Straight to the Point
While we normally don’t recommend nonstick cookware, if you’re looking for a decent nonstick half sheet baking pan, we liked the Chicago Metallic Commercial II Non-stick Cooking Baking/Sheet. It baked nicely browned cookies and cakes, and everything came off its surface easily. We also liked the Cuisinart Chef’s Classic Nonstick Baking Sheet for roasting, since it has slightly taller edges.
Though we usually recommend standard half sheet baking pans without nonstick coating, there are times when a nonstick baking pan is super useful. Maybe you’re baking cookies and you’ve run out of parchment paper, or maybe you don’t own a silicone baking mat. They’re also fantastic for making sheet pan dinners and roasted spatchcock chickens, when you don’t feel like messing with aluminum foil.
But not all nonstick sheet pans are good nonstick sheet pans; a good one should be easy to clean, sturdy, and ideally have a light coating, since darker coatings can mess with the baking time of standard recipes. It should also live up to its nonstick attribute, obviously.
Of the 11 popular nonstick sheet pans we tested, there were two that stood out as winners, and we are confident they will make a great addition to your kitchen arsenal.
The Winners, At a Glance
The Best Nonstick Sheet Pan: Chicago Metallic Commercial II Non-stick Cooking Baking/Sheet
The Chicago Metallic Commercial II half sheet was our pick for the best standard half sheet pan, and the nonstick counterpart also stood up to testing. The nonstick coating was a lighter color, akin to a more traditional silver baking pan, which meant recipes didn’t need adjustments in timing. Cookies baked up golden brown and slid easily off the pan, and Parmesan cheese crisps and sheet cakes released with very little sticking. Clean up was also fast—no scrubbing needed.
The Best Nonstick Sheet Pan for Roasting: Cuisinart Chef’s Classic Nonstick Baking Sheet
The Cuisinart Chef’s Classic nonstick sheet pan had cookies, sheet cakes and cheese crisps baking up evenly and releasing just as easily. Cleanup was painless, and there was no staining. But the best part is the pan’s slightly taller rim, which made it feel like it was built for sheet pan dinners and roast chickens.
The Tests
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Test: We made homemade chocolate chip cookies, weighing out individual balls of dough (in grams) to make sure each cookie was exactly the same. We then baked six cookies directly on the pan (with the oven at 350°F), rotating the pan halfway through cooking. We let the cookies cool on the pan completely before removing them.
- Sheet Cake Test: We baked up a box of Pillsbury Yellow Cake in each pan to see how evenly the cake baked, inverting the baked cake onto a cutting board to see if there were any hot spots in the pan, and to see if the cake released cleanly. We then hand cleaned each pan.
- Parmesan Crisp Test: We baked two large Parmesan crisps directly on the sheet pan to see if the crisp baked up evenly, and if they released easily when removed with a spatula after cooling.
- Warp Test: We preheated the oven to the maximum temperature recommended by the manufacturer for each nonstick sheet pan and then placed each empty pan in the hot oven for 20 minutes in the center rack to see if/how much they warped. We then removed the pan and let it cool to see if the pans snapped back into place.
- Usability Tests: We examined the pans to see how easy they were to place in an oven and take out of the oven (wearing oven mitts).
What We Learned
Darker Pans Cooked Food Faster (Which can be Problematic)
Unlike standard half sheet baking pans, which often come in a range of light silver-gray to medium silver-gray, nonstick pans can come in an array of colors, from vibrant blue to dark gray/black, to light gray and light gold. These color variances aren’t just cosmetic; they actually make a difference in baking.
Imagine a hot summer day: You’re wearing a black shirt and your friend is wearing a white shirt. Your friend is probably more comfortable than you, as you swelter in your black clothing. Baking pans are no different. Most recipes are developed for more standard gray half sheet baking pans. A darker colored sheet pan actually bakes up faster, because dark colors absorb heat faster.
In our testing, the sheet pans that were darker in color (like the Great Jones or the Good Cook pan) absorbed more heat and baked up faster. So while we baked the cookies and cakes for the same amount of time across the board, the results from the darker pans were darker and dryer. The lighter colored sheet pans produced cookies and cakes as expected per the recipe instructions.
Medium Weight Was Just Right
The best sheet pans hit the sweet spot of being heavy enough to not warp and to conduct heat properly, while not being so heavy that they’re difficult to lift and pull out of the oven. Lightweight nonstick sheet pans like the Good Cook and Wilton (1 pound, 5.25 ounces and 1 pound 13.9 ounces, respectively) felt flimsy when we picked them up, and they tended to warp when placed in a hot oven. Very heavy pans like the Caraway sheet pan, which was a whopping 3 pounds, 12.6 ounces, were awkward to pick up when hot, even with the extra handles, and the heavy material retained heat, continuing to cook the food even after it was removed from the oven.
