When it comes to cooking inside your campervan, you’ve got a few different types of stoves to choose from. From propane and electric to portable or countertop mounting options, it can get a bit overwhelming. Your van stove is crucial to preparing tasty foods in van life. The kinds of foods you like, and how much you plan to cook can also affect your decision-making process.
This list is divided into the best van cooktops, the best van ovens, and a few other types of van stoves.
Here’s a quick list of our top picks for the best van stove:
What to Consider
Before making a purchase you’ll want to consider what size stove you’re looking for, what you’re going to be cooking on the stove and whether or not you want a cooktop, oven, or portable stove. Cost, weight, and size are also a few things to consider when choosing a stove for your van build.
The Best Van Cooktops
These are our favorite van cooktops for those of you looking for a stove that’s designed for RVs and easy to use.
Flame King 2 Burner Built-In RV Cooktop
This RV cooktop is the perfect upgrade for someone cooking with a camp stove. With minimal setup, you can boil water and cook food much faster. You can also set the heat and flame to specific levels with the knobs. Not to mention it’s easy to clean with the pop-out burners.
Pros
- Ready to use
- Set heat levels easier
- Doesn’t rattle when driving
Cons
- Requires installation/cabinet space
- Stationary
Atwood 3-Burner Cooktop
Similar to the Flame King, Atwood offers a 3-burner cooktop for RVs, tiny homes, and vans. It’s also possible to utilize pots and pans on all three burners at the same time if need be. Without an automatic igniter, you will need a long candle lighter for the propane gas.
Pros
- 3-Burners
- Easy to clean
- Set heat levels easier
Cons
- Requires installation/cabinet space
- Stationary
- No igniter
The Best Van Ovens
Get ready to bake some fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies, bruschetta, and garlic bread! These are our favorite van ovens for those of you looking to bake inside your home on wheels.
Camp Chef Camp Oven
This portable camp oven allows you to take your baking wherever you go. Portable and powerful, this camp oven can be carried and used outdoors. Not to mention, you could opt to use a standard cooktop (to save space inside your small kitchen) and store this elsewhere. This is a great option when staying in areas without hookups where your main option for fuel is small propane canisters.
Pros
- Portable
- Easy to clean
- Good temperature control
Cons
- 7500 BTU (an issue in cooler weather for large pots)
- Somewhat large
- Wide burner surface
Suburban Gas Range
For a small range, this can reliably cook anything you throw at it that you’d expect from a full-size oven. Many do find the stove to take longer to boil water, yet it gets the job done. The top burners do not rattle when driving and lift up with removable grates for easy cleaning.
Pros
- Burners don’t rattle when driving
- 3 burners
- Easy/simple installation
Cons
- Stationary
- Takes up a lot of room
- Pricey
The Best Portable Camp Stoves
These are our favorite portable camp stoves for those of you looking for a stove that’s lightweight and easy to carry around in your van. No need for complicated installation and higher prices with these simple van stoves.
Read more: Propane vs Butane: What best for my camping stove?
Coleman Butane Stove
If you’re looking for a simple stove, then this butane stove by Coleman is for you. With butane, it’s lighter to carry and more portable when on the go. Not to mention, it also comes with a small carrying case for convenience. You can’t expect to go all out on extravagant meals with this single burner stove, yet it gets the job done for the solo camper.
Pros
- Compact and lightweight
- Easy, reliable, cheap
- Comes with carrying case
Cons
- Only one burner
- No side panels to block the wind if cooking outside
Coleman Gas Stove
This classic camping stove will heat your food and simple to use for any camper. Use it in your van or outside, whichever you prefer. However, you will need a match to light the burners on the stove. Overall it’s an easy to use camping stove that’s portable and well built for use with propane canisters.
Pros
- Lightweight and portable
- Side panels to block wind
- Low cost for a high-quality product
Cons
- Need a match to light the stove
- Heat adjustment is not precise
MSR Backpacking Stove
For those with very limited space in a tiny van, then this is the best option for you. With a portable backpacking stove, all you need to do is throw it inside and you’ve got yourself a van stove. Minimalist adventurers will enjoy its compact folding design. You can even boil a liter of water in only 3 and a half minutes! This is perfect when preparing small meals for one or two people.
Pros
- Compact and folding design
- Boils water fast
- Lightweight
Cons
- Single burner
- Tiny pot weight capacity
The Other Best Van Stoves
These are a few of our favorite other types of van stoves for those of you looking for warmth, or a car style food heater.
RoadPro Portable Stove
Quite different from the rest of the stoves in this list, the RoadPro portable stove allows you to heat food slowly. Similar to a crockpot, this stove can warm food to 300 degrees. It’s easy to use as it plugs into any regular 12-volt lighter style socket in a vehicle. This type of stove works best for stew, rice/beans, chops, or other pre-cooked meals.
Pros
- Electric, no need for combustible fuels
- Easy to clean
- Small and portable
Cons
- Not a burner top
- Only works for cooking specific types of meals
Guide Gear Wood Burning Stove
If you’re looking for a van stove to provide you with warmth, then this wood burning stove is perfect for you. Many propane heaters will work just fine to stay warm in the winter in a van, although some prefer a wood-burning stove for style! Not only that but it’s nice to burn firewood from your local area to be a real van life survivalist.
Pros
- Use local firewood for warmth
- Rustic and stylish
- You can roast marshmallows in your van
Cons
- Quite a process to install
- Takes up a lot of space
To Conclude
As you can see there are varying levels of van stoves on the market. If you’re looking for quick stoves that are cheap and easy to use without installation, then make sure you buy a camp or backpacking stove. But, if you’re looking for something to cook more food with less effort you may want to consider one of the more powerful cooktops or oven options.