Casseroles are a delicious dish that needs cooking in the oven. Due to the extremely high temperature that large casserole dishes will be exposed to during the cooking process, you need to pick out the best, most durable, and heat-resistant product for your kitchen.
Here are the best large casserole dishes you can buy in 2024:
- Best Overall: Lodge 3.6 Quart Enamel Cast Iron Casserole Dish with Lid
- Best For Braising: CorningWare French White 4-Quart Covered Casserole
- Best For Roasting: Le Creuset PG0405-3667
- Best For Making Desserts: Emile Henry 979654
- Best For Serving: Cuisinart CI1136-24CR
- Best For Baking: casaWare Ceramic Coated NonStick Lasagna
| 6 Best Large Casserole Dishes | ||
|---|---|---|
Best Overall | Lodge 3.6 Quart Enamel Cast Iron Casserole Dish with Lid | |
Best For Braising | CorningWare French White 4-Quart Covered Casserole | |
Best For Roasting | Le Creuset PG0405-3667 | |
Best For Making Desserts | Emile Henry 979654 | |
Best For Serving | Cuisinart CI1136-24CR | |
Best For Baking | casaWare Ceramic Coated NonStick Lasagna | |
Best Overall: Lodge 3.6 Quart Enamel Cast Iron Casserole Dish with Lid
- Allow to cook faster – not require seasoning
- Foods come out perfectly – oven-safe up to 500 degrees F and good heat distribution
- Not shift on the stovetop – heavy design
- Not super durable
We love everything about this casserole dish.
It’s beautiful, oven-safe up to 500 degrees F with good heat distribution, and perfect for serving, cooking, refrigerating, and marinating without reacting to ingredients.
With it, you can skip the pre-seasoning step as well as able to cook on any stovetop, including induction.
Everything - from risotto to oven-baked orzo - has come off perfectly and is cooked evenly without burning.
We also find that it has cut off about 5-10 minutes of cooking time depending on the dish, which is precious. Our testers really like the heavy feel it brings because it won’t shift on the stovetop.
| Lodge 3.6 Quart Enamel Cast Iron Casserole Dish with Lid Specifications | |
|---|---|
Dimension | 14.4" x 12.55" x 3.4" |
Diameter | 11.75" |
Depth | 2.13" |
Heat Tolerance | 500 degrees F. |
Highlight Features | Not require seasoning |
The Lodge 3.6 Quart Enamel Cast Iron Casserole Dish blows us away in all performance metrics, making it the best overall unit here.
Best For Braising: CorningWare French White 4-Quart Covered Casserole
- Durable and reliable – backed by a 10-year warranty against breakage
- Suitable for making a good-sized batch - 6-1/2 inches high and 14-3/4 inches long
- Not provide various color options
- The lid could fit more properly
For braising, you can’t go wrong with this casserole dish.
It’ll be the most versatile in your kitchen that can help for not just braising but also baking, roasting, and besides, it is safe in dishwasher, freezer, broiler, oven, and microwave. Noticeably, CorningWare provides this line with a 10-year warranty against breakage.
According to its large dimensions - 6-1/2 inches high and 14-3/4 inches long – it is able to make a good-sized batch for big family use.
The ergonomic handles come in handy and they’re very easy to carry.
| CorningWare French White 4-Quart Covered Casserole Specifications | |
|---|---|
Dimension | 16.60 x 11.40 x 5.80 inches |
Diameter | 20” |
Depth | 6-1/2 inches |
Heat Tolerance | 400F |
Highlight Features | Backed by a 10-year warranty against breakage |
With a versatile design and large dimensions, the CorningWare French White 4-Quart Covered Casserole is a perfect choice to braise a large size batch for big family use.
Best For Roasting: Le Creuset PG0405-3667
- Deliver excellent heat distribution & moisture trapping - stoneware core, high-quality enamel finish, and a fitting lid
- Flexible and functional – able to roast fast and low-and-slow roast
- Time-saving – not require pre-microwaving raw foods
- Much heavier than other counterparts
- The handles are small
The Le Creuset PG0405-3667 really serves well for roasting food.
Its stoneware core in combination with the high-quality enamel finish and a fitting lid gives it an excellent heat distribution and moisture trapping.
Compared to other casserole dishes, this cooks the fastest (almost as fast as things in a cooking bag) with no compromise. If you have time, try cooking your roast at a low temp. we assure you the food comes out very succulent and melted in the mouth.
