There is no better heat source than the sun, and with solar ovens, you can use that energy to your advantage. Many campers are beginning to see the amazing benefits of solar cookers. With a temperature range that rivals propane ovens, these solar-powered ovens certainly give campers plenty of reasons to switch over. Alternatively, this is the perfect eco-friendly backyard cooker to replace your old propane-powered grills, saving space and money.
With all of these benefits of using a solar oven, it’s time to choose the best one for you.
Best Solar Ovens Reviewed
1. All American Sun Oven
This heavy-duty solar cooker will cook your food in no time at all. While many other portable solar cookers focus on the lightweight shell and easy storage, the All American Sun Oven gives campers a taste of the power of the sun. It can reach temperatures of 360-400 degrees Fahrenheit. It can reach temperatures that many solar ovens cannot. This reduces cooking time significantly with this device.
While heavy and somewhat clunky, we fell in love with this solar oven when we opened it up. The cooker’s design is beautiful and offers campers an industrial yet natural feel with the wood/metal combo. In terms of space, this sun oven doesn’t offer too much because of the design, but the food that does fit in its cooking will be well-made. The heat offered by this cooker is incredible and will make your solar cooking experience simple.
On top of the powerful solar oven, this solar oven package also comes with a CD packed with recipes for campsite cooking. Simply follow the information provided by the CD, and you’ll be making gourmet food at the campsite in no time. The way this cooker heats your food is through conduction and heat-trapping. It can use solar power to reach the temperatures necessary to cook and traps the heat to continue cooking long after sunset.
Reviews of this product are quite positive. While our tests proved that it’s perfect for anyone looking to cook food on the trail, those who have actually used it while camping or in their backyard have plenty to say about it. Many reviews compare it to a slow cooker that can be done outside. It offers the same great heat range but uses much less energy and takes directly from the sun.
Pros
- Durable and dependable
- Traps heat
- Can reach temperatures many solar ovens cannot
Cons
- Clunky and heavy
- Limited cooking area
2. Gosun Sport Survival Gear Solar Oven Sun Cooker
This solar oven takes an interesting spin on what your typical solar ovens look like. Most ovens act as reflectors that directly heat the pot as it is placed in the cooker’s center. The Gosun Sport Survival device, while using the same basic principles, utilizes a housing chamber in the shape of a vacuum tube to store and heat the food. You place your food in this little vacuum tube, and the sun reflects off the backdrop, heading up the tube and cooking your food.
This really is your all-in-one portable solar oven. Once you insert your food into the tube, the sun reflects off the stainless steel backdrop and heats your food. Your food will be ready in about 20 minutes as this oven can reach up to 550 degrees Fahrenheit in no time at all. Cooking is made simple with this product, and all you have to do is put the food in. Let the solar oven handle the rest.
Our favorite feature of this solar cooker was how portable it was. It’s a fantastic device for emergency preparedness as it can easily be folded up and carried around by the handles. There’s minimal setup so that you can get to cooking in an instant. It’s cool to the touch as well, so burns and fires aren’t something you’ll need to worry about. Use this solar cooker whenever and wherever you want. The scrubby tool that’s included makes cooking and cleaning simple.
This is one of the best solar ovens we’ve tested, and anyone who uses it is almost certain to agree. We will note the minimal cooking area, as you can only cook what fits in the vacuum tube. However, for what it will allow you to cook, this is one amazing oven. It hits temperatures that few other solar cookers can hit, allowing for plenty of cooking opportunities, regardless of the weather.
Pros
- Heats up to 550 degrees
- One of the fastest cooking times
- Portable and durable
- Safe for the environment around it
Cons
- Small cooking area
- Can be heavy
3. Haines SunUp Solar Cooker and Dutch Oven
This is one of the best bangs for your buck on our list, as you’re getting some of the best features of a solar cooker for a much lower price than many of the industry’s finest. The Haines 2.0 SunUp Solar Oven is extremely adjustable and can reach temperatures up to 325 degrees Fahrenheit in about an hour. It’s extremely adjustable and can be customized to provide the perfect amount of heat to cook your food, even on a cloudy day thoroughly.
