The 8 Best Baking Pans

Best Overall

Wilton Diamond-Infused Non-Stick 7-Piece Baking Set

$90 at Amazon $53 at Walmart $62 at Wayfair

The Wilton Diamond-Infused Baking Set is an attractive, high-performing baking set that includes everything a baker would need. We like that each piece has comfortable handles, plus an extra lip around the edge for one-handed carrying. The nonstick finish is “diamond-infused,” which means that it’s scratch-resistant and safe to use with metal tools.

We found ourselves reaching for the sheet pans to bake everything from cookies to roasting vegetables and the pans always performed well. They heated evenly and with two different sizes, 11 x 17 inches and 10 x 15 inches, we always had one that fit my needs. Each pan cleaned easily—we hand-washed ours—but they are dishwasher safe. And we love the navy blue, mildly sparkly finish of this set.

The muffin tin was exactly what we hoped it would be—it baked evenly, released the muffins without a problem, and best of all, effortless to hand wash, even without using muffin papers. It's important to note that the loaf pan is 9.25 x 5.25 x 2.75 inches, which is larger than the standard 8.5 x 4.5 x 2.5 inches.

Material: Heavy-gauge steel, nonstick coating | Oven Safe Temperature: 450 degrees | Dishwasher Safe: Yes | Pieces Included: [2] 9-inch round cake pans, [1] 9.25 x 5.25-inch loaf pan, [1] 9 x 13-inch cake pan, [1] 12-cup muffin pan, [1] 11.5 x 17.2-inch baking sheet, [1] 13 x 9-inch baking sheet

Best Cake Pans

Fat Daddio's Anodized Aluminum Round Cake Pan Celebration Set

$24 at Amazon $24 at Walmart View on Bakedeco.com

Round cake pans are a requirement in any baker’s collection because of their flexibility. They can be used to create birthday layer cakes, Italian ricotta cheesecakes, clafoutis, and more. This set is exceptionally well-made of commercial-grade anodized aluminum that weigh less than steel pans. The aluminum pans heat quickly and evenly, allowing cakes to cook faster without drying out in the oven. The pans also cool faster, making them easier to handle when it's time to flip out your cake rounds to cool completely.

This 3-piece set features a 3-inch, 5-inch, and 7-inch diameter pan, all with a height of 2 inches. We tested them with one box of cake mix, and it did bake up perfectly. What we like about this set is you can use the different sizes for any kind of cake (we personally like the smallest one for a smash cake). These pans should be hand-washed and are easy to clean, even if food sticks to the bottom or sides of the pan during the baking process. If you do run the pans through the dishwasher, the anodized finish will oxidize from the extreme heat and chemicals of the machine wash, although the pans will still be useable.

Material: Anodized aluminum | Oven Safe Temperature: 550 degrees | Dishwasher Safe: No | Pieces Included: [3] 2-inch deep round pans in 3, 5, and 7-inch diameters

Best Loaf Pan

Chicago Metallic Commerical II Traditional Uncoated Loaf Pan

$18 at Amazon $18 at Walmart View on Webstaurantstore.com

There's a wide variety of loaf pans available these days, but if you're looking to outfit your bakeware collection from scratch, or are ready to get serious about baking, the Chicago Metallic Commercial II Traditional Uncoated 1-Pound loaf pan is absolutely essential. Unlike other pans, this one's made out of uncoated stainless steel, which is going to provide you with years, if not decades, worth of use.

The 1-pound description is a rough indication of how much dough the pan comfortably bakes—an especially great reference point when baking yeasted loaves, and just as helpful when working with quick breads and batters. The heavy-gauge stainless-steel construction, with sharp 90° folded corners (not rounded, as you'll see with other pans) and a rolled top edge prevent the loaf pan from warping under high heat. The thicker steel walls will also help move heat more evenly around your loaf while it bakes, and provide a beautiful, even browning to your loaf in the process.

We used the pan to make both vanilla pound cake and banana bread, noting that the browning was perfectly consistent on each. Since the pan is uncoated, you will need a substantial coating of baking spray to ensure that the loaves don't stick. Clémence Gossett, the owner of The Gourmandise cooking school in Santa Monica, California, also recommends lining the pan with parchment paper to easily prevent sticking, and make lifting the baked loaf out of the pan while it's still warm.

Material: Alloy steel | Oven Safe Temperature: 450 degrees | Dishwasher Safe: Yes

Best Bundt Pan

Nordic Ware Platinum Collection Anniversary Bundt Pan

$39 at Amazon $41 at Walmart $44 at Target

In the early 1950s, the owner of Nordic Ware, a Minneapolis-based company, designed the pan now known as the Bundt specifically for the Hadassah Society, a group of women who were looking for a way to replicate the Kugelhopfs known in Europe. After grabbing attention at a national baking competition, the pan became a regular fixture in home kitchens across the U.S. This anniversary-edition Bundt pan takes the original Bundt pan design that made Nordic Ware famous and presents it to a new generation, with a few upgrades.

This pan is still made with cast aluminum, which makes for cakes that are baked evenly with perfect browning all the way around. The material is a little heavier than other Bundts, but seemed like a worthy trade-off for such pristine baking. We noticed that cakes released effortlessly from the pan without needing additional greasing. Additionally, the handles on this pan make it easy to move in and out of the oven, as well as flip the cake out of the pan to finish cooling.

