We Baked Dozens of Pie Crusts (and Whole Pies) to Find the Three Best Pie Pans (2024)

You might think of a pie pan as an afterthought, a mere vehicle for making and serving pies—surely it can’t matter as much as a good pie crust or winning filling? But the truth is, the material and shape of a pie plate can make a difference, affecting crust color, composition, and ease of serving. But this doesn’t mean the nicer looking, fancy pie plate is the de facto winner; conversely, during our testing we kept Stella Parks’ mantra (“cheaper is better”) in the back of our minds. It wasn’t easy, since some of the stoneware plates just looked so darn nice! But as we baked pie after pie, it became clear she was on to something.

The Winners, at a Glance

This humble, stainless steel pie plate baked up consistently golden, browned crusts, and the angled sides made it easy to line as well as remove slices of pie. The one downside: it’s not dishwasher-safe.

While stoneware (like ceramic and porcelain) pie plates often produced lighter crusts, the Made In still baked up decently golden pies; it was also fairly deep, making it a good choice for pies with a large amount of filling. We also liked that the rim was flat; it made it easier to crimp pie edges in different styles.

While this pie dish did have wavy edges which made crimping anything but a wavy crimp a little difficult, it still was third best when it came to baking golden crusts. While mostly even, we did find the edges were ever so slightly darker.

The Tests

• Oven Test: We placed each pie pan (empty) in a 375°F oven for 20 minutes, then used an infrared thermometer to note the final surface temperature.
• Blind Bake Pie Crust Test: We blind-baked pie store-bought pie dough in each pie pan (using pie weights) to see how easy the pans were to line and if the cooked results were even and golden.
• Blind Bake Graham Cracker Crust Test: We blind-baked graham cracker crust in each pan to see how easy they were to line and if the results were even and golden.
• Apple Pie Test (Winners-Only): We baked Gooey Apple Pie in each of our favorite pie pans to see if the bottom crust was cooked through or soggy, and if it was easy to cut and serve slices of pie.
• Usability and Cleanup Tests: Throughout testing, we evaluated how easy the pie dishes were to use, pick up, and cleanup.
  

What We Learned

Stoneware Versus Glass Versus Metal Pie Pans

We've tested glass vs. metal pans before. And while stoneware pie dishes (like the Made In, Le Creuset and Emile Henry) look great, looks don’t guarantee an evenly golden crust. During our oven test, we found stoneware pans heated up to higher temps, while the stainless steel Norpro pan actually had the lowest temp. So when a pie crust was placed in each pan and blind-baked, it was the metal pan that had the darkest (read: most golden and evenly cooked) crust. This is because metal is a better thermal conductor than stoneware; instead of retaining heat, it conducts it into your pie crust. Conversely, the stoneware pans (as well as the glass pans) retained heat, not as effectively conducting it up to the crust. The Le Creuset (which was also the heaviest of the bunch) was the worst in this realm, with very pale crusts throughout testing.

A Flat Edge Was More Versatile

While a wavy-edged pan is lovely to behold, it’s only useful if you’re doing one kind of edge crimp. We preferred pans with flat edges, like the Norpro and Made In, since they allowed for more variation (and creativity!) when it came to crimping. This same feature also makes it a bit easier to make chilled pies.

Slanted Sides Made It Easy to Serve Slices

While we actually quite liked the Made In pan, the straight, vertical sides made it a little difficult to finagle a spatula in to remove a slab of pie. In contrast, the slightly angled edges of the Norpro and Pyrex pie pans made it easier to lift out and serve a piece of pie.

Depth Mattered If You Like Deep Dish (or Mile High) Pies

Our winning pan from Norpro was on the shallow end of the pie pan spectrum, at 1.5 inches deep; while you can make deep dish pies in it, most of the pie will be above the sides. So, if you like baking thick pies and want your pan to support the sides, the Made In or Emile Henry pie pans (at 1.75 and 2 inches, respectively) might be a better choice.

The Criteria: What to Look for in a Pie Pan

A good pie pan should be easy to line (whether it’s with all-butter pie dough or graham cracker crust) and should create an evenly golden brown crust. We also liked pans that had slightly slanted edges, since they were easier to maneuver a slice of pie out of then pans with straighter sides. We preferred flat, non-wavy rims for versatility purposes.

The Best Pie Pans

What we liked: This was the little pie pan that could; it baked up consistently even, golden crusts. The slanted sides made it easy to line the pan with dough and graham cracker crust (it also made it a cinch to serve slices), while the flat rim ensured versatility. It turns out Stella was right: cheaper is better.

