10 best baking trays on test

If you’re a frequent baker, 10-year or lifetime guarantees are appealing, with the knowledge that you can rely on your sheet time and time again. For those who bake less frequently, a budget option that still offers reasonable quality might feel like a better spend.

Best baking trays at a glance

• Best baking tray for versatility: ProCook Non-Stick Granite Baking Tray, £12
• Best baking tray for batch baking: Circulon Ultimum Insulated Cookie Sheet, £22
• Best non-stick baking tray: Greenpan Bistro Cookie Sheet, £26
• Best basic baking tray: Salter Bakes 37cm Baking Tray, £8.70
• Best baking tray for using spare oven space: Habitat Non Stick 2 Piece Oven Baking Trays, £7
• Best baking tray for cooking frozen food: Circulon Ultimum Large Oven Tray, £18
• Best baking tray for maximising baking space: Dexam Non-Stick Cookie Sheet, £13.60
• Best UK-made baking tray: Lakeland Standard Baking Tray, £5.99
• Best investment baking tray: Le Creuset insulated cookie sheet, £40
• Best alternative to traditional non-stick metal baking sheets: Pyrex multi-purpose glass cooking sheet, £14.39

Jump to section:

• Best baking trays to buy in 2024
• How to clean a baking tray
• How we test baking trays

Best baking trays to buy in 2024

ProCook non-stick granite baking tray

Best baking tray for versatility

Pros:

• Medium-sized, ideal for a range of tasks
• Ceramic reinforced non-stick
• Rest of range stacks inside for storage

Cons:

• Heavy

Star rating: 5/5

If you’re looking for a good all-rounder, ProCook’s Non-Stick Granite Baking Tray might just tick everything on your wish list. Not too big that it’s tricky to take in and out of your oven and store, and not so small you can’t fit much on it, it’s weighty enough not to warp with temperature changes, came with minimal packaging, and its non-stick coating performed brilliantly.

In testing, our cookies slid off the surface effortlessly and only left a tiny amount of chocolate chip residue behind. Cleaning by hand only needed a quick wipe and we were done. The tray felt sturdy and looked attractive too, thanks to its glossy ceramic-reinforced coating. The only possible issue could be its 835g weight – if you’re loading it with food, it would be a two-hand carry.

Material: 1mm heavy-gauge carbon steel
Sizes available: 36 x 27cm (reviewed), 41 x 31cm, 31 x 23cm, 26 x 19.5cm
Dishwasher-safe: Yes, on a gentle cycle
Guarantee: 10 years

Circulon Ultimum insulated cookie sheet

Best baking tray for batch baking

Pros:

• Insulated for even browning
• Grooved non-stick surface
• Large

Cons:

• Grooves can be tricky to clean by hand
• Not suitable for non-stick spray

Star rating: 5/5

While most baking trays offer a flat surface, Circulon’s Ultimum Insulated Cookie Sheet features grooves, rather like a vinyl record, that aim to prevent your baked goods taking hold and never letting go. The same surface pops up on the rest of the range, such as the large baking tray we also reviewed.

In practice, we found that the grooves worked quite well – cookies detached easily and, while their underside was slightly ridged, as you might expect, they were beautifully browned. This may also be due to the fact that the cookie sheet is insulated with an air pocket that prevents intense heat burning your biscuits.

The only thing we didn’t like was that after the sheet had dried after hand-washing, we discovered a small amount of chocolate chip residue down the side of the grooves, which had escaped our sponge the first time, and needed a minor re-wash.

Material: Carbon steel
Sizes available: 40.5cm x 35.5cm x 2.5cm
Dishwasher-safe: Yes, but hand-washing recommended
Guarantee: Limited lifetime

Circulon Ultimum large oven tray

Best baking tray for cooking frozen food

Pros:

• Baked foods release with ease
• Grooved surface
• Good-sized lip

Cons:

• Not suitable for non-stick spray
• Grooves can be a little hard to clean

Star rating: 5/5

If you like the sound of Circulon’s cookie sheet (above) but don’t have the space for it, or need a good-sized lip to prevent liquids escaping, the brand’s large oven tray may be a better fit. It still features the same grooved system, with its plus point of food detaching easily, but also has the potential to require thorough cleaning to remove any debris.

What we especially liked about this one is that it’s brilliant for more than just baking. For example, if you’re cooking food from frozen, its weighty form resists any warping from temperature changes – something we discovered by placing the hot tray on a cold worktop, which had caused others to buckle. This means the tray is perfect for regular use, making it a great-value buy for the price.

