What can you cook in a pizza oven besides pizza? More than most people realize once they own one.
We bought an oven purely for pizza nights. Three months later, it had become the primary way we cooked steak, and the kitchen oven barely got touched on weekends anymore.
The intense, retained heat that crisps a pizza crust in 90 seconds does the exact same thing for a seared steak, a roasted chicken, or a loaf of sourdough.
Here’s the full rundown, by food type, including the safety numbers worth knowing before you start cooking anything beyond pizza.
If you’re still deciding on an oven, The Best Pizza Oven for Home Use covers fuel type and size, and What Temperature Should a Pizza Oven Be for Neapolitan and New York Pizza? explains how stone heat works, both of which matter just as much here as they do for pizza.
Can You Cook Steak in a Pizza Oven?
Yes. It’s genuinely one of the best uses for a pizza oven beyond pizza itself.
Use a cast iron pan rather than cooking directly on the stone. Preheat the pan inside the oven until it’s screaming hot, then sear for roughly 90 seconds to two minutes per side, depending on thickness.
That intense, even heat produces a deep, steakhouse-quality crust that’s genuinely hard to replicate on a standard grill.
Because a pizza oven’s heat is so intense, the outside can look perfectly done well before the inside reaches that number. A thermometer matters more here than it does with a regular oven.
ooni Cast Iron Grizzler Pan
If you’re cooking steak, chicken, or fish in your pizza oven, the Grizzler Pan is the single piece of gear that makes it practical.
It’s pre-seasoned, oven safe, and includes a removable handle plus a stainless steel trivet, so it goes straight from the flame to your table without needing a separate cast iron skillet.
Click here to buy the ooni Cast Iron Grizzler Pan on Amazon.
Can You Cook Chicken in a Pizza Oven?
Yes, and it’s one of the better ways to get genuinely crisp skin without drying out the meat. Marinated chicken thighs are forgiving in this kind of high heat, unlike chicken breasts, which can dry out fast if you’re not watching it closely.
USDA requires poultry to reach a minimum internal temperature of 165°F, checked in the thickest part of the thigh and breast, avoiding the bone. This is a firm minimum, not a preference, since undercooked poultry carries real bacterial risk.
A whole chicken or bone-in pieces cooked in a cast iron pan inside the oven pick up a genuine wood-fired or smoky character that’s difficult to get any other way at home.
Can You Cook Fish in a Pizza Oven?
Yes. High, even heat suits fish well, especially something like salmon, which holds up nicely to a hot cast iron pan.
USDA sets the minimum safe internal temperature for fish at 145°F, measured at the thickest part of the fillet. Fish cooks faster than steak or chicken in this kind of heat, so keep a thermometer nearby and check earlier than you’d expect.
A pat of butter, a squeeze of lemon, and a few minutes in a hot pan inside the oven is genuinely one of the easiest wins on this whole list.
Can You Bake Bread in a Pizza Oven?
Yes, and it’s one of the more rewarding things to try once you’re comfortable with pizza. Artisan breads like sourdough, focaccia, and ciabatta rise beautifully in the same radiant, retained heat that bakes a pizza crust.
The technique differs slightly from pizza. Bread wants a longer bake at a lower, steadier temperature, so let the oven cool down from pizza-cooking heat before sliding bread in. Also, expect a longer bake time than the 60 to 90 seconds you would give a pizza.
Can You Cook Vegetables in a Pizza Oven?
Yes, and the results are considerably better than roasting vegetables in a standard kitchen oven. The intense, dry heat caramelizes natural sugars in things like zucchini, peppers, and cherry tomatoes, leaving them tender inside with a genuine smoky char outside.
Toss chopped vegetables in a cast iron tray with olive oil and herbs, then let the oven’s heat do the work. Vegetables cook fast in this environment, so check them more often than you would in a conventional oven.
Can You Cook Dessert in a Pizza Oven?
Yes. A cast iron skillet dessert, a fruit galette, a skillet cookie, or a simple caramel and banana bake works beautifully once the oven has cooled slightly from pizza temperature.
The residual heat left in the stone after your pizzas are done is often ideal for finishing off something sweet without needing to refire the oven from scratch.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Can You Cook in a Pizza Oven Besides Pizza?
Nearly anything you’d roast, sear, bake, or grill. Steaks, chicken, fish, bread, vegetables, and desserts all cook well in a pizza oven’s intense, retained heat.
Can You Cook Steak in a Pizza Oven?
Yes. Use a cast iron pan preheated inside the oven for a deep sear, and confirm doneness with a thermometer, since the outside can look done before the inside reaches a safe temperature.
Can You Cook Chicken in a Pizza Oven?
Yes. Marinated thighs and whole chickens do especially well. Chicken must reach a minimum internal temperature of 165°F, checked in the thickest part away from the bone.
Can You Cook Fish in a Pizza Oven?
Yes. Fish cooks quickly in this heat and should reach a minimum internal temperature of 145°F, measured at the thickest part of the fillet.
Can You Bake Bread in a Pizza Oven?
Yes. Sourdough, focaccia, and ciabatta all rise well in a pizza oven’s radiant heat, though bread wants a lower, steadier temperature and a longer bake than pizza does.
Can You Cook Vegetables in a Pizza Oven?
Yes. The intense, dry heat caramelizes vegetables faster and more deeply than a standard oven, producing a smoky char that roasting alone can’t replicate.
Can You Cook Dessert in a Pizza Oven?
Yes. Cast iron skillet desserts work especially well using the residual heat left in the oven after your pizzas are finished.
Conclusion
A pizza oven is a lot more than a one-trick appliance. Steak, chicken, fish, bread, vegetables, and dessert all take advantage of the same intense, even heat that makes your crust crisp up in 90 seconds.
Keep a food thermometer on hand for anything involving meat or fish, and you’ll get a lot more use out of that oven than pizza nights alone.
