For an earth-friendly epicurean treat, switch off your stove and step outside. Permit the sun to help with dinner.
No electricity, firewood, or propane is required. All you need is sunshine and a portable solar oven to whip up such enticing fare as orzo stuffed peppers, eggplant Parmesan, and perhaps s’mores for dessert.
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Savor Foods and Sweets
Solar cooking enthusiasts say the sun is a wonderful partner for steaming, roasting, and baking an infinite variety of dishes, including vegetables, pasta, eggs, beans, and meats.
Nor do you need to skip delicious desserts. Read on for solar oven recipes that include Solar Rocky Road S’mores and Apple Strudel.
Solar Ovens at Home and Around the World
Portable solar ovens are perfect for picnics, sailboats, RVs, tailgating, and plenty of other outdoor situations. With no flame, they’re especially handy for campsites when open fires are prohibited.
They are also used for food preparation and purifying water in areas of the world where electricity, firewood, and propane are unavailable or not readily accessible.
“It’s really a simple concept that works great,” said Mason Terry, director of the Oregon Renewable Energy Center. Terry told us he saw solar ovens functioning nicely years ago at a refugee camp in Nepal. Some were built with used bicycled parts, he recalls.
Using Solar Ovens
“A solar oven can be used just like a crockpot or a normal oven. Solar cooker temperatures can easily reach between 200 degrees and 300 degrees Fahrenheit, which means they safely cook dishes, even those containing meat — though cooking times will often be longer,” according to the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agriculture Sciences (IFAS).
“Remember that solar ovens require sunlight, so make sure you position your cooker in an appropriate place,” continues their advice. “Cooking times will vary with the amount and intensity of sunlight; between 11:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. are the best times to use a solar cooker.” They recommend doubling the cooking time required in a conventional oven and using a cooking thermometer to check the progress of your food.
Solar Oven Products
Various shapes, designs, and styles of solar ovens are sold online and in stores. Often, the products include such accessories as pots, pans, and thermometers. Some are water-resistant. These are a few examples:
Sunflair solar ovens are pliable and easily open and fold up. No assembly is required.
- Sunflair Deluxe folds to 2 x 15.5 x 19 inches and weighs only 1 lb, 2 oz. Includes complete cookware with two silicone pots, baking trays, dehydrating racks, thermometer, and carrying bag. Cooks for 4-8 people.
- Sunflair Mini folds to 13 x 5 x 11 inches and weighs only 8 oz. Perfect for camping, backpacking, bug-out bags, emergencies, science projects, or crafts.
Both Sunflair models reach temperatures up to 285 degrees Fahrenheit, according to product descriptions. Get a headstart on your first solar cookout with Sunflair’s complete kit.
GoSun solar cookers heat food inside portable vacuum tubes using parabolic reflectors.
- GoSun Sport measures 24 x 5 x 8 inches and is the company’s fastest and best-selling solar oven. You can bake, roast, and steam a meal for 2-3 people in just 20 minutes under direct sun.
- GoSun Go measures 14.17 x 7.09 x 3.35 inches. It is ideal for 1-2 people and includes a solar oven stabilizer stand, cook tray, GoSun dial, silicone cook pans, and cleaning brush.
GoSun solar models reach temperatures up to 550 degrees Fahrenheit in full sunlight. The GoSun Fusion is the world’s first portable solar + electric hybrid oven. Featuring a 3.2-liter cook tray that serves 4-6 people, the Fusion system can be powered by a solar or 1a 2V electric source with a 1-amp 50-watt heating element.
Other popular choices include:
- The All-American Sun Oven, which can reach temperatures of 360℉ to 400℉, features four rust-resistant, highly polished, mirror-like anodized aluminum panels that assemble in seconds, EZ sun trackers, and a self-contained leveling leg.
- The SolCook All Season Solar Cooker boasts an impressive 17-by-17-inch cooking area, large enough for a whole turkey. It reaches a maximum temperature of 400℉ using articulating panels and a sighting system.
DIY Solar Ovens
A simple yet effective solar oven can be built using a cardboard box, aluminum foil, tape, plastic wrap, black construction paper, and a few basic tools. More advanced designs can incorporate specialized materials, such as Fresnel lenses from old rear-projection TVs, for high-temperature cooking applications.
You can find a variety of do-it-yourself solar ovens online; here are just a few:
- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory offers a solar oven design that uses everyday household items, including a plastic milk container, aluminum foil, and a wire hanger. This design focuses on teaching solar energy principles through hands-on construction.
- NASA Climate Kids offers a comprehensive cardboard box oven design, complete with step-by-step instructions for using it to make s’mores. The design includes detailed safety guidelines and explains the science behind solar cooking, making it perfect for educational projects.
- The Instructables Styrofoam Box Solar Oven features a robust design, utilizing a styrofoam box (similar to those used for dry ice transport) as the primary insulation chamber. This design utilizes readily available and inexpensive materials, primarily scrap materials, and has been successfully tested in various climates. The styrofoam provides excellent insulation, while aluminum foil-covered cardboard flaps serve as reflectors.
- The Car Windshield Reflector Funnel Cooker is an ultra-portable design originally developed by Professor Steve Jones at Brigham Young University. This simple yet effective cooker requires only an automobile windshield reflector, an oven bag, a black roaster pan, and a bucket. Despite its simplicity, many experienced solar cooking enthusiasts prefer this design for its portability and reliability.
Solar Oven Recipes
Ready to start cooking? Check out these five solar oven recipes, including black bean enchiladas and rockin’ ratatouille. For more ideas, try these recipes from solar oven pros Sunflair, GoSun, and the University of Florida IFAS.
Have fun in the sun with your own homemade or commercial solar oven!
Editor’s Note: Originally published on July 17, 2018, this article was updated with new products and DIY options in July 2025. Feature image courtesy of Solavore.