A good thing is vegetables don’t require pre-microwaving, which saves lots of time.
| Le Creuset PG0405-3667 Specifications | |
|---|---|
Dimension | 16.3 x 11.1 x 13.2 inches |
Diameter | 11.1” |
Depth | 3" deep |
Heat Tolerance | 2192 degrees F |
Highlight Features | Stoneware core, high-quality enamel finish, and a fitting lid |
As we performed our testing, we found that roasting, especially low and slow roasting food, on this casserole dish gave us the most delicious and satisfying results.
Best For Making Desserts: Emile Henry 979654
- Very perfect for desserts - highly resistant glaze & HR ceramic with oven-safe up to 520 degrees F
- Cook evenly without drying out – good heat distribution
- Look pretty
- Expensive
- Wish it had a glass cover
The secret to making mouthwatering desserts is getting a casserole dish with a highly resistant glaze. And out of numerous contenders, this completely stands out.
It’s durable with extremely solid glaze and HR ceramic – oven-safe up to 520 degrees F - that never crazes or scratches under daily cooking abuse. Besides, it can cook evenly without drying out.
We really like the size of this casserole dish, which is perfect for serving a layered salad, one-pan meals, or large casseroles, aside from desserts.
Very pretty, so it looks good sitting on a shelf when not being used.
| Emile Henry 979654 Specifications | |
|---|---|
Dimension | 16.5 x 10.6 inches |
Diameter | 19.5” |
Depth | 3 inches |
Heat Tolerance | 520 degrees F |
Highlight Features | Highly resistant glaze & HR ceramic with oven-safe up to 520 degrees F |
Highlighting highly resistant glaze and durable HR ceramic, the Emile Henry 979654 performs well across the board in terms of making desserts and many more dishes.
Best For Serving: Cuisinart CI1136-24CR
- Able to make big batches without spilling over – perfect size
- Heavy-duty and durable - oven safe up to 475 degrees F with no chips
- Perfect for serving – aesthetic looking
- Not ideal for the elderly - Very heavy, especially when it's loaded with food
If you need a baking dish that holds more than a regular size cake pan, this comes in a perfect size.
It’s large and deep enough to make big batches without spilling over like a champ whereas compact enough to work on the stovetop without covering other burners behind it.
With oven safe up to 475 degrees F, it is heavy-duty, great quality, and seems to last long. After three months of testing by baking it at 450-500 degrees F, we still don’t find any wears or chips on this dish.
Aesthetic looking is another bonus we’d like to talk about.
It features a porcelain enameled finish that’s not just strong and durable but also rich in colors, perfect for serving or complementing your kitchen décor.
| Cuisinart CI1136-24CR Specifications | |
|---|---|
Dimension | 18.00 x 10.30 x 3.00 inches |
Diameter | 14” |
Depth | 3” |
Heat Tolerance | 475F. |
Highlight Features | Oven safe up to 475 degrees F with no chips |
If all you want on a large casserole dish are not just the quality and durability but also the look and aesthetics for serving, this is a shining candidate.
Best For Baking: casaWare Ceramic Coated NonStick Lasagna
- Super-affordable
- Beautiful – red-colored exterior
- Scratch-resistant, long-lasting, and safe to use - granite ceramic coating approved by European Union, California Proposition 65, and FDA
- Not able to microwave
- Not dishwasher-safe
The cheapest casserole dish on our list but don’t worry, it comes with no compromise of quality or performance.
This casaWare features an over 0.6mm carbon steel core coated outside with the exclusive red-colored granite ceramic material. What’s worth about this extra coating is its decent scratch resistance and long-lasting durability with oven safe up to 536 degrees F.
Besides, it is approved by the European Union, California Proposition 65, and FDA for no PFOS, PTFE, PTOA, lead, or cadmium. The pan also contains no aluminum either. It’s very safe to use.
This coating also makes the casserole dish itself easy to clean as well as high fashion, which is perfect for baking.
| casaWare Ceramic Coated NonStick Lasagna Specifications | |
|---|---|
Dimension | 13 x 10 x 3-Inch |
Diameter | 16.4” |
Depth | 3” |
Heat Tolerance | 536F |
Highlight Features | The exclusive red-colored granite ceramic coating |
If you are in need of the best casserole dish for baking, this is it.
