We Tested the Best Half Sheet Pans—Here Are Our Picks

Best Overall

Nordic Ware Naturals Baker's Half Sheet

$38 at Amazon $13 at Walmart $14 at Target

The Nordic Ware Naturals Aluminum Half Sheet Pan checks all the boxes for what most people are looking for when it comes to baking sheets: It's an inexpensive, reliable workhorse that can be used again and again. This particular pan is the favorite of Clémence Gossett, pastry chef and co-owner of The Gourmandise cooking school in Santa Monica, California.

“We're such big fans that we carry it in our school store,” says Gossett. “It's made in the U.S. and is sturdy enough to keep from warping when the pan moves from hot to cold.”

Made from pure formed aluminum, it features rolled, encapsulated steel rims that hold the pan’s structure. The surface is virtually nonstick and the pan is oven-safe to 450 degrees, allowing you to roast and broil vegetables and more. During both of our tests, cookies baked evenly, with the bottoms cooking just as much as the tops. There was no sticking, and washing was a cinch. It also worked well for roasting veggies—there was no burning—and was the perfect sheet pan for crunchy roasted potatoes.

The shiny metal surface did show some wear-and-tear from metal spatulas and from stacking and moving, but that doesn’t affect the performance at all. The manufacturer offers a lifetime warranty on this pan and advises that you hand wash to prevent discoloration from dishwasher detergents.

Material: Aluminum | Dimensions: 17.9 x 12.9 x 1 inches | Dishwasher Safe: No

Best Heavy-Duty

Chicago Metallic Commercial II Sheet Pan

Orig. $29 $24 at Amazon Orig. $28 $24 at Walmart $27 at Wayfair

This pan is great for those who are tough on their bakeware or simply like to bake often. A professional-weight half sheet pan, this is made from 18-gauge aluminized steel, which means a carbon steel core is dip-coated with an aluminum-silicon alloy, making it strong with high thermal conductivity. This also makes it thicker and heavier than most home bakeware. The rolled rim reinforced with wire rods means this pan will not warp and will easily stand up to daily use.

We've tested this baking sheet twice, and it performed excellently both times. The steel conducts heat effectively and will heat up faster than aluminum. This meant that during testing, cookies baked a little faster, but didn’t burn. The light color no doubt helped prevent over-browning that can happen with dark pans. Roasted vegetables browned nicely on the bottom, but didn’t burn, and cleanup was easy every time.

One of our testers enjoyed the 16.75 x 12-inch cooking space since it gave them plenty of room for moving food around, and as a set of two, you can cook twice as much in one go. These are dishwasher safe, but hand washing will help to extend the pan’s life.

Material: Aluminized steel | Dimensions: 16.75 x 12 x 1.25 inches | Dishwasher Safe: Yes, but hand wash recommended 

Best Ceramic

Great Jones Holy Sheet Pan

View on Greatjonesgoods.com View on West Elm

This pan from Great Jones is a newcomer to the bakeware world, but it is quickly gaining popularity thanks to the combination of its vibrant, Instagram-worthy hues and outstanding performance. This rimmed baking sheet is made of aluminized steel with a nontoxic, Swiss-made ceramic coating that is free of PFOA. The rolled edges are reinforced with steel rods to prevent warping, something that flimsier pans tend to do in the oven. 

Since this is made from steel rather than aluminum, cookies baked a bit faster than the recipes we were using. Our at-home tester got some burning on the bottom of their cookies and on the roasted vegetables, while another tester had chocolate chip cookies with a crispy, brown bottom. You may have to adjust baking times accordingly.

This pan is large enough to cook sheet pan dinners for a family or make a batch of focaccia without overflow. It's oven-safe up to 450 degrees, and easy to clean by hand or in the dishwasher even if there was burning. During one test, the pan did acquire a deep scratch on the bottom from stacking and moving the pan along with the others. While that didn’t affect use, a scratch on top would be more problematic and would make the pan less attractive.

Material: Aluminized steel, ceramic nonstick coating | Dimensions: 18.5 x 13.5 x 2 inches | Dishwasher Safe: Yes

Best Set

Anolon Aluminized Steel 4-Piece Bakeware Set

Orig. $70 $56 at Amazon $98 at Walmart $70 at Wayfair

This set is great for bakers who love savory cooking since it includes baking sheets as well as a loaf pan and pizza pan—all in one bundle to save some money. The bakeware is made from durable aluminized steel that looks good and performs well. 

The heavier weight, compared to all-aluminum sheets, means that food cooks more evenly. In testing, cookies baked well and removed from the pan easily. The perforated pizza pan is large enough for almost all of the premade and frozen pizzas you’ll find, and can also be used for homemade creations, with the holes letting the oven heat get to the bottom of the pizza, promoting a crisp crust and avoiding the dreaded soggy bottom.

