Kitchens have undoubtedly evolved over time and now it seems there’s a gadget for your every need. Want dinner in a hurry? Turn to your trusty microwave. Craving the crispy chips without the fat? You need an air fryer in your arsenal. Desperate for a bistro-worthy caffeine fix without leaving the house? Invest in a coffee machine. While these appliances make our lives a whole lot easier, if there’s one cookware staple that doesn’t get enough credit, it is of course the humble baking tray.
Capable of cooking everything from chips and pizza, to baking cookies and pastries, these trays probably get the most action out of any kitchen item. So, with that being said, picking the right one – and by that we mean a tray that won’t warp the minute it touches the oven, loses its non-stick benefits and actually cleans up like new – is essential.
But with so many to choose from, and in so many price ranges, it can be hard to know which baking trays are going to last a lifetime versus the ones that are going to require a chisel to get your food off after five minutes. Luckily, that’s where we come in.
How we tested
We put lots of different baking trays to the test by cooking everything from a classic fry-up and garlic bread, to roast chicken with all the fixings, and even roasted tomatoes for soup on our trays to see how they stacked up to their specifications. We were looking for trays that could handle a multitude of foods, didn’t warp in the oven, could clean up like new and, most importantly, didn’t lose their non-stick coating despite our somewhat questionable cheffing skills. These are the ones that could take the heat.
The best baking trays for 2024 are:
Lakeland multi-purpose oven tray
If you’re going to call something “multi-purpose”, then it’s important that it leaves up to that claim. Rest assured this tray delivers. Ours roasted, baked and cooked everything we threw at it with ease with no muss or fuss left behind.
With two layers of non-stick coating, trust us when we say no food will get stuck. We cooked a tray full of burgers and, despite the grease that came off them, not a single one fell apart. Better still, the tray came out of the dishwasher looking brand new and, because there are no rolled edges, no water or soap was trapped and left behind so there’s less chance of rusting meaning it should hopefully last for years.
The handles on this made it incredibly easy to hold on to and, though it’s made of thick carbon steel, it was incredibly lightweight. This is also an incredible size and could handle cooking multiple meals at once and even helped us to food prep for the week ahead.
Buy now £12.99, Lakeland.co.uk
Dunelm heavy gauge non-stick baking tray
Dunelm is the home of homeware for a reason and so it’s unsurprising that two of its entries made it into our round-up. But unlike the crisper tray (below), this heavy gauge model is perfect for serving up a supper for the whole family. Our food – sausages and potato wedges this time – cooked brilliantly and evenly and didn’t stick despite the grease they left behind. The coating means it has superb resistance to any abrasions and it has an outstanding non-stick performance. We were also glad to see that it cleaned up effortlessly and lived up to those ‘easy clean’ statements it made.
Two of the four edges of this tray are slightly wider, but that’s all part of the genius – it allows you to easily get it in and out of the oven, which makes for a much easier cooking experience. We also love that we can pop this one in the fridge, freezer and even the microwave making it supremely versatile. For just £8 this is a great size tray that can get the job done well.
Buy now £8.00, Dunelm.com
ProCook non-stick granite baking tray set
One of our biggest bugbears in our kitchen (aside from the dreaded container cupboard) is getting our trays to stack in the cupboard without collapsing. Well, with this three-piece set from ProCook, we need not worry as they are designed to nestle neatly inside one another. A definite selling point for our cluttered kitchen.
Neatness aside though, these trays handled every food item we threw at them and cooked beautifully thanks to the heavy gauge carbon steel material which gave excellent heat distribution and meant that warping was a thing of the past. We even found that things like chorizo sausages, which have a tendency to leave sticky stains behind, were a cinch to get off the tray and clean up after. A quick soak and turn in the dishwasher had them sparkling like new.
With three sizes to choose from you can cook a meal for the whole family, and they’ll look good while doing so. Plus, they come with ProCook’s 10-year guarantee.
Buy now £29.00, Procook.co.uk
GreenPan black ceramic cookie sheet
There’s one item that gets cooked time and time again in our house and that’s bread. From homemade loaves to part-baked rolls and garlic bread, it’s essential that any baking tray we own can give our rolls/baps/cobs the royal treatment. And GreenPan’s cookie sheet became our go-to for this task.
No matter how many times we used it, it didn’t warp. The handles made it really easy to get in and out of our new hide-and-slide ovens, and the PFAS-free surface gave us real peace of mind. The heat distribution was excellent and ensured our rolls browned nicely while remaining light and airy on the inside – Paul Hollywood would be proud. The non-stick coating really impressed us and any liquid left behind pooled straight off which, compared to our old trays, was a real treat and meant it always washed up like new.
Buy now £21.00, Greenpan.co.uk
Stellar eclipse baking tray
At 44cm, this was the biggest on test. When cooking a roast dinner for eight people, this tray was the perfect size to load up roasties and parsnips without monopolising more oven space than needed. We found every potato crisped up beautifully, thanks to the heat conduction of the two aluminised layers – and not one of them got stuck either.
