The best pizza stones help to perfectly cook your dough, resulting in a golden crust and gooey melted cheese every time, whether you’re cooking in the oven, on the grill, or over a fire. It achieves this by heating up and retaining high temperatures all across the surface, resulting in more even cooking and allowing you to create a delightfully crispy crust at home. “The best pizza stones or baking steels are at least 15 inches by 15 inches,” says Matt Johnson, a recipe developer and blogger. “Ideally, you want a large enough stone to fill up a rack in your oven…The bigger the stone, the hotter your oven will be. Hotter ovens give your pizza a more authentic taste and texture similar to those that come out of a wood-fired pizza oven.” You can create a delicious, perfectly cooked pizza in your own home without spending tons of money. We researched the best pizza stones on the market based on material, size, weight, cost, and more to determine which deserves a spot in your kitchen. In addition to Johnson, we also consulted Chef Tiffany Swan of Salt and Sage for additional insight. Based on our research, we chose the Lodge 15-Inch Cast Iron Pizza Pan as our top overall pick because it cooks a crispy pizza crust quickly and also works as a griddle. Keep in Mind: This stone is quite heavy, weighing in at nearly ten pounds. The cast iron will quickly reach a high temperature in your oven, giving your pizza crust the desired crispy crust without charring your toppings. This also means you can leave your pizza on the stone after you pull it out of the oven and it will remain hot as you gather the family for dinner. If you enjoy grilling during the summer time, it’s helpful to note that this stone can be used on your outdoor grill for warm weather pizza-making. Another great feature of the Lodge Cast Iron Pizza Pan is that it’s useful for more than just making homemade pizza. You can also use it in your oven or grill to make pancakes, reheat leftovers, or even toast some bread. This allows you to use one cooking tool for multiple recipes rather than buying tons of bulky pots and pans that take up storage space. With hand washing, seasoning and the right care, this cast iron pizza stone will last for years to come. It’s worth noting that the pan is quite heavy and weighs almost ten pounds, making it more difficult to carry and remove from the oven. Be careful, especially when wearing oven mitts, so as not to lose your grip on the pizza stone. Price at time of publish: $60 Product Details: Material: Cast iron | Dimensions: 15 inches | Shape: Round | Heating Temperature: Not listed | Weight: 9.63 pounds | Care: Hand wash only Keep in Mind: You won’t be able to achieve a charred crust like you can with a cast iron pizza stone. Made from cordierite—a natural stone that’s an excellent heat conductor and can withstand extreme temperatures—this pizza stone makes it easy to achieve a perfectly cooked pie. It’s also durable enough to handle going from hot to cold temperatures without cracking, so you can put the pizza in your refrigerator soon after cooking without worry. While it won’t give you the crispiness of a pizza steel or cast iron pan, the Unicook Heavy Duty Cordierite Pizza Stone will yield a beautiful golden crust that’s crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. At 15 inches long and 12 inches wide, you’ll be able to roll out your dough to create a square pizza or use it to make a couple of personal-size pizzas. We don’t recommend this pizza stone to someone who wants to make large round pizzas, though, since the diameter would need to be 11 inches or smaller to fit on the stone. Because the stone heats evenly across the entire surface, it can also be used to bake brownies, cookies, and bread more evenly—just place your dish on top of the pre-heated stone and pop it into the oven. When cleaning, you’ll want to avoid soaps and detergents, including putting your pizza stone in the dishwasher. Instead, scrape the stone clean with the included scraper and rinse off any crumbs with warm water. Price at time of publish: $46 Product Details: Material: Cordierite | Dimensions: 15 x 12 inches | Shape: Rectangle | Heating Temperature: Oven-safe to 1,450º F | Weight: 6.6 pounds | Care: Scrape and rinse with water Keep in Mind: The handles are on the underside, making this 18-pound stone difficult to maneuver. Made from 3D cast steel, the NerdChef Steel XL pizza stone is large enough to fit a 14-inch pizza, making it perfect for families. According to the manufacturer, the stone is unbreakable and backed by a lifetime warranty, so you won’t need to buy a replacement in a few years. To get the most out of your pizza stone, we recommend preheating it in the oven or on the grill. If properly preheated, the pre-seasoned steel can cook a delectable crust in about five minutes, offering one of the fastest cook times of any of the models on our list. The steel has been pre-seasoned with organic flaxseed oil, so you can use it right out of the box (although we recommend giving it a quick seasoning with a little oil first). This steel is 18 pounds and is quite bulky to maneuver around your kitchen. The handle placement also makes transportation difficult—they’re on the underside of the stone, so you have to wedge your hands underneath and lift it before