How to Make a Solar Oven: DIY Solar Oven Plans

By Eric Smith
Updated on July 13, 2022
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Adobe Stock/Iakov Kalinin

The following is an excerpt from DIY Solar Projects by Eric Smith (Creative Publishing, 2011). Use these solar oven plans to make a solar oven DIY project that works beautifully, is built to last, and costs less than a purchased solar cooker.

Solar ovens are simple devices that capture heat from the sun with a reflective surface that’s angled or curved towards a cooking pot. Because they can be easily made from cheap materials like scrap cardboard and tinfoil, they are widely used in areas of the world where trees and fossil fuel are scarce or expensive. Once made, they can be used to cook food and boil water in a reasonable amount of time for absolutely no cost.

Solar cookers can be made in a wide variety of designs. The main criteria is…

There are dozens of possible designs; some angle the rays down into a small center area, while others focus the rays upward toward the underside of a pot, like a reversed magnifying glass. You can also buy portable solar ovens assembled from polished metal online — they’re great equipment for camping. But if you’re serious about integrating free fuel from the sun into your cooking, the plan below features a solar oven that works beautifully and is also built to last. Plus, you can build it for a fraction of the cost of a purchased solar cooker.

Depending on variables like location, ambient air temperature and the angle of the sun, a solar oven can reach temperatures above boiling (212 degrees Fahrenheit). In ideal conditions, some types can reach 300 degrees or more. This temperature range is high enough that you can safely cook any food, including meat. Cooking times are longer, but because the temperature is lower there’s little danger of overcooking, and the food is delicious.

Solar Oven DIY

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