3 Best Roasting Pans of 2026, Tested and Reviewed
We roasted whole chickens and vegetables to find the best roasting pans for everything from weeknight meals to Thanksgiving dinner.
Tested by Stevie Stewart and Layla Khoury-Hanold
With so many roasting pan designs out there, picking one with the right material, size, and height or sloped sides can be the difference between crispy turkey skin or a rubbery bird. Choosing a roasting pan that allows for good airflow and is a solid conductor of heat can be hard to judge just by looking at it. And if this is a piece of cookware you only use around the holidays, price is also something to take into consideration. You don't need to break the bank, but it's time to put those flimsy aluminum roasting pans away for good. We tested 13 well-reviewed roasting pans to find the very best ones for roasting whole birds and beyond.
Our Top Roasting Pan Picks
How We Tested
First we considered the size and weight of each pan to ensure our top picks would fit a sizable turkey and wouldn't be too heavy to lift out of the oven when full. Next we looked for any user manual or guides with the pans that would give instructions on how to clean the pan and information on cooking temperature limits. We washed the pans and then got to cooking.
We roasted 5- to 6-pound chickens with root vegetables to see which pan produced crispy, evenly browned chicken along with succulent, caramelized vegetables. The nonstick pans we tested made the veggies too brown (verging on burnt), so we eliminated those from our choices. We then determined which pans were easiest to pull in and out from the oven using kitchen towels. Next, we boiled water in the pans over two burners to see how evenly pans heated and how evenly the heat was distributed. We poured the water from the pans to see how comfortable it felt to drain the pan, as well as how cleanly the liquid poured from the pan.
Lastly, we cleaned each pan by hand to see how easy or difficult it was to remove cooked-on food. We do not recommend dishwashing any of these roasting pans.
- Affordable
- Easy to clean
- V-shaped rack included
- Need to be careful using in the dishwasher
The Cuisinart MultiClad Pro Roasting Pan is the ultimate classic roasting pan. It's made with the triple-ply construction and straight sides that can hold a higher volume than roasting pans with flared sides. The surface of the pan is completely flat, so it would be ideal for making pan sauces, as it provides for an even cooking surface. We also found the cool-touch handles to be a handy feature when using this pan on the stovetop.
In testing, our chicken and vegetables were cooked evenly, and cleanup was a cinch. We found hand washing the pan to be a breeze, but you could throw it in the dishwasher to save time. Just beware not to use a lemon-based detergent to avoid damaging the surface.
Based on aesthetics, you wouldn't know this pan was among the lower-priced pans on our list. This was also one of the larger pans we had, making it ideal for those serving larger crowds.
- Dimensions 16 in. x 12 in. (not including handles)
- Weight 10 lbs
- Material Stainless steel
- Rack Included V-shape
- Easy to clean
- Even cooking
- U-shaped rack isn't ideal for pan juices
- Heavy
Previously, we had eliminated non-stick roasting pans from our list because they had overly browned our vegetables. But, we found the Caraway Roasting Pan cooked our vegetables to a perfect caramel color and our chicken had beautiful, evenly crisp skin in testing.
The pan is made with Caraway’s signature ceramic non-stick coating that the brand claims is made without toxic chemicals, but is as powerfully non-stick as any pan out there. When we roasted our chicken and vegetables, nothing at all stuck to the pan. Nothing. An added plus, nothing stuck to the rack as well! We also love that this pan is oven safe up to 600 degrees F, which is higher than most roasting pans we tested.
The pan is a bit heavy, about 9 ½ pounds with the rack, and it isn’t cheap ($195 at full-price), but it cooked the food beautifully and the company offers eight different color options to brighten up your kitchen. We found it had a superior non-stick quality and it was so easy to clean, we would be happy to have it ease some of our Thanksgiving Day clean-up.
- Dimensions 16 in. x 13 in. (not including handles)
- Weight 9.5 lbs
- Material Ceramic nonstick surface
- Rack Included U-shaped
- Cooks very evenly and skin gets crispy
- Flat rack works well for various types of meats
- Large handles are eady to maneuver
- Pricey
If you want to treat yourself to a little luxury, the All-Clad pan is for you. We tested the large size. The pan was the priciest on our list, but it also produced the crispiest, most even chicken skin of all the pans we tested. The flared sides of the pan allow for more steam to escape and for a larger surface area of the food to be exposed to oven heat.
