The Best Loaf Pans of 2021

The measurements are embossed right on the handle of the Wilton Perfect Results Loaf Pan so you never have to wonder if you’re using the right size pan for your recipe. With its dark-colored nonstick finish, it gave our white bread beautiful crusts. But we did get some sticking, so make sure you grease this pan well. When it comes to clean up, the nonstick finish does come in handy.

You can’t beat the price on the Amazon Basics Nonstick Carbon Steel Bread Pan which is sold as a set of two. If you’re baking pumpkin or zucchini bread to give as a gift you can gift the pan right along with the loaves or if you bring one to a party, not worry if you forget to bring home the pan. The dark nonstick gave a nice dark crust to bread but occasionally failed to release cleanly. While the pan does have handles, they’re small and can be hard to grasp with bulky oven mitts.

This enameled cast iron loaf pan doesn’t require seasoning. It made a perfect loaf of banana bread with a superbly browned exterior and evenly cooked interior. Though it weighs 6 pounds, making it the heaviest loaf pan we’ve tested, its two handles make lifting and transporting the pan to and from the oven a lot easier.

For people who cook a lot in loaf pans and expect a perfect outcome each time, the Staub won’t disappoint. Thanks to its cast iron construction, it can be brought up to a temperature higher than other pans we’ve tested and maintains that temperature so the food gets evenly cooked.

However, in terms of cleaning and maintenance, the dark color made it harder for our tester to see the food bits that got stuck in the pan.

The Williams Sonoma Pullman Loaf Pan is a durable, solidly made choice for those who regularly bake a loaf of sandwich bread. It’s made of aluminized steel, which is known for even and quick heat distribution. It has a sliding lid that helps rising dough to swell and form into a perfectly square-shaped loaf.

The banana bread had a nice shape and was exceptionally tasty, but the exterior didn’t obtain much browning. The sandwich loaf was airy and soft. However, if you prefer a crusty bread, this loaf pan may be too gentle for that—the loaf had a light golden finish.

Cleaning the pan is straightforward in most cases. If you make a loaf of bread, there won’t be too much scraping for you to do. However, if you make a meatloaf, the corner construction makes reaching leftover grease difficult and may encourage grime build-up over time.

This is a simple light-colored aluminum pan without a nonstick finish of any kind. By using the Nordic Ware Naturals Loaf Pan, you’ll avoid over browning which you’ll appreciate when you’re baking a pound cake but might miss if you’re the kind of person whose favorite part of a loaf of sourdough is the crispy chewy crust. You will definitely want to hand wash the Nordic Ware or the aluminum will discolor and could skew your results.

This stylish ceramic loaf pan has two large, flared handles and the iconic Le Creuset color scheme. It made a soft, creamy loaf of banana bread despite the exterior being on the paler side of all the banana bread we baked. We like the smooth ceramic construction with curves, which made cleaning much easier than the straight-sided pans.

However, the pan isn’t without flaws. This pan was the slowest in our tests to reach the optimal temperature for bread. As a result, the bottom of the sandwich bread didn’t fully expand and the top grew much bigger than the bottom, leading to a final product that was too wobbly to stand on its own. It also doesn’t retain heat well, as evidenced by the sloppy shape of the banana bread.

Made in France, the ceramicware Emile Henry Ruffled Loaf Pan comes in several sophisticated colors including burgundy, charcoal, and oak and has a decorative edge which makes it a smart choice if you opt to serve whatever you bake right from the pan. While it’s not really a good idea to cool breads and cakes in the pan, you could use the Emile Henry for a twist on the usual mac ‘n cheese or a lasagna. Plus, it’s microwave and dishwasher safe. However, it has no handles and it’s heavy so it’s not easy to maneuver in and out of the oven. In addition, it has a smaller capacity so the juices from a two-pound meatloaf boiled over onto the oven.

While white bread rose high and beautiful in the Chicago Metallic Uncoated Textured Loaf Pan, our loaves came out with barely any browning on the sides or the bottom. In addition to not having a nonstick finish, this pan has very sharp corners where food gets stuck and is hard to get off. Plus, the pan has no handles so you have to grasp it by the sides to take it out of the oven.

The Great Jones Breadwinner loaf pan comes in a set of two and is available in green and blue. The pan is made in the U.S. of aluminized steel and finished with a layer of nonstick, ceramic coating. Similar to Great Jones’ cake pan, the bottom of the pan has a wavy, corrugated pattern.

Performance-wise, it baked a loaf of quick bread with a crispy exterior and a moist, soft interior. However, the unevenness was noticeable on the loaf—the side closer to the heating element was more cooked than the side close to the oven door. The uneven heat distribution caused more problems when baking the white bread, as part of the loaf domed more than the rest.

We also deducted a few points because of some usability issues. It has no handles, which makes transferring the pan inconvenient. Cleaning is also difficult—it was really hard for our tester to reach the corner crevices due to its depth and the straight sides. We don’t recommend making meatloaf or wet food in this pan because you won’t be able to get the grease out.