This Is the Best Pie Dish for Baking Golden, Flaky Pies
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Plus our other favorite metal, glass, and ceramic options.
Allrecipes / Kristin Kempa
As a former bakery owner and professional baker, I’ve baked countless cakes and cupcakes, along with innumerable batches of soft, fluffy cinnamon rolls, using my own recipes for years. But when it comes to baking pie, I’m either making it with my mom or taking inspiration from her pie recipes that everyone raves about.While a great recipe is important, an excellent pie dish is just as crucial for baking a delicious pie with a golden, flaky crust. Plus, the perfect pie dish is likely to become an heirloom item. We’ve kept pie dishes in our family for generations, passing them down from my great-grandmother.The best pie dishes are well-constructed, deep enough to hold a store-bought or homemade pie crust, versatile for sweet and savory items, and easy to clean. With these features in mind, we researched top-rated options and asked our Allrecipes Allstars to test them at home.Our Top Pick: Pyrex 9-Inch Glass Pie Plate
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"Why It’s Great: See-through to easily check on baked goods; retains heat well; dishwasher safe"Grain of Salt: May be less durable than others
It’s hard to beat the price of this go-to pie dish from the well-recognized kitchen brand Pyrex. Made from glass, this pie dish warms up evenly and slowly in the oven, but it retains heat well once it’s heated. If you’re an avid baker of egg-based pies such as pumpkin pie, custard pie, or lemon meringue pie, this is the ideal choice. With gradual heat, this pie dish will help the pie crust and filling bake at the same time, rather than having to deal with a crust that browns or burns too fast.I also love using this dish for desserts other than baked pies. Because the glass is see-through, it’s great for a cold no-bake pie or quick no-bake cheesecake, showcasing the contrasting layers. When it’s time to wash the pie dish, it can be thrown right in the dishwasher for easy cleaning. Overall, it’s an excellent option for everyone from novice to pro bakers at an approachable price point.After testing it in her kitchen, Allstar Elizabeth Dalton had only good things to say about this pie dish. It was easy to work the dough into the pan and crimp the edges, and it was also easy to slice, lift, and serve from after cooking. "Any pie I have baked with this dish has produced an evenly baked crust," she says. "Everyone should have two in their kitchen! It's very sturdy and versatile."The Details: Glass; 9 x 1.2 inches; 1.6 pounds; dishwasher-safeBest Budget: Fat Daddio’s PIE-9 Aluminum Pie Pan
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"Why It’s Great: Made from durable aluminum; lightweight; easy to store and transport"Grain of Salt: Hand-wash only
Made from aluminum, this pie dish heats up quickly and retains heat well to bake a flaky, golden crust. Whether you’re using a homemade pie crust or opting for your favorite store-bought pie crust, the 9-inch diameter is the ideal size. At 1.5 inches deep, there is plenty of room for trying a variety of pie styles, from crafting a fruit pie with a lattice crust to adding a crumb topping or even a layer of fluffy, toasted meringue. The half-inch flat rim also makes the perfect surface for crimping pie crust edges.Love to bake pies ahead of time to keep on hand for special occasions or weeknight desserts? This pie dish can be taken out of the oven to give your baked pie time to cool and then placed in the freezer for storage. Of course, you’ll want to cover the top with aluminum foil or place it in a freezer storage bag to keep it fresh. With a simple design and anodized metal construction that’s harder than typical aluminum, it’s very durable and built to last. To ensure the best care, it should be hand-washed rather than placed in the dishwasher. Allstar Sarah Stone praised this pie tin for its durability and value, noting that the lightweight construction would make it ideal for a housewarming gift or bridal shower. She also recommends using plastic or silicone utensils to prevent scratching the nonstick coating. In tests, the top part of the crust achieved a lovely golden color, but the bottom crust did stick to the bottom in some areas.The Details: Aluminum; 9 x 1.5 inches; 5.6 ounces; hand-wash onlyBest Ceramic: Emile Henry Modern Classics Pie Dish