Material: Carbon steel
Sizes available: 33cm x 37.5cm x 1cm, 28cm x 44.5cm x 2.5cm (reviewed), 29.5cm x 20cm x 2.5cm
Dishwasher-safe: Yes
Guarantee: Limited lifetime

Greenpan Bistro cookie sheet

Best non-stick baking tray

Pros:

• PFAS-free two-layer non stick
• Chunky twin handles

Cons:

• Needs to be greased before use
• Short guarantee

Star rating: 5/5

Greenpan’s Bistro Cookie Sheet is less of a sheet and more of a medium-sized baking tray, but despite the misleading name, it has some practical features that are sure to make it a favourite in your kitchen.

The first is that it feels robust and durable. Next is its good-sized handles either side, which made getting it out of the oven and carrying around the kitchen easier than some others that we tested. But it was the non-stick coating that wowed us the most, and was one of the best we tested: our cookies came off perfectly, leaving only butter residue to show that they had ever been there at all. Our only quibble is that it’s on the pricey side for its size.

Material: Carbon Steel
Sizes available: 38cm x 24cm
Dishwasher-safe: Yes
Guarantee: 2 years

Salter Bakes 37cm baking tray

• Available from Amazon (£9.48)

Best basic baking tray

Pros:

• PFOA-free non-stick
• Affordable

Cons:

• Feels lightweight and basic

Star rating: 4.5/5

It’s always handy to have a few basic pieces in your kitchen: either to supplement your favourites when baking large amounts, or if you don’t bake that often and are reluctant to splash the cash on premium cookware. This is where Salter’s Bakes 37cm Baking Tray fits in nicely: delivering a respectable performance at a pocket-friendly price.

While it may not be dishwasher-safe, and only withstand temperatures up to 220°C (some trays can go up to 260°C for example), in testing, our cookies baked well and were browned perfectly at the edges. The cookies released easily and didn’t break up – but we did notice that some chocolate chips had been completely left behind, having adhered to the surface then been yanked out of the bottom of the cookie. A liberal greasing, or using baking paper would be advisable.

Material: Carbon Steel
Sizes available: 37cm x 25cm x 1.8cm
Dishwasher-safe: No
Guarantee: 5 years

Available from:

• Amazon (£9.48)

Habitat non-stick 2-piece baking trays

Best baking tray for using spare oven space

Pros:

• Affordable
  Compact

Cons:

• Short guarantee

Star rating: 4/5

Heating up and running an oven for a while can be expensive, meaning that in order to maximise the cost, it’s advisable to use up spare space when you can. Small oven trays are a gift for this: squeezing in besides the roast or at the bottom of the cavity to cook other foods.

These twin trays by Habitat are an affordable price too, and while they might not fit much on, for a basic buy they performed well. Our cookies released easily, only leaving a little chocolate chip residue behind, and browned evenly, and while the trays can only withstand up to 230°C and only have a year’s guarantee, we felt that for the price and versatility they offered, they were still good value.

Material: Carbon steel
Sizes available: 24.1cm x 17.8cm x 2cm
Dishwasher-safe: Yes
Guarantee: 1 year

Dexam non-stick cookie sheet

Best baking tray for maximising baking space

Pros:

• PFOA free
• Excellent non-stick coating

Cons:

• Not dishwasher suitable
• Only for up to 230C

Star rating: 4.5/5

Cookies can have a habit of spreading, so if you need as much surface area as possible, Dexam’s Non-Stick Cookie Sheet is a great choice. That’s because, thanks to its slim lips, there’s plenty of area for cookies galore – even the ones that like to go far and wide. The lips are on three sides, so whichever way the tray goes in, it’s easy to retrieve from the oven, with one flat side so your goodies can slide right off.

And slide off they do – this is another one of the trays we tested that left barely any residue behind – just a smear of butter. Our cookies were pleasingly browned at the edges and baked underneath, and clean up was quick. Our only bugbear is that this is very much a tray for baking – the lips don’t join at the corners, so any liquid could create a mess – and is less suitable for everyday use.

Material: Steel
Sizes available: 42cm x 31.5cm x 1.2cm
Dishwasher-safe: No
Guarantee: 25 years

Lakeland standard baking tray

Best UK-made baking tray

Pros:

• Made in the UK
• Affordable
• Coil-coated PFOA-free non-stick

Cons:

• Thinner tray can temporarily buckle
• Greasing or baking paper advisable

Star rating: 4/5

Slimmer than most, Lakeland’s Standard Baking Tray has much to offer. This includes UK manufacture (it’s made in Accrington and coated in Birmingham), meaning a lower carbon footprint than all the other trays we tested, which were made in China. It’s also priced affordably and is dishwasher-safe.

