The best muffin pans

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The best muffin trays

USA Pan/Facebook
  • A good muffin pan encourages even baking and releases muffins easily so they don't stick to the pan.
  • The USA Pan Bakeware Cupcake and Muffin Pan is our top pick because it's textured to add extra non-stick powers and it's backed by a lifetime warranty.

Dante's "Inferno" does not back this up, but I'm certain there is a special circle in hell where the inhabitants are condemned to a life of trying to remove baked-on food debris stuck to old, ineffective muffin pans. Such is the torture of baking in a kitchen with subpar equipment.

Fortunately, bakeware companies have listened to the pleas from those of us suffering from dishpan hands and have developed a number of effective cupcake tins that are willing to part ways with your treats upon completing their baking task.

While researching the best muffin and cupcake pans, we looked at hundreds of ratings and reviews from experts and buyers alike. We chose five solutions to include in our guide based on their non-stick qualities (for both releasing muffins and cleanup), baking performance, and how easy it is to hold the pan.

Here are the best muffin pans:

  • Best overall: USA Pan Bakeware Cupcake and Muffin Pan
  • Best silicone muffin pan: Silpat Silicone Muffin Pan
  • Best high-end muffin pan: Williams Sonoma Goldtouch Nonstick Muffin Pan
  • Best for a secure grip: Rachael Ray Oven Lovin' Non-Stick 12-Cup Muffin and Cupcake Pan
  • Best for even baking: OXO Good Grips Non-Stick Pro Muffin Pan

Prices and links are current as of 9/8/20. We replaced our pick for the best silicone muffin pan because our previous pick was out of stock. We also added a selection of related buying guides.

The best overall

USA Pan/Facebook

If you are tired of your muffins sticking to the pan and find baking cups to be wasteful, the USA Pan Bakeware Cupcake and Muffin Pan is an outstanding nonstick pan that will last you for years to come.

As the company's name suggests, USA Pan's Bakeware Cupcake and Muffin Pan is made in the United States. The tin is made of heavy-gauge, commercial-grade aluminized steel and covered with Americoat, which is a patented nonstick silicone coating free of BPA, PFOA, and PTFE. Each cup is 1.38-inches deep by 2.13-inches in diameter on the bottom and 2.75-inches in diameter at the top.

You should not wash the USA Pan in the dishwasher. Instead, use hot water, a mild detergent, and a gentle sponge or brush. In addition to the standard 12-cup tin, this pan is available in nine other styles, including Mini Cake – 6 Well, Mini Cupcake – 24 Well, and Texas Sized Muffin – 6 Well. Each comes with a lifetime warranty.

Without greasing or spraying the slots, users have found that the muffins just pop out every time.

Pros: Excellent nonstick coating, several size variations, lifetime warranty

Cons: Doesn't come with a hole at the top for hanging

The best silicone muffin pan

Williams Sonoma

The Silpat Silicone Muffin Pan is made by a heritage brand we trust and produces evenly baked muffins that slide out without sticking every time.

Silpat makes our favorite baking mats and is known in the restaurant world for producing superlative nonstick bakeware, so there's no doubt its silicone muffin pan is absolutely top-notch. The muffin pan, like all of Silpat's offerings, is constructed from a unique textile fiberglass core coated in food-grade silicone making it flexible yet heat-resistant up to 500 degrees. It's also microwave-, freezer-, and dishwasher-safe.

Insider Reviews senior editor Sally Kaplan tested it in her kitchen and gave it a rave review. "My recent batch of lemon poppyseed muffins glided out of the Silpat mold so effortlessly and smoothly I almost started crying! I know this sounds dramatic (because it is) but honestly, I'm not the best baker in the world — so any time something turns out perfectly, I get emotional about it," she wrote.

Because it is made of silicone, you can easily pop muffins or cupcakes out of the wells and cleaning up afterward is a breeze. Muffin and cupcake crumbs don't stick to silicone as fiercely as they do to metal.

The only downside of having a silicone pan is that it's a bit floppy, so popping it into the oven when it's full of uncooked batter can be challenging. We suggest placing the pan on the oven rack and then filling it with batter or sitting it in a baking sheet to transport it.

Pros: Easy to clean, lifetime replacement guarantee, durable

Cons: Somewhat floppy, quite expensive

The best high-end muffin pan

Williams Sonoma

If you are looking for a stylish cupcake tin that bakes evenly and you don't mind spending a little extra, consider the Williams Sonoma Goldtouch Nonstick Muffin Pan.

The Williams Sonoma Goldtouch Nonstick Muffin Pan is made of commercial-grade aluminized steel, which is celebrated because it distributes heat evenly and quickly. A ceramic coating is applied to the pan to make it resistant to scratches, which in turn, ensures that it stays nonstick.

The cups are standard-sized and can fit half a cup of batter each. The overall dimensions of the pan are 5.75 by 11.25 by 1.25 inches. Williams Sonoma states that this product is oven safe to 450 degrees Fahrenheit and that you should only use plastic, silicone, and wood utensils on it, lest you scratch the nonstick coating.

