Cake Pans to Cookie Sheets: 16 Essential Baking Pans

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Pile of pans on a counter.

After leaving the restaurant industry when my kids were babies, I started a home-based baking business specializing in desserts for milestone occasions, from 1st birthdays to 50th anniversaries. Beyond traditional layer cakes, I made heart-shaped cakes, cupcakes, train cakes, cookie cakes, petit fours, fancy tarts, and the list goes on and on. As you can imagine, I accumulated quite a few specialty baking pans, and most of them are now collecting dust in my cabinet. However, there are certain baking pans I still use over and over again for family cooking.

These are the essential baking pans I recommend for all bakers, experienced and new, in order to have a well-stocked kitchen when it’s time to get your baking on.

Want to become a better baker? Read my essential baking tips. (Not a baker? Check out my recommendations for the best pots and pans to stock your kitchen.)

Round Cake Pans

Two round cake pans on a wire rack.

What They’re Used For: Layer cakes and other cakes

What You Should Know: When we think of birthday cake, most of us think of a traditional layer cake with lots of candles on top – and since most of us need to bake a birthday cake from time to time (even if it’s from a store-bought mix), round cake pans are a home baking essential. I recommend two 8-inch and two 9-inch pans with a reliable non-stick coating. Unless you’re baking tiered wedding cakes, these two pan sizes will have you covered for the great majority of round cake recipes.

❤️ My Faves:

Square and Rectangular Baking Dishes

Cake in a rectangular baking dish.

What They’re Used For: Sweets recipes, like breakfast cakes, snack cakes, sheet cakes, brownies, and bars, as well as savory dishes, like lasagna, baked ziti, vegetable gratins, strata, and casseroles.

What You Should Know: You’ll need several sizes of these baking pans in both metal and ceramic (or glass) versions. Metal heats up more quickly than both ceramic and glass and is great for baked goods that need to rise in the oven; it also gives whatever you’re baking lovely crisp, golden edges. Ceramic and glass are slower to heat up than metal but hold their heat for a long time, making them ideal for savory casseroles and pasta dishes that go from oven to table. Unlike metal, which can react negatively with acid-rich foods, ceramic and glass are nonreactive, so there are no limitations in terms of the ingredients you can use. Ceramic also comes in a variety of colors and designs so if you’re serving something directly from a baking dish, it makes a prettier presentation.

❤️ My Faves: You’ll need 3 different sizes of these pans for the most versatility: 2 quarts, 2.5 quarts, and 3 quarts.

2-Quart

2-1/2 Quart

3-Quart

 Muffin Pan

Muffin pan full of chocolate chip muffins.

What It’s Used For: Baked goods, like muffins, cupcakes, and popovers, as well as savory dishes, like egg bites, mini frittatas, and individual meatloaves.

What You Should Know: It’s important to buy a good-quality muffin pan that will distribute heat evenly and ensure the batter in the center of each well cooks as much as the batter on the outer edges. A good nonstick coating is vital so your baked goods don’t stick; it also makes cleaning the muffin pan much easier.

❤️ My Fave: USA Pan Bakeware Nonstick Muffin Pan

Springform Pan

how to make new york style cheesecake

What It’s Used For: Delicate baked goods, like cheesecakes, mousse cakes, and flourless cakes, as well savory dishes, like spaghetti pie or deep-dish quiche.

What You Should Know: A springform pan, or round pan with sides that can be released from the base, makes for easy work of removing delicate baked goods from the pan without the need to invert them. You can then either serve the cake directly from the base of the pan or transfer it to a plate. It’s important to get a high-quality pan with a strong seal between the base and the sides; this will prevent leaks (and frustrated bakers!). Springform pans come in a few different heights; I recommend one that is 3 inches deep.

❤️ My Fave: Nordic Ware 9-inch Springform Pan

Loaf Pans

Bread in a loaf pan.

What They’re Used For: Breads, quick breads, pound cakes, no-churn ice cream

What You Should Know: Whether it’s to bake a quick banana bread for your family or to whip up no-churn ice key-lime pie cream on a hot summer day, your loaf pans will get plenty of use. It’s important to purchase pans that have a reliable nonstick surface so you can easily remove your baked goods. For the most flexibility, I recommend two different-size loaf pans: 8½x4½ inches, and 9×5 inches. These loaf pans are not interchangeable; although the difference in size may seem minimal, recipes don’t usually translate well to a smaller or larger loaf pan.

❤️ My Faves:

Deep-Dish Pie Pan

Pie in a deep-dish pie pan.

