Solo Stove Pi Review (2.5 Years & 300 Pizzas Later): The Honest Truth

When it was time for us to get serious about making pizza at home, we bought the Solo Stove Pi Pizza Oven Bundle – all the way back to March of 2023. Now two and a half years and over 300 pizzas later, I’m still really happy with it and it remains my go-to!

I’m going to do a deep dive into how the Pi has performed over hundreds of cooks, covering everything from performance, durability, fuel efficiency, and which accessories we love best.

Want to explore this backyard wonder with us?

(We bought the Ultimate Bundle, but there are several other options to fit your own needs and budget).

Solo Stove Pizza Oven

Solo Stove is a company mostly known for their innovative outdoor smokeless fire pits, ventured into the realm of outdoor pizza ovens when they released the Solo Stove Pi outdoor pizza oven in March of 2022 – we got onboard a year later as the Pi promised to make pizza nights more exciting and delicious – and they continue to deliver.

Our Solo Stove Pi Review

As the company has described it, “Pi is a stand-alone, portable pizza oven designed for an efficient and fun cooking experience for everyone. The pizza oven features dual-fuel capabilities with wood and propane fuel options, offering a traditional wood-fired taste or a quick meal solution.”

Solo Stove Pi Pizza Oven Dual Fuel Bundle

Initially, the Pi was sold as a stand alone product which just a single fuel source: wood.

And while a wood-burning pizza oven is the classic and makes delicious pizzas, in our opinion, the flexibility of having the gas (in this case propane) option, is simply too important not to have.

Now, they seem to only sell it as a bundle that includes the propane burner. The also sell a wood-only version called the Pi Prime, which is discussed at the bottom of this article.

Wood Vs. Propane for Cooking Pizza

Cooking with wood versus propane can affect the flavor of your pizza, but more than anything else, it has an effect on the cooking experience.

Let’s quickly explore the pros and cons of using wood versus propane to cook pizza, particularly when using an oven like the Solo Stove Pi Pizza Oven which offers both options via a bundle.

Cooking Pizza with Wood:

Considerations:

1. Flavor: Wood can impart a unique, smoky flavor to the pizza that is highly prized in traditional wood-fired pizzas. This cannot be replicated with propane.
2. High Heat: Wood fires can reach very high temperatures, which is ideal for cooking pizza quickly and achieving a crispy crust.
3. Authenticity: For pizza purists such as the AVPN, wood is the traditional way to cook pizza and provides an authentic pizzeria experience.
4. Preparation Time: It takes a little longer to get a wood fire started and up to the right temperature compared to turning on a propane burner. It also takes a little longer in between pizzas.
5. Managing the Temperature: Wood fires are natural and therefore, they can fluctuate and need fairly constant attention to maintain ideal cooking temperature throughout the cook and in between pizzas.
6. Safety: You are handling and moving a few pieces of hot metal and working around flaming wood. It’s not hard to keep yourself safe, but if there are children around, you’ll want to take some precautions.
7. Fuel: You can buy great quality wood and starters from Solo (that’s their business!) or Amazon. But the day-to-day cost of these materials is quite a bit more than propane.

Cooking Pizza with Propane:

Considerations:

1. Flavor: Despite the lack of the wood smoke, most of the flavor really comes from the super high temperature and quick cooking time. You might not even notice a difference using propane instead of wood.
2. Convenience: Propane ovens heat up quickly and require less prep time. You can start cooking within about 20 minutes of firing it up.
3. Control: Propane provides a consistent and even heat source, which can help produce uniformly cooked pizzas (but you still need to rotate!). Propane also allows for simpler temperature adjustments – although, to be honest, it’s not super precise. Still, this is a huge plus, especially when you’re learning or experimenting with new doughs.
4. Fuel: Propane tanks are readily available and easy to replace or refill at many retail locations. You can also cook many, many pizzas on a single tank. Still, make sure you don’t run out!
5. Cleanliness: No emptying the ash tray at the back.

Can You Do Both?

Unfortunately, the Solo Stove Pi cannot do a hybrid of using propane and wood at the same time, and there’s no safe way to switch part-way through.

Are There Any Other Concerns?

Well, for a first time buyer of an outdoor pizza oven, you will likely see that this oven does not have a built in thermometer. And the propane control knob, being on the back and a little sensitive, isn’t as convenient as some newer oven options. Because of both, I feel most bakers will NEED an infrared laser thermometer that goes up to 1000F. And Solo Stove’s is fantastic.

For me, having the thermometer and within probably a dozen bakes, I haven’t felt the need for anything different.

Long-Term Performance: How Does it Hold Up?

Great shape and working perfectly: I mean that’s what you were hoping to hear, right? The stones have some staining from toppings getting off the pizza, the inside is discolored a little from the long and numerous exposures to crazy temperatures – but other than the need for a little Bar Keeper’s Friend, it still looks and works like the day I got it.

Propane Power: All these pizzas cooked and eaten, the consistency and speed of using propane to cook has made it my default method. The oven heats up in 20-minutes (longer if it’s cold outside) and is ready for Neapolitan in no time.

