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The best solar ovens offer all the heat you need to cook your meals for as many people as you need to feed. Using the sun for energy, there’s no need to plug in or start a fire. However, with many different designs and capabilities, choosing the right model can prove challenging.
We’ve reviewed dozens of solar ovens to present you with the best ones available. From durability and capacity to price and portability, there’s a solar cooker for any situation. Keep reading to discover which one fits your needs.
- Best Overall: GoSun Sport Solar Oven
- Best for Performance: All American Sun Oven
- Best for Budget: JWN Portable Solar Oven
- Best for Capacity: SunFocus Hybrid Solar Oven
- Best for Portability: Sunflair Portable Solar Oven
Best Solar Ovens: Side-by-Side Comparison
| GoSun Sport Solar Oven | All American Sun Oven | JWN Portable Solar Oven | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Size | 24.0 x 8.0 x 5.0in | 19.0 x 19.0 x 14.0in | 20.0 x 16.3 x 1.5in |
| Weight | 8.0lbs | 26.0lbs | 1.3lbs |
| Capacity | 1-2 people | 4+ people | 2-4 people |
| Temperature (Rated) | Up to 550 degrees F | Up to 400 degrees F | Up to 250 degrees F |
| Carrying Case | Sold separately | None | Integrated |
| Price | $279.00 | $499.00 | $40.94 |
| SunFocus Hybrid Solar Oven | Sunflair Portable Solar Oven | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | 22.0 x 22.0 x 12.0in | 19.0 x 15.5 x 2.0in |
| Weight | 30.0lbs | 1.1lbs |
| Capacity | 4+ people | 4+ people |
| Temperature (Rated) | Up to 300+ degrees F | Up to 285 degrees F |
| Carrying Case | Integrated | Integrated |
| Price | $649.00 | $199.99 |
Best Overall: GoSun Sport Solar Oven
- ☀️PORTABLE SOLAR STOVE - Deploys in seconds and collapses into a durable package; folding parabolic reflectors protect the cooking tube like a clamshell. Equipped with carrying handles and...
- ☀️COOL TO TOUCH - No fire hazard here. The stove’s solar vacuum tube cooking chamber provides a near perfect layer of insulation, keeping the exterior surface cool even while hot inside.
- ☀️EASY AND DELICIOUS - Just load food into the tube cooking chamber and set the camber on the reflector to cook, no monitoring required. This solar oven retains your food’s flavor and nutrition...
- ☀️FAST AND RELIABLE - Cooks a meal in as little as 20 minutes, reaching temperatures up to 550°F (290°C) in full sunlight. The GoSun Sport is effective at capturing ultraviolet light and holding...
- ☀️INCLUDED - Tube cooking chamber, 2 foldable parabolic reflectors, a stainless-steel cooking tray, a rugged scrubby cleaning tool and an instruction manual. GoSun does not require frequent...
From one of the leading brands in outdoor solar equipment, the GoSun Sport Solar Oven comes with all the features that make it one of the best solar ovens available. Weighing only eight pounds and folding into a tight cylinder, it’s incredibly portable.
The equipment’s concise design makes it ideal for a wide variety of cooking. And heating up in as little as 20 minutes, it’s the quickest solar oven on the market.
One of the coolest aspects of the GoSun Sport Solar Oven is its insulated outer layer. Even with inner temperatures as much as 550 degrees Fahrenheit, the stove is cool to the touch.
The only shortcoming of GoSun’s premier tool is the capacity; it’s great if you’re cooking for yourself, but those cooking for family or friends might want something a little larger.
Check out GoSun Sport Solar Oven on Amazon.
Best for Performance: All American Sun Oven
- EXTRA LARGE COOKING CHAMBER: The Sun Oven offers a large cooking chamber that will support meals cooked in enamelware pots with lids, in a Dutch Oven, and other larger cookware. Bake bread, cook chili...
- USE AS A FOOD DEHYDRATOR:The Sun Oven makes an excellent solar food dehydrator. Use the Sun Oven dehydrator racks (sold separately) to make sun dried tomatoes, dried fruit, apple chips and more.
