Baking Ovens in Kenya – Baking Equipment in Kenya Explained

For our Tips on Tuesday feature, we’re sharing tips to help you with home baking equipment.

This is our fourth post on our Baking in Kenya Explained series. You can also check out our other posts on Baking pans, Mixing tools and Cake decorating tools.

Today we will highlight types of ovens for baking. You can use either of these types of ovens if you want to start a home baking business or a small bakery shop.

1. Charcoal Ovens

Charcoal ovens have grown in popularity in Kenya. They are less expensive, low maintenance and if you purchase an original one from Cookswell Jikos – they save energy. They are good for use in a home or even commercial bakeries due to low over-head costs. We at Amari use a commercial Cookswell Charcoal oven in our original bakery workshop ^_^

Cookwell’s Charcoal Ovens (courtesy: Cookswell)

They have different sizes and range from Kshs. 12,000 (bachelor size) to Kshs. 80,000 for professional large business sizes. You can buy them directly from the company that makes them – Cookwells Energy Saving Jikos, at their Lower Kabete shop on Farasi Lane, you can also visit their blog for more information. They give you tips on making your own charcoal with their kilns and show you different ways their ovens are used at home and for business.

You can purchase these types of oven for commercial baking – just ensure that your work space has proper ventilation and enough space to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning. 

2. Electric Mini-Ovens

Mini-ovens are a great idea if you are a bacholorette (or bachelor) who only bakes for one ^_^. It’s also great if you are just starting out and only bake a little. They are easily found in major supermarkets like Naivas or Carrefour. They range from Kshs. 10,000 to 18,000. You can also find them in kitchen-ware appliances stores like LG or Ramptons. You can also search online in e-commerce sites like Jumia.

If you’re a home baker just getting started; you can use this for the first few months to start a business. Please realize that as you get busy you need to invest in a larger oven

Mini Electric Oven (Courtesy: Ali Express)

3. Electric and Gas Kitchen Cooker/Ovens

Cookers come with an oven section at the bottom. A lot of people have the cookers in their kitchen but rarely use them. They are good for use once in a while if you want to bake for your family. They can be found in major supermarkets that sell appliances like Naivas or Carrefour. You can also find them in kitchen appliance stores like LG, Ramptons or stores like Cute Kitchen. They range from Kshs. 24,000 to 100,000 depending on brand and quality.

These can be used to start a home baking business if you already have one in your kitchen. Please realize that since they are not meant for commercial use; as your business gets busy, you will need to invest in a commercial use oven. 

4. Commercial Electric and Gas Ovens

Small, medium and large commercial bakeries use commercial ovens that are fueled with either gas or electricity. They are good for very large scale baking purposes. There are different types; 1-deck, 2-deck, 3-deck, etc. These types of ovens in Kenya can be purchased from companies like Caterina Kenya Ltd.

You can also search online & check vendors such as Bake Wave, Sheffield, Nairobi Kitchen Care or other commercial bakery appliance vendors in Kenya for other options of deck ovens. Their prices begin at Kshs. 80,000 and can go above Kshs. 800,000 depending on brand and size.

Below is a one deck Electrical Caterina oven we use during our Amari baking classes at our class workshop on Ngong road in Nairobi.

5. Large Capacity Commercial Rotary Ovens

Medium to Large-scale commercial bakeries use rotary ovens that are usually fueled with either diesel or electricity. A diesel rotary oven is a professional baking oven powered by diesel fuel, designed for high-capacity, consistent baking. It features a rotating rack system that ensures even heat distribution, making it ideal for baking very large quantities of bread, cakes, pastries, or cookies. These ovens are well-suited for commercial bakeries, catering businesses, or large institutions producing baked goods in bulk. They work by burning diesel to heat air, which is then circulated within the oven chamber for uniform baking. Rotary ovens are durable, efficient, and a great option for bakers looking to scale up production. Capacity of these ovens can be, for example – 124 loaves or 330 loaves per hour. 

Please note that rotary ovens can also be powered by electricity or gas as well.

These ovens are usually sold in Kenya by brands such as Bake Wave, Sheffield, Nairobi Kitchen Care. They range from Kshs. 1,200,000 and above; depending on brand, size, capacity and quality.

Hope this was helpful, if you have any questions or additions, please feel free to comment below.
Happy baking wonderful people ^_^!

If you want to learn how to bake with a Cookswell charcoal oven, we offer baking classes at our Riruta location on Ndwaru road, Waithaka area.

We also offer longer group classes OR 5-day one-on-one short hands-on baking and cake decoration courses at our class bakery workshop on Ngong road at Arcade Discounts Mall shop 52 – ground floor (next to The Greenhouse Mall).

Visit our Bakery Classes page for more details.

You can also email us: info@amaribakery.com or Call/Text/WhatsApp DM: 0701796688

Post last edited in November 2024