Who doesn’t love muffins, right? Baking muffins is probably one of the most enjoyable hobbies you can have. They are healthy and delicious which will give you that energy boost you need in the morning. But, without the right equipment, nothing will be baked perfectly.
Using the right muffin pan will definitely result in tastes that you won’t be able to resist! So, what should you consider when you buy muffin pans? What’s the best muffin pan that can meet your baking needs? Here’s an all-in-one guide about the things you'll need to know before you start baking any type of muffins.
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- Best overall Muffin pan: OXO Good Grips Non-Stick Pro Muffin Pan
- Best budget Muffin pan: KPKitchen Muffin Baking Pan Set
Characteristics of The Best Muffin Pan
Shopping for the perfect muffin pan can be difficult and confusing if you don’t know what to look for. There are several criteria you need to consider each time you’re looking for a new muffin pan. In this guide, I’ll be covering every aspect to ensure the best quality pan for your budget.
Material
If you have read my guide on best bakeware sets, then you probably already know the importance of materials used in manufacturing bakeware. Not all materials are fit to be used in the oven. Here are the top materials used to produce high quality muffin pans that you should consider.
Silicone
One of the perfect materials for muffins and cookies. Silicone is well-known for its versatility, it’s light, durable and can control the cooking temperatures while ensuring an even heat distribution. However, like anything else, silicone has its downsides, it heats up a bit slower than some materials due to its flexibility and sometimes the pans tend to bulge outward when you start baking.
Aluminum
One of the popular materials used in manufacturing baking pans. Aluminum is considered to be light, versatile and on top of that, inexpensive which makes most aluminum muffin pans affordable since they come with a reasonable price if not “cheaper”.
Aluminum can heat up quickly and distribute evenly throughout the pan’s surface which makes it a great material for baking. There are no doubts about that, however, keep in mind that aluminum alone has a high potential of toxicity. Therefore, make sure you always choose the anodized one. Although most aluminum pans are anodized in order to have a nonstick surface, they usually cannot withstand a temperature higher than 350⁰F. Thus, double check the aluminum muffin pans you desire to buy to match up with the temperature you often cook with.
Carbon Steel
Carbon steel excels in quick heating and distributing. This material offers high resistance and can withstand even the highest temperatures which makes it durable and usable in any oven. Not to forget that most carbon steel muffin pans are lightweight that can be used by everyone.
Copper
Copper is great material used in muffin pans. This type of materials offers quick and even heating which makes it a good heat conductor. However, it is also reactive which requires a bit more care than usual. There are no doubts that pans built with such material would always get the job done and ensure perfectly baked muffins, we’ve witnessed that over and over again during our tests. We’ve baked tons of healthy muffins and cupcakes with several copper pans without encountering any issues.
Stainless Steel
Stainless steel is widely known for its high qualities. It is durable and offers high resistance while ensuring great heat retention and even distribution, which makes this type of materials versatile and safe to bake with.
The Best Materials to go for when choosing Muffin Pans
After examining each potential material on the list. I highly recommend using Carbon steel, Copper, or Silicone. These materials are all safe, easy-to-clean, and promising when it comes to delivering high performance.
Size and Capacity
It is crucial to consider these 2 factors when you are selecting any muffin pan. Capacity and size can be really decisive criteria when choosing the best quality possible.
What’s the quantity of muffins do you wish to bake? It is essential to have an answer to that question before purchasing any muffin pan. The last thing you want is to buy a pan that can fit for 4 muffins while you desire to bake 24 for the whole family or guests. Which will force you to bake 6 batches to receive the desired quantity. It is clearly a big waste of time and energy.
On the other hand, having a bigger muffin pan than what you need is also a waste of money and storing space. Not to mention, that it will add extra cleaning tasks where you will find yourself burdened with more cleaning after every use.
Muffin pans come with a lot of different sizes and capacities, you can find pans that can bake from 4 to 35 muffins at once. If you are unsure about the quantity, I’d recommend to stay around the medium level and go for 12 cups.