What It’s Used For: Pies, cakes, quiches, egg dishes

What You Should Know: Whether you’re making a pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving or quiche for family brunch, a pie plate is a must in your kitchen. There are two different depths of pie plates: standard and deep-dish. A standard pie plate is typically 1.25 inches deep; a deep-dish pie plate typically measures 1.5 to 2 inches deep. All of my pie-pan recipes call for a deep-dish pan, so this is what I recommend having. Of course, if you make standard-size pies, you’ll need one of those pans too.

❤️ My Faves:

Bundt Pan

how to make Kentucky butter cake

What It’s Used For: Denser cakes, like coffee cakes and pound cakes, as well as gelatin fruit molds

What You Should Know: Bundt pans, known for their decorative sculpted sides and inner tubes, have thicker walls than most other baking pans, which helps cakes bake more evenly. Additionally, the hole in the middle of the pan lets heat rise through the center of the cake, ensuring even rising and baking. There are a wide variety of designs available, from simple ridges to decorative flowers. Because bakers sometimes have problems with Bundt cakes sticking to the pan, I strongly recommend purchasing one with a simple design. In my experience, the more complex the design, the more likely the cake is to stick. I also recommend buying a pan that has a light interior. Pans with darker interiors conduct heat better and can over-brown the exterior of your cake.

❤️ My Fave: Nordic Ware Platinum Collection Anniversary Bundt Pan

Baking Sheet/Half Sheet Pan

baked salted peanut butter cookies

What They’re Used For: Baking cookies, breads, and sheet cakes; roasting vegetables and meats; making full (sheet-pan) dinners; carrying foods to and from the grill.

What You Should Know: You’ll find yourself pulling these babies out over and over (and over), so I recommend having at least 2 baking sheets. Some may refer to sheet pans as jelly roll pans or cookie sheets. While technically cookie sheets are a bit different (they have a raised lip on 1 or 2 sides but don’t have the higher edges all around), baking sheets can be used for all cookie recipes. When purchasing a baking sheet, choose a heavy-duty pan that won’t buckle under high heat. It’s also important to select one that is light in color. Darker metal conducts heat better than light metal, which can cause the bottom of your baked goods to burn.

❤️ My Fave: USA Pan Bakeware Half Sheet Pan

Cooling Rack

how to make plum cake


What They’re Used For:
Cooling racks aren’t just for cooling! While they’re primarily used to cool cookies and cakes after they’ve been removed from the oven, they’re also great for cooking. For example, you can place one on top of a baking sheet to cook meat. This allows any excess fat from the meat to drip down onto the baking sheet. Additionally, they’re useful for ensuring that items with a crispy coating come out crisp on all sides; putting the food on a rack over a baking sheet lets the hot air circulate all around it and keeps the bottoms from coming out soggy.

What You Should Know: There are a few important things to keep in mind when buying a cooling rack. First, make sure you purchase one that is oven-safe. This gives you the flexibility to use it in all the ways I’ve described above. Additionally, it’s best to buy a cooling rack that has a grid pattern (instead of the bars going just one way), as this helps prevent food from slipping through.

❤️ My Fave: USA Pan Half Sheet Bakeable Cooling Rack

Final Thoughts

Whether you’re baking brownies for your local bake sale, creating a festive layer cake for your child’s birthday, or making muffins for your family to grab-and-go in the morning, having the right baking pans will give you the results you’re looking for. It’s so disappointing to have baked goods stick or come out poorly. Conversely, there’s little more satisfying than turning out a sweet treat that you’ve spent time and effort on. Hopefully this list of pans will help you build or supplement the ones you’ve got at home so you can feel successful every time. Just a reminder that in addition to having the right baking dishes, there are many factors to successful baking. You can read more about them here. Happy baking!

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Comments

  • Jenn, I’m not the only one who gets under baked fruit breads when baking in the traditional 9”x5” loaf pan. Any tips on baking these large loaves completely without causing dry over baked loaves? I use metal pans usually.
    Thank you, Lynnda in CA

    • — Lynnda on January 3, 2024
    • Reply
    • Hi Lynnda, If it’s a recipe that calls for a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan, they really shouldn’t be getting overbaked. If you have a specific recipe you’ve struggled with, feel free to email me at jennifer@onceuponachef.com with it and I’d be happy to troubleshoot.

      • — Jenn on January 4, 2024
      • Reply
  • Do the USA non stick sheet pans scratch? Is it essential to use non-metal utensils?

