Betty Crocker Countertop Review
Aside from the affordability, this is an extraneous gadget for making pizzas
This basic, countertop pizza maker doesn't offer much outside of convenience of making pizzas at home.
Credit: Aaron Rice
By Aaron Rice ⋅ Review Editor ⋅ January 5, 2024
RELATED: The Best Pizza Ovens of 2026
Our Verdict
The Betty Crocker Countertop is undoubtedly a convenient solution to making pizzas at home. However, convenience without quality is often not worth the investment. This electric, hot-plate-style pizza pan is capable of cooking fresh and frozen pizza, as well as an array of easy-to-make foods. But even for small kitchens, it is a bulky appliance that doesn't lend itself well to storage. The sub-par quality of the pizzas coming from this pan, combined with the questionable quality of construction, gives us pause. Affordability aside, if you want the best pizza oven to make pies at home, there are much better options, even for small, barebones kitchens.
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 This Product
Betty Crocker Countertop | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Awards |  Best Overall Pizza Oven |  Best Value for a Pizza Oven |  Most Portable Pizza Oven | Best Multi-Fuel Pizza Oven | |
| Price | $54 List Check Amazon (on sale!) | $800 List Check Price at Amazon/a> | $450 List Check Amazon (on sale!) | $500 List Check Amazon (on sale!) | $449 List Check Price at Amazon |
Overall Score  |
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| Star Rating | |||||
| Bottom Line | Affordability and convenience aside, there are much better options for easy pizza-making | A user-friendly pizza oven that consistently produced flawless pizzas, thanks to a digital thermometer and innovative gas burner | A top-tier pizza oven that's intuitive to use and easy on the wallet | This compact oven is easy to transport and a unique design makes it easy to turn out artisan pizzas | If you want to make excellent woodfired pizza at home, this redesigned oven makes that dream a reality |
| Rating Categories | Betty Crocker Counte... | Gozney Arc | Solo Stove Pi Prime | Gozney Roccbox | Ooni Karu 2 |
| Cooking Performance (30%) | |||||
| Output Power (30%) | |||||
| Control (25%) | |||||
| Ease of Use (15%) | |||||
| Specifications | Betty Crocker Counte... | Gozney Arc | Solo Stove Pi Prime | Gozney Roccbox | Ooni Karu 2 |
| Maximum Pizza Diameter | 12" | 14" | 12" | 12" | 12" |
| Average Pizza Cook Times | 19 min | 2.1 min | 1.5 min | 2 min | 1.8 min |
| Fuel Type | Electric | Gas | Gas | Gas, Wood (w/ conversion) | Wood, Gas (w/ conversion) |
| Average Stone Temperature | 212 F | 871 F | 841 F | 748 F | 825 F |
| Average Oven Temperature | 208 F | 969 F | 911 F | 795 F | 776 F |
| Built-In Thermometer? | No | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Size of Firebox | N/A | N/A | N/A | 156 cu. in. | 275 cu. in. |
| Power Output | 1440 W | 17,500 BTU | 15,000 BTU | 14,330 BTU | 18,084 BTU |
| Listed Weight | 5.5 lbs | 47.5 lbs | 30 lbs | 44 lbs | 34.2 lbs |
| Footprint | 219 sq. in. | 419.6 sq. in. | 330 sq. in. | 299 sq. in. | 471 sq. in. 503 sq. in. (w/ gas attachment) |
Our Analysis and Test Results
The Betty Crocker Countertop is an electric, hot-plate-style pizza maker with convenience at the forefront. The non-stick surface can bake 12-inch pies, and the 5-inch inset even allows you to bake deep-dish pizzas. Although the footprint is relatively large — which isn't great for small kitchens — the compact, turtle-shell design does help with storage.
