Best Solar Ovens

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We all are guilty of increasing the carbon footprint by hosting barbeque sessions and running ovens around the clock. Thanks to technology, solar ovens can put an end to that guilt.

Solar ovens are hot commodities among those living van life, tiny home dwellers, and homesteaders. Their unique design sports a reflective surface and lids that trap solar radiation.

Since they eliminate the use of power sources and conventional gas, it can game up your camping experience.

However, finding the right technology-backed solar ovens can be perplexing. To help you get started with your eco-friendly journey, we’ve reviewed the seven best solar ovens in the market.

Let’s help you pick your ever best solar oven!

Read on for our expert reviews of the best solar ovens available. Check the latest prices to ensure you get a great deal!

Our Top Picks

7 Best Solar Ovens

1. GoSun Fusion Solar Oven

This GOSUN fusion solar oven is your ultimate survival cooking gear when you go camping. The quick cooking speed of this oven makes it an ideal choice. Let’s check out the unique features of this solar oven!

Features

Highly Portable

The most important feature of this solar oven is that it is incredibly lightweight. The solar oven weighs only about 14 lbs. Its overall low weight makes it highly portable.

Besides, the solar oven is pretty compact. You can pack it in small spaces and carry it to the campsite.

Reliable and Fast

Unlike other solar cookers, you don’t have to wait for ages to cook your meals. It cooks delicious hot food in less than 20 minutes.

Its quick cooking speed also makes it feasible to serve a larger number of people. What’s more, you can cook on cloudy, sunny, and rainy days too!

Accessories Included

The solar oven is a complete package to offer you a fun outdoor cooking experience. It includes all necessities that you’ll require for the process.

The package comes with a stainless steel tray with the heating element, anodized reflector body, and the solar oven. However, you have to buy the silicone utensils separately.

Hybrid

One of the features that we love about this solar oven is that it’s a hybrid. In simpler words, you can power the oven through solar energy as well as electricity. This feature adds a whole new level of functionality to the oven.

2. Sunflair Portable Solar Oven Deluxe

If you are looking to cook for a group, this Sunflair Portable Solar Oven Deluxe should be your first choice. We love that the mini comes with not one but two silicone pots for cooking. It also comes with a convenient carry bad and thermometer.

Features

Large Cooking Space

What we love most about this solar oven is its ample cooking space. This oven can serve up to 8 heads is the prime reason to offer a large cooking space. Besides, the solar oven folds into 2 x 15.5 x 19 inches after folding.

Versatile Cooking Options

The state-of-the-art insulation method grants many cooking benefits to the oven. You can bake cookies, pizza, herbs, dry fruits, and a lot more in this oven.

That’s not it! The solar oven is also suitable for camping, RV-ing, tailgating, and emergencies. You can cook amazing recipes through these solar ovens.

You should also know that it offers four season cooking below 40 degrees. The manufacturer suggests a UV index of 3+ for the best solar cooking experience.

Lightweight

Another feature that this solar oven brand takes pride in is its overall low weight. Moreover, as this solar oven packs into compact carry bag style, it ensures portability at its best. You’ll also find the accompanying accessories to be extremely lightweight.

Complete Package

Once you buy this solar oven, you don’t have to go looking for additional accessories. It is because this solar oven packs every tiny accessory for cooking! You’ll receive a thermometer, baking racks, heat conducting racks, silicone pots, and enamelware pots.

3. GoSun Solar Barbecue

The highly durable construction ensures that the solar oven can take a beating. By making the product completely submersible, it’s perfect to accompany you on another adventure. One of the top features of this oven is its portability.

Features

Boil Liquids

The solar oven can perform functions as easily as boiling liquids. This feature makes the oven super functional as you can cook a variety of things with it. You can prepare tea and coffee using this solar oven.

Also, it boils the liquid within a few minutes. The GoSun brew feature can boil up to 14 ounces of liquids.

Easy to Use

Once you set up the solar oven in an ideal space, cooking will be a smooth journey. All you have to do is load your ingredients in the tube cooking chamber.

Next, you have to set the chamber on the reflector and leave it to cook! The solar oven maintains a slow cooking temperature for precision and deliciousness.

Durable Construction

The reflectors in this solar oven ooze quality. The sturdy 7.5 lb clamshell case comes with durable carrying handles.

What’s more, the manufacturers claim that the product is completely submersible. It means you can take it out on adventures without worrying about damage.

User Friendly

The reason we love GoSolar products is that they are highly user friendly. The product offers a hassle free setup. The setup is seamless and takes not more than few minutes. It cooks food using a slow cooking process which is easier and faster.

