How to Build a Solar Oven

Interested in doing things yourself? Check out more articles in our Make-Your-Own Guide.

Check out our Solar Energy Guide for advice on getting off the power grid.

Any project that reduces electricity usage is always of interest at my house. As electricity prices go up and we learn more about carbon footprints it makes more sense to find other ways to get things done.

Solar ovens at first seemed like a novelty, a fun thing to try on a camping trip, in scouts or for a child’s science fair project. They certainly are all those things but they can also be a very effective cooking tool that can be built from items from the recycling bin.

I spent about 30 minutes building a pizza box style solar oven with the majority of the components coming from my recycling bin. All you really need is a cardboard box or two, black paper, aluminum foil, clear plastic and tape.

A box with a hinged lid makes the building process really easy. I had one on hand to use and I found some bubble wrap and a piece of black wrapping paper in the recycling bin.

After building the box, I put it outside with an oven thermometer inside to see how warm it would get. Within 30 minutes the box was at 150 degrees so I dropped some potatoes in to bake.

There are many types of solar cookers or solar ovens, and a simple Google search will provide you with a variety of do it yourself building instructions. You are bound to find one that works with materials that you already have on hand.

If you want something a little sturdier or long lasting you can purchase a commercially made solar oven or build one out of wood or other sturdy materials. Commercially made solar ovens are more portable than something homemade in most cases so that is something to consider if you won’t always be cooking at home. I would absolutely recommend building a simple cardboard oven first, or even several, to determine what style you like best and what works the most efficiently for what you like to cook. Once you know what you like best, look for plans to make your own more permanent oven in that style or search for premade ovens that are similar.

Whether your oven is cardboard, wood or metal, the fun part is what you can cook in it. Places like the Solar Oven Society have recipes and even cookbooks available. You could also check your local library for solar oven cookbooks and resources. Almost anything you can cook in a regular oven will cook in a solar oven; it will just take a little bit longer. The best way to figure it out would be to start with some simple recipes and then use what you learn from those to move on to more complicated things. I wouldn’t try baking bread on the first try.

Things that will cook quickly – and that the kids will love – would be s’mores, nachos or hot dogs. Here are some simple recipes from EnergyTrust of Oregon.

Solar Nachos
Spread corn chips on a dark, metal tray and sprinkle with shredded cheese. When cheese is melted, nachos are ready. Cook time – about 15 minutes.

Solar S’mores

Place marshmallows and pieces of chocolate between graham crackers. Heat in a dark, covered pot until the marshmallows melt. Cook time – about 20 minutes.

“Solarcued” hot dogs

Place a single layer of hot dogs in a dark, covered pot and heat until warm. Cook time – about 30 minutes.

You can check out commercial solar ovens in the Grow and Make Solar Oven and Dehydrator area.

These are just the most basic solar oven recipes. You can easily bake bread, cook vegetables and bake potatoes with the same supplies. Consider looking at slow cooker recipes for inspiration, just remember deep, full pots of soups and things will take much longer to heat up in the solar oven and may not finish cooking in enough time. Start small, do some research and enjoy coking with only the heat of the sun!

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