getting a good grip. To avoid burning yourself, we’d recommend letting it cool before you try to move it. Many people also leave their pizza stones in the oven when not in use, then use a peel to remove their pizza when it’s ready. This is a great option if you choose to buy this particular stone. Price at time of publish: $80 Product Details: Material: Cast steel | Dimensions: 15 x 15 inches | Shape: Rectangle | Heating Temperature: Oven safe to 700º F | Weight: 18 pounds | Care: Hand wash Keep in Mind: This stone will likely discolor over time. Since the heat on your grill can get much hotter than your oven, the best pizza stones for grilling will be able to handle and distribute heat evenly without cracking. Because this stone can handle heat up to 2,000° F, you won’t have to worry about it getting damaged on the grill top. We do recommend keeping the heat around 500 to 600ºF for an evenly cooked pizza in about six minutes. Similar to other models on our list of the best pizza stones, the Cast Elegance Thermarite Pizza and Baking Stone comes with a scraper to help with cleanup. You won’t be able to wash it with soap and water; instead, remove any debris with the scraper and then wipe it down with a towel. Because this stone is porous, it will pick up stains from oil, sauce, and general use over time. This won’t impact the performance at all, but if spots bother you, this might not be the best pizza cooking tool. Price at time of publish: $47 Product Details: Material: Cordierite | Dimensions: 16 inches | Shape: Round | Heating Temperature: Oven safe to 2,000º F | Weight: 7.4 pounds | Care: Use included scraper, wipe down with towel Keep in Mind: It’s only large enough to create 12-inch pies. At only 6 pounds, this lightweight stone is smaller than many others on our list, and is only able to produce 12-inch round pizzas, but if you’re just getting the hang of home pizza making, it’s probably all you need. You can simply place the stone in the oven to preheat, then feed in as many pizzas as you’d like with your peel. This makes it easy to use even if you have a larger family, since each person can make their own pie and bake it for a few minutes. Its lightweight design also makes this stone easy to move from your oven to storage or even out to the family grill for an outdoor pizza party. The included wheel is a pizza parlor-style rolling slicer, but it’s important to note that you shouldn’t use it while your pizza is still on the stone, as this will damage both utensils. Price at time of publish: $40 Product Details: Material: Cordierite, stainless peel | Dimensions: 13 inches | Shape: Round | Heating Temperature: 800º F | Weight: 6 pounds | Care: Wipe down with towel Keep in Mind: Ceramic is more fragile than other materials, so you’ll need to be more careful when handling it. Unlike some of the other stones on this list, this pizza stone has handles on each side for easy transportation to and from the oven. At 5.7 pounds, it’s extremely lightweight, making it easy to carry, wash, and store. Plus, it comes in black, red, charcoal, and fig colorways, so you’ll be able to find a hue that matches your other cookware. Since the stone is glazed, your pizza won’t get stuck to the bottom the way it might with an untreated stone like cast iron, making it very easy to clean up when you’re done cooking. Ceramic also heats quickly and evenly, so it only takes about six minutes to cook a thin crust pizza and a few more for one with a thicker crust. Keep in mind that ceramic is more fragile than cast iron, steel, and cordierite, so you’ll need to be extra careful not to drop it or chip the handles. However, this pizza steel is covered by a 10 year warranty to protect against manufacturer defects. Price at time of publish: from $70 Product Details: Material: Clay | Dimensions: 16 inches with handles | Shape: Round | Heating Temperature: 900º F | Weight: 5.7 pounds Care: Dishwasher safe Keep in Mind: At 14 inches wide and 16 inches long, it’s harder to store when not in use than a pizza stone. There are two big differences between pizza steels and stones: pizza steels tend to be more durable and they can get much, much hotter than stones, meaning your pizza can cook more quickly. This makes the Baking Steel an ideal choice if you’re playing around with making Neapolitan style pizzas, which need to be fired at high temps to cook quickly. To use this pizza steel, preheat your oven to 500º F about an hour before you’re ready to start cooking, then slide your pie in the oven. The steel will function similar to a professional brick oven, creating that perfectly crisp crust you crave. You can also use your pre-heated steel to help with baking. This pizza steel will work well to distribute heat and prevent soggy-bottomed pies or delicious bagels. This steel comes pre-seasoned, so you can use it in the oven right after unboxing it. We recommend seasoning it a couple of times a year, or whenever the steel starts to look and feel dry. Price at time of publish: $129 Material: Steel | Dimensions: 14 x 16 inches Shape: Rectangle | Heating Temperature: 700° F | Weight: 16 pounds Care: Hand wash Our best budget pick, the Unicook Heavy Duty Cordierite Pizza Stone, is perfect for pizza making beginners because of its rectangular shape and durable cordierite surface.