4. KECOP Solar Oven Sun Cooker

Although compact, the KECOP Solar Oven Sun Cooker can serve up to three people. The vacuum tube technology allows the solar oven to cook meals in less than 30 minutes. What’s more, it’s kid friendly!

Features

Aesthetically Appealing Design

If you have an eye for aesthetics, you’ll appreciate this solar oven being a part of your outdoor cooking experience.

Unlike large sized poor designed solar ovens, this one scores full marks in terms of design and looks. It has a trendy design that complies with modern aesthetics.

Easy and Quick

You can cook fresh meats and veggies in this solar oven in less than 15 minutes. Moreover, users claim that this solar oven is by and large easy to operate. What’s more, even your little champs can lend a hand to cook food on this solar oven.

The oven requires minimal setup. Besides, the comprehensive user guide with this solar oven makes the experience more seamless.

Unique Foldable Design

It might sound unusual, but this solar oven folds to ensure portability. The ingenious design and clever construction allow this solar oven to fold into a small package.

Also, when you unfold the charcoal grill, it’s pretty stable. Now you can grill on the go no matter wherever you are traveling!

Robust Construction

This solar oven uses 304 food grade stainless steel and vacuum tube material. This material is notorious for its durability and quality. Also, the best part is that the materials are safe and nontoxic.

Also, you don’t need to worry as the stove requires minimal supervision.

5. MrMapMax Solar Oven Portable

An all season solar oven is just the way to ensure you enjoy outdoor trips all year long! It’s easy to set up and very safe. As a result, children can participate in the fun cooking experience too!

Features

Wide Applications

All this solar oven needs to cook delicious food is plenty of sunlight. So, whether you are camping on a peak, fishing, hunting, or kayaking, or mountaineering, you can use this solar oven. It includes many features to ensure this kind of versatile application.

User Friendly

The zipper design of this solar oven is one of the most user friendly designs you’ll ever see. Setting up this solar oven will not take you more than a few minutes.

The zipper design makes it convenient to set up. This easy setup process saves you a lot of time during your camping and vacations.

Quick and Yummy

The solar oven will take only 20 minutes of your time to prepare delicious food. It touches 550 degrees Fahrenheit in full sunlight situations.

Also, the solar oven has minimal air movement. Owing to this, the food comes out evenly cooked. This oven will ensure that your meals are moist and delicious, just like you want them!

Upgraded Design

The manufacturers put consistent efforts to match the current technological standards. The upgraded design of this solar oven works in all seasons. It will function even when it’s snowy or overcast weather.

The solar oven works by capturing ultraviolet light. By trapping the UV rays, the solar oven can retain heat.

6. 4YANG Solar Oven with Portable Case

If you are looking for advanced solar technology, this is it. The best part is that the brand offers stellar customer support. Here are some features that make the product a worthful pick.

Features

Features for Camping Food

You can prepare most varieties of camping food with this solar oven. The best part is that you can use this solar oven for baking as well. You can roast eggs, potatoes, bake bread, cook rice, sweet potatoes, stew, and many more dishes.

You can also put meat skewers and rely on this solar oven to grill them up
well. We appreciate the taste the slow cooking mechanism leaves behind.

Updated Solar Technology

The solar oven requires zero fuel input. It uses clean sunlight energy to power the oven.

These features make it affordable and eco-friendly. You can significantly reduce your carbon footprint in the environment with the use of this solar technology.

Serves 2 to 3 People

The unfolded capacity of this solar oven is equal to 1.5 L. It is equivalent to a 2.7 inch long charcoal grill. Besides, it offers 360 degree cooking technology for even and moist meals. Besides, with proper planning of time, you might even be able to cook a three course meal!

Energy Saving

Unlike electric grillers, this solar oven does not depend on non-renewable fuels and electricity. Instead, it uses pure solar energy to power itself. As a result, you’d be doing your wallet and the environment a favor by using solar ovens.

7. Sunflair Mini Portable Solar Oven

The mini portable solar oven is one of the most compact products in Sunflair’s lineup. The winning feature of this device is its super lightweight and portable design. You are bound to fall in love with this high quality and feature packed solar oven.

Features

Four Season Cooking

The Sunflair Mini Portable Solar Oven boasts of offering a four season solar cooking experience. Note that very few solar ovens offer this feature.

This feature ensures that the solar oven is operational in most weather situations. The manufacturer states that it requires a UV index of 3+ for perfect cooking.

