The 5 Best Pizza Stones of 2024, According to Our Tests

Oct 15, 2024

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These top performers ensure even heat distribution and retention for crisp, golden-brown, restaurant-quality results.

In This Article

Food & Wine / Russell Kilgore

The perfect pizza crust is crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside, and has just the right puff-to-crunch ratio. You've likely experienced it at your favorite pizza joint, but have you ever tried to recreate that perfect pie at home? Making restaurant-caliber pizza at home takes the right tools, the most important being a good pizza stone.

The best pizza stones transform your standard kitchen oven into the firey brick ovens of your local pizza place. Compared to the metal surface of a baking sheet, a pizza stone — most commonly made of ceramic, steel, cast iron, or cordierite — gets ripping hot and holds the heat much longer, transferring it to the bottom of your pizza. This burst of heat means your pizza cooks faster, and every inch is crisp. A pizza stone absorbs and radiates heat, meaning the pizza gets evenly cooked both on the top and bottom.

But a pizza stone isn't only for pizza. These tools can do much more, from baking pastries and homemade sourdough to searing steaks. We tested 30 pizza stones, steels, and pans to determine the best pizza stones for home cooks. Read on for our favorite picks.

The heat retention and consistent performance of the Dough-Joe are unmatched.

This stone requires gentle care to preserve its seasoning.

The Dough-Joe The Samurai 15-inch Steel Baking Sheet is one of the best-performing baking steels we've ever tried. It performed similarly to more expensive baking sheets, making it an affordable alternative for home cooks on a budget, and it's large enough to accommodate a 12-inch pizza or several flatbreads at once.

In our tests, this steel produced consistent results for both pizza and flatbreads, creating a crusty exterior with a light and chewy center every time. During our pizza test, we were pleasantly surprised to find that when we took the stone's temperature prior to baking, it actually exceeded the 500°F the oven was set to. After baking our pizza, we saw an expected drop in temperature, but much less than with other stones; this steel had the best heat retention in the group. It also gave us the most evenly cooked flatbreads of the whole bunch.

Given this outstanding performance, we fee;l confident the Dough-Joe can handle any type of bread or pizza dough and produce a similar outcome, making it even more versatile. At this price or even a slightly higher price, we say it's worth the, well, dough.

The instructions claim there is no need to wash the steel, though we recommend cleaning off any noticeable debris. If you do get it wet, you'll need to re-season it with vegetable oil and bake for 90 minutes at 500–550° F. It's more maintenance than most pizza stones need, but the results pay off.

Material: Carbon steel | Dimensions: 15 x 15 x 0.25 inches | Weight: 16 pounds

This stone's heat retention is even and controlled, and its price is reasonable.

It's challenging to clean, and wet doughs leave stuck-on bits behind.

Whether you’re a pizza-making pro or looking for a reliable sheet to reheat leftovers, the ROCKSHEAT Pizza Stone is consistent across the board.

During our pizza test, it gave us a crust that was so even and crispy that we could lift the entire pie without bending or ripping it. The heat retention was very even and controlled; our pizza got a remarkable rise on the crust with a uniform and crispy bake, and the flatbread was light and airy on the inside while the outside was crispy. Overall, the crust invariably developed a nice crisp, while the bottom of the dough was consistently baked. And the thing's much cheaper than average.

We found one downside: This pizza stone is difficult to clean. Water might not be enough here, so expect to use a plastic bench scraper to get the excess crumbs and grease off before rinsing. (Steer clear of metal implements, though, which might damage the surface.) You also can't use soap or other detergents, as the stone is porous and will transfer those flavors to whatever you cook.

Material: Cordierite | Dimensions: 14 x 16 x 0.67 inches | Weight: 9 pounds

This pizza stone is lightweight, compact, and easy to clean.

The lightweight ceramic can easily crack or shatter, so you have to treat the stone with care.

The Emile Henry Flame Top Pizza Stone differs slightly from other pizza stones. It's coated with an enameled surface that retains heat and allows you to slice directly on the stone without damaging or scratching the surface. Once it cools, you can wipe off most of the mess, plus it's even dishwasher-safe.

During our flatbread test, the Emile Henry gave us a restaurant-quality exterior with a steamy, chewy interior. It delivered on all the most important aspects, mainly that it retains heat well and is easy to maneuver thanks to its lightweight design and handles. You can also throw it on the grill and use it for baking, making it a universal kitchen item.