Even though it can accept up to 12" pies, it was difficult to get the size just right to maximize the space. Credit: Aaron Rice
Cooking Performance
The Betty Crocker pizza maker is more of a baking appliance capable of baking fresh pizzas in your kitchen than a true pizza oven. It operates like a hot plate, and a preset “power-on” indicator light tells you exactly when to load and when it is finished. It is certainly versatile and could easily double as a panini press or quesadilla maker. It simply lacks the performance we hope for to produce pizzas with any semblance of quality.
Even a freshly made dough turns out dense, akin to the texture of a frozen pizza. A giant chocolate chip cookie was an improvement over the pizza, but it was still pretty tough and chewy.
We tested this pizza maker side-by-side with a high-end outdoor oven, using the same dough recipe and process for the fresh pizza. While the outcome of the other oven was a respectable pizza from any angle, the Betty Crocker oven managed to reduce that same pie to something akin to a subpar frozen pizza. The convenience of this oven is undeniable, but one of the joys of baking pizza at home comes from producing a pie you're proud of, and that simply isn't the case with this pizza maker.
A side-by-side comparison of the same dough recipe, from the Betty Crocker (left) and the Ooni Karu 2 (right.) Aside from the leopard-charring, characteristic of a Neapolitan-style pizza, notice how much fluffier the crust is on the right. Credit: Aaron Rice
Output Power
Power is not exactly the word of choice to describe the output of the Betty Crocker pizza maker. It's tough to judge against other comparable options because everything is run on a single preset — even the other hot-plate style pizza maker we tested can be slightly adjusted. We regularly had to bake pies for a bit longer than the allotted 15-minute timer. The oven could be hotter and may even benefit from the decreased cook times by improving the quality of a fresh crust.
Despite the posted caution sign, we had no problem lifting the lid of this oven with our bare hands, an obvious sign that it doesn't heat up very well. Credit: Aaron Rice
Control
Control, or the lack thereof, is the most frustrating part about this preset pizza maker. We find great joy in having a hand in the baking process — from making dough through tweaking the temperature of an oven to baking the crust and toppings exactly to our liking. Due to the preset nature of this oven — and a single preset, at that — all of that joy is eliminated. We would trade a bit of convenience back for some of that joy any day.
Aside from pitching a pie and removing it once it's finished cooking, this pizza maker doesn't require much input. Credit: Aaron Rice
Ease of Use
Despite any other hesitancy in recommending this electric oven, we can admit it is easy to use. As long as it is packed away clean, all you have to do is pull it out, plug it in, allow it to preheat, and bake until the indicator light lets you know it's finished.
Scrubbing a pan clean while avoiding water is an awkward assignment. Credit: Aaron Rice
Clearing this appliance is the one point of contention. Instructions explicitly state that you shouldn't immerse in any liquid, making scrubbing awkward. Although bulky, its compact design makes it easy to store in places like the drawer underneath an oven. However, if you have an oven, we highly recommend considering a pizza steel for a much more satisfying experience.
It was tough to figure out how to remove a giant cookie from this countertop cooker. A thin spatula and a delicate touch eventually did the trick, but it wasn't easy.
Should You Buy the Betty Crocker Countertop?
If affordability is your primary concern, with the secondary caveat of a lack of an oven, then the Betty Crocker pizza maker may find a place in your kitchen. But despite its undeniable user-friendliness, the complete lack of performance across the rest of the board makes it difficult to recommend this appliance.
For convenience, this pizza maker is unbeatable. For everything else, we suggest looking elsewhere. Credit: Aaron Rice
What Other Pizza Ovens Should You Consider?
If your kitchen, or lack of kitchen, dictates buying an electric pizza maker, even the Presto Pizzazz Plus is an improvement over the Betty Crocker Countertop. But if you do have an oven and can step up to that next price point, then you should consider investing in a pizza steel like the NerdChef 3/8" Steel Stone or slightly more affordable Original Baking Steel. These steels can produce high-quality pies on par with the high-end outdoor ovens.
—Aaron Rice
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