A good casserole dish, or dutch oven, is one of the most useful pieces of kit I own. It’s the kind of pan I reach for when I’m making soups, stews, slow-cooked dishes or rich sauces and it earns its keep because it can go from hob to oven without a second thought.The best ones are also good-looking enough to bring straight to the table, which means less washing-up and more time eating. Cast iron can feel pricey, but a well-made dish will last for decades and only gets better with use.

That said, I’ve also found great budget options in non-stick metal and ceramic, depending on what you cook most. In this guide, the Our Place Titanium Perfect Pot Pro is my top-rated pick.The latest additions to this guide were tested and reviewed by Anna Lawson. undefined Best casserole dishes at a glance5/5 stars:Best PFAS-free casserole dish: Our Place Titanium Perfect Pot Pro, £145Best luxury casserole dish: Le Creuset Cast Iron Round casserole, from £219Best affordable casserole dish: M&S x Tom Kerridge casserole dish, £45Best contemporary casserole dish: Made In Enamelled cast iron round Dutch oven, £219Best casserole dish: HexClad 4.7-litre casserole dish, £204Best of the rest:Best lightweight non-stick casserole dish: Smeg CSF2412EGM 50's Style Casserole Pan 24cm with Lid, £99.99Best casserole dish for small kitchens: M&S x Tom Kerridge 3 piece cast iron stacking set, £100Best oval casserole dish: ProCook cast iron casserole dish 30cm, £75Best budget casserole dish: Nuovva cast iron Dutch oven casserole pot with lid 6L, £59.99Best casserole dish for versatility: Our Place Perfect Pot, £109Best casserole dish for lid-off cooking: Prestige casserole and glass lid 5.7L, £49.99Best lightweight casserole dish: MasterClass cast-aluminium casserole dish, £44Best-looking casserole dish: Staub cast-iron Cocotte, from £229Best cast-iron casserole dish: Le Creuset signature 26cm shallow casserole dish, from £149Best chemical-free casserole dish: GreenPan 5.3-litre Featherweight casserole dish, £115Jump to:Best casserole dishes to buy in 2026Good Food in partnership with Tower casserole dishWhich size casserole dish do you need?How we tested casserole dishesHow we tested casserole dishesWe tested around 25 casserole dishes, narrowing the guide down to the 15 strongest performers.

Each dish was assessed by cooking Good Food's beef and vegetable casserole, a recipe with multiple stages including browning, braising and slow cooking, which gave us a thorough picture of how each dish performed across different heat levels and techniques.Browning meat and vegetables: Even, consistent heat across the base is essential for a good sear. Dishes with hot spots or a limited surface area struggled here, which affected the depth of flavour in the finished dish.Braising and slow cooking: A well-sealed lid keeps moisture and flavour locked in during long cooking. We assessed how well each lid fitted and whether steam escaped during the process.Hob to oven: We assessed how each dish handled moving between heat sources, how stable it felt when full and how it performed at higher oven temperatures.We also assessed each dish for:Versatility: Each dish was tested across as many uses as possible including hob, oven, serving and dishwasher, and microwave where applicable.Depth and capacity: Whether each dish was deep enough for larger ingredients like a whole chicken.Durability: Handle robustness, lid seal quality and how well the surface held up to browning and high heat.Design: Casseroles go from hob to table, so finish, colour range and overall presentation all counted.

Best casserole dishes to buy in 2026Our Place Titanium Perfect Pot ProAvailable from Our Place (£145), Amazon (£145), Healf (£155) Best PFAS-free casserole dishPros:Non-stick, PFAS-free interiorDishwasher safeLimited lifetime guaranteeCons:ExpensiveStar rating: 5/5The first thing we noticed about this stock pot was the textured construction on the inside of the base. It’s designed to create a non-stick effect without the need for a non-stick coating, and we were impressed at how well it worked when cooking – and the fact that means it’s PFAS free.The base and lid are made from a combination of shiny stainless steel on the outside, a titanium interior and an aluminium core sandwiched between the two.

The result is one very durable bit of kit that’s heat-safe up to 535C – much higher than other dishes we tested and ideal if you need to crank the oven up at the end of cooking. The fully-sealed rims meant this pot locked moisture in well when slow-cooking a beef casserole, and the fact it’s dishwasher-safe was the icing on the cake for us.Available from:Our Place (£145)Amazon (£145)Healf (£155) undefined Le Creuset Cast Iron Round CasseroleAvailable from Le Creuset (from £219), John Lewis & Partners (from £249), Harts of Stur (£255.20) Best luxury casserole dishPros:Generous sizeLooks greatLifetime guaranteeCons:ExpensiveStar rating: 5/5Everything about Le Creuset’s classic casserole dish