We Tested the Best Half Sheet Pans—Here Are Our Picks

Best Overall: Nordic Ware Naturals Baker's Half Sheet

5

View On Amazon View On Wayfair View On Walmart

Who else recommends it? The Strategist, Epicurious, and Food Network all picked the Nordic Ware 2-Piece Half Sheet Set.

What do buyers say? 85% of 45,000+ Amazon reviewers rated this product 5 stars.

The Nordic Ware Naturals Aluminum Half Sheet Pan checks all the boxes for what most people are looking for when it comes to baking sheets: It's an inexpensive, reliable workhorse that can be used again and again. This particular pan is the favorite of Clémence Gossett, pastry chef and co-owner of The Gourmandise cooking school in Santa Monica, California.

“We're such big fans that we carry it in our school store,” says Gossett. “It's made in the U.S. and is sturdy enough to keep from warping when the pan moves from hot to cold.”

Made from pure aluminum, it features rolled, encapsulated steel rims that hold the pan’s structure. The aluminum is nonstick, and the pan is oven-safe to 450 degrees, allowing you to roast and broil vegetables and more. The manufacturer offers a lifetime warranty on this pan and advises that you hand wash to prevent discoloration from dishwasher detergents.

In testing, our cookies baked evenly, with the bottoms cooking just as much as the tops. There was no sticking, and washing was easy, as well. It also worked well for roasting veggies—there was no burning. The shiny metal surface showed some wear-and-tear from metal spatulas and from stacking and moving, but that doesn’t affect the performance at all.

Price at time of publish: $26 for 2-Pack Half Sheet Bakeware

Material: Aluminum | Dimensions: 17.9 x 12.9 x 1 inches | Dishwasher Safe: No

Best Heavy-Duty: Chicago Metallic Commercial II Sheet Pan

4.9

View On Amazon

This pan is great for those who are tough on their bakeware or simply like to bake often. A professional-weight half sheet pan, this is made from 18-gauge aluminized steel, which is thicker and heavier than most home bakeware. Featuring a rolled rim reinforced with wire rods, this pan will not warp and will easily stand up to daily use. The steel retains heat well, so in testing, cookies baked a little faster, but didn’t burn. The light color no doubt helped prevent over-browning that can happen with dark pans. Roasted vegetables browned nicely on the bottom, but didn’t burn, and cleanup was easy every time.

These pans measure 16.75 x 12 inches, giving you plenty of cooking space, and as a set of two, you can cook twice as much in one go. These are dishwasher safe, but hand washing will help to extend the pan’s life.

Price at time of publish: $29 for 16-3/4 by 12, Set of 2

Material: Aluminized steel | Dimensions: 16.75 x 12 x 1.25 inches | Dishwasher Safe: Yes, but hand wash recommended 

Best Nonstick: USA Pan Aluminized Steel Half Sheet Pan

4.5

View On Amazon View On Wayfair

This classic sheet pan from USA Pan is made of heavy-gauge aluminized steel, which features carbon steel that is dip-coated with an aluminum-silicon alloy, making it strong with high thermal conductivity. The rims also incorporate steel wire to enhance the pan’s strength and prevent warping. USA Pans bakeware has a patented nonstick silicone coating, which is PTFE-, PFOA-, and BPA-free, and will allow everything from cookies to baked fish to release easily from the surface. 

This pan features a corrugated surface to help promote air circulation and heat distribution, allowing foods to cook evenly so your results are always consistent. In testing, cookies baked evenly and released with no sticking, although there was a little bit of burning when roasting vegetables. Unfortunately, the pan warped when roasting vegetables at 425 degrees, which is lower than the recommended temperature of 450 degrees. It returned to its original shape after it cooled.

The sturdy, scratch-resistant surface holds up well against higher temperatures and it was also incredibly easy to clean, even when there was a little burning. The manufacturer recommends washing by hand and avoiding the use of sharp utensils to preserve the integrity of the nonstick coating.

Price at time of publish: $24 for Half Sheet

Material: Aluminized steel | Dimensions: 17.5 x 12.75 x 1 inches | Dishwasher Safe: No

Best Rimless: Vollrath Wear-Ever Cookie Sheet Pan

4.5

View On Amazon View On Walmart

If you’re searching for a rimless pan, this cookie sheet from Vollrath offers durability and performance without the limitations of a rimmed edge. This is ideal if you want to slide your baked goods off the pan and right onto a cooling rack. You’ll notice that it’s thicker than most pans because it has to be; a rolled edge rim normally provides structural stability, so this pan relies on heavy, 10-gauge aluminum to resist warping. Two ends are raised, giving a hand-hold to make it easier to lift the pan in and out of the oven.

While we couldn’t find any confirming documentation, when our tester pressed on the sheet, she could feel a bit of “give,” which means this may be made from dual layers of aluminum with air insulating it inside. That construction provides even baking and less chance for burning, which is what was experienced in testing. Cookies and vegetables both cooked evenly, with no burning.

The aluminum surface provides great heat conductivity, making it a favorite for commercial bakers who need large-scale consistency. This pan is extremely durable and easy to clean, although it is hand wash only. A hole on one end of the sheet makes it easy to hang this on a hook, if desired.

The only caveat is that this sheet pan is less versatile than a traditional rimmed pan. Without a rim, it can’t hold pan juices or oil, so you’ll have to be mindful of what you’re cooking, but if you’re primarily using it for cookies and other baked goods, it’s not an issue.

Price at time of publish: $51

Material: Aluminum | Dimensions: 17.8 x 14 x 0.5 inches | Dishwasher Safe: No

Best Ceramic: Great Jones Holy Sheet Pan

5

View On Greatjonesgoods.com

This pan from Great Jones is a newcomer to the bakeware world, but it is quickly gaining popularity thanks to the combination of its vibrant, Instagram-worthy hue and outstanding performance. This rimmed baking sheet is made of aluminized steel with a nontoxic, Swiss-made ceramic coating that is free of PFOA. The rolled edges are reinforced with steel rods to prevent warping, something that flimsier pans tend to do in the oven. 

During testing, the pan acquired a deep scratch on the bottom from stacking and moving the pan along with the others. While that didn’t affect use, a scratch on top would be more problematic and would make the pan less attractive. Because this is made from steel rather than aluminum, it baked a bit faster, and our tester got some burning on the bottom of the cookies and on the roasted vegetables. You may have to adjust baking times accordingly.

This pan is large enough to cook sheet pan dinners for a family or make a batch of focaccia without overflow. It's oven-safe up to 450 degrees, and easy to clean by hand or in the dishwasher even if there was burning.

Price at time of publish: $40

Material: Aluminized steel, ceramic nonstick coating | Dimensions: 18.5 x 13.5 x 2 inches | Dishwasher Safe: Yes