Many of these adjustable solar ovens can be difficult to set up and often leave users upset or annoyed when attempting to angle the best way to catch the heat. This cooker is easily adjustable, and its many flaps and walls can be set at the right angle to absorb and reflect all heat from the sun to cook your food. Transporting this solar oven is simple as well – fold it up and go. It’s extremely light and versatile when not in use.
Our favorite feature of this solar oven is what comes with it—many solar ovens, just the oven, with no added tools or features. With this cooker, you’re also getting a cooking sleeve, a four-quart pot, a solar oven thermometer, and a circular windscreen to help protect the cooking process. This solar oven was one of the best we tested, but the added features provided plenty of exciting benefits that made this cooker stand out.
Most customer reviews about this product are positive, citing the portable nature as something that stands out. Once this device is collapsed, users can bring it almost anywhere they go for some great solar cooking on the run. The only issue that we encountered with this device was the small cooking area. You can fit your four-quart pot, but not much else. So make sure your meal can fit within the space before you start cooking.
Pros
- Easily adjustable
- Transportable
- High-quality solar oven
Cons
- Limited cooking space
- Unappealing design
4. Sunflair Portable Solar Oven Deluxe
If you’re looking for a portable, we have one for your consideration. The Sunflair Portable Solar Oven Deluxe is one of the highest-rated portable solar cookers, and we can easily see why after testing it out. Essentially, this is a bag that can be unfolded and presented as a solar cooker. When you’ve made camp, simply whip this bag out and get to cooking; no propane is necessary. The reflective material on the interior allows you to use the sun for cooking your meals just right.
As far as portability goes, we agree with the sentiment that this is a top choice. Many solar cookers present transportability as their number one feature tends to be lacking in every other field. However, the solar oven keeps its many other aspects in check and provides consumers with a fantastic space to cook whenever they’re on the go. No need for propane or fire; simply use the sun and get cooking.
The whole package is one of the most inclusive ones on our list. Not only are you getting the solar cooker, but you’re also getting two heat-conductive baking trays, two racks, two silicon pots, one enamelware pot, and a carrying tote. As far as emergency preparedness goes, you’ll never be left without the proper tools for cooking on the go. Bring this fantastic solar cooker with you on your camping trips and cook up a gourmet meal whenever you need it.
This next part isn’t necessarily about the solar oven and is more about the company itself. Many companies who specialize in solar cooking tools have an understanding that nature is important to us all. After all, they use the heat from the sun to cook your meals, so keeping the earth healthy and green is important to them. Sunflair takes this further by donating a portion of its proceeds to different green funds that help the environment.
Pros
- Portable
- One of the most inclusive packages
- Versatile with plenty of cook space
Cons
- Temperatures won’t get as high as others
- The window keeps fogging while cooking
5. Gosun Sport Portable Solar Stove
Gosun is back with another fantastic solar cooking device. While they definitely peaked with their first entry on this list, this product is an amazing, portable version of their above-listed solar oven. Much smaller and easier to store away, the Gosun Sport Portable solar stove has all of its larger sibling’s cooking capabilities. It can also reach up to 550 degrees Fahrenheit and will cook your meals in around 20 minutes.
Cooking is made simple with parabolic solar ovens, and carrying this tool around has never been easier. It only weighs 2 lbs, so hiking will be in sync with this solar oven. The little tube in the device’s cooking area can heat up quickly and cook your food in no time. When testing out this oven, we were shocked to see how quickly our food reached temperature. Very little work was required as we put the meal in and let the sun do the rest.
When you purchase this solar oven, you’re getting a whole host of tools designed to make cooking simple. You get two parabolic reflectors, an EVA frame, stainless steel cooking tray, and an evacuated glass tube oven. These all combine for an amazing solar cooking experience, which can be achieved almost anywhere you go. When we opened this solar oven, we thought it wouldn’t be as powerful as others due to its size, but the temperature it can reach is incredible, and the use of this device is simple.
We aren’t the only ones who were shocked by the effectiveness of this solar oven. Many customers who have already purchased this solar device love how well it cooks their food and how hot it can get. Don’t worry; the glass casing prevents the device from being hot to the touch, so you won’t end up burning yourself. While it’s not as portable as the Sunflair solar cookers, it’s still an amazing portable oven that will get the job done in no time at all.
