The 11 Best Places to Buy Bakeware

Oct 06, 2023

Whether you’re investing in a new bakeware collection or searching for replacement pieces, here's where you should shop.

Jump to a Section

We independently evaluate all recommended products and services. If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation. Learn more.

Made In Cookware

For any professional or home baker, having reliable bakeware is essential. When shopping for products to up your baking game, there are a few factors you’ll want to keep in mind, like product warranties and return policies. But with so many different brands and retailers, narrowing down the options can be challenging, even if you consider yourself a seasoned baker.

To help you find retailers worthy of your business, we spoke with baking experts to determine the best places to buy bakeware. They endorsed some of their personal favorites and also responded to our burning questions on when to replace pieces and what materials are the best to use and easiest to clean. Keep scrolling to learn more about all the brands that made our list.

Williams Sonoma

They offer a wide range of brands and products, typically on the higher end.

Shipping is tiered based on your order total, and is on the more expensive side.

A Product We Love: Williams Sonoma Goldtouch Pro Nonstick Muffin Pan

Sort your shopping experience at Williams Sonoma by product category, brand, material, exclusive collaborations, or what’s trending. Cookbook author and recipe developer Jessie Sheehan appreciates that websites like Williams Sonoma are easy to navigate and says, “I am familiar with their products, so I know that I am getting excellent quality.”

Brands include its own product line as well as Le Creuset, Emile Henry, Nordic Ware, and many more. Favorites on the site include a New England bun pan perfect for lobster rolls and a set of six everyday nonstick pieces, both from the Williams Sonoma line. If you’re unsatisfied with your purchase, you can return new and unused items within 30 days to a store near you or a UPS location.

Amazon

Le Creuset’s products are built to last and many of them come with a limited lifetime warranty.

Le Creuset items are typically on the more expensive side.

A Product We Love: Le Creuset Heritage Square Baking Dishes

There is no denying the popularity of Le Creuset’s classic Dutch ovens, but the brand’s bakeware is equally worth the investment. Its signature collection of colorful stoneware pieces look beautiful from the oven to your table, and its nonstick metal collection allows for easy release and cleanup after sheet cakes and cookies.

Le Creuset products are available at several of our other favorite retailers, sometimes in exclusive colors and viral-themed collections. The company’s lifetime limited warranty, which covers everything but wine accessories and glassware, is one of the best on the market in case you experience defects with any of your heirloom pieces.

Amazon

Nordic Ware offers high-quality ornate cakelet and bundt pans for unique-looking desserts.

The slightly raised logo on one end of the sheet pans may not be conducive for sheet pans.

A Product We Love: Nordic Ware Naturals Baker's Half Sheet

Kelsey Brito, a pastry chef and partner at The Dutchess in Ojai, California, says she tends to “reach for the classics that withstand the test of time,” when it comes to bakeware. But when it comes to baking and bundt pans, Nordic Ware is the way to go “because it’s hard to beat its ornate detail.”

If you’re loading up your shopping cart with the signature cast aluminum pans, Nordic Ware offers 20% off on orders over $150. The products are covered by a warranty that ranges between five years and a lifetime if it is found to be defective, and the company will repair or replace it depending on the length of warranty remaining.

Sur La Table

The slightly raised logo on one end of the sheet pans may not be conducive for sheet pans.

The steep return fee can only be avoided if you return items at a store location.

A Product We Love: Sur La Table Marble Pastry Board

Ready to up your baking game? Sur La Table carries quality products made from glass, ceramic, silicone, steel, and more to suit everyone’s needs and preferences. In addition to top brands and more expensive options, its own product line is affordably priced for the quality it provides. Achieve bakery-worthy pastries at home with this beautiful marble board designed to prevent delicate flour from sticking to the surface, allowing you to roll out dough with ease. We love that shipping is free on orders over $75, which is an easy number to reach thanks to the wide selection of bakeware and more.

Its wide selection of kitchen products can be shopped in-store or ordered online.

Used items cannot be returned to Crate & Barrel.

A Product We Love: Crate & Barrel Soft-Touch Pastry Tools

Shop top-rated brands and exclusive items from its own Crate & Barrel collection. Purchase sets to save, or mix and match between brands and styles to customize your perfect bakeware assemblage. Looking for harder-to-find pieces to expand your baking skills? Baguette pans, baking tools for every task, and pastry mats with measurements are just a few of the more unique items available. Plus, many of your favorite brands, like Le Creuset, offer top products in exclusive colors and styles at Crate & Barrel. The cost of shipping is tiered based on your merchandise total (the more you buy, the higher the shipping cost), so if your cart is getting full, consider shopping in person instead of online.