Closed Cell Insulation

The unique selling point of the solar oven is its closed cell insulation. Thanks to this fantastic design, the oven has a temperature range of 285 degree Fahrenheit.

The closed cell insulation allows the oven to focus its heat in the right direction. Moreover, it lets the food simmer, which enhances its ultimate flavor and taste.

Folds for Easy Storage

One of the most prominent reasons to invest in a solar oven is for outdoor cooking. Since you will carry it from one site to another, Sunflair keeps easy storage and low weight.

Not only is the primary structure foldable, but the silicone pots collapse for convenient storage.

World’s Lightest Solar Oven

Once you fold up the solar oven, it only weighs 1 lb. Apart from that, the total weight, including the utensils and accessories, only comes down to approximately 3 lbs. When it comes to camping or traveling, this lightweight solar oven can give you a hand.

Solar Oven Buying Guide

There might be numerous situations where you want to cook food and don’t have access to a kitchen. It might be the case if you want to cook outdoors in your backyard or while camping.

Even though you can have a gas stove on your camping trip, it’s not the most economical and eco-friendly option. It is where solar ovens come to your rescue.

To make sure that you get the best solar oven, we’ve curated a comprehensive buyer’s guide. This detailed buyer’s guide covers all the bases of a solar oven.

Key Takeaways

• Solar ovens, known as solar cookers, use sunlight to cook and heat food, making them eco-friendly and popular among off-grid enthusiasts, campers, and environmentalists.
• Solar ovens work by concentrating, absorbing, and retaining sunlight’s heat, using reflective materials and a plastic window to replicate the greenhouse effect.
• Benefits of solar ovens include health advantages (retaining food’s nutritional value), economic savings (minimal operating costs), safety (no fire or electricity), and environmental benefits (reduced pollution and carbon footprint).

What Is A Solar Oven?

A solar oven also goes by the term “solar cooker.” It is a device that utilizes sunlight energy to cook and heat food. They gather sunlight to cook the food and thus eliminates the use of fuel resources.

Solar ovens are popular cooking equipment with off grid enthusiasts, homesteaders, camping lovers, and environmentalists. This sustainable and affordable cooking method is getting popular in both urban and rural areas.

Solar ovens are allowing users to reduce carbon emissions and contribute to sustainability. Unlike before, solar ovens come with a variety of features and pack updated technology.

How Does A Solar Oven Work?

Solar ovens work by gathering the sunlight and focusing it on the enclosed surface. Thie enclosed surface gathers the trapped heat to power the oven. Conversely, the exact science of how the solar oven works also depends on the design.

One thing that is common in all solar ovens is that they use highly reflective materials. You’ll notice that they equip aluminum foil, mirrors, or polished metals as the primary material. It is because these materials have excellent heat retention properties.

The manufacturers set this reflective material in specific angles to gather maximum sunlight. However, the majority of the solar ovens might not function during overcast weather.

There is also a plastic window that replicates the greenhouse effect in these solar ovens. You also have to ensure that the sun’s rays directly fall into the surface for better energy absorption.

The three principles of solar ovens include:

• Concentration (reflection, or reflectance)
• Absorption (ability to attract or hold heat)
• Retention (means or capacity to retain heat)

What Are The Benefits Of A Solar Oven?

There are several benefits to using a solar oven. You’ll be elated to hear that there are environmental, safety, economic, and health benefits to using a solar oven.

• Health Benefits: Scientific studies show that consuming food cooked in indoor wood burning stoves increases cancer risk. The solar ovens use a relatively low thermal temperature to retain the nutritional benefits of the food.
• Economic Benefits: Solar ovens are a one-time investment. Once you purchase them, the cost of running them is minimal. As a result, there are long term cost reduction benefits.
• Safety Benefits: Solar ovens do not use fire or electricity, and hence they are safer alternatives. Besides, solar ovens also help you with preparedness kits during emergencies.
• Environmental Benefits: Since solar energy is renewable, using them would reduce pollution significantly. By using solar ovens, you’ll be reducing deforestation and carbon footprint.

What Are The Different Types Of Solar Ovens?

Typically, there are three solar ovens – box ovens, panel ovens, and parabolic ovens. Below we discuss each in detail:

Box Ovens

If you are running on a shoestring budget, you’ll find the box type solar ovens the most feasible option. The construction and science of the box ovens are quite simple. You’ll notice that for the outer material, the manufacturer typically uses wood.

On the other hand, for the inner side, the typical choice is an insulating material. There’ll also be a clear plastic wrap that accompanies a reflective material.

Like other solar ovens, the box ones need sunlight to operate as well. They can cook at moderate temperatures. Many nonprofit organizations promote box ovens as they’re affordable and eco-friendly.