Our favorite sheet pans were somewhere in the middle. Both the Chicago Metallic and the Cuisinart pans were on the heavier side (2 pounds, 10.5 ounces and 3 pounds, 3 ounces, respectively), which kept them from warping and meant they were durable. But they also weren’t SO heavy as to make it difficult to pick up or move them from the hot oven.
Traditional Nonstick Coating Was Best
There is a surprising array of nonstick coatings on nonstick sheet pans, ranging from traditional (read: polytetrafluoroethylene, a.k.a PTFE) nonstick coatings that you find on nonstick skillets and pans, to ceramic nonstick coatings, and even silicon nonstick coatings. They all function basically the same, creating a slick surface that allows food to be easily released from the sheet pan. They are all also fairly easy to clean up.
We preferred pans coated with polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), which is the coating often used on nonstick skillets. The pans with this coating were reasonably priced and performed just as well as the other coatings. The ceramic coated sheet pans were heavier than other sheet pans and cost nearly twice as much as more traditional sheet pans. And the USA Pan sheet pan, which was the one sheet pan with a silicon coating, worked well but stained when baked at the highest recommended temperature.
Standard Size and Shape Were Preferred
The sheet pans we tested were all at least 17-inches long, but some of the sheets were different widths and weights. The Good Cook and Wilton were both narrower (11.25 inches wide and 11.5 inches wide, compared to our winners, which were 12.25 inches wide) and had handles, making them a little more awkward to store. The two ceramic coated pans (the Great Jones and the Caraway) were larger and heavier, with the Caraway being the largest (at 13 inches wide) and its two stainless steel handles made it awkward to store. Instead of clunky handles, we preferred simple, rolled rims that were easy to grip and didn’t take up additional space.
Beyond the sizing of the pans, we found some of the sheet pans had a different shape or texture to them. The Good Cook had an odd groove all the way around the bottom of the pan, which made the usable space in the center smaller. And the OXO and USA pans both had ridged bottoms, which imprinted the bottom of cookies and cakes. Food particles got trapped in the middle of some of the ridges, requiring a little more clean up effort, something that defeats the purpose of a nonstick pan. Worse, though, was the Great Jones pan, which had a large embossed logo in the middle of the pan. The logo imprinted on the middle of the sheet cake, disrupting the otherwise smooth golden crust of the cake.
The Criteria: What to Look for in a Nonstick Sheet Pan
Look for a nonstick sheet pan that is lighter in color, which will result in food baked and cooked within the time range suggested in most recipes. Avoid darker colored sheet pans or novelty colored sheet pans, which bake darker and might shift the required baking and cooking time for a recipe. We also recommend choosing a nonstick sheet pan that is heavy-gauge metal, but not so heavy or thick that it is awkward to pick up. Look for a pan that has rolled rims, which not only prevent warping of the pan, but also make it easier to pick up with oven mitts.
Our favorite nonstick sheet pans were a standard, half sheet pan size (13 inches by 17 inches), and were easy to store with our other half sheet baking pans. Finally, look for a reasonably priced pan or one that has a lifetime warranty. The more expensive pans we tested didn’t perform any better than their cheaper counterparts, and nonstick pans do have a limited lifespan, as the nonstick coating eventually wears off.
The Best Nonstick Sheet Pan: Chicago Metallic Commercial II Non-stick Cooking Baking/Sheet
What We Liked: This sheet pan performed the best in all our tests. Cookies came out evenly baked and came off the pan without a problem. Cakes cooked up lightly browned on top and golden brown on the bottom, and there was no sticking when we turned it out. The Parmesan crisps also slid off easily, without breaking. The pan was slightly heavier gauge than other pans, which made it feel more durable and less prone to warpage. And the rolled edges made it easy to grab and hold. It’s a reasonably priced pan, and comes with lifetime warranty, which means when the nonstick coating eventually wears off (which all nonstick coatings do), you can get it replaced.
What We Didn’t Like: The pan has a small, embossed logo in the corner which has a habit of catching some stray bits of food, even with the nonstick coating. But it cleans up easily, so it’s a pretty minor complaint.
Price at time of publish: $21.
Key Specs
- Weight: 2 lbs, 10 1/2 ounces
- Materials: Aluminized steel with nonstick coating
- Dimensions: 17 x 12 1/4 x 1 inches
- Broiler-safe: No
- Cleaning and Care: Dishwasher safe, but not with dishwasher tablet or capsule. Hand-washing recommended to extend lifespan of coating.