Nordic Ware claims the pan can fit from 10 to 15 cups of batter, but we noticed that the pan can easily fit up to 14 cups of batter and bake up nicely, depending on the type of cake batter you're using. The pan should be hand-washed with a soft sponge and warm soapy water. Avoid abrasive tools, sponges, and soaps to keep the integrity of the pan's finish intact.

Material: Cast aluminum with nonstick coating | Oven Safe Temperature: 400 degrees | Dishwasher Safe: No

Best Ceramic

Made In Square Baking Dish

$69 at Amazon $69 at Madeincookware.com

While some of the other pans on this list are really only useful for cakes, loaves, tarts, or pies, the Made In porcelain baking dish covers a much wider range of baked foods. We baked everything from dessert and casseroles to vegetables and biscuits in this baking dish, with fantastic results every time. The restaurant-quality ceramic construction heats slowly and evenly, making it perfect for baked dishes that spend a little more time in the oven, like brownies and baked pasta dishes. The handles make the pan easy to get a grip on, and the dish itself cools slowly, keeping your foods warmer for longer while you're enjoying dinner.

The design of the Made In ceramic baking dish is timeless, with a nod to the white vintage enamel-coated sheet trays with a blue pinstripe around the edge of the pan. The dishes are also available with a red rim or with gray polka dots to fit your tastes. We tried the 8 x 8-inch square baking dish and noted that even without greasing the dish, there was very little sticking from anything that was baked in it. Additionally, they noted that the dish was easy to clean by hand or in the dishwasher.

Material: Porcelain ceramic | Oven Safe Temperature: 650 degrees | Dishwasher Safe: Yes, but handwashing recommended

Best Springform Pan

Fat Daddio's Aluminum Springform Cake Pan

Orig. $36 $28 at Amazon $34 at Walmart $17 at Sur La Table

While springform pans don’t typically see as much baking action as other pans in your baking arsenal, it’s still a good idea to have a few on hand for special baking projects like cheesecakes, flourless chocolate cakes, tarts, and pies—or anything that you’ll need to use extra care removing from the pan.

There are two features that set these springform pans apart from traditional springform pans. The first is the wider base that extends past the round cake form, angling slightly up like the rim of a plate. Additionally, the base of the pan is raised inside the round cake form to create even more protection against leaking, as well as deterring water from entering the form if you’re baking using a water bath. There is still an inner rib on the inside of the plate for the form to grip onto, holding the pieces together, but the updated design helps to keep everything where it’s supposed to be and makes for an easy release when you remove the round form.

The design worked perfectly when we baked Basque cheesecake inside. It came out evenly baked, and the pan cooled down quickly for a fast unmolding. We did notice that if you want to place this in a pan, you'll need something wide to account for the base.

Material: Anodized aluminum | Oven Safe Temperature: 550 degrees | Dishwasher Safe: No | Sizes Available: 6-inch, 8-inch, 9-inch, 10-inch, 11-inch

Best Pie Pan

Emile Henry Ruffled Pie Dish

Orig. $55 $40 at Amazon $63 at Williams-Sonoma $40 at Food52

Emile Henry is known for its high quality ceramic bakeware, with clean designs, and stylish color choices. And this ruffled pie dish might look like it’s all frills, but it's built to bake just about any pie you can throw at it. Made with Emile Henry’s signature Burgundy ceramic, which retains and disperses heat evenly, the plate itself is coated with a hard and glossy glaze. We noticed that the glazed surface made it easier to remove extra-sticky pies where the filling had bubbled over the crust, and there were no signs of scratch marks even after slicing pies in it with a serrated knife.

The sides of the pie dish are 2.5 inches tall, allowing for an incredibly deep pie, should that be what you’re trying to make. But because of the way the dish is designed, you can just as easily fit it with a regular pie crust with a slightly rolled edge and molded into the fluted side of the pan for a traditional-depth pie. We observed that there is no differentiation between wall and edge of this pie plate, so your pies can be as shallow or deep as you like, with lovely results either way.

It’s a more expensive option than several of the other pie dishes on the market, but we think it’s worth it if baking pies is high on your list of favorite cooking projects. It’s also ideal if you’re concerned about making nice-looking pies, as just about anything you bake in it is destined to look good, even if too much juice bubbles over the crust or it’s a little burnt on one side. But be warned, if you bake a pie for someone in this dish, expect that you might not get it back!

Material: Ceramic | Oven Safe Temperature: 520 degrees | Dishwasher Safe: Yes | Pieces Included: [1] 10.5 x 2.5-inch deep dish ceramic pie dish

Best Muffin and Cupcake Pan

Chicago Metallic Everyday Non-Stick 12-Cup Muffin and Cupcake Pan

$20 at Amazon

A high-quality muffin and cupcake pan will become one of your most used baking pans. You can use it to make muffins and cupcakes of course, but you can also use it to make egg bites, baked oatmeal cups, and mini cheesecakes.

The carbon-steel pan has 12 cups, each 2.75 x 1.4 inches, which is a standard size, and it's all covered in a silicone-based nonstick coating. Carbon steel is known for conducting heat evenly, and it definitely did here. Our muffins baked beautifully, evenly golden on the outside and tender on the inside. The nonstick made getting the muffins out of the pan stress-free and was surprisingly easy to clean. We found the pan easy to fill because of the ample space in between cups and appreciated the handles for getting the muffin pan in and out of the oven.

We were surprised by the low price and it gave us one more reason to love this pan. The pan does need to be hand washed and metal utensils should be avoided to keep the nonstick coating in pristine condition.

Material: Carbon steel with silicone nonstick coating | Oven Safe Temperature: 450 degrees | Dishwasher Safe: No