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"Why It’s Great: Beautiful design; multiple color options; for use in ovens up to 520°F"Grain of Salt: Expensive; heavy
If you’re a baker who loves to serve up stunning pies with decorated top crusts, the pie dish should be just as beautiful to match. With four different colors to choose from, this ceramic pie dish certainly fits the bill. Ceramic bakeware is known to heat up gently and evenly while being excellent at retaining heat to result in a delicious bake on a pie. With a heat rating up to 520°F, you can of course put this dish in the oven, but you can also leave it under the broiler if you’re baking something that requires a bit more color. It can also be moved between temperatures, such as from the freezer to the oven, without any worry of cracking or shattering.This pie dish is a bit more of an investment, but its durable construction means it’s built to last. The glaze coating is scratch-resistant, so the pie dish's interior and exterior will stay in tip-top shape even after cutting plenty of slices. Once the entire pie has been enjoyed, this ceramic dish can either be washed by hand or put in the dishwasher for quick and easy clean-up.Sarah loved the performance of this pie dish; it produced a lovely golden crust and distributed the heat evenly during tests. She especially appreciated the glazed interior, which acts as a nonstick coating and makes it easier to lift slices out of the dish—even with more savory recipes like chicken pot pie. "The Emile Henry pie dish will bring a touch of elegance to any kitchen," she says.The Details: Ceramic; 9 x 2.2 inches; 2.43 pounds; dishwasher-safe
Allrecipes / Sarah Stone
Related: We Made Dozens of Cookies To Find the Best Baking Sheets Available
Best Glass: OXO Good Grips Glass Pie Plate with Lid
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"Why It’s Great: Includes lid for easy transport; dishwasher-safe; versatile"Grain of Salt: Lid is bulky for storage
Pie is a well-beloved potluck food and a wonderful addition to the table for a summer barbecue or a holiday dinner. Thanks to its included lid, this glass pie dish from OXO makes it that much easier to take your beautifully baked treat on the go. With its 2.1-inch depth, the pie dish has plenty of room for creating a variety of crusts whether you’re choosing a classic butter crust for pumpkin pie or trying your hand at a no-bake berry cheesecake. With so much room, it’s versatile enough to use for fruit crisps and crumbles as well.Once your treat is baked and cooled, place the airtight lid on top for easy storage. This allows you to keep your pie on the counter at room temperature to grab a slice for an afternoon snack. It also seals it for simple freezer storage, so you can pull out the whole pie and transfer it straight to the oven to warm up to serve on another day.According to Elizabeth, this is the perfect pan for deep-dish pies—and the matching lid is a great bonus. The edges are wide enough to make decorative crust patterns, while the dish itself produced golden brown pies that were evenly cooked throughout with no soggy center.The Details: Glass; 9 x 2.1 inches; 2.5 pounds; dishwasher-safeBest Set: USA Pan Bakeware 9-Inch Pie Pan
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"Why It’s Great: Aluminized steel for great heat retention; corrugated design promotes airflow; nonstick"Grain of Salt: Hand-wash only
This set from USA Pan makes it possible to bake two pies at once. Made from aluminized steel, these 9-inch pie pans have the distinct corrugated design the bakeware brand is well known for. That clever design is loved by professional bakers since the airflow creates excellent texture and it makes getting baked goods out of the pan much easier. The nonstick coating, coupled with the ridged design, releases treats from the pan without any effort.Since these pie pans are constructed from metal, they’re incredibly strong and won’t break. Pie pans made from aluminum excel when baking fruit pies because of the metal’s heat conductivity and retention. Since they will heat up quicker than glass, they are also ideal for pies that don’t need as long of a bake time as a pumpkin or pecan pie. With a 1.5-inch depth and a thick, flat lip around the top edge, it’s equally perfect for cream pies with a graham cracker crust or even a savory, golden chicken pot pie. Elizabeth liked this pie dish for its lightweight construction and durability, though she did note that baked pies came out slightly uneven with a round spot of pale in the center. The edges, however, were perfectly cooked. While the pans aren't dishwasher-safe, they were easy to clean by hand.The Details: Made from aluminized steel; measures 9-inch X 1.5-inch; weighs 1 pound; hand-wash only