Pros
- Reaches up to 550 degrees
- Small but extremely durable
- Evacuated glass protects from heat
Cons
- Small vacuum tube cooking area
- The cooking tray sometimes slides out
6. ETE ETMATE Portable Solar Cooker
Perfectly compact when not in use and wide enough for rolls when cooking. The ETE ETMATE solar oven is a fantastic working space that takes some of the best features of other devices on our list and implements them to their own benefit. If you’re looking for a compact and portable oven that will get your food nice and warm in no time at all, then this is an amazing product for you. Cook your meals up to 550 degrees in the adventure-safe cooking tube.
We found this solar device to be one of the best at keeping ultra-violet light when testing it out. Even once the sun was behind clouds for a couple of hours, it still maintained its 550-degree status. Many solar cooking devices will quickly lose heat once the sun goes away. Those ovens tend to cook well on sunny days but not when there’s cloud coverage. This solar oven does a fantastic job of maintaining heat throughout the day.
It might not be as light as other solar cookers, but it folds up nicely into a little carrying bag that can easily be transported to wherever your next solar cooking destination may be. This is the perfect solar oven for camping, hiking, or even sitting in your backyard on a sunny day. As far as solar ovens go, this one might not have the most space available to cook, but it makes the most out of what it offers
Your meals will be cooked in no time with this solar oven, and once you’re done, you can simply pack up and head home. The glass tube keeps your hands safe from the head, and the food-grade steel will prevent contamination. If any bacteria does start to grow, the extreme heat will be enough to kill it off. We found this to be a fantastic solar oven to cook our meals, and you will too.
Pros
- Large tube cooking space
- Holds UV light longer than most ovens
- Will cook your food in no time
Cons
- Heavier than similar ovens
- It doesn’t allow for pots or pans
7. All Season Solar Cooker Camper
The design of this solar oven is one of its most appealing features.
When we first looked at the All Season Solar Cooker Camper, we thought what everyone who purchases this thing thinks – “I could’ve made this myself!” What we came to find out was that each panel on this device is specifically placed to provide the perfect amount of heat for a thorough cook. Every square inch of your food will be cooked with this solar oven. On top of the thorough cooking, your food will retain its heat throughout the day.
No other solar oven on our list offers as much customization and configuration as this one. You can alter the panels’ angle according to the sun’s placement for a more thorough cook. Use the sun’s heat at any time of the day – even cloudy days will provide your oven solar energy with the reflective nature of its walls. We found that food will keep cooking throughout the day, regardless of the weather above.
As far as temperatures go, this is an incredible cooker for campers as it can reach up to 400 degrees Fahrenheit with ample coverage of whatever is being cooked. When we compared it to other similar solar ovens, the All Season cooker showed how portable it was and how much space it offered. Depending on the walls ‘ setup, you can place a decent-sized dish in this device and still have room to spare.
This is one of the best for cooking food on the go without using gas or electricity. It can easily collapse and become the perfect solar cooker for anyone tired of being stuffed in a kitchen. Use the heat of the sun, cook your food, fold up the solar oven, and move on. It’s one of the simplest devices on our list, but its effectiveness when cooking is almost unmatched.
Pros
- Reaches up to 400 degrees
- It can be adjusted for perfect cooking
- Reaches food at all angles
Cons
- Fragile frame
- Difficult to fold at times
8. Sunflair Mini Portable Solar Oven
As the name suggests, this mini portable solar oven is all about portability. There are very few portable solar ovens as portable as the Sunflair Mini Portable Oven. It’s essentially a bag that allows for quality cooking. When it’s not in use, you can simply zip up the cooking space and transport it as you would a tote bag or purse. The portable solar coven comes with a clear zip-top that allows light to continue getting through but protects the food from bugs or dirt.
On top of the oven itself, you’re also getting a collapsible silicone pot, a heat thermometer, a cookbook with plenty of slow cooker recipes, and a stuff bag that you can use to transport your tools when not in use. This is easily one of the most portable solar stoves we’ve seen and stands out for its ease of use. Cooking on the go is made simple with this bag, and many have found this to be a perfect alternative to propane cooking.
