The best pizza pans

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Whether you're a New York-style loyalist or a deep-dish die-hard, fresh-baked pizza brings a special kind of joy. To bring that joy into your own home kitchen, you'll need some special equipment. While one of the best pizza stones may get you the closest to brick-oven quality pizza at home, a pizza pan is a cheaper and easier option for casual pizza makers. 

To find the best pizza pans (sometimes called "pizza crispers"), I tested 11 options and spoke to three pizza experts. My top pick is the KitchenAid Nonstick Aluminized Steel Pizza Crisper. Its super-thin aluminum construction allowed for the best heat transfer and a super crisp bottom. If you prefer deep-dish pizza, I also like the Lloyd Pans Pizza Pan, which has higher sides to accommodate Chicago-style pies

No matter what type of pizza you make, Felice Colucci, resident instructor at Pizza University, says you should always look for the same thing: "A well-executed pizza can be recognized by a uniform golden brown color, which applies to any pizza style." 

Our top picks for the best pizza pans

Best overall: KitchenAid Nonstick Aluminized Steel Pizza Crisper, 14-inch - See at Amazon

Best budget: Goodcook Nonstick Pizza Pan, 12-inch - See at Amazon

Best deep dish: Lloyd Pans Chicago Style Pizza Pan, 12 by 2.25-inch - See at Amazon

Best overall

Since a pizza pan does not have the heat retention of a pizza stone, the texture and color of the pan are very important. "Perforated pans help prevent soggy pizza because some of the moisture will escape," said Bianca Kenworthy, founder of La Rossi Pizza. In our testing, we found this to be true and exemplified by our top pick: the KitchenAid Pizza Crisper. In this pan, the pizza crust was golden, and the bottom was crispy and browned. 

This pan felt sturdier in my hands than most of the others I tested, likely due to its aluminized steel construction. Aluminum is a better conductor of heat but a softer metal than steel. Cookware made of aluminum-coated steel, like this KitchenAid pan, can withstand and conduct high heat. I saw this in how the cheese melted and bubbled on top of the pizza in this pan. 

Because of the extended handles, the KitchenAid pan takes up more space than the flatter pans, but if you regularly make pizza, it's worth making the extra room in your cabinet. 

Best budget

Though this pan is not perforated like our top pick, its low price point and solid performance make it the best budget choice. The Goodcook pan's darker color compensates for the lack of perforation because darker surfaces retain heat better than lighter colored pans. 

The bottom of this pizza was uniformly a dark brown, but I noticed that within a few minutes, you could go from golden brown to verging on burnt. With this pan, I recommend checking the bottom a minute or two before the end of the bake time. 

The cheese did not bubble as much in this pan as it did in the KitchenAid, but it still melted smoothly onto the tomato sauce.

Best deep dish

Many deep-dish pizza recipes recommend coating the pan with olive oil, which makes it difficult to stretch the dough to the edges and push it up the sides. So, during my evaluation, I paid extra attention to pans that made the process of creating the deep-dish shape easier, and the Lloyd Pans Deep Dish Pizza Pan outperformed them all. 

The other deep dish pans I tested had nonstick coatings, which made it harder for me to push the dough up the sides. Lloyd Pans offers a proprietary finish called "Pre-Seasoned Tuff-Kote," a PFOA and PTFE-free coating that's applied and baked into the anodized surface of the pan so that it doesn't chip or flake. This limits the need for oiling or greasing your pan, but it isn't so smooth that the raw dough has trouble sticking to the surface. I didn't oil the Lloyd Pan at all and not only did the pizza release cleanly and smoothly, but it also held its shape.