Amazon

Many items are reasonably priced and readily available if you are building a collection of bakeware from scratch.

Standard shipping could take up to 10 business days within the contiguous United States or longer depending on your location.

A Product We Love: Wilton Recipe Right Nonstick Square Brownie Baking Pan with Lid

For nearly a century, Wilton products have been a kitchen staple of bakers everywhere. You can take your pick from a wide selection of nonstick, aluminized steel, stainless steel, and silicone products for every type of bakeware you can think of, including cake pans, cookie sheets, and donut pans. You can also get pans for bite-sized desserts, from mini muffins to petite bundt cakes, included in the mini baking dishes collection. For young bakers, there are colorful silicone offerings featuring animal-, space-, and flower-themed molds that make cake pops even more fun. Wilton products are covered by a warranty that ranges between five years and a lifetime for consumer use if it is found to be defective and will honor a similar new item or a refund.

Food52

Food52 offers essential and unique bakeware pieces from popular brands as well as its in-house line Five Two.

They charge a hefty return fee, and only offer a 30-day return window.

A Product We Love: Five Two Bench Scraper

From ornate cakelet pans and tart dishes to innovative accessories that will elevate every part of your baking journey, look no further than Food52. Brands include its own product collection, hard-to-source international lines, plus items from small makers like the prettiest ruffle pie dish you’ve ever seen. Some products are only available via standard shipping, which is free on orders over $149, but express shipping may be offered depending on your selections. For items from the company’s product line, Five Two, there is no warranty, but the website notes they are able to offer replacements or refunds for defective items.

Amazon

This French brand is known for its top quality ceramic ovenware and offers a wide variety of baking pieces.

Shipping can be expensive if you don’t reach the minimum for free shipping.

A Product We Love: Emile Henry Modern Classics Pie Dish

Founded in 1850, Emile Henry is a trusted French brand for quality ceramic ovenware. Both professionals and home cooks praise the products for their durability, perfectly-preportioned designs, and ease of cleaning. If you’re a bread baker, you’ll appreciate the various pieces the brand offers for preparing homemade focaccia, baguettes, ciabatta, and other varieties. Along with bread bakeware, there are classic rectangular, oval, and square dishes as well as loaf pans, pie dishes, and pizza stones. Many products are available in red, black, and white, while some come in almost any color imaginable. The brand offers a 10-year guarantee which covers quality problems or production defects that may arise.

Noah Fecks Studio for Great Jones

Nonstick and ceramic bakeware pieces available in signature bright colors will stand out in your kitchen.

Many items are often available via waitlist only, so they might not be ideal for gifting or immediate needs.

A Product We Love: Great Jones Fully Baked Bakeware Set

Great Jones is a design-forward (and beloved by editors) brand with cookware and bakeware pieces available in a variety of punchy colors. The brand’s moderately priced collection includes ceramic baking dishes in multiple sizes and aluminized steel nonstick cake pans, loaf pans, and sheet pans. Go all in and get “Fully Baked” with their set of seven baking essentials, or shop individually. Items are often available via waitlist only because of their popularity, especially in the bubblegum pink shade Taffy, so act quickly if something is in stock! Shipping is currently only available to all U.S. states, and rates depend on speed and location.

Made In

Made In’s bakeware is designed to go from the freezer to the oven up to 650 degrees Fahrenheit, making it some of the most versatile pieces on the market.

Not the best option if you don’t prefer porcelain bakeware.

A Product We Love: Made In Baking Slab

Designed by French artisans more than 200 years ago, Made In bakeware might look simple but the production process is quite complex, starting with the blending of fine materials and baking them three times at extremely high temperatures. One of the brand’s most popular items is the Porcelain Baking Slab, designed with and for Chef Nancy Silverton. Made of French porcelain, this is a unique bakeware item that is ideal for sheet cakes, focaccia, slab pies, and more. Plus, it’s microwave-safe and oven-safe up to 650 degrees Fahrenheit and available in three color selections. And if you have old bakeware or cookware sitting around, Made In is closing the gap with its recycling program that gives your loved items new life or the chance to be recycled properly.

Caraway

The brand’s non-toxic, ceramic bakeware provides a smooth release for foods and easy cleanup for busy bakers.

The bakeware sets are on the more expensive side compared to some other aluminized steel items.

