Ninja Kitchen provided a review unit for this evaluation. The provision of review materials does not influence our editorial independence. We maintain an objective perspective, prioritizing the interests of our readers and consumers.