Gozney Just Launched a Portable Pizza Oven—I Made Dozens of Pizzas to See If It's Any Good

Gozney recently launched a much-anticipated portable pizza oven: the Tread. In the months leading up to its release, chatter on Reddit reached a crescendo, with speculation running rampant; there were even supposed “leaked” images, adding to the anticipation. 

And now, it’s finally here. A few months before it launched, I got my hands on a press sample of the Tread to test it out. I braved frigid New England winter days and nights and slung loads of pizza (and also roasted some chicken leg quarters) to see if this petite, portable oven was worth it.

The Tests

• Heating Speed Test: I timed how long it took the Gozney tread to hit 900°F using an infrared thermometer to take the temperature in the left, right, and center of the oven. 
• Portability Test: To test its portability, I packed up the pizza oven and stand, put them in my small car, and took them to my in-law's house 35 minutes away. 
• Neapolitan Pizza Test: I set up the pizza oven on the quadruped stand and made pepperoni and fig-ricotta Neapolitan pies. 
• Chicken Test: Since Gozney promises the Tread makes “more than pizza” I decided to roast chicken leg quarters in the oven, loosely following this recipe. 

What We Learned

The Gozney Tread Pizza Oven Gets Hot, Hot, Hot

When I baked the pizzas, the stone reached an incredible 980°F on average after about 30 minutes of preheating. Even after lowering the heat, I had to use the turning peel to deflect some of the heat from the arced flame, lest the pepperoni and puffy crusts char beyond recognition. The same thing happened during my heat speed test: The stone hit 962°F after a mere 25 minutes of preheating. 

The reason the oven gets super hot is likely its size: It’s compact (more on this below), so it takes way less time to come to temperature than, say, a 24-inch pizza oven. While this is a boon for making Neapolitan pizzas, which require intense heat to cook quickly, it does mean that if you want to branch out you’ll have to make adjustments and keep an eye on your food. When I roasted the chicken leg quarters, I had to cover them with aluminum foil and only do a quick broil at the end to prevent the skin from burning. However, the resulting chicken was perfectly cooked with crispy skin and tender meat, swimming in a puddle of golden schmaltz (which begged to be used to roast some potatoes). 

Let’s Talk Portability 

If you follow Gozney, you might notice that the Tread looks quite similar to two of its other ovens: the Arc and the Dome. It even has the same arc-shaped flame as the former. But the Tread, being portable, is significantly smaller and lighter. While the Arc has an internal diameter of around 15 inches, the Tread’s is closer to 12 inches. Since cooking space is tight, you’ll need to shape smaller pizzas. The Arc’s external dimensions are 19 by 22 by 13.5 inches, while the Tread’s are 16.5 by 19.1 by 12.6 inches—a lot smaller. Finally, the Tread is much lighter than the Arc: 29.7 pounds versus 47.5 pounds—nearly 18 pounds less. Its reduced dimensions and weight add to the Tread’s portability, as do the “racks” on top, which make it easy to grab and move. That being said, when packed in the Tread Venture bag, it was bulky and awkward to carry. While the case was great for protecting the oven during travel or in storage, it was much easier to lift the oven on its own. 

The Quadruped Stand Was an Interesting Design Choice 

My father-in-law is a carpenter, and one of his creations is a set of small stacking tables. The tables are tripods—that is, they have three legs. According to him, only having three points of contact ensures the tabletop sits evenly, even if it’s set somewhere uneven. So he was surprised that Gozney’s Venture stand (which you have to purchase separately) wasn’t a tripod and instead had four legs. I thought this was an interesting insight, though I didn’t have any issues with the oven wobbling when set on a deck or my sloping concrete driveway. The stand has a built-in level, and the legs are adjustable, so it was easy to tweak it so that it stood evenly.   

The Verdict

The Gozney Tread is a great portable pizza oven. It has a 12.4-inch wide opening and a 12.2-inch internal width, so it’s best for making smaller pizzas. The compact form was great for portability, and I particularly liked the racks on the top of the oven, which made it easy to lift and move.

While it shone making Neapolitan pizzas, it’s also versatile enough to cook up other dishes, like roasted chicken thighs or seared steak. The Gozney Tread does get ripping hot, so keep an eye on your pies (or other foods if you’re getting creative) and adjust the heat as needed. 

Is it worth it? Well, it depends on how much you think you’ll actually use it. Do you go camping often and like the idea of camp-side pizzas? Or maybe you want to show off your new pizza topping combos to friends and family—the Tread lets you bring the oven to them.

I’d be remiss not to mention that while the Tread is novel, other pizza ovens are just as good and just as portable: Take the Ooni Koda 12, for instance. It weighs 29 pounds—a little less than the Tread—and is a similar size. It’s also $100 less and heated up in a mere 15 minutes in our tests. While it’s not explicitly called a portable oven, for all intents and purposes, it is. That said, if you’re looking for a compact oven that’s easy to use and lug around, the Tread will likely make you happy. 

The Pros

Compact? Check. Fast? Check. Hot? Check. The Gozney Tread delivers on everything it promises. It excelled at making puffy-crusted Neapolitan pizzas fast, and it was easy to break down and transport. It cools off quickly, too. During my tests, I used the accompanying Venture peel and turning peel and highly recommend them, since they fit nicely inside the Tread’s narrow opening. It also impressed me (I admit, I was skeptical) with how it roasted chicken leg quarters—I could truly see myself hauling it to a campsite and using it to make more than just ‘za. 

The Cons

I wished that I could make the flame even smaller—as it was, even at its lowest setting, it was still quite strong. You’ll need a small turning peel and some skill at maneuvering pizzas since the cooking surface is very compact. Speaking of peels, it would’ve been nice if the Tread had hanging hooks for them. Also, the Tread is a similar size and weight to other smaller pizza ovens, like the Ooni Koda 12, but it costs more—$500 plus $250 for the stand. 

Key Specs

• External dimensions: 16.5 x 19.1 x 12.6 inches
• Internal dimensions: 12.2 x 15 x 5.9 inches
• Door size: 12.4 x 3.35 inches
• Weight: 29.7 pounds
• Warranty: 5 years

Why We’re the Experts

• Grace Kelly is a senior editor at Serious Eats, where she’s been testing kitchen gear for almost three years. 
• She used to test kitchen equipment at America’s Test Kitchen and has spent time as a bartender and line cook. 
• To test the Gozney Tread, Grace used it to make Neapolitan pizzas and roasted chicken leg quarters. She also tracked how quickly the stone hit 900°F. 
• Grace has tested a multitude of pizza ovens, including the Gozney Arc and Ooni Koda 2 Max. Her husband is an avid pizza maker (and eater) and has benefitted greatly from these tests.