- NO RISK OF FIRE OR BURNING FOOD: Because there is no interior heating element, the Sun Oven is great in dry at-risk wildland fire environments. Use it in the middle of summer during outdoor fire...
- ROCK-SOLID 15-YEAR WARRANTY:We offer a 15-year warranty on the reflectors against rust or corrosion and a 15-year warranty on the gasket against cracking. The body is made from engineered ABS plastic...
- COOKS LIKE AN OVEN OR SLOW COOKER: If you refocus the oven to the sun every 25 to 30 minutes, cooking times will be very similar to cooking with a conventional oven. Or use it for slow cooking. Put...
For a solid cooker that can handle large amounts of food, there’s no better choice than the All American Sun Oven. It can cook meals for eight people or more without sacrificing quality or speed.
While its size makes it a little bulky, The All American can handle whole turkeys and chickens, making it pleasantly versatile. What makes this solar oven a cut above the rest is its adjustable leveler.
The All American comes with a metal foot that tucks behind the box, allowing users to orient it with the sun. This makes it ideal for cooking at more times of the day than most. However, this powerful cooker comes at a cost; you can expect to purchase the All American Sun Oven for no less than $500.
Check out All American Sun Oven on Amazon.
Best for Budget: JWN Portable Solar Oven
- Open size: approx. 68*40cm / 26.8"*15.7" (When Opened)
- Folding size: approx. 47cm *43.5cm / 18.5"*17.1" (Folding)
- Working Condition: sunny days
- Temp Range: 80°C-120°C
- Max Temp: 120°C
Maybe you want to cook for yourself and your family but you don’t want to invest in a fancy cooker. This portable solar oven by JWN cuts out all the particulars to provide a straightforward cooking bag. It might lack the size and cooking capabilities, but at less than $50, it’s hard to beat.
As one of the smallest solar ovens on our list, don’t expect to feed a party; the JWN Portable Solar Oven has a capacity of about two to four people.
And because of its underwhelming reflective coverage, the cooker only reaches a max heat of 250 degrees Fahrenheit. A redeeming factor of its tiny design? The JWN comes with an integrated carrying case, helping its portability.
Check out JWN Portable Solar Oven on Amazon.
Best for Capacity: SunFocus Hybrid Solar Oven
- It's a Hybrid! Heats up fast... Use Outdoors or In... In Full Sun or Cloudy Days, too.
- Ready to cook everyday or the next emergency
- Powerful solar oven with built-in electric oven (two settings) High 300+ F. or Low 225 F. for long slow cooking.
- Superior quality and workmanship
- MADE IN U.S.A.
When you’re in charge of feeding the masses, you don’t want to mess around with capacity. As the largest tool on our list, you can rely on the SunFocus Hybrid Solar Oven to feed as many people as possible.
And while it heats up to 300+ degrees Fahrenheit, this solar oven comes with hybrid power. This means that even if you start to lose the sun, you can continue to cook your meals on electricity.
The Sun Focus Hybrid features a hard outer shell with a lid and handle, making it easy to carry despite its heavy weight. This also makes it considerably more durable than our other models, which could tear or rip if snagged. However, at $650, you’ll want to consider carefully if this is what you’re looking for.
Check out SunFocus Hybrid Solar Oven on Amazon.
Best for Portability: Sunflair Portable Solar Oven
- #1 Portable Solar Oven from Alaska to Afghanistan! Cook from sun-up to sundown.
- The most versatile solar oven on the market. Bake cookies or pizza. Dry fruits and herbs. Can accommodate a wide variety of cookware. No assembly required. Easy to use. Sets up and stores in seconds.
- Everything included to start cooking: 1 solar oven thermometer, 2 heat-conducting/baking trays, 2 baking/dehydrating racks, 1 enamelware pot, 2 silicone pots, and a handy carrying bag
- Oven weighs only 1 lb, 2 oz! Durable and portable for Camping, Boating, RV-ing, Tailgating, Emergency Preparedness, Crafts: candle-making, modeling clay
- Meets FDA, EU, and Prop 65 standards
Sunflair pulled out all the stops when thinking about culinary campers with this incredibly portable solar oven. Not only does this cooker support meals for four people or more, but it weighs a meager 1.1 pounds. It even has an integrated carrying case, making it easy to bring along for your next camping trip.