What to Know About Pizza Stones Before Shopping
Material
The best pizza stones will absorb and radiate heat evenly, allowing your pizzas to cook to perfection in a matter of minutes. Pizza stones and steels are commonly available in four different types of materials: cast iron, carbon steel, ceramic, and stone. Depending on the type of pizza you prefer to make, the best pizza stones for your needs may vary. Cast iron retains heat better than other materials, making it perfect for cooking multiple pizzas one after the other. It also makes it easier to serve since the pizza will stay warm for longer. However, cast iron pizza stones tend to be very heavy, and you’ll have to season it frequently to keep it in top condition. Steel is the best heat conductor, meaning that it can cook pizzas in record time, making it one of the best pizza stones for Neapolitan and New York-style pizzas. Since these pies require quick, high-temperature cooking to achieve a lightly blackened crust, we recommend cooking on steel. Just keep in mind that these kinds of pizza stones can be heavier and more expensive than other materials. If you’re aiming to create a delicious golden-brown pizza crust, look no further than a ceramic pizza stone. Ceramic is much more lightweight than other materials and tends to be less expensive, but it won’t provide the same searing heat that steel or cast iron. It’s also more fragile than other pizza stones, so we recommend being careful when handling it to avoid dropping or bumping it into things. Finally, cordierite offers impressive durability and great heat conductivity while remaining budget-friendly. It’s best suited for baking a golden-brown crust over Neapolitan or New York styles, and we like that it can withstand quick heating without cracking.
Dimensions
The best pizza stones and steels vary in size, ranging from 13 inches to 20 inches in diameter. Before looking for the right stone or steel for your needs, measure your oven to see what size will actually fit on your oven rack. If you’re planning on cooking pizza outside on your grill, measure that space as well, factoring in enough space for the lid to close. You’ll also want to consider the amount of dough your recipe creates as this will impact how much space you’ll need on your pizza stone. We recommend keeping one inch of space between the edge of your dough and the edge of the stone.
Shape
Stones and steels are typically circular, square, or rectangular. The best pizza stones are often circular with handles on opposing sides for easy transportation to and from your oven or grill. This makes it easier to cook and serve your pizza while remaining easy to store when not in use. Square and rectangular stones offer more surface area than a circular stone with the same diameter, but you’ll either have to make a rectangular pizza or split your dough into two smaller pizzas to fit them.
Weight
When choosing the best pizza stones, you’ll want to consider the weight of the utensil before purchasing. Materials like cast iron and steel are heavier than stone and ceramic, so they’re more difficult to move in and out of your oven. They also tend to be more difficult to store due to their weight. If weight is an important factor to you when shopping for the best pizza stones, we recommend looking for a ceramic or cordierite model, since they tend to be more lightweight.
Care
Caring for your pizza stone will help ensure that it stays in good condition for many years. However, certain materials can handle soap and water while others can’t. We don’t recommend putting any of these tools into the dishwasher. Steel and cast iron should be hand-rinsed without soap and re-seasoned if needed. Ceramic can be hand washed with soap and a damp cloth. Cordierite and other stone should be scraped clean and rinsed with water due to its porous material.
Your Questions, Answered
What is the best pizza stone for a home oven?
The best pizza stones for at-home use depend primarily on the type of pizza you’d like to make, with other factors such as size, material, and weight taken into consideration as well. Chef Swan prefers a pizza steel over a pizza stone due to its durability and quick heating. “After breaking multiple pizza stones from the temperature shifts from cool kitchen to hot oven, the pizza steel is so much more robust,” Swan says. “Since the steel can be heavy and large, I simply store mine in the bottom rack of my oven, and it creates a more even heat when I am baking and roasting other items. Similarly, when the oven and steel get dirty, you can simply turn on your oven’s self-cleaning mode and clean the steel and oven all at the same time.”
Is a pizza stone worth buying?
The best pizza stones make it much easier to achieve a perfectly cooked pizza every time, whether you prefer a golden-brown crust or a blackened Neapolitan-style pie. “If you’re serious about pizza making, a pizza stone or baking steel is 100% worth buying,” Johnson says. “Pop it in your oven and you’ll instantly upgrade your pizza nights.”
How thick should a pizza stone be?
Your pizza stone should be thick enough to hold heat without becoming so heavy that they’re difficult to carry. According to Swan, the best pizza stones must be around 1/2 of an inch thick to hold and conduct heat efficiently. However, if you’re working with steel, it can be thinner since the material heats up so quickly. “Thickness is important for heat retention,” Swan says. ”If you are making a lot of pizzas back to back, you will want a thicker stone. Thickness is also important in a stone when considering longevity.”
Who We Are
Tanya Edwards is an award-winning writer and editor with bylines at Better Homes & Gardens and other publications. She was previously the programming director of culinary at Food Network and has been writing and creating instructional content for home cooks for over a decade.