What we didn’t like: It’s not dishwasher-safe, and it’s on the smaller side in terms of depth.

Key Specs:

• Rim style: Flat
• Weight: 9.7 ounces
• Diameter: 9.5 inches
• Material: Stainless steel
• Depth: 1.5 inches
• Care: Hand wash-only
• Other: Freezer-safe

What we liked: If you want a stoneware pie pan, this offering from Made In is a great option. While it didn’t produce pies as deeply golden as those baked in the Norpro, it still baked up evenly browned crusts. We also liked the flat rim, which allowed for more versatility and creative crimping.

What we didn’t like: It’s pricey and doesn’t conduct heat as well as the Norpro.

Key Specs

• Rim style: Flat
• Weight: 2 lbs, 5.5 ounces
• Diameter: 10.5 inches
• Depth: 1.75 inches
• Material: Porcelain
• Care: Dishwasher-safe
• Other: Freezer-safe; oven-safe up to 650°F

What we liked: This stylish pie pan performed decently; it was easy to line with dough and graham cracker crusts, and the ever so slightly slanted edges made it easy to remove pieces of pie. It also comes with a 10-year warranty.

What we didn’t like: Like the Made In, this ceramic pie dish didn’t get crusts as evenly and deeply golden as the Norpro. And while the wavy edges are aesthetically pleasing, they get in the way of creative crimping. It’s also a bit on the pricey side.

Key Specs

• Rim style: Wavy
• Weight: 2 lbs, 6 ounces
• Diameter: 10.25 inches
• Depth: 2 inches
• Material: Ceramic
• Care: Dishwasher-safe
• Other: Microwave-safe

The Competition

• Le Creuset Stoneware Pie Dish: While this is a beautiful pie pan, it produced the palest crusts of them all. We also found the dimpled rim made it difficult to vary our pie crusts’ edge style.
• OXO Good Grips Glass Pie Plate with Lid: This pie pan produced fairly uneven crusts throughout our testing, with the edges often much darker than the bottom of the crust.
• Pyrex Glass Bakeware Pie Plate: This nearly was a winner, but lost points for slightly less evenly golden crusts.
• Williams Sonoma Goldtouch Pro Nonstick Pie Dish: Unfortunately, we couldn't actually test this pan since it arrived a month late. However, per our research we learned that this pan, while metal, has a nonstick coating that can wear away over time. Plus, the brand says “Do not cut baked goods while they are in the pan,” to which we ask, how are you supposed to serve slices of pie from this?

FAQs

What is the best material for a pie pan?

We found that, in terms of conductivity, metal pans were the best; they produced the most evenly golden crusts.

What are pie pans used for?

Pie pans are used to bake pies; ideally, they ensure a flakey, cooked-through crust on the bottom, which is sometimes prone to sogginess.

What size are pie pans?

Pie pans come in a variety of shapes and sizes, but most of the ones we tested were about 9 inches in diameter. Depth varied, so we advise choosing a pan depending on what style of pie you commonly make.

Can you use a pie pan to bake a cake?

While you theoretically could use a metal pie pan to bake a cake, the shape might leave something to be desired. Pie pans, especially metal ones, are often flared outward slightly, leading to an oddly shaped cake. Plus, cake pans are usually deeper with high sides that help a cake rise. Pie pans, on the other hand, are shallow, so your cake might not get the lift you desire.

Is it worth buying disposable pie pans?

A disposable pie pan is convenient, and if made of aluminum, can bake up a decent pie crust, The downside is they aren't super sturdy and you'll have to buy another one if you want to make another pie. We think investing in the Norpro stainless steel pie pan is a good alternative since it's cheap and bakes up great pies.

Which pie pans brown crusts the most evenly?

Metal pie pans bake up the most even crusts, since metal is a great thermal conductor. While stoneware can bake up a good pie, the material isn't as conductive and retains heat better, which can result in less evenly browned crusts.

What pie pan is the most versatile?

The Norpro stainless steel pie pan is very versatile, and in our tests produced evenly browned crusts and perfectly cooked pies. That said, it is rather small and shallow, so if you want to bake up a larger pie, we'd recommend the larger, deeper pans from Made In and Emile Henry; while the crusts baked in them weren't as evenly browned, they still came out nicely.

Why We're the Experts

• Grace Kelly is the commerce editor at Serious Eats, where she's been reviewing gear for about two years.
• For this review, Grace blind-baked fourteen store-bought pie crusts, another fourteen graham cracker crusts, and an apple pie in each of the three winners. These tests examined how the pans distributed heat, if they baked up golden crusts, and if the pie pans were easy to use.