The Best Pie Dishes of 2023

One of the secrets to a great pie is the pie dish, and you'll want to make sure you've got the right tools for the job. A proper pie dish will help bake the pie in the precise recipe time, allowing your pie to emerge from the oven with an evenly browned crispy crust and a perfectly cooked filling; when you cut it, the slices will come out in perfect wedges that you can lift right out of the pan.

So, to help you find the right pie plate to make a perfect pie, we chose ten highly-rated pie dishes and baked four kinds of pies in each. Our ceramic winner is the Emile Henry Pie Dish (available at Amazon for $41.60) which bakes up beautiful pies of all types and can double as a casserole dish. However, if you’re looking for a lighter weight, traditional metal pan for a more reasonable price, the USA Pan Pie Pan (available at Amazon) will also do your pies proud.

Here are the best pie plates we tested ranked, in order:

1. Emile Henry Pie Dish
2. USA Aluminized Steel 9" Pie Pan
3. Le Creuset Heritage Pie Dish
4. Williams-Sonoma Goldtouch Nonstick Pie Dish
5. Pyrex Easy Grab 9.5" Pie Plate
6. Farberware Baker's Advantage Ceramic Deep Pie Dish
7. Nordic Ware High Dome Covered Pie Dish
8. Pyrex Basics 9” Pie Plate
9. Great Jones Sweetie Pie

How We Tested Pie Dishes

The Tester

Hi, I'm Sharon Franke, and I’ve been reviewing kitchen equipment for more than three decades. Before that, I cooked and baked professionally in New York City restaurants for seven years. I think one of the hardest baking tasks is making pie! Even if you opt for store-bought refrigerated pie crusts and a canned filling, it’s not easy to turn out a pie with dough that’s tender, crispy, flaky, and perfectly browned in the same time that the filling is properly cooked. That’s why I was thrilled to have the chance to see if the pie plate can make the difference.

Hi, I’m Madison Trapkin, the Kitchen & Cooking Editor at Reviewed. I picked up where Sharon left off in order to test a new pie dish on the market by a direct-to-consumer brand we’ve tested in the past. Plus, I really love pie (pumpkin is my favorite).

The Tests

In each pie dish we tested, we blind baked a pie crust made from homemade dough to create a fully baked shell as you might if you were making a no-bake chocolate pudding pie. Next, we made pumpkin pies using the recipe on the can of Libby’s pumpkin and a Pillsbury refrigerated pie crust. To see how a graham cracker crust baked in the pie plates, we made cheesecake pie. Finally, in each plate, we made a traditional all-American apple pie with top and bottom crusts made from scratch pie dough. (Testing note: We used a food processor to make the dough.If you need a good one, check out our roundup of The Best Food Processors.)

As we worked, we noted if we could get a good grip on the pie plates, how easy they would be to transport, whether or not they were dishwasher safe, and how easy they were to clean by hand. We also noted if the plates could withstand a high enough temperature if you wanted to brown off a lemon meringue pie.

What You Should Know About Pie Dishes

Here’s How To Measure A Pie Dish

If you've got a hand-me-down pie dish in your cabinet and aren't sure of its exact dimensions, you'll want to measure it before baking anything. Likewise if you’re buying a new pie dish with specific dimensions in mind.

Use a ruler to measure your pie pan from the inside, rim-to-rim for circumference, and then rim-to-bottom to test depth (which should be between 1.25¼ and 1.5½ inches). You can also test depth by counting how many cups of water fit—between four and five is standard. If you have anything deeper, you'll want to leave more time for baking.

Here’s How Long To Bake a Pie Crust In a Metal Pan

Deciding on a material for pie baking requires some internal pondering. Since metal is such a strong heat conductor compared to glass, it takes less time to heat up when baking (and cool off afterwards). But glass has its own heating advantages: Since its material is clear, radiant energy passes through much more quickly, and as a result, browns the crust faster—plus, you can actually see when the pie is done to your liking.

When it comes to timing how long to bake a pie crust in a metal pan, you can just follow a recipe's traditional instructions—if you're baking with glass, though, you'll want to tack on a few extra minutes to be sure the crust is baked evenly.

Do You Need To Grease a Pie Dish Before Baking?

Short answer: It depends. Since pie crusts are traditionally already heavy on butter, they don't usually need additional greasing to keep from sticking in a pie dish—and you don't want to run the risk of changing the crust's flavor and flaky texture.

That said, sometimes pies do get stuck—especially if its sticky filling seeps out. To stop your pastry from sticking to the pie dish, feel free to lightly spray the pan with a cooking oil spray from afar, to prevent sticking without drastically changing the result or taste of your crust.

Pastry Chefs Aren’t The Only Ones Who Know How To Make Pie Without a Pie Dish

Short on materials and need to make pie in a hurry? (Or making several pies at once?) There are alternatives you can use that'll still allow you to make pie—without a pie dish—in no time.

Using something like a sturdy tart or cake pan is an easy swap—just make sure you measure them beforehand to be sure you're providing appropriate baking time. You'll also want to be mindful of the material of the tool; if it can't withstand the same heat as your pie pan, for example, you'll need to account for that. Alternatively, you can opt for mini pies by making them in a muffin pan!

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Other Pie Dishes We Tested

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