    • — Melanie Haymond on December 14, 2023
    • Reply
    • Hi Melanie, I think they scratch a bit, but are good quality pans. I almost always use nonstick utensils on them but I’m not certain it’s essential.

      • — Jenn on December 15, 2023
      • Reply
  • Excellent post! I am not sure I have any USA Pan band items for baking but I love the design with ridges for the easy removal of baked goods. I remember baking a Jewish apple cake for a barbecue at a friend’s house. Much to my dismay, I forgot to run my knife around the bottom of the tube pan and the cake fell apart. I had to drive over an hour to my destination and decided to serve it “as is”. My one friend took one look at it and asked “Where’s my German chocolate cake? I drove over two hours to eat your German chocolate cake!” My family and friends know me for my German chocolate cake (similar to your recipe but without the chocolate ganache!). Lessons learned…run the knife around all edges to loosen the cake from the pan. Secondly, stick with what you do best rather than venturing a less used recipe, especially when you are in a time crunch.

    I love your recipes but need to make a few adjustments because I am diabetic, have high cholesterol and high blood pressure. The Parmesan and leek quiche was absolutely divine regarding flavor and texture but much too salty for me. I wish you had more recipes for peaches like the peach cobbler. I love the simplicity of the galette and love pie but I’m not a fan of apples.

    Happy holidays to you and your family!

    • — Faye on December 4, 2023
    • Reply
  • Hi Jenn. I hv a recipe for a Bundt cake but want to make it in a 9×13 pan instead. Do you think this would be an easy swap or are there things I should take into consideration? Thanks for your help!

    • — Alanna on November 29, 2023
    • Reply
    • Hi Alanna, What size bundt pan does the recipe call for?

      • — Jenn on November 30, 2023
      • Reply
      • It calls for a 12 cup Bundt pan.

        • — Alanna on December 13, 2023
        • Reply
        • A 9 x 13-inch dish holds 14 cups, so you’d have a thinner cake (and without knowing how much the batter fills the bundt pan), it’s really hard to say. Sorry I can’t be more helpful!

          • — Jenn on December 15, 2023
          • Reply
  • Thank you so much for this! This will save me so much time! Love your website and books.

    • — Barbara on January 15, 2023
    • Reply
  • Hi Jenn,
    What are your thoughts about stone-type bakeware? I have 2 loaf pans & a pizza stone. I can’t decide if I like them as much as I do my Pyrex/pizza pan. Maybe it’s because I haven’t perfected the use of them yet??
    Your info about knives and cookware was so helpful. Thank you!

    • — Dee on October 21, 2022
    • Reply
    • Hi Dee, I don’t use stoneware very much but I like it (not sure that helps a ton)! Sometimes I go with stoneware depending on how I’m serving it.

      • — Jenn on October 21, 2022
      • Reply
    • Winners will sometimes have the USA bake pans in Ontario or bc. Also I bought mine on amazon.ca. Best pans for sure

      • — Diana on November 28, 2022
      • Reply
  • Hi Jenn
    I’m looking into the USA bakeware pans, but they are a bit more expensive to get in Canada. What is your opinion of buying bakeware from a restaurant supply store? I always assumed that these would be decent quality and would hold up well. I don’t have any brands in mind, just in general, looking for your thoughts on shopping at restaurant supply stores.

    • — Kerrie on October 15, 2022
    • Reply
    • Hi Kerrie, I think any bakeware that you’ll get from a restaurant supply store will be good quality. The only concern I’d have is that restaurant kitchens operate differently than home cooks so I’m not sure they’d have exactly what you need. That said, it’s definitely worth a try!

      • — Jenn on October 18, 2022
      • Reply
  • Hi Jenn! I am in need of new baking sheets and actually just ordered the ones you recommended without reading about the material that is made from. It is aluminized steel with a nonstick coating – does this mean I can’t use metal spatulas on it and have to be careful to store it so the pans do not rub against each other so it does not damage the coating?

    • — Cathy Rodrigues
    • Reply
    • Hi Cathy, I actually don’t know the technical answer to that. I will say that I use metal spatulas on them and I’m not careful about the way that I store them (I stack them) and haven’t had any problems with the coating. Hope that helps at least a bit!

  • Love a NORDIC WARE Bundt! They are the originators of these fabulous pans and they really do make the BEST! For the fancy pans or really any Bundt, the trick is to grease and flour well, or use cocoa powder if you’re doing a chocolate cake, and then once it’s out of the oven let it cool 10 minutes in the pan, give it a gentle shake and it will thud in the pan, it will pop out no problem! Happy baking!

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