While it doesn’t have a huge amount of surface space, it’s enough for a small batch of biscuits, some chips, or whipping up some emergency nibbles. Because it’s shallow, you could even pop it alongside a roast dinner to maximise your oven space.

In testing, the performance was respectable – our cookies baked well, but some of the chocolate chips adhered to the surface and were removed from the bases, meaning that this is one you’ll want to grease well or use with baking parchment. We also noticed that it buckled when taken out of the oven and placed on a cold worktop, though it did return to its shape when cool.

Material: High-grade 0.6mm carbon steel
Sizes available: 30cm x 21.5cm x 1.5cm
Dishwasher-safe: Yes but hand-washing recommend
Guarantee: 3 years

Le Creuset insulated cookie sheet

Best investment baking tray

Pros:

• Practical grip and ridges
• Even heat conductivity
• Resistant up to 240C
• lifetime warranty

Cons:

• High price point

If you don't plan on buying another baking sheet for a while, look this way. This one feels like an ultra-durable piece of kit which will keep you right for years of frequent baking. It comes with a large square surface area for maximum baking capacity, and has both a grip and ridges on the handle, ensuring you won't send your food flying.

Heat conduction was superb too, producing biscuits that were beautifully brown and crisp on the bottom but not too hard in the middle. This is described as a ‘cookie sheet’ but will work for all your baking needs as well as shallow roasting (without oil).

Material: non-stick coated carbon steel
Sizes available: 38 x 35 x 2cm
Dishwasher-safe: not recommended
Guarantee: Lifetime warranty

Pyrex multi-purpose glass cooking sheet

Best alternative to traditional non-stick metal baking sheets

Pros:

• Scratch resistent
• Tough and long-lasting
• Suitable up to 300C
• Shock resistant from cold to hot temperatures

Cons:

• No non-stick surface
• Hefty to lift

Many of today’s non-stick materials have been made PFOA-free but may still contain similar compounds in small amounts. For people who want to minimise their exposure to chemicals in the home, glass makes a great alternative. Despite the lack of non-stick surface, cookies were still easy to remove and cleaning wasn’t a problem.

This is a heavier tray than the metal alternatives, but glass is tough and long-lasting, can be put in the dishwasher without compromise and is microwave-safe too. Heat conduction is slower, so expect your biscuits to take longer – which works out great anyway if you prefer a soft bake.

Material: Pressed borosilicate glass
Sizes available: 32 x 26 x 2cm
Dishwasher-safe: yes
Guarantee: Lifetime warranty

How to clean a baking tray

For many of us, cleaning up is the least exciting part of baking. If you have a dishwasher, it’s tempting to pop your dirty non-stick baking trays in with everything else, especially if they’re labelled dishwasher safe.

However, it’s better to clean them by hand: not only does this preserve the coating, if they’re sufficiently non-stick to start with, cleaning trays should take seconds, and won’t fill up your dishwasher with their bulk. Always use products that are gentle on the surface: a non-scratch sponge scourer is ideal, along with washing-up liquid.

Trays with stubborn debris may need half an hour’s soak in very hot water with washing-up liquid to loosen it beforehand. If the tray is still grubby, try a soak for around an hour in hot water with a handful of bicarbonate of soda. For more stubborn grime, sprinkle over bicarbonate of soda followed by white vinegar. Leave for 30 minutes then clean away with a non-scratch sponge scourer.

How we test baking trays

Sturdiness: We looked for a tray that was sturdy enough to withstand high heats and frequent use.

Weight: Too light and it was a little too easy to send the contents flying – overly heavy and a laden tray proved difficult to wield. The sweet spot rested in between the two.

Non-stickability: We wanted trays with a good-quality non-stick surface to stand the test of time, minimising the need for additional single-use liners like baking parchment and foil.

Ease of use/practicality: A lip to hold on to is a bonus, but thick ridges round the edges reduce the cooking space. Effective non-stick surfaces were given extra points because we like an easy clean-up operation.

Dishwasher or hand-wash: We chose both, because even dishwasher-safe non-stick surfaces tend to dull and deteriorate in the machine over time. We recommend hand-washing regardless to keep your trays at their best.

How we tested: We put all the trays through their paces using our classic vintage chocolate chip cookie recipe, dolloping the biscuit mix straight on the tray. With plenty of butter in the mixture, we ruled that the biscuits should come off easily with no additional greasing or parchment.

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Do you have a trusty baking sheet you couldn’t live without? We’d like to hear your product recommendations...