Nonstick Surface
Having a nonstick muffin pan helps a lot preventing sticks to enjoy well-baked muffins and also makes cleaning a simple task to do. However, there are certain materials used in coatings that can be harmful and dangerous for our health, such as Teflon.
Teflon (PTFE) was one of the first materials that introduced nonstick technology. Basically, it gives the surface a stick-resistance ability to allow food to cook with little to no oil and to make cleaning easy for everyone. But, what you need to be aware of is that Teflon starts to decompose at 390°F (sometimes at a lower temperature), which lead to huge health problems.
There are other materials used in coatings that offer higher qualities than Teflon and ensure complete safe baking. However, they come with a bit higher price than Teflon. Here are the four coated muffin pans types you should be considering:
- Anodized aluminum muffin pans
- heavy-gauge steel muffin pans
- carbon steel muffin pans
- Ceramic muffin pans
Shape
What I love about muffin pans is that they are versatile and can be used to bake cupcakes or even mini cakes which is why it’s important to consider the shape.
Muffin pans come with different shapes that add a unique design to your bakeware collection and also serve to bake different muffin types while having an appealing appearance for your guests or family. It is always a plus to have a well-designed muffin pan.
Top 7 Best Muffin Pans For Baking
Different types of muffin pans are manufactured on a daily basis which makes it a little hard, (especially for beginners) to choose from. In order to help you get the right pick, here’s a list of the most highly recommended muffin pans and their features.
Rachael Ray Cucina Nonstick Muffin Pan
This muffin pan is made of sturdy steel with a non-stick, latte-colored coating from the inside and out. It has a unique design that adds a new touch to your kitchenware collections while offering great performance which exceeded my expectations considering its price.
This particular Rachael Ray’s muffin pan is built with comfortable heat-safe silicone handles to secure firm and solid grip. Not to forget, It is also constructed with rolled rims that enhances its resistance and durability which makes it withstand higher heats (up to 450⁰F- 500⁰F) and can also handle the pressures from daily use.
Thanks to the nonstick coating, it can easily be cleaned by hand or even dishwasher.
PROS
CONS
Overall
This 12 -cups muffin pan from Rachael Ray is designed to meet your baking needs. It is versatile and can be used to bake muffins, cupcakes and more. However, despite the fact that it’s dishwasher safe, I highly recommend handwash to maintain its qualities for long use.
Boxiki Kitchen Mini Muffin Pan
This muffin pan from Boxiki is constructed with a heavy-gauge metal to distribute heats evenly for perfect baking. It is durable and has high stick-resistance thanks to its nonstick quality that makes it release food easily. Thus, cleaning becomes a breeze task.
This Boxiki muffin pan is designed to be compatible with high and low heats. It can handle high temperatures (up to 500⁰F) and low (up to -50°F) that can be used in freezers.
What I liked more about this 12-mini cup muffin pan is that it’s completely healthy and safe to bake with since it’s FDA approved, which means it’s not toxic. If you prefer to bake regular muffins, you can get this 6-Cup Muffin Pan
PROS
CONS
Overall
This muffin pan from Boxiki is easy to clean, maintain and store that can fulfill most of your baking needs. The performance will make baking muffins a great and enjoyable experience. Not to forget, this pan comes with a recipe book that contains 50 different muffin recipes to bake to your heart’s content.
Copper Chef Muffin Pan
This muffin pan from Copper Chef is constructed with heavy-gauge ceramic fused with copper to deliver the highest performance possible. It is durable and made to last for a lifetime with proper care.
This pan is able to secure superb even heat distribution with a quick heating up feature for perfectly baked muffins. The nonstick coating improves the stick-resistance for smooth baking which allows the muffin to slide out easily.
This Bovado muffin pan is 100% safe to bake with, it is built in a way to prevent copper from reacting with food which makes it a great choice for baking healthy recipes. Also, it is easy to clean.
PROS
CONS
Overall
This muffin pan is built with an intention to deliver the highest and quickest heat performance possible. It is durable and long-lasting if properly maintained. It is suitable for both beginners and professionals.
Trudeau Muffin Pan
This 12-cup muffin pan from Trudeau is constructed with purely high quality silicone material. It is versatile and can fit in many different baking tasks. This muffin pan offers an even heat distribution with great temperature control to perfect your baking recipes.