The Goldtouch Pan is technically dishwasher-safe, but Williams Sonoma suggests hand-washing it to preserve the longevity of the pan.

Pros: Even baking, easy release of baked goods, secure rim

Cons: Should not be used with metal utensils, listed maximum temperature of 450 degrees

The best for a secure grip

Rachael Ray

With the silicone grips of the Rachael Ray Oven Lovin' Non-Stick 12-Cup Muffin and Cupcake Pan, you can ease your fears of dropping baked goods all over the floor.

The Oven Lovin' Non-Stick 12-Cup Muffin and Cupcake Pan from Rachael Ray is made of durable steel and features a nonstick coating on the interior and exterior. The handles are extra wide and have silicone grips. The entire pan is dishwasher safe and oven safe up to 500 degrees Fahrenheit.

Though the silicone does add some grip, be aware that the handles still do get hot. You won't be able to remove the pan from the oven without the protection of some good oven mitts.

It's the most affordable muffin pan on our list. As an added bonus, the pan comes with an exclusive Rachael Ray cookbook, so you can check out some great recipes to make. And, a portion of the proceeds for the pan go to the chef's Yum-O organization, which educates kids and their families about healthy cooking habits and encourages youngsters who want to become chefs.

Pros: Silicone grips that are easy to grab with oven mitts on, terrific nonstick properties, effortless clean-up

Cons: Silicone grips still get hot in the oven

The best for even baking

OXO

The gold finish of the OXO Good Grips Non-Stick Pro Muffin Pan produces evenly baked treats that are easy to remove from the tin.

The OXO Good Grip Non-Stick Pro Muffin Pan is made of heavy-gauge aluminized steel, which is great for even heat distribution. The steel is covered with a two-layer coating that is ceramic-reinforced and Swiss-engineered to protect against corrosion, staining, and scratching. And, the non-stick, micro-textured pattern on the surface increases airflow and decreases surface contact.

The overall size of the pan is 16.5 by 12 by 1.2 inches, which is much larger than any of the other pans in our guide. As with all of its products, OXO offers a satisfaction guarantee.

In an article entitled "This Pan Changed My Muffin-Baking Life," Claire Saffitz of Bon Appétit took a feature-by-feature look at what makes the OXO Good Grips Muffin Pan great, including the effective nonstick coating, the textured surface that releases baked-on batter, and the light color of the pan, which allows for even baking.

Pros: Bakes evenly and releases baked goods effortlessly

Cons: Not dishwasher safe

What we considered when selecting our picks

For this guide, we are focusing on standard-sized muffin pans: 12 cups or wells that are approximately 2.75 inches in diameter at the top tapering slightly to the bottom, which is roughly 1.3-inches deep. However, many of the products we examine are also available in mini cupcake, mini cake, Texas-sized muffin, and other styles.

Most of the pans we've included in our guide are made of heavy-gauge aluminized steel. This is a material that conducts heat well, therefore, allowing your batter to cook evenly. With other materials, the exterior wells tend to cook faster than the interior ones.

Silicone is another popular material, and these pans tend to release their goods effortlessly. The problem is that silicone doesn't tend to cook as evenly, and it isn't as rigid as metal, which can make it harder to handle. Silicone works best as a nonstick coating on steel pans. Ceramic is also an excellent coating because it is resistant to corrosion and scratching.

James Brains

Home & Kitchen Reporter, Insider Reviews

James is a Home & Kitchen Reporter for Insider Reviews, where he specializes in sleep, HVAC, and kitchen appliances. He has tested more than 30 mattresses from startups like Casper and legacy brands like Tempur-Pedic, using his background in experimental psychology to develop objective tests and evaluate comfort, support, motion transfer, and more. He authors our guide to the best mattresses. In addition to being Insider Reviews' mattress expert, James has extensively covered robot vacuums, air conditioners, air purifiers, and more within the HVAC space. He's tested more than 20 robot vacs from brands like iRobot and Roborock over the years and is no stranger to keeping his house at a chilly 60 degrees Fahrenheit for weeks on end all in the name of testing air conditioners. He's a multifaceted writer who has covered everything from health and fitness to consumer technology. His mission is to help people get the most value for their money by guiding them in making informed buying decisions. James is currently based in Lansing, Michigan, where he lives in "The Barn Mansion," a three-story Dutch colonial home, with his wife, two sons, two cats, and a rambunctious rat terrier. When James isn't testing products and writing for Insider, he's helping to run a popular local Facebook group, Lansing Foodies. See below for some of his work: The best mattress for every type of sleeper in 2021, according to our rigorous testing The 6 best robot vacuums we tested in 2021 The 6 best air conditioners we tested in 2021 The best Instant Pots and electric pressure cookers we tested in 2021 10 grilling essentials that chefs and pitmasters swear by for making the best BBQ The 5 best mattress toppers we tested in 2021 Contact info: jbrains@insider.com Learn more about how our team of experts tests and reviews products at Insider here. Learn more about how we test kitchen products.

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