As far as temperatures go, this isn’t the most impressive solar oven we’ve seen, but it more than makes up for it with the portable features it includes. It can only reach temperatures up to 285 degrees Fahrenheit.
Although heating is an issue, the true benefit of this bag is how accessible it is for cooking on the go, it might not be the biggest bag available. Still, it makes efficient use of the heated space to allow for anything slightly larger than its silicon pot to fit.
Reviews of this product are mostly positive citing the ease at which they could cook anywhere. As far as solar ovens go, this thing is the most effective at cooking with its available space. Solar cooking is here, and the Sunflair allows you to bring it with you wherever you go. We fell in love with this simple product, and many of those who have used it have as well.
Pros
- Extremely portable
- Makes efficient use of its space
- Plenty of added features
Cons
- It doesn’t reach as high temperatures as others
- Flimsy
9. Gosun Fusion Solar Oven
Gosun certainly proved to be a quality developer of solar ovens. This is an interesting one that doesn’t necessarily fit the list’s criteria. Nonetheless, we were so impressed that we felt it needed to be added. The Gosun Fusion Solar Oven is a hybrid oven that utilizes solar energy and electricity for the perfect cooking experience. Your meals will be thoroughly cooked. And when electricity isn’t available, this solar oven will still be functional.
Most other portable solar ovens can only be used during the day as they rely solely on the sun’s energy. This oven, with its dual functionality, can be used day or night, rain or shine. Where other ovens fail, this oven will still be usable. When you’re done with it, you can easily fold it up and carry it with you in the compact 14-lb case. It’s not as portable as others on our list, but it’s rather impressive for an electric/solar hybrid.
Reviews of this oven are rather positive, with most customers appreciating the functionality of this fusion oven. They love the ability to cook outdoors at all times, no matter the weather. Some issues that users had with the oven were regarding the plug. They claim that the plug can be faulty at times, leaving the electricity option unavailable. We never encountered this issue with our tests, but it is something to be aware of when buying the device.
Pros
- Hybrid model
- Cook in the day or night
Cons
- Faulty plug at times
- Heavier device
10. KECOP Portable Solar Oven Cooker
Yet another tube-style cooking device that enables users to make the most out of the sun.
The KECOP Portable Solar Oven hosts many similarities to the Gosun models and the ETE ETMATE device in design and functionality. It’s a tube that uses stainless steel reflectors to harness the sun’s heat for a full cook throughout the entire day. It can reach up to 550 degrees Fahrenheit, like many others on our list, and will easily cook your food in under an hour.
It might not be as fast or portable as other similar ovens on our list, but it’s durable and dependable throughout the entirety of your cooking day. Our tests revealed a quality oven that can cook, smoke, and BBQ anything you put in it. We enjoyed the experience of this oven and can guarantee that you will as well. If you’re looking for a cooker that will help with emergency preparedness, then this is a fantastic option to start with.
From baking to cooking to smoking, this oven has you covered. Reviews of this product are overwhelmingly positive, with 90% five stars on three different review sites. Consumers love the portability of this product and the effectiveness of the cooking. The tube can’t fit as much as others on our list, but you can be guaranteed a thorough cook every time.
Pros
- Portable and durable
- Reaches high temperatures while cooking
Cons
- Small cooking chamber
- Heavier than other “portable” ovens
Honorable Mention – Solavore Sport Solar Oven
We wanted to take a moment to mention the Solavore Sport Solar Oven. This device is a fantastic and dependable solar oven that will easily heat your food in no time with little hassle. This is one of the most widely appreciated solar ovens available, and many critics adore the services it provides.
The one reason why the Solavore Solar Oven didn’t make our list was that we could not test it and approve it manually. All other products on our list were tested personally, and the results and opinions are our own. The Solavore oven was unavailable to us, but the reviews were so overwhelmingly positive that we couldn’t ignore it. Check out this solar oven for yourself to see if it’s a good fit for your needs or not.
The Winner
Our number one choice for the best solar oven goes to…
The All American Sun Oven! This oven cooked out food better than most others on this list and remained one of the most tested portables. The runner-up, the Gosun Survival gear oven, definitely got your food to the optimal heat much quicker than the All American, but it lacked transportability. With the All American, you can easily fold it up and move it with you wherever you go.