A Product We Love: Caraway Loaf Pan

Caraway, the internet-famous brand with cookware sets in signature colors, has bakeware worth adding to your collection. The aluminized steel body of the baking pans features a slick ceramic coating that makes baking and cleaning a snap. One of our editors confirmed just how easy the brand’s sheet pans are to clean, even after charred food sat on the pan for two weeks. Available in large (18 by 13 inches) and medium (15 by 10 inches) as a set or individually, these cookie sheets are oven-safe up to 550 degrees Fahrenheit and have stainless steel handles that provide a sturdy grip for lifting and moving hot pans.

Some larger retailers, like Crate & Barrel and Williams Sonoma, carry other brands that made our list, sometimes in exclusive colors and patterns that aren’t available directly by the brand. These larger retailers also allow you to directly compare items, like two similar muffin pans or brownie dishes, without having to jump between websites.

For some direct-to-consumer brands or companies of a smaller size, select products may be available only on a preorder or waitlist basis. Make sure to read the fine print, so you aren’t without a baking pan or dish for longer than you intended!

Every business has different return and exchange policies, so be sure to take a look before making a big purchase, even if you think it’s something you plan on keeping. In some cases, the return policy is a no questions asked one. In others, they’ll only accept unused products. It may also vary from product to product if something is a limited edition or a final sale. Always triple-check the fine print of the company’s policy before checking out, as the length of time and conditions may vary. And don’t forget, during the holiday season, many businesses adjust or extend their return period.

Like return policies, warranties vary from brand to brand and even between products. Product warranties are guarantees to a customer that the quality of an item will hold up over a designated period of time. However, there are exceptions and limitations. Normal or abnormal wear and tear, damage from improper cleaning, and overheating are some of the conditions typically not covered in a warranty.

The length of the product warranty can also vary, even between products sold by the same brand. Take a look at the product packaging or website to determine if your item is covered by a lifetime, limited, or different length of warranty. Keep in mind if you choose to purchase a new piece of bakeware from a retailer instead of directly via the brand, the warranty (if applicable) will likely need to be taken care of through the brand itself.

“Bakeware should be replaced when you begin to notice that your final bakes are no longer turning out properly,” says Veronica Fletcher, resident baker & owner of Vee's Bakeshoppe in Dallas, Texas. “A general rule of thumb for replacing bakeware is two years. However, durable bakeware can last much longer.”

Professional bakers use a variety of bakeware brands, so we asked three experts to share some of their favorites.

Sheehan appreciates Le Creuset’s heritage pans for showcasing desserts, such as snacking cakes, in a pretty dish. She also enjoys shopping at Great Jones and Williams Sonoma for square and rectangular cake pans.

Wilton is “pretty solid for affordability and durability,” says Brito, who also appreciates that Sur La Table is a “go-to for convenience in a pinch.”

Much of Fletcher’s “go-to and tried-and-true” collection of bakeware is from Nordic Ware, but she often finds herself “perusing Williams Sonoma and Sur La Table for new additions.”

Fletcher says that aluminized steel pans are the way to go for professional bakers. “On the off chance we were to use something else, our bakes are not always guaranteed to come out evenly, among other things. The important thing to remember is always to use an anonymized, aluminized steel pan. These pans tend to heat up quickly with even heat distribution, which results in a more even baking time.”

Aluminized steel pans typically have the straightest lines and sharpest corners that are more uniform than glass or ceramic baking dishes and pans, a feature also appreciated by Sheehan. “I like aluminized steel for sheet pans and 8-x-8-inch and 9-x-13-inch square and rectangular cake pans, as they are sturdy, have nice tight corners (I love a well-defined corner, as opposed to one that slumps), and do not warp at high temperatures, especially the sheet pans.”

“I've found aluminum/nonstick tend to be the easiest to clean,” Brito says. “A little pre-soak while the pan is still warm goes a long way! I also try to hand-wash and dry all of my bakeware (avoiding anything super abrasive), as opposed to running it through the dishwasher.”

Jacqueline Weiss is a professional food writer with over five years of experience and a lifelong lover of working in the kitchen. Her writing has appeared in Eat This Not That, EatingWell, AllRecipes, Simply Recipes, and more. For this article, she spoke with Kelsey Brito, a pastry chef and partner at The Dutchess in Ojai, California, Jessie Sheehan, cookbook author and recipe developer, and Veronica Fletcher, resident baker & owner of Vee's Bakeshoppe in Dallas, Texas, to find out what professionals look for when shopping for bakeware. She used their insights and her own expertise and market research to curate this list.