During testing, our main concern was that it's so lightweight that an accidental drop might cause a crack or chip. It doesn't require the laborious cleaning and maintenance of other stones, but you still have to handle it with care.

Material: Ceramic | Diameter: 14.5 inches | Weight: 6 pounds

With this set, you’ll get four individual pizza stones for the price of one, which can be configured into several shapes.

The stones don't fit together totally flush and create an uneven cooking surface.

With the Outset, you get four small stones for the price of one. You can use them individually, lined up across a long grill, or arranged into a big square. It's perfect for pizza night, as you can make four separate personal-sized pies or one extra-large.

The price-to-performance ratio is noteworthy, especially for home cooks looking for a versatile pan for all types of baked goods, such as larger bread loaves, biscuits, and calzones. During testing, we found these stones provided an even bake on our pizza, with a chewy center, consistent bubbles, and a nice crust. If you're really into baking, we recommend buying multiple sets to expand your cooking surface.

We would recommend the Outset to anyone, for just about any purpose. Our main complaintYou can buy a few sets to use in a professional setting or start with one pack for your home, especially for outdoor cooking and grilling. However, note that because they don't sit flush with each other, it can leave a crossed mark under food, and if there's too much space left between them, dough can droop into the crack, making cleanup a headache.

Material: Cordierite | Dimensions: 7.5 x 7.5 x 0.4 inches each | Weight: 2 pounds each

We loved how easy this steel was to clean and handle, and it gave us some of the best bottom crusts of the bunch.

It requires some trial and error with temperature and technique to get the best results.

Throughout testing, we realized that some of the best pizza stones aren't actually stone at all. They're steel. Both the Dough-Joe above and this NerdChef model were two of the best performers of the bunch. This steel is easier to clean than stone. You can use metal utensils, scrub brushes, and heavy-duty sponges without fear of scratching, and since it's not porous, soap is totally fine. Steel also cools down much faster after baking than ceramic and stone, making it easier to clean and store away safely.

During our flatbread test, we were blown away by the focaccia-like, tender interior combined with the evenly browned and perfectly crisp exterior. Our pizza tests weren't as impressive, primarily due to the very confusing instructions. The recommended methodology included many unnecessary steps, which led to a pizza that felt underdone and didn't rise as well as some others we tested. We performed a second pizza test with a more straightforward technique and got better results, but still not perfect. The bake on the bottom of both pizzas and the crust of the flatbreads were some of the best among the group, though.

This steel definitely requires some trial and error to get right. We recommend it for cooks passionate about pizza who don't mind a few test batches; more casual cooks who have a pizza night here and there might find it challenging to use or not worth the money.

Material: Steel | Dimensions: 16 x 14.5 x 0.25 inches | Weight: 16 pounds

If you’re looking for consistent, deliciously cooked pizza at a fair price, the Dough-Joe The Samurai 15-inch Steel Baking Sheet will deliver every time. The stone with the best price-to-performance ratio is undoubtedly the ROCKSHEAT Pizza Stone; for under $50, this stone consistently gave us the most evenly browned and crisped dough.

The recommendations and tests referenced on this list represent the culmination of multiple rounds of testing over several years, including more than 30 pizza stones and steels. We assessed design, weight, and overall feel before using the stones in a series of specific tests.

After testing, we revealed the retail prices of the stones to consider value for money. At the time of testing, prices ranged from $20 to $225, averaging about $80.

Pizza stones can be made of ceramic, steel, or cast iron. Many “stone” options are ceramics made with cordierite, a mineral that's strong, absorbs a lot of heat, and resists cracking when it changes temperature. It can be used in a home oven or grill, making it a flexible choice.

Some ceramics can also be used safely on the open flame of a gas stove. This makes them versatile for stovetop breads like homemade tortillas, naan, or English muffins.

Cast iron baking “stones” can provide terrific crisp crusts and considerably retain consistent heat. However, they hold heat longer after baking. They can heat up to extremely high temperatures, so you risk burning the bottoms of very thin crusts. These are also the heaviest options and can be awkward to move.

Pizza stones are generally round or rectangular and range from 12 inches across to 18 inches or more. The best size depends on where you plan to cook: You want largest stone that will still fit. A rectangular or square stone gives you the most flexibility, while a round one is a more space-efficient choice for a kettle or Kamado-style grill.