We also used this tray to roast tomatoes and the slightly higher lip ensured any liquid that leaked out was kept firmly on the tray – no spillages in sight. Thanks to the more weighty, this tray really felt like great quality and has become a firm favourite.
Buy now £25.90, Wayfair.co.uk
George Asda non-stick baking tray set four piece
Whether you’re off to university or moving into your first home, sometimes only a simple, budget-friendly bundle will do the trick – luckily that’s where Asda comes in. Don’t be put off by the price or the bare minimum look, these trays still pack a punch. For little more than £10, this bundle gives you every baking tray you could need to whip up a Sunday roast for a large group.
We whipped up some homemade sausage rolls and we were impressed with how effortlessly these trays handled leakage and the pastry. The coated steel surface ensured for even cooking across the tray meaning none of our rolls cooked faster than the other and all browned up beautifully. Meanwhile, the non-stick surface really lived up to its name as none of our pastry was left behind. These also cleaned up beautifully and looked as good as new. Money well spent.
Buy now £11.00, Asda.com
Lakeland enamel oven tray
This Lakeland tray is compatible with every hob as well as the oven. It did a good job of cooking our meals in the oven. The enamel coating not only looks good but gives us hope that it won’t rust or cling to flavours, such as strong garlic. Better still, it was lightweight to use even when loaded with lots of vegetables.
However, being able to use it on the hob proved to be the real game-changer. Admittedly it did warp when we first used it on the hob – though we think that’s due to more user error than the pan itself – once we started heating both rings at the same time this avoided the problem occurring again. As a result, cooking a fry-up has never been easier. The tray is big enough to go across two rings, meaning we could fry eggs and bacon all in one pan and anything that leads to less washing up is a win in our book.
We also used it to grill halloumi (which came out perfectly golden and salty) on the hob, and while this did leave some burnt residue behind, after soaking in hot, soapy water, it cleaned up like new. A versatile, durable find and at a reasonable price point too.
Buy now £12.99, Lakeland.co.uk
Pyrex magic oven tray
Sometimes you just want a no-fuss tray that gets the job done and doesn’t break the bank, which is where this Pyrex more than delivers. For less than £10, you’ll get an extremely lightweight tray that comes complete with a single secure grip handle, pouring spouts and, of course, a non-stick coating. For us, it’s become a lifesaver for quick midweek meals.
Because it’s so lightweight, it’s one of the easiest to use in our busy kitchen. We could zip around with it in one (oven-gloved) hand without worrying that things were going to spit or spill over the edges. We also loved that, with its secure grip and extra edge, we could give things a shake mid-way through cooking without having to dirty another utensil. Cleaning was quick and easy too thanks to being dishwasher safe as well. For the everyday cook, this is a top-notch find.
Buy now £9.50, Argos.co.uk
Dunelm crisper oven tray
Soggy chips or overdone meat can be a thing of the past thanks to this trusty dual oven tray. While one side looks like your standard non-stick surface, the other has specifically designed ridges that allow for fantastic air circulation. This meant that when cooking a simple chicken and chips dinner, our chicken remained moist and juicy without the fat leaking onto the chips. It also meant that our chips crisped up perfectly, giving our air fryer a run for its money.
The double layer non-stick coating meant everything was released from the tray with ease and, when it came to cleaning, any residue left behind washed off effortlessly. We also liked the slight lip on one edge of the tray which made getting it in and out of the oven easier even in our chunky oven gloves. While it is a substantial size, we wish the sections were ever so slightly bigger so that we could use this to cook for the whole family. But it’s a minor complaint at best.
Buy now £6.50, Dunelm.com
Zyliss durable non-stick large shallow oven baking tray
While this did a great job of cooking everything from chips to tray bakes, it really came into its own when used for home bakes. The high rolled edges give it some real depth, meaning we could load it up but it also made it more resistant to warping. Meanwhile, the coating helped to make sure that turning our cakes out was, not so ironically, a piece of cake.
Buy now £18.00, Zyliss.co.uk
The verdict: Baking trays
The truth is, there are plenty of good baking trays on the market, but finding the one that’s right for you and your family, that’s the trick. Lakeland’s multi-purpose oven tray is a bonafide winner thanks to its great size, the fact it handles nicely, washes up perfectly and has great non-stick credentials. We see no reason that this tray shouldn’t last you well beyond the brand’s own three-year guarantee.
One that’ll give your air fryer a run for its money is undoubtedly Dunelm’s crisper oven tray – our chips were perfect and we’d love to see more oven trays branching out to do something similar. We’ve become obsessed with the GreenPan cookie sheet for all our bread needs and while the Stellar eclipse baking tray is a bit more of an investment, it’s worth every penny for a sturdy tray that looks like it could last a lifetime.
If you’re looking to get creative in the kitchen, read our review of the best pasta makers