How To Choose The Best Large Casserole Dish?
Material
There are three options of material when you choose a casserole dish: aluminum, cast iron, ceramic, and glass.
A metal casserole dish can be made from aluminum that offers good heat conduction and transfers heat around the pan evenly. But aluminum casserole dishes may warp easily and maybe dented or damaged while in use or stored with other pans.
Not to say that they often come with non-stick coating, which tends to peel off.
Cast iron is one of the best materials for a casserole dish.
Casserole dishes made of this material can last for years if you season them properly and take good care of them. Instead of washing, you should just wipe them clean and apply a thin oil coating to them.
This material retains heat very well and distributes heat evenly across the pan. You also can place a cast-iron casserole dish over direct flame and expose it to extreme heat.
The only flaw is they are often more expensive and takes longer to heat up.
You can opt for a ceramic casserole dish, which is good at retaining and distributing heat. Just note that it takes much longer to heat up. Its surface is non-stick naturally, will not warp or wear over time.
Ceramic casserole dishes are stylish with various color options but they can break in half and crack when exposed to extreme heat.
A glass casserole dish is very much similar to a ceramic one, except that it cannot come in many colors. Most glass casserole dishes are made to not shatter or break when exposed to extreme heat but they can still break.
Size
In general, a casserole dish can measure between 18 and over 40 centimeters, serving from 2 to over 10 people. You can see the size of a dish under its lid.
You should go with a size that’s suitable for your family sizes, which is shown as the following table.
Round casserole | Size (cm) | 18 | 20 | 22 | 24 | 26 | 28 | 30 | 34 |
Serve (people) | 2 | 2-3 | 3-4 | 4-5 | 6 | 6-8 | 8-10 | 10-12 | |
Oval casserole | Size (cm) | 27 | 29 | 31 | 35 | 40 | |||
Serve (people) | 4-6 | 6 | 6-8 | 8-10 | 12-14 | ||||
Buffet casserole | Size (cm) | 26 | 30 | 32 | |||||
Serve (people) | 2-4 | 4-6 | 6-8 |
Handles
Choosing the handles is essential because when the cooking is finished, the casserole dish will be super-hot and heavy. You should choose handles that are the largest possible and able to remain cool to avoid getting burnt.
Which Brands Make The Best Large Casserole Dish?
Lodge
Lodge is confident enough to claim it makes the best cookware on Earth. The establishment of this brand dated back to 1896, over 120 years of experience, it has been creating durable and versatile products. If you haven’t owned cookware by Lodge, this is your chance.
CorningWare
This brand is best known for thermal shock-resistant cookware with glass-ceramic material. Since its foundation in 1958, the brand has made extremely durable glass-ceramic products that you can take directly from the freezer to the stovetop or oven.
Le Creuset
This French brand is specialized in manufacturing colorful, cast-iron cookware. It also makes bakeware as well as other types of cookware.
Emile Henry
Founded in 1848, over 6 generations, the brand is famous for making ceramic, handmade appliances.
Cuisinart
This brand has been around for almost 50 years, with amazing experience in making cookware for home cooks. While it’s best known for making food processors, you can get a high-quality casserole dish from Cuisinart too.
FAQs
Can casserole dishes go in the oven?
Yes, you can.
Due to the nature of casserole, you can use casserole dishes in the oven. And vice versa, any dish used for casserole should be oven-safe.
Do I need to cover a casserole in the oven?
The answer to this question comes down to each specific dish and how you want the resulting food to be.
Covering the casserole prevents the food from crisping and browning, but it also traps in moisture. Meanwhile, uncovering the casserole promotes crisping and browning, reducing the liquid retained in the cooked dish.
Do casseroles cook faster covered or uncovered?
Covering the casserole will help the food cook faster because the lid traps more heat.
How long do you leave a casserole in the oven?
Normally, you can leave the casserole for 30 minutes in the oven.
What can I use instead of a casserole dish?
If you don’t have a casserole dish, you can replace it with a baking dish of a suitable size, a backing pan, or a sauté pan.
Conclusion
It’s not difficult to choose the best large casserole dishes from countless models on the market. Besides, remember that to have the best cooking experience with a casserole dish, you not just need a good-quality casserole but also keep it in the best condition.
Under good care, it will stay with you for years and promise good-quality food every single time.