The pan comes equipped with a flat rack and can hold up to a 20-pound turkey. It was also a lighter pan of the group, weighing only 5 pounds, 4 ounces. The pan can withstand heat up to 600 degrees F and comes with a lifetime warranty.
- Dimensions 16.75 in. x 13.75 in.
- Weight 5 lbs 4 oz
- Material Stainless steel
- Rack Included Flat
Stevie Stewart
Stevie Stewart
Stevie Stewart
Stevie Stewart
What Consider Before Buying a Roasting Pan
Material
Most of the best roasting pans we tested were made of three-ply construction (stainless steel with an aluminum interior core), which allows for even heat distribution. We did find one nonstick option that was up to our testing standards, if you swear by nonstick cookware.
Size
Overall, we found that our favorite roasters were on the larger side, so they could hold turkeys big enough to feed a crowd and fit over two burners for easy gravy-making and searing. The ideal size for a roasting pan is 16 inches by 13 inches.
Rack
All of our favorite pans also came with a rack, which we found was essential to making a roasting pan truly versatile. When it comes to the best rack though, our test kitchen has some thoughts: "I would probably vote for a V-shaped rack, because it holds all sized birds well without any tipping, and it allows plenty of room in the bottom of the roasting pan for veggies," says Amanda Neal, lead recipe developer in the Food Network test kitchen. "A U-shaped rack often does not leave enough space for mirepoix underneath and it can make it harder to get to the juices to baste," says Ginevra Iverson, Executive Chef of the Food Network test kitchen. A flat rack is also a good choice because it leaves room for veggies and juices.
Weight
In addition to how the roasting pan cooks, we also considered how much the pans weigh. Roasting pans are most commonly used to cook large quantities of food, so we wanted a pan that was not too heavy to begin with, since it would become unwieldy with the added weight of food. All of our roasting pans come in at under 10 pounds with Caraway's being the heaviest. The All-Clad roasting pan is the lightest at just over five pounts.
Handles
Size and height of the handles also came into play when choosing our favorites. We found handles that were taller in height and situated at the top of the pan rather than the sides made it easier to maneuver with a gloved or towel-covered hand.
FAQs
How big should your roasting pan be?
You'll want a roasting pan that comfortably fits whatever cut of meat you're cooking with some space on the sides for airflow. For most home cooks, something on the larger side (at least 16 inches long by 12 inches wide), is versatile enough for roasting a whole Thanksgiving turkey or a Sunday roast for the family.
Do I really need a roasting pan?
If you've ever tried to cook a Thanksgiving turkey in anything other than a roasting pan, chances are you've struggled. A baking dish simply isn't large enough or a good enough conductor of the heat needed to get the bird to temp. And a sheet pan is simply too flimsy. Roasting pans are ergonomically designed with sturdy sides and handles to make getting your roast in and out of the oven safer. Plus, the sloped sides are designed to create the right amount of air flow to promote browning on the top of your bird, which is the key to crispy skin.
What else can I cook in a roasting pan?
Just about anything you'd want to brown! Veggies do well in roasting pans, as do chicken, fish and pretty much any kind of meat.
Why You Should Trust Our Testers
Stevie Stewart is a professional chef, recipe developer and product tester with a decade of experience in the kitchen. She has been testing products for more than five years and has made more than her fair share of turkeys and roasts in the kitchen. She is a pro when it comes to using roasting pans and has a discerning eye for which features will be valuable and which you just don't need. Layla Khoury-Hanold has been testing products for Food Network for more than five years and has years of experience in food writing. She has also made her fair share of turkeys and roasts and also knows how to determine which roasting pans are best for most home cooks.
Why You Should Trust Food Network Shopping Experts
Food Network Shopping Experts believe the best method for testing products is based on how our fans are going to use them in the real world. In each of our Tested and Reviewed stories, products are tested in real home kitchens that reflect real world use cases. Our testers follow rigorous testing rubrics designed by our expert editors and take copious notes during the testing process. When choosing the best products, our testers evaluate all of the testing data and take into consideration many factors including ease of use, price, product availability and practicality. The products covered on FoodNetwork.com are chosen completely independently by our editors without any outside influence. Our editors do not accept products in exchange for a positive review or promised coverage.
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