Different materials require different cleaning and maintenance. Most stones on the market are made of porous materials that absorb oil, stains, flavors, and odors. You can't use soap on stones like this; instead, wipe clean with a damp sponge or towel, and lightly scrape off any bits. (If you wind up with stuck-on material you can't remove, some time on a hot grill or in a 500°F oven can help burn it off.)

Steel and cast iron can be cleaned with any sponge or dish scrubber and even scraped with metal utensils like a bench scraper. Cast iron pizza stones, like cast iron skillets, must be seasoned to condition the metal and keep doughs from sticking. Some steel models also require oiling and reseasoning to maintain their surface. Most stones that require seasoning come with instructions from the manufacturer, but to reseason cast iron and steel, always use a high-heat oil like grapeseed or flaxseed, and be aware of drips that can cause smoking.

“My favorite way is to open all the windows on a breezy spring day, turn the oven up to 500° F or as high as it will go, and let the oven bake out the solids until they are charred,” says Chef Paul Fehribach, owner of Chicago's Big Jones restaurant, a multiple James Beard Award semi-finalist, and a cookbook author. “Cool in the oven with the door shut at least overnight and brush it off with a pastry brush in the morning.”

For smaller clean-up jobs, a damp dish towel and a good scrape with a plastic or metal bench scraper, depending on the stone's material, can get the job done. For cordierite and ceramic pizza stones, make sure to avoid dish soap, as it can ruin the material and impart a soapy flavor to your food.

Sometimes — cast iron and some kinds of steel need oiling, but ceramic and stone do not. Just check the user manual: It'll tell you how and how often to reseason your stone. When in doubt, don’t pre-season, as oil buildup can actually damage some materials or make them stick to pizza.

When you're baking pizza at home, you want as much heat as possible. A standard oven tops out around 500°F, while a specialty outdoor pizza oven can manage over 900°F, and professional ovens often run as high as 1,200°F. Part of reason to use a pizza stone is that is helps concentrate your oven's limited heat.Fehribach’s advice? Preheat for longer than you might think. “For most stones, aim for at least an hour or even up to two depending on your oven.” Stone and ceramic take longer to heat up than metal, but any material will need a significant amount of preheating time. Err on the side of more time; you can't hurt a pizza stone by preheating it for too long.

Wet dough can spell disaster for pizza, no matter the cooking surface. The incredibly high heat of a pizza stone helps prevent sticking by rapidly evaporating excess water before the dough can bind itself to the surface of the stone. If your dough sticks, it's probably because your stone isn't hot enough. Turn your oven to the highest setting, and let the stone preheat longer next time.

Avoid the urge to grease your stone, regardless of the material. Stone is porous and will soak up oil and stain, and excess oil on a metal surface will smoke and burn. For best results, build your pizza quickly and then use a pizza peel coated with a thin dusting of coarse semolina flour or cornmeal to "launch" the pizza onto the stone. The longer the assembled pizza sits out before going into the oven, the more moisture the dough will absorb and the stickier it will get.

The Original Baking Steel ($129 at BakingSteel)

If properly taken care of, this steel should last a long time, which can justify the price. Cleaning was easy, but you must ensure the steel is dry before storing to avoid damage.

Weber Gourmet BBQ System Pizza Stone with Carry Rack ($64 at Amazon)

The Weber produced a pizza that looked and tasted closer to "brick oven" style than any of the other pizza stones we tested, with a very even crust and airy inside. However, it faltered on the flatbread test, which made it lose points.

Ooni Baking Stone ($30 at Ooni)

The stone works well, is a nice size, and is sturdy. Cleaning was easy, but some of the darker crumbs were harder to scrape off. It's also made for Ooni's smaller-size pizza ovens and can only accommodate a 12-inch pie.

King Arthur Baking Steel ($225 at King Arthur Baking)

The pizza and flatbread's color wer a bit light, indicating uneven heating, but this steel was pretty easy to clean. The burned cheese came right off with water and a cleaning brush.

Since we tested over 30 pizza stones, they all couldn't make the list, and we had room to be choosy. Many of our less-performing models produced uneven results and gave us splotchy crusts. Uneven heating also led to burnt patches and doughy, undercooked areas — sometimes within the same pizza or flatbread. Others had serious issues with sticking; no matter the technique, we just couldn't make some of the stones work reliably. We cut several others because of cleanup. If it was hard to clean leftover pieces of pizza, the stones never really got clean enough.