Allrecipes / Elizabeth Dalton
Related: The Best Muffin Pans, According to a Former Bakery Owner Who Has Tried Them All
Our TakeawayThe Pyrex 9-Inch Glass Pie Plate earned the top spot on our list because of its effective, durable construction, versatile design, and inexpensive. Though a bit of a splurge, the ceramic Emile Henry 9-inch Pie Dish stands out for its attractive design, multiple color options, and strong, scratch-resistant coating.How to Pick the Right Pie DishMaterialPie dishes are constructed from a variety of materials including metal, glass, and ceramic. Some metal pie dishes are even nonstick, like your favorite nonstick cookware. The decision for the best material is ultimately up to personal preference, but there are certain advantages to each. Metal pie dishes, typically made from aluminum, heat up quickly. This is what helps to bake a golden, flaky crust. The crust and fruit fillings such as apple, cherry, or strawberry are typically done baking at the same time. Metal pie dishes are also incredibly durable, making them long-lasting. Glass pie dishes heat up slower, which allows custard pies such as pumpkin pie to bake at the same time as the crust. They are also see-through, which can help when checking pie crusts to make sure they’re fully baked on the bottom. Ceramic is very similar to glass, though it heats up even slower.DesignWhile most pie dishes are nine inches in diameter, they vary in design. Metal or glass pie dishes are typically simple in design with a flat-lipped edge, but ceramic pie dishes come in many colors with scalloped edges, making them beautiful for serving. SizePie dishes can range in diameter from six to 12 inches, but most standard pie dough recipes are meant for an 8-inch or 9-inch pie dish. A pie dish should be at least one inch deep, but many ceramic or glass options are deeper at just over two inches. The best size will depend on what style of pies you plan to bake.Ease of CleaningOnce that last slice of pie has been eaten or stored away for later, it’s time to clean the pie dish. Glass or ceramic pie dishes tend to be easier to wash, and they can be put in the dishwasher to take care of most of the cleaning. Pie dishes made from metal, such as aluminum, should be washed by hand to preserve the material. The hand-washing recommendation is especially important for metal pie dishes with a nonstick coating.Common QuestionsShould you grease a pie dish?Greasing your pie dish is ultimately up to personal preference. Because most pies are served straight out of the pan, it’s not necessary to grease the pie dish before transferring the unbaked crust. If you do plan to remove the whole pie from the pie dish for a different presentation for serving, or you want to ensure it’s easier to get a slice out, greasing it lightly with butter or cooking oil will help.How do you bake a pie without burning the edges?It would be ideal if your pie crust and the filling could bake at the same speed every time. However, that isn’t always the case. To prevent the crust from burning while you wait for the filling to catch up, you can either use a pie ring or aluminum foil to cover the edges of the crust.How do you clean stubborn baked-on residue from a pie dish?Plenty of baked-on fruit or baked and stuck-on pie dough left in your dish? While using a scrub brush on glass pie dishes can be helpful for small amounts, soaking will likely yield better results. Fill the pie dish with hot water and add a bit of dish soap or dishwasher detergent. Let the pie dish soak for several hours before wiping it with a sponge or gentle brush.Why Take Our Word For It?Molly Allen is a former bakery owner turned professional recipe developer and writer. With years of experience in commercial bakery kitchens and her own home kitchen, she found the best pie dishes based on hours of research along with first-hand product knowledge and hands-on experience.Allstars Sarah Stone and Elizabeth Dalton tested each of the pie dishes on this list in their own kitchens. They evaluated top picks based on material, size, design, price point, and ease of cleaning.
Related: These Are the Best 9x13 Baking Dishes for Cakes, Casseroles, and so Much More
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