What else we tested

What else we recommend

• Emile Henry Deep Dish Pizza Pan: This ceramic dish was neck and neck with our current top pick for deep dish pizza. The Emile Henry pan produced an evenly browned crust fully cooked through the center of the pie. While it didn't outshine the Lloyd Pans Deep Dish (and is double the price), the Emile Henry is another great option for home pizza cooks.
• Chicago Metallic Perforated Mini Deep Dish Pan Set: These pans are not full-size deep dish pans, but that's the only reason they aren't my top pick in that category. The bottom of the pizzas were beautifully browned and the dish cooked quicker because it was tinier. For a deep dish novice, I found the smaller size much more manageable to manipulate the dough into the correct shape.
• Wilton Perfect Results Nonstick Pizza Pan: Of the two Wilton pans I tested, I liked this one better because it produced a browner crust. While both pans produced uneven browns on the bottom of the pizzas, the darker pan made an overall better pizza. 

What we don't recommend

• Wilton Recipe Right Pizza Pans, 2-Piece Set: This pan did cook the pizza all the way through, so the non-perforated surface performed well. However, the pizza browned unevenly, and parts of the crust were almost burnt. 
• Nordic Ware Naturals Aluminum Pizza Crisper: I had high hopes for this pan because I loved the baking sheet and cake pan from the same line, but unfortunately the pizza pan did not perform as well. This pan was one of the lightest in color and one of the few that were uncoated, and it made pale pizzas with soggy centers. 
• Chicago Metallic Professional Deep Dish Pizza Pan: I did not find this pan easy to use. The nonstick coating made it more difficult to push the dough up the sides, and the bottom of the pizza was unevenly browned and burnt in some areas.

How we test pizza pans

We tested 11 pizza pans and spoke with three experts for this guide: Bianca and Martina Kenworthy, founders of La Rossi Pizza, and Felice Colucci, a resident instructor at Pizza University. We used a New York-style pizza recipe from Serious Eats and a deep dish pizza recipe from King Arthur Baking Company. 

Baking: We divided the pans into regular and deep dish pans. For regular pans, we set the oven to 450 degrees, then put the empty pizza pans inside for 10 minutes to let them preheat before baking. I did not grease the pans because the recipe didn't call for it, though I did handle the dough with flour. For deep dish pizza pans, we did not preheat the pans.

While there was variation in pizza size and shape, there were certain qualities we looked for in each pizza. For New York style pizzas, pans got marked down if any part of the pizza was soggy. Additionally, the cheese needed to be completely melted, with a few bubbles. We positively ranked pans that produced crust with irregular bubbles because this indicates high heat retention. For deep dish pans, we looked for a crisp crust that was baked all the way through. We also noted if the sides of the pizza held their vertical shape when baked. 

Cleaning: If the pizza stuck to the pan, we noted how easy it was to scrub off burnt pieces. Additionally, we looked to see if the acidity of the tomato sauce visibly damaged the pans. 

Durability: For the flat pizza pans, we looked for signs of warping during baking or preheating. For deep dish pans, we noted if the surface was metal utensil safe and if metal utensils scratched the pans.

Pizza pan FAQs

What is the difference between a pizza pan and a pizza stone?

A pizza pan is usually a relatively thin, round pan made from traditional cookware materials like aluminum or aluminized steel. Essentially, it is like a round baking sheet, though some pizza pans are perforated. 

Pizza stones are thick slabs of metal or stone that conduct and retain more heat than regular pans. Heat is a crucial factor in making pizza, and according to the Kenworthys and Colucci, it's the determining factor in pizza crust texture. Home ovens can't get as hot as wood-fired pizza ovens, so serious home pizza makers may turn to pizza stones for a closer approximation to a pie from their favorite pizza joint. Pizza stones are generally more expensive than pizza pans and require special maintenance and knowledge to use properly. For more information, check out our guide to the best pizza stones.

How can I prevent soggy pizza?

Soggy pizza is extremely unpleasant, so we asked our experts how to avoid this troubling fate.

"When cooking, in general, like in life, balance is everything!" said Colucci. He recommends no more than three toppings on a pizza (in addition to sauce and cheese). A light sauce and a smattering of toppings won't overwhelm the dough and will help maintain a crispy crust.

The Kenworthys' advice also focused on toppings. "If you have a veggie pizza, we recommend roasting the vegetables before so they don't release liquid on your pizza," said Bianca. Similarly, be aware that fresh mozzarella may release more moisture.