The CD of recipes was a blast and provided some exciting recipes that allowed for creativity and structure at the same time. With the All American, you can cook wherever you go without worrying about running out of propane or not having access to electricity. This oven includes all of the other ovens’ best features on our list while maintaining its individuality. If you’re looking for a dependable and high-quality solar oven, then this is the perfect one for you.
FAQs
How Do Solar Ovens Work?
One of the most common questions asked when searching for these devices is how solar ovens work. We’re so accustomed to the ease and accessibility of an electric stove or a gas oven that the idea of one that relies entirely on the sun is quite foreign to us.
Not only do solar cookers work just as well as their electric or propane counterparts, in many cases, but they also work better. They vastly reduce your cooking time, are easy to use, and reach some temperatures that a conventional oven can’t. If you’re itching to start cooking outside and to reduce your electricity bill, then a solar oven is perfect for you.
We found that many meals we’ve cooked on a solar oven even taste better than the same recipe on a classic one. We cannot say whether this was down to an error of ours or can be related to the care and time that goes into cooking with the sun. What we can tell you is that portable solar ovens do work and work well.
How to Use a Solar Cooker
Each solar oven is different, so the instructions and guides will vary based on your purchase. All of the ovens listed above are easy to use and simple to understand. Here is a basic guide on how a solar oven operates and utilizes solar power to cook your food thoroughly.
Essentially, as you’ll find, the reflectors are large and powerful. They host a wide enough surface to capture the sun’s rays and reflect them in the food’s direction. These ovens’ complicated part is positioning the reflectors to reflect the sun accurately on your food and provide a thorough cook.
Luckily, that is likely not something you’ll have to worry about with your solar oven, as it’s already taken care of in the design phase. All you have to worry about is selecting the right oven for you and then set it up. Tend to your food as it bakes in the sun, but very little else is required of you throughout the cooking phase.
Three Types of Solar Ovens
Not all devices are the same, and you’ll likely have difficulty choosing the perfect type of outdoor kitchen mate for you. This is the first step in deciding which solar cooker is perfect for your cooking needs, and we’ve included at least one of each as an example in our list to provide you with plenty of options.
Reflector
This is the most common example that you’re likely to stumble across. It, in itself, comes in many different styles and can be customized to your liking. So what is a reflector-style solar stove? These are the types of ovens that simply use the heat from the sun to directly cook a pot or pan placed in the center. They are typically larger in size and offer more space for pots and slow-cooking recipes.
The reflective style cooker is a dependable and effective cooker that will get the job done well. The All-Season, All American, and Sunflair are three examples of these types of cookers in our list. Notice that the Sunflair is included, despite it looking drastically different from the other two. Bag cookers are counted as reflectors as they utilize their shiny walls to reflect the sun and cook your pots or pans.
Tube Cookers
Tube-style cookers look quite different from your basic reflectors but utilize the same principles and methods when cooking your food. The main difference between the two types of cookers is storing your food as it cooks. A reflector allows you to introduce pots and pans to hold your food, but the tube cookers require you to directly place your meal into the tube for the best cooking.
They use reflectors to reflect the sun and heat your meal. At the same time, the tube provides an added heat layer for a more thorough and quick experience. Tube cookers can reach up to 550 degrees Fahrenheit in many cases, making them some of the hottest available solar ovens. While the tube might limit what you can cook, it certainly boosts the sun’s reflection for a much hotter temperature. All of the Gosun products are examples from our list.
Hybrids
The final type of solar-powered cooker is the hybrid cooker. These utilize both the reflection of the sun as well as electricity to properly cook your meals. They can come in any of the above two styles depending on the device you purchase and offer you just as nice a solar oven cooking experience. These cookers are best suited for people who enjoy cooking outside but might be cooking late when the lights go down and the UV rays have dispersed.
On our list, the Gosun Fusion Solar Cooker is an example of a hybrid model. If you’re out in an area where electricity isn’t accessible, but you’re still looking to cook, then you can use the reflectors to heat your meal properly. If you’re in your backyard and the sun is going down fast with hours left to go on your bake, then plug it in and bring the electricity back. Finding the perfect solar oven doesn’t have to be difficult – know what suits you best, then go from there!