Thanks to the LFGB Silicone, the surface have a high stick-resistance which gives a superior nonstick quality that makes the food slides out effortlessly. Also, this OvenArt muffin pan can be cleaned easily either by handwash using water and a bit of detergent or by putting it in a dishwasher.
PROS
CONS
Overall
This muffin pan is the perfect choice for starters. It has everything to bake great muffins and can withstand pressures from heavy baking duty. However, it is not recommended for professional baking.
OXO Non-stick Pro Muffin Pan
This 12-cup OXO muffin pan is built with a heavy-grade aluminized steel to promote an excellent even heat distribution across the entire surface. The latter is coated with 2 layers that are reinforced with ceramic to produce a smooth durable surface with higher resistance to rust, stain, corrosion, etc. This feature allows food to be released easily which makes cleaning such a breeze.
What I liked the most about this specific muffin pan, is its unique feature. It is constructed with a micro-texture pattern that makes the pan sturdy while minimizing surface contact which enhances the airflow. Therefore, you can secure even perfect baked muffins.
PROS
CONS
Overall
This is one of the underrated muffin pans. This 12-cup OXO pan is constructed with consideration of the little details. It excels in both performance and resistance, it is built to last for a lifetime while ensuring healthy baking experience.
KPKitchen Muffin Baking Pan Set
Another pure silicone muffin pan. This baking set comes with a 12 regular muffin pan and a 24-cup muffin pan. Both pans offer high performance and resistance to bake the perfect muffins.
Each pan is built with a high-grade silicone material for safe non-toxic baking up to 450°F.
The smooth surface on each pan makes the baked muffin pop easily. Also, thanks to their nonstick quality, cleaning can be done by hand in less than a minute using water and a soft sponge. Or, you can always use the dishwasher.
PROS
CONS
Overall
These silicone muffin pans are versatile and can be used to bake various recipes, they are also compatible with microwaves, freezers and ovens. This baking pan set comes with a cupcakes and muffins recipes book as a bonus.
USA Muffin Pan
A multi-functional baking pan from USA Pan. This muffin pan is ideal for baking different recipes whether it’s quiches, omelet muffins, mini cakes, cupcakes, etc. It is constructed with heavy gauge aluminized steel as its primary material and coated with silicone to improve the stability of the pan and to make it easier for everyone to handle and transfer it around.
Thanks to the LFGB high-grade silicone coating, the pan has a smoother yet high resistance surface that is not only allowing the food to be released easily but also makes cleaning the pan a cinch chore.
This muffin pan offers high performance and resistance as long it’s used within the advised temperatures. It is highly recommended to not exceed 446°F when baking, and not go beyond -40°F when you use it in your freezer.
PROS
CONS
Overall
This USA muffin pan is really a good choice, especially for starters. It delivers promising qualities and it’s compatible with oven, Microwave, Freezer and Dishwasher.
Comparison of The Most Recommended Muffin Pans
Muffin Pan | Material | Max Temperature | Capacity | Current Price | Our Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carbon steel | 450°F | 12-Cup | ||
| High-grade steel and silicone | 500°F | 12-Mini Cup or 6 regular Cup | ||
| Heavy-gauge ceramic fused with copper | 450°F | 12-Cup | ||
| Silicone | 445°F | 12-Cup | ||
| Heavy-gauge aluminized Steel | 500°F | 12-Cup | ||
| High-grade silicone | 450°F | 12 regular muffin cups and 24 minis | ||
| High-grade silicone | 446°F | 12-Cup |
The Final Verdict
My top pick among the best muffin pans would be the OXO Good Grips Non-Stick Pro Muffin Pan. This muffin pan has an elegant and unique design and it has a micro-textured pattern with an excellent non-stick coating that makes it easier to bake. Clean up is such a breeze and it is good for baking muffins, cupcakes, mini cakes, etc.
Obtaining a muffin pan suitable for everyday baking jobs is imperative as it allows you to hone your baking skills. Therefore, never settle for low quality baking pans and aim for one that has the criteria I have led for you.