- Maximum Recommended Temperature: 450°F
The Best Nonstick Sheet Pan for Roasting: Cuisinart Chef’s Classic Baking Sheet
What We Liked: This nonstick sheet pan had a slightly taller rim that is angled more vertically upright than other pans. This meant it was ideal for making sheet pan dinners and roasting chickens, as the deeper pan catches splatters and drips better than other pans. Cookies came out evenly golden brown and slid off with ease; cakes popped right out with no hot spots or sticking; and Parmesan crisps released easily. The rolled rim and heavy-gauge metal also prevented the pan from warping and made grabbing the pan easier. It also comes with a lifetime warranty.
What We Didn’t Like: The bottom of the pan was a darker color, which conducted heat faster, and cookies and cakes came out a smidge more golden brown than those baked on lighter colored pans. But, the baked goods were still within the acceptable range of what we think a perfect baked cookie or cake should look like.
Price at time of publish: $15.
Key Specs
- Weight: 3 lbs, 3 ounces
- Materials: Aluminized Steel with nonstick coating
- Dimensions: 17 x 12 1/4 x 1 1/4 inches
- Broiler-safe: No
- Cleaning and Care: Dishwasher safe, but hand-washing recommended to extend lifespan of coating.
- Maximum Recommended Temperature: 450°F
The Competition
- Great Jones Holy Sheet: This ceramic coated sheet pan looked Instagram pretty with its vibrant blue color, but cookies and cakes came out darker and baked faster because of the dark color. The large, embossed center logo in the middle of the pan was also rather aggressive branding, imprinting the sheet cake we made.
- Williams Sonoma Goldtouch® Pro Nonstick No Warp Half Sheet: This golden, heavy weight sheet pan looked great, but when we baked and tried to release the sheet cake, half the cake broke and stuck to the pan.
- Good Cook 4022 sheet pan: This sheet pan was made of thin metal and had a dark nonstick coating. Cookies and cakes baked up quickly and dark on it, and the odd ridge around the edge of the pan made the usable baking surface smaller.
- Wilton Perfect Results Premium Non-Stick Bakeware Large Cookie Sheet: This sheet pan also had a dark nonstick coating and was made of thin metal that made cookies and cakes bake up faster and darker. The thin metal warped and buckled slightly at high temperatures.
- OXO Good Grips Non-Stick Pro Half Sheet: This gold pan baked evenly, but the ridged bottom imprinted into the bottom of the cookies and sheet cake. The cookies didn’t release quite as easily as other sheet pans, and the ridges had some cake crumbs stuck inside of them.
- Nordic Ware Naturals Aluminum NonStick Baker’s Half Sheet: The gold colored Nordicware sheet pan felt sturdy with its rolled rim, and the cookies and sheet cake baked up nicely. But, the Parmesan crisp stuck a little to the sheet pan. It also is only recommended to be used in an oven up to 400°, while almost all the other pans can go up to 450° making it less versatile.
- USA Pan Bakeware Half Sheet Pan: This silicone-coated sheet pan felt great to hold, with a slick but grippy texture and sturdy, heavy-gauge material. But the ridged, fluted bottom left a slight texture on the bottom of cookies and cakes. The silicone coating did have dark spot stains we couldn’t wash out after baking it at the maximum recommended temperature of 450°F. Plus, the pan cost more than the other winning pans.
- Caraway sheet pan: This ceramic coated pan was heavy and awkward to hold. The handles were also placed lower on the side of the pan, making them difficult to hold and awkward to store. The heavy material also retained heat longer, continuing to bake the cake and cookies after the pan was removed from the oven.
- Made In Nonstick Sheet Pan: This sheet pan had a dark, nonstick coating which meant baked goods cooked faster than the recommended time. It was also almost twice as expensive than our favorite pans.
FAQs
Can you put nonstick sheet pans in the oven?
Yes, nonstick sheet pans are designed to be used in the oven. Most nonstick sheet pans are rated to go up to 450°F, but each sheet pan is different. Check the information that comes with your own pan to see what the hottest recommended temperature is.
Also, keep in mind that most nonstick sheet pans are not recommended for broiler use.
Should I buy an uncoated or nonstick sheet pan?
Uncoated sheet pans are more versatile and last longer than nonstick pans because they don’t have a coating that will eventually wear off. But, nonstick pans are great for easy clean up and for baking cookies and other items without parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. If you don’t mind having to buy new pans when the coating wears off, nonstick might be right for you. But if you want a sheet pan that will stand the test of time, uncoated is a better choice.
What makes for a good nonstick baking pan?
The best nonstick baking pan is a standard size that easily stores with your other sheet pans. It is light colored, which mimics the same color as a standard aluminum sheet pan, something most recipes are designed for. Finally, the best nonstick baking pans are made of heavy gauge metal coated in PTFE, and have a rolled rim, which helps prevent the pan from warping at high heat.