The Cooking Experience: All pizza ovens are a little different and you’ll need to get used to them. Despite having cooked in a lot of ovens, I continue to find the Pi consistent, predictable, and fun.

Durability After 300+ Bakes: How has the oven itself held up? The stone? The finish?

Impressive Fuel Efficiency: Share your incredible stat of using no more than 2 propane tanks per year. This is a huge selling point for potential buyers.

The Verdict (After 2.5 Years): Who Should Buy the Solo Stove Pi?

• This oven has proven to be consistent, reliable, and held up very well!
• This oven is perfect for: The home pizza maker who values speed, consistency, and ease of use. If you want to make great pizza without the hassle of managing a live fire, this is one of the best options out there.
• This oven might NOT be for you if: You feel you want to rely on a built-in digital thermometer or if you consistently need to make pizzas larger than 13 inches.

What Else Comes in Solo Stove Pi Oven Bundles?

There are actually a few different Solo Pi Bundles, and they vary on what is included. They also change what the bundles come with, but generally they will include:

• Propane Burner (I would suggest it essential)
• Steel and/or Bamboo Pizza Peel – I only use bamboo and a turner, but that’s personal preference.
• Pizza Turner (You definitely need one, even if not their brand)
• Infrared Thermometer (I would also suggest this is essential)
• Pizza Cutter
• Stove Cover (Really a good idea)
• Stand (up to you based on your outdoor kitchen)
• Heat resistant silicon top mat

What’s missing? In my humble opinion, there are a couple of things the bundle really should include:

• A brush to clean the floor of your pizza oven (this is pretty essential).
• A box of starters and their mini oak firewood to get you going. Still, these are readily available from Amazon (starters and firewood), which avoids paying for shipping.

Thoughts On The Solo Stove Pi Bundle Accessories

As mentioned, I think the propane attachment is essential for the versatility it adds.

Here are some other general comments:

• Infrared Thermometer: now that I have so much experience with this oven and cooking pizza in it, I only use this for the now when the outside temperature is really cold or it’s really windy and I can’t gauge how hot the oven is, when I got started, this was SO IMPORTANT to learning how to cook with my Pi. And, as an added bonus, I still use this constantly for checking temperature of other things – like my dough, water for the dough, the pizza stone in my oven, etc. This is a truly great tool!

• Steel Pizza Peel: It’s the perfect size for your oven and very durable – don’t bother shopping for a cheaper one on Amazon.
• Bamboo Pizza Peel: When comparing launching from steel or bamboo, I vastly prefer bamboo. It will burn a bit on the bottom and you do not want to cut your pizza on it (the cutter will gouge it). But I quite like the one that Solo Stove includes.
• Pizza Turner: Although their 2.0 version with slots is arguably better, I have the one included in my original bundle. The handle is plenty long enough to keep your hands away from the heat.
• Stove Cover: Lifetime warranty or not, if you’re keeping this exposed to the elements, a cover is a good investment.
• Pi Stand: This one is up to you. We didn’t have a big enough work station to use up the space for our pizza oven, so the stand was the way to go for us. One year in, there was no rust, but getting close to 3 years now, there is some rust forming at some of the weld points. It’s probably got another 2 years left in it.
• Heat resistant Silicon top mat: I think the best part of this is that no one will accidentally put a plastic cup on top which would surely melt onto the stove. But it’s not that easy to clean and dry thoroughly, so I don’t love putting my peel or turner on top for sanitary reasons.

Pi Bundle Pricing

This is probably what you’re mostly wondering about – and yes, Solo Stove makes the bundle pricing irresistibly good. If you’re on a budget, you might want to sing up for their newsletter or their social media posts and watch for a deal!

Other Accessories

Solo Stove has introduced several additional products as well as mixed and matched their bundles over time. Generally speaking, the bundles are a better value than getting the items separately, so I’d recommend getting the biggest bundle you can get with your oven.

In mid-2023, Solo Stove added a number of other product accessories to their lineup:

• Pi Prep Board
• Pi Turner 2.0
• Pi Rocker Blade
• Oven Brush
• Cast Iron Cookware Set
• Lazy PiZolo (a lazy Suzy for the oven to rotate on)
• Apron
• Dough docker

Various combinations of these products have been bundled together, but seldom do they come with the stove itself. So these are intended to be add-ons.

While several of these are quite appealing, by the time these bundles came out, we’d already gotten the things we needed for our oven separately. I do think the Culinary Collection would be a good investment for someone ready to dive deep and explore other dishes in the Pi but lacking any other accessories. However, I will say that a missed opportunity is that the prep board cannot attach to the Pi Stand. You might also take a look at the Rock’n-Dock Collection since it has a couple of other items bundled together, which will save you a bit of money if you want all three.

Solo Stove Pi Recipes

How could we end this article without at least providing some recipes?

Most of our pizza recipes include directions for how to cook them in an outdoor pizza oven (although not all, since some – like Roman or Sicilian – are meant to be cooked differently (like in a pan).

But here are a few of our favorites for you to explore:

• Neapolitan Margherita Pizza
• Pizza alla Diavola
• Biga Pizza Dough
• Thin Crust Pepperoni Pizza
• Mediterranean Pizza

September 20, 2025