Panel Ovens

The panel solar ovens feature a flat panel that reflects and directs the sunlight for heating and cooking. The panel ovens have similar elements to the box and curved concentrated cookers.

In terms of operation, you won’t find much difference between a box and a panel oven. They use the same science to collect heat and cook food. Panel ovens employ the same principles. However, in panel ovens, the reflective panel is larger.

The panel ovens cannot collect and store sunlight for later use. Besides, you might have a hard time operating them in windy and cloudy weather.

Parabolic Ovens

Parabolic ovens are the most robust in the category. They can touch higher temperatures and prepare food quicker than other solar ovens.

However, these parabolic ovens require constant supervision. Also, it demands more precision to direct the sunlight on the food in the oven. Without proper focus, the parabolic oven can’t ensure well cooked food.

What Is The Best Solar Oven Design?

The best solar oven design depends on your requirements. If you have heavy duty cooking requirements, you should stick to parabolic ovens. On the flip side, if you are looking for solar ovens for light cooking, you can opt for panel or box oven designs.

A few other features of the best solar design also include proper construction. The design of the solar oven should have the proper placement of reflective materials.

As we mentioned before, your solar oven might fail to perform without adequate sunlight focus. Finally, the best solar oven design is the one that packs simplicity.

What Can I Cook In A Solar Oven?

The tons of solar oven recipes on the internet prove the variety of things these eco-friendly ovens can cook. The solar ovens consist of different layers of reflectors and a cooking pot.

This setup of components helps the solar oven use the heat energy for steaming, boiling, and baking your next meal.

You can cook anything you would normally cook in a gas or electric oven on these solar ovens. From omelets and frittatas to lasagne, the possibilities of dishes cooked on solar ovens are endless.

Our suggestion is to make your first solar oven cooked dishes to be vegetarian. It is because cooking meat on them requires more expertise in handling.

How Do I Build A DIY Solar Oven?

The overall process of building a DIY solar oven from scratch requires about two hours. Not only is the building process easy, but it also incurs minimal spending. These are the tools that you’ll require for a DIY solar oven:

• Two cardboard boxes
• Wooden spoon or ruler
• Sheet of plastic or glass
• Aluminum tape
• Box cutter
• Silicone adhesive
• Black gaffer tape
• 1 inch thick foam insulation
• Thermometer
• Scissors

Instructions

Follow these instructions step-by-step to build yourself a beautiful solar oven!

• Step 1: Use the scissors to cut a neat flat in the cardboard box. Cut along three sides, leaving an inch gap, and fold the flaps. Note, the flap should stand when you close the lid of the box.
• Step 2: use aluminum to cover the other side of the flap. This aluminum piece will act as a reflector. Also, you can use tape to ensure the proper placement of the foil.
• Step 3: The next step includes using plastic wrap to develop an airtight window. You have to do this by opening the box and sticking a double layer of plastic wrap.
• Step 4: You have to line the box’s bottom with black construction paper in this step. The black paper will help the oven to absorb heat.
• Step 5: The next step is to use the insulation foam to ensure that the oven can trap heat. Make sure to properly seal the inside of the box with insulation to prevent the heat from escaping.
• Step 6: The best time to use a solar oven is when the sun is at its highest – 11 am to 3 pm. Take the box outside and place it in a sunny spot. You can use the ruler or the wooden spoon to prop the flaps in the right direction.
• Step 7: This step is the most fun part of the process as it involves cooking. You can cook your favorite treats in the oven. Also, use a glass plate or a plastic plate so that the bottom paper does not get dirty.
• Step 8: To take the food out of your solar oven, always use potholders or oven mitts

Features To Look For In A Solar Oven

A solar oven packs a similar variety of features to the regular oven. The different features will affect your cooking flow as well. Here’s a list of different features that you should consider for your next solar oven.

Weight

Since you might need the solar oven to transport from one place to another, you might want to refrain from buying a bulky one. Making sure that you buy a lightweight solar oven is crucial.

The size also tends to affect the overall weight of your solar oven. A few solar ovens only weigh about 1 to 1.5 pounds, which is more convenient.

Size

Size is a significant subject to consider as you would appreciate having a portable solar oven. Besides, you should also consider your storage space while choosing a solar oven.

However, the size of the oven will also affect its capacity. The best way to decide the ideal size of a solar oven is to understand your requirements.

Capacity

Will you be cooking for just yourself or a family of four? You might also want a solar oven for a campsite to serve a large group. In such a situation, the capacity of the solar oven is an indispensable feature.