The loaf pan is the perfect size and shape for making bread for sandwiches, as well as treats like banana bread or pound cake. If your preference is sweet baking, a 6-piece set that includes two baking sheets, two round cake pans, one square cake pan, and one loaf pan is also available.

Material: Aluminized steel | Dimensions: 9 x 5 inches (loaf pan), 13 x18 inches (half-sheet pan), 14 x 14 inches (pizza pan) | Dishwasher Safe: No

Best Nonstick

USA Pan Aluminized Steel Half Sheet Pan

$24 at Amazon Orig. $29 $25 at Walmart $24 at Wayfair

This classic sheet pan from USA Pan is made of heavy-gauge aluminized steel, with the rims also incorporatig steel wire to enhance the pan’s strength and prevent warping. USA Pans bakeware has a patented nonstick silicone coating, which is PTFE-, PFOA-, and BPA-free, and will allow everything from cookies to baked fish to release easily from the surface.

This pan features a corrugated surface to help promote air circulation and heat distribution, allowing foods to cook evenly so your results are always consistent. In testing, cookies baked evenly and released with no sticking, although there was a little bit of burning when roasting vegetables. Unfortunately, the pan warped when roasting vegetables at 425 degrees, which is lower than the recommended temperature of 450 degrees. It returned to its original shape after it cooled.

The sturdy, scratch-resistant surface holds up well against higher temperatures and it was also incredibly easy to clean, even when there was a little burning. The manufacturer recommends washing by hand and avoiding the use of sharp utensils to preserve the integrity of the nonstick coating.

Material: Aluminized steel | Dimensions: 17.5 x 12.75 x 1 inches | Dishwasher Safe: No

Best Rimless

Vollrath Wear-Ever Cookie Sheet Pan

Orig. $49 $33 at Amazon

If you’re searching for a rimless cookie sheet pan, this cookie sheet from Vollrath offers durability and performance without the limitations of a rimmed edge. You’ll notice that it’s thicker than most pans because it has to be; a rolled edge rim normally provides structural stability, so this pan relies on heavy, 10-gauge aluminum to resist warping. Two ends are raised, giving a handhold to make it easier to lift the pan in and out of the oven.

While we couldn’t find any confirming documentation, when our tester pressed on the sheet, she could feel a bit of “give,” which means this may be made from dual layers of aluminum with air insulating it inside. That construction provides even baking and less chance for overbaked bottoms, which is what was experienced in testing. Cookies and vegetables both cooked evenly, with no burning.

The aluminum surface provides great heat conductivity, making it a favorite for commercial bakers who need large-scale consistency. This pan is extremely durable and easy to clean, although it is hand wash only. A hole on one end of the sheet makes it easy to hang this on a hook, if desired.

The few caveats are that this sheet pan is less versatile than a traditional rimmed pan. Without a rim, it can’t hold pan juices or oil, so you’ll have to be mindful of what you’re cooking. Additionally, since the metal's so thick, it takes longer to fully warm up in the oven. You'll have to be flexible with cooking times and be ready to check on the baking progress often.

Material: Aluminum | Dimensions: 17.8 x 14 x 0.5 inches | Dishwasher Safe: No

Best Enamel

Crow Canyon Home Enamel Rectangular Tray

$57 at Amazon $40 at Food52 View on Crowcanyonhome.com

This enamelware half sheet pan from Crow Canyon Home will add a whimsical vintage touch to your bakeware collection. It is made from high-strength steel, which is then hand-dipped multiple times to create its durable porcelain enamel surface—a technique that was popularized in the 19th century to make bakeware, tableware, and cookware surfaces that were easier to clean than bare metal. The result is a very sturdy pan that is oven-safe up to 500+ degrees and can even be used on the grill, making it ideal for broiling and roasting at higher temperatures in addition to baking cookies. 

During testing, this did well with cookies, although it baked faster because of the steel construction. Our tester's vegetables had some burning, and the burned-on food was difficult to remove, requiring multiple rounds of soaking, scraping, and scrubbing to get rid of all the bits.

This sheet pan is completely food-safe, even if the enamel coating chips, so it’s a fantastic option for kids to handle during a family baking project. It is available in a traditional white finish with a colored rim, or an artisan-applied splatter design that looks fantastic as a serving tray when it’s not being used as bakeware. This sheet pan is dishwasher safe, so cleanup is easy as long as nothing has burned on.

Material: Porcelain enamel on steel base | Dimensions: 16.25 x 12.25 x 1.25 inches | Dishwasher Safe: Yes