The Sunflair Portable Solar Oven doesn’t earn its spot on the list for its size alone. The whole kit comes with cooking trays, multiple pots, and even a thermometer.
Reaching nearly 300 degrees Fahrenheit, this cooker has everything you need to start cooking nearly anything you can think of. And at just $200, you won’t break the bank.
Check out Sunflair Portable Solar Oven on Amazon.
How to Pick the Best Solar Oven for Outdoor Cooking
When choosing the right solar oven for your next outdoor excursion, there are four main considerations:
- Temperature,
- Capacity,
- Portability,
- Price.
Let’s review each one in more detail.
Temperature
First and foremost, you want a solar oven that can cook the food you’re trying to make. If the cooker doesn’t get hot enough, it’s not worth investing in.
Standard oven temperatures for most cooking range between 325 and 350 degrees Fahrenheit. If you’re trying to cook vegetables or bake bread, expect the temperature to range higher.
Capacity
Once you know what you intend to cook, it’s helpful to know how many people you’re cooking for. Solar ovens have capacities from one person to groups of eight or more.
However, keep in mind that the more food you cook at once, the longer it takes for the cooker to get to the temperature. Additionally, large-capacity solar ovens tend to cost much more.
Portability
If we’re being real, you’re probably looking at these tools for camping trips. In the event that you’re traveling with your solar oven, it’s imperative that you can carry it with you.
Many cookers come with integrated cases or built-in handles. However, some require you to buy your own carrying case. This could be a deal-breaker if your cooker has considerable weight.
Price
Due to their simple design, it’s not out of the question to find a quality solar cooker for less than $50. However, much of the price correlates with the cooker’s max temperature.
As cooking heat determines what you can cook, you’ll find yourself paying more for better temps. Additionally, if you plan on cooking for several people, don’t catch yourself surprised by paying over $500 for the capacity.
What to Know Before Buying a Solar Oven
While cooking off the sun sounds like a novel idea, you might discover it tricky to do consistently. This is because of its reliance on sunshine; if you find yourself on a cloudy camping trip, you’re going to wait considerably for your meals. Before you embark on your adventure, it’s wise to check the weather.
Additionally, it’s essential to know that some manufacturers sacrifice durability for portability. While some of these solar ovens can weigh two pounds or less, their fabric can prove weak to snags and tears. When working with cookers like these, take your time inserting and removing cooking utensils.
Using the Best Solar Ovens: What It’s Like
When testing the best solar ovens on our list, users first observed the temperature differences. People found hardly any difficulty cooking a variety of meals from both the GoSun Sport and the All American. On the other hand, people found themselves waiting much longer for their food to cook in the JWN.
The next aspect users tested was capacity. In practice, the All American, the SunFocus, and the Sunflair were easy enough to cook with for entire families in one sitting. The GoSun proved useful despite its small capacity for some meals, but would not do for large objects like whole chickens.
Finally, users tested the portability of each solar oven. Although they were the slowest to cook, people appreciated how simple it was to put away the JWN and Sunflair models.
The SunFocus was also surprisingly portable despite its noticeable weight. By far the GoSun Sport was the least portable, with users having to purchase a carrying case for it separately for any level of comfortable transportation.
Best Solar Ovens: Further Reading
Before you take off on your next trip outdoors, take advantage of the sun with one of the best solar cookers. These are just one way we’re using alternative energy to improve our lives. For more on the solar industry, check out the articles below.
- Top 11 Solar Gear for Camping – Cooking to music, these state-of-the-art solar equipment harness the sun for power.
- Best Solar Panels for Your Home in 2023 – Want to update your power system and save money on energy? Check out these residential solar panels you can add yourself.
- The 5 Best Solar Lanterns for the Modern Camper – These lanterns use radiant energy to charge where you’d otherwise not have power.
- The 5 Best Mobile Power Stations You Can Buy Today – Do you have a need for power anywhere you go? These electric generators have you covered.
