There is no better heat source than the sun; with solar ovens, you can use that energy to your advantage. Many campers are beginning to see the excellent 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 these solar oven benefits, it’s time to choose the best one for your solar cooking experience.
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 sun’s power.
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. This cooker’s heat is incredible and will simplify your solar cooking experience.
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 pretty positive. While our tests proved that it’s perfect for anyone looking to cook food on the trail, those who have 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 excellent heat range but uses much less energy and takes directly from the sun.
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 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.
Cooking is made simple with this product; 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 instantly. It’s also cool to the touch, 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, this is one fantastic oven for what it will allow you to cook. It hits temperatures that few other solar cookers can hit, allowing for plenty of cooking opportunities, regardless of the weather.
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 highly adjustable and can reach temperatures up to 325 degrees Fahrenheit in about an hour. It’s highly adjustable and can be customized to provide the perfect heat to cook your food, even on a cloudy day.
Many of these adjustable solar ovens can be challenging 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 also simple – fold it up and go. It’s incredibly 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 for some great solar cooking on the run.
The only issue we encountered with this device was the small cooking area. You can fit your four-quart pot but not much else. Ensure your meal fits within the space before you start cooking.
We have one for your consideration if you’re looking for a portable. The Sunflair Portable Solar Oven Deluxe is one of the highest-rated portable solar cookers; we can easily see why after testing it out.
Essentially, this bag 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.
Regarding portability, we agree 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 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. You are getting the solar cooker, two heat-conductive baking trays, two racks, two silicon pots, one enamelware pot, and a carrying tote.
You’ll never be left without the proper cooking tools for emergency preparedness. Bring this fantastic solar cooker with you on your camping trips and cook a gourmet meal whenever needed.
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 vital to us all.
After all, they use the heat from the sun to cook their meals, so keeping the earth healthy and green is important to them. Sunflair takes this further by donating some proceeds to 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 Go Pro Pack Portable Solar Oven • 1-2 Meals
Gosun is back with another fantastic solar cooking device. While they 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 reach up to 550 degrees Fahrenheit and 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 quickly. We were shocked to see how quickly our food reached temperature when testing this oven. 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 get many tools designed to simplify cooking. You get two parabolic reflectors, an EVA frame, stainless steel cooking tray, and an evacuated glass tube oven.
These all combine for a fantastic solar cooking experience, which can be achieved anywhere. 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 shocked by this solar oven’s effectiveness. Many customers who have already purchased this solar device love how well it cooks 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 burn yourself.
While it’s not as portable as the Sunflair solar cookers, it’s still a fantastic portable oven that will do the job quickly.
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. GoSun Original Solar Kitchen Cook + Cool + Charge
For a product that combines the functions of two of the main utilities in a kitchen – cooking and cooling – the solar kitchen tag does justice to the versatility and utility of the GoSun Original Solar Kitchen.
For us, the quality of this product goes beyond the number of features it has. Fine, it can cool, cook, and even charge devices. But then, we were more impressed by the robust design.
Made with aluminum and stainless steel parts, there’s barely any reason to worry about rust. Then the table’s tempered glass top is as heat-resistant as tempered glass.
For the few times, we used the GoSun Solar Kitchen, it always reached peak temperature (550F) in less than 30 minutes.
So, there’s no lack in the cooking speed front. It also retains heat well, maintaining a steady temperature and allowing it to cook efficiently.
This will come in handy when you’re out camping or hiking and need a quick meal. But it will also be great for cooking meals that require sustained heat.
While the design is compact, this one may not be the most portable. You’re getting a 3-in-1 solar product – a cooler, cooker, and charger. So, it may not seem as portable as many other solar ovens.
But when you consider that it weighs just 28 pounds and the reflectors are foldable, you start to see how transporting it around might be easy. Also, most car trunks would fit a 23-inch tall device, so you’re all good.
We loved that we could power the solar oven with alternative sources without sunlight. The possibility is reassuring; reliance on solar power alone could leave us starving at night or when it rains.
Overall, the GoSun Original Solar Kitchen takes outdoor cooking to another level, providing power and cooling alongside an oven. It’s pretty much a durable, mobile kitchen.
Pros
Comes with cooling and charging
Can be powered with non-solar 12V power sources
Efficient heat control and retention for rapid cooking
Cons
Might not be very portable because of the multiple parts
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!”
We discovered that each panel on this device is specifically placed to provide the perfect 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 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 – even cloudy days will provide your oven solar energy with the reflective nature of its walls. We found that food will cook 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 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 sun’s heat, 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.
As the name suggests, this mini portable solar oven is all about portability. Very few solar ovens are as portable as the Sunflair Mini Portable Oven.
It’s essentially a bag that allows for quality cooking. You can simply zip up the cooking space and transport it like a tote bag or purse when it’s not in use.
The portable solar coven has 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 makes up for its portable features. 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 efficiently uses the heated space to fit anything slightly larger than its silicon pot.
Reviews of this product are mostly positive, citing the ease at which they could cook anywhere. As far as solar ovens go, this is the most effective at cooking with its available space.
Solar cooking is here, and the Sunflair allows you to bring it wherever you go. We fell in love with this simple product and many of those who have used it also have.
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, it impressed us that we must add it to the list.
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. With its dual functionality, you can use this oven day or night, rain or shine. Where other ovens fail, this oven will still be usable.
You can easily fold it and carry it in the compact 14-lb case when you finish it. It’s not as portable as others on our list, but it’s 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 the plug can sometimes be faulty, 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.
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 day. Like many others on our list, it can reach up to 550 degrees Fahrenheit and 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 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. This is a fantastic option if you’re looking for a cooker to help with emergency preparedness.
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.
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 Solavore Solar Oven didn’t make our list because we could not test it and approve it manually. We tested all other products on our list personally; the results and opinions are our own.
The Solavore oven was unavailable, 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.
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 and move it wherever you go.
The CD of recipes was a blast and provided some exciting recipes that simultaneously allowed for creativity and structure.
With the All American, you can cook wherever you go without worrying about running out of propane or electricity.
This oven includes all the other ovens’ best features on our list while maintaining its individuality. This is perfect if you’re looking for a dependable, high-quality solar oven.
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.
A solar oven is perfect if you’re itching to start cooking outside and reduce your electricity bill.
We found that many meals we’ve cooked in 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 an essential 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 setting 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 cook a pot or pan placed in the center directly. They are typically larger and offer more space for pots and slow-cooking recipes.
The reflective-style cooker is dependable and effective and 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 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 primary 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 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 the sun’s reflection and electricity to cook your meals properly.
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 suit people who enjoy cooking outside but might cook late when the lights go down, and the UV rays have dispersed.
The Gosun Fusion Solar Cooker is an example of a hybrid model on our list. If you’re out in an area where electricity isn’t accessible but still looking to cook, 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, plug it in and bring the electricity back.
Finding the perfect solar oven doesn’t have to be complicated – know what suits you best, then go from there!
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Charles Noble
Here at Spheral Solar, I’m a hands-on solar power enthusiast, constantly exploring and experimenting with DIY solutions. I’m dedicated to sharing my discoveries, insights, and even the bumps I hit along the way, all in the pursuit of a more sustainable future.
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