Most of the solar ovens are only big enough to serve two heads. If you need it for a larger audience, you can check out the large sized ones.

Heat Potential

All solar ovens will mention the heat potential/temperature range. Having an adequate temperature range is an important feature to ensure proper cooking. We recommend you settle for a solar oven that offers at least 250 degree Fahrenheit.

Cooking Speed

Typically, solar ovens take about 15 to 20 minutes to cook food. However, the cooking speed also depends on what you’re cooking. If you’re going to cook meat, you might want to invest in a solar oven with quick cooking speed.

Price

The price of solar ovens ranges from $100 and can extend to $600 to $700. For this reason, it’s ideal to set your budget before you set out to shop for them.

You should also note that the price of the solar oven might also affect its quality and features. Typically, in low end solar ovens, you might also find surface level features. On the other hand, premium end ones are more convenient and feature packed.

Durability

As with any other cooking material, durability is a must-have. None of us want to spend hundreds of dollars on a product that would end up in the trash after a couple of uses.

In any case, you should pick solar ovens that equip high quality materials. The user reviews will be very beneficial to determine this.

Portability

Having solar ovens is almost synonymous with an invitation for a camping trip. Portability is an indispensable feature that your pick for solar oven should have.

It is because a portable solar oven will also serve you in outdoor cooking situations. Besides, you might need the solar oven every day. Owing to this, a portable solar oven will be easier to store and handle.

Ease Of Use

Let’s face it – not all of us have expertise in cooking with solar energy. Owing to this, you might want to buy a solar oven that is easy to install. After all, you don’t want to spend hours of your camping trip just figuring how to cook.

Try to look for a solar oven that comes with a comprehensive user manual. We also advise you to take a glimpse at the customer reviews to understand the product’s user friendliness.

Accessories

Manufacturers, too, understand that cooking food in solar ovens calls for a unique setup. You might want a solar oven with comprehensive cooking kits to ease your experience.

You’ll find accessories such as stainless steel cooking trays, cleaning brushes, cookbooks, silicone pans, etc. Having all these accessories in the solar oven kit is a money-saving deal. Besides, you no don’t have to go looking for utensils suited for solar ovens.

Warranty

Warranty is yet another feature you might not want to miss out on. Since solar ovens are simple equipment, they’ll last for years. However, to be on the safe side, it’s ideal to have a warranty-backed solar oven.

Most of the models come with a 1-year warranty. However, some high-end models offer prolonged warranties as well.

Our Expertise in Solar Products

At Solar Panels Network USA, we’re not just installers; we’re enthusiasts, researchers, and users of solar ovens. Over the years, we’ve been at the forefront of solar oven technology, understanding the nuances and intricacies of various solar-powered cooking devices. Our team has hands-on experience with a wide range of solar ovens, and we’ve seen the evolution of solar cooking technology from its inception to the advanced versions available today.

Why Trust Our Reviews?

• Hands-On Testing: Before penning down any review, our team spends weeks testing products. For this article, we set up and used each of these solar ovens in various settings – from backyard barbecues to camping trips, ensuring we understand their performance in real-world scenarios.
• Continuous Learning: We regularly attend solar technology conferences, workshops, and seminars. This continuous learning ensures we’re always updated with the latest solar tech, allowing us to evaluate products against the most recent standards.
• Feedback Loop: Over the years, we’ve built a community of solar enthusiasts. We often reach out to them for feedback on products, ensuring our reviews aren’t just based on our perspective but are a reflection of the broader community’s experiences.
• Transparency: Whenever we receive products for review from manufacturers, we ensure full transparency with our readers. For this article, some products were purchased by our team, while manufacturers sent others. However, our reviews remain unbiased, focusing solely on the product’s performance.
• Decades of Experience: Collectively, our team has over two decades of experience in the solar industry. From understanding the technical aspects of solar panels to the efficiency of solar ovens, our expertise spans wide and deep.

In this article, we’ve combined our personal experiences, technical knowledge, and feedback from our community to provide you with comprehensive reviews of the best solar ovens for 2024. We believe that our expertise, combined with our commitment to transparency and continuous learning, makes us a reliable source for solar oven product reviews.

Wrapping Up

These solar ovens work best for people who cook simple food items. What’s better than reducing carbon footprint just by replacing electric ovens with solar ones?

What’s more, the solar ovens are camping friendly. Our detailed review and buying guide will help you make a confident decision.

Make sure to mull over personal requirements as well while buying a solar oven. Hopefully, you enjoyed exploring another solar innovation with us!