Sunday Stove

The Best Ceramic Nonstick Pans

Five ceramic nonstick skillets from about $70 to $160, for eggs, fish and pancakes, with the four that work on induction and the one that doesn't.

By Nell Harlan · Updated Oct 23, 202617 pans compared

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Fried eggs that still slide out with a nudge of the spatula months after you bought the pan, not just the first week, are what the Valencia Pro is good at. The 12-inch is about $80 and won America's Test Kitchen's ceramic skillet roundup this summer, where it was one of only three pans to pass their coating durability test. It weighs about 2.6 pounds and works on induction.

Cooking for four? The OXO Professional has more flat room for about $10 more. The OXO Enhanced is the lightest pan here at about $70, though it won't work on induction. For chicken with real color on it, the Le Creuset Essential at about $124 browns better than most ceramic, and the CeramiClad (about $159) is for people who want stainless steel under the coating.

Our picks

Best overallGreenPan Valencia Pro Frying PanCheck price on Amazon
Best for big batchesOXO Ceramic Professional Frying PanCheck price on Amazon
Best lightweightOXO Enhanced Frying PanCheck price on Amazon
Best for browningLe Creuset Essential Non-Stick Ceramic Fry PanCheck price on Amazon
Best stainless-cladMade In CeramiClad Non Stick Frying PanCheck price on Amazon

At a glance

  1. Best for
    Eggs, fish and everyday frying
    Cooking surface
    9.5 in (12-in pan)
    Weight
    2.6 lb
    Oven and stove
    Oven to 600°F, induction
  2. Best for
    Cooking for four
    Cooking surface
    Widest here (12-in pan)
    Weight
    3 lb
    Oven and stove
    Oven to 600°F, induction
  3. Best for
    Light pan for two people
    Cooking surface
    12-in pan
    Weight
    2.2 lb
    Oven and stove
    Oven to 430°F, no induction
  4. Best for
    Browning chicken and searing scallops
    Cooking surface
    12-in pan, low sides
    Weight
    2.45 lb
    Oven and stove
    Oven to 550°F, induction
  5. Best for
    Cooks who want a stainless pan that also releases eggs
    Cooking surface
    9.5 in (12-in pan)
    Weight
    3.3 lb
    Oven and stove
    Oven to 550°F, induction

The 5 ceramic nonstick pans, ranked

1 · Best overall
GreenPan Valencia Pro Frying Pan

GreenPan Valencia Pro Frying Pan

America's Test Kitchen's favorite ceramic skillet, and it works on induction.

Buy it if

Pancakes on Saturday, salmon on Tuesday, eggs every morning, all in one skillet.

Skip it if

You cook everything on high out of habit. Ceramic wears faster that way.

The 12-inch has about 9.5 inches of flat bottom, and the walls slope out gently, so a spatula gets under an omelet without catching on the side. That's the shape America's Test Kitchen asks for, and the handle was one of the comfortable ones in their hands. GreenPan cuts a V into the steel handle to keep it cooler and rates the pan for the oven and the broiler up to 600°F, so a frittata can go from the burner to under the broiler to set the top.

America's Test Kitchen found it runs a bit hotter than a regular Teflon-style pan, so watch the first batch of pancakes. The body is hard-anodized aluminum with a magnetic plate on the bottom, and the coating is free of PFAS, PFOA, lead and cadmium, according to GreenPan.

It won't stay slick forever. Prudent Reviews scraped and stressed it alongside Caraway and Made In, and by the end their egg needed a firmer push to flip and left a few bits behind.

Flaws but not dealbreakers
  • GreenPan calls it metal-utensil safe. I'd use wood or silicone anyway.
  • The 12-inch sold alone has no lid, and the lids GreenPan sells for this line stop at 425°F in the oven.
Sizes

The 12-inch is the one America's Test Kitchen picked. It also recommends the 8- and 10-inch, which run about $70 and $80 on their own.

PFAS-free ceramicDishwasher safeBroiler safeAlso 8 and 10 in
2
OXO Ceramic Professional Frying Pan
Best for big batches

OXO Ceramic Professional Frying Pan

The widest flat surface here, so a family breakfast fits in one batch.

Buy it if

You cook breakfast for a family, and four eggs is the minimum.

Skip it if

You like to cook eggs low and slow with no butter at all.

Read the full write-up

The biggest flat surface for the money

OXO shaped the walls to give you up to 35% more room to cook, and America's Test Kitchen found it had the broadest surface of all the pans they tried. Spread hash browns thin in it and they actually crisp.

America's Test Kitchen ran 50 fried eggs through it at the start of its review and 50 more at the end, and it released every one, but only once the surface reached about 350°F. Below that, on low or medium, add oil or butter. The walls are tall and straight, and at 3 pounds it's one of the heavier pans here. OXO flattened the rivets inside so there's nothing for egg to cling to, and the pan goes in the dishwasher and the oven up to 600°F.

Flaws but not dealbreakers
  • Sliding a crepe or an omelet over those high, straight walls takes some wrist.
  • You'll want two hands to carry it full.
Flat rivetsDishwasher safeDiamond-reinforced ceramicAlso 10 in
3
OXO Enhanced Frying Pan
Best lightweight

OXO Enhanced Frying Pan

Just over 2 pounds for a 12-inch pan, and the lowest price in this guide.

Buy it if

You cook for one or two on gas or electric, and a heavy pan bothers your wrists.

Skip it if

You have an induction cooktop. America's Test Kitchen lists it as not induction compatible.

Read the full write-up

About 2.2 pounds makes this the lightest 12-inch here, and America's Test Kitchen liked its easy-grip handle. The coating stayed nonstick through their rounds of eggs, with only a few small scratches and dents to show for it.

If you don't need induction and you cook for two, I'd buy this one over the Professional and keep the $20. It heats up faster than most, so keep an eye on garlic. OXO rates it for the oven to 430°F.

Flaws but not dealbreakers
  • No induction, and at 430°F it's the lowest oven limit of the five.
Lightest hereDishwasher safeEasy-grip handleAlso 10 in
4
Le Creuset Essential Non-Stick Ceramic Fry Pan
Best for browning

Le Creuset Essential Non-Stick Ceramic Fry Pan

Browns food well for a nonstick pan, and its steel base and rim are built not to warp.

Buy it if

You want chicken thighs and scallops with real color on them, from a pan that still lets go of an egg.

Skip it if

You stir a lot. The walls are short, so fried rice ends up on the stove.

Read the full write-up

It browned well for America's Test Kitchen and stayed nonstick, which is rarer in ceramic than you'd think, and Le Creuset says it sears with or without oil or butter. Under the coating is forged aluminum, and the base is wrapped in stainless steel with a reinforced rim, which Le Creuset says keeps it from warping. It works on induction and goes in the oven to 550°F.

America's Test Kitchen found the handle angle awkward once the pan was full. At about $124, part of what you pay for is the name. Le Creuset says the coating is made without PFAS.

Flaws but not dealbreakers
  • The handle sits at an awkward angle with a full pan.
Forged aluminum coreSteel baseStay-cool handleAlso 10 and 11 in
5
Made In CeramiClad Non Stick Frying Pan
Best stainless-clad

Made In CeramiClad Non Stick Frying Pan

Five layers of Italian stainless-clad metal under the ceramic.

Buy it if

You like the weight and look of stainless steel, and you want eggs and fish to come off it clean.

Skip it if

You want the pan to go in the dishwasher. Made In says hand wash only.

Read the full write-up

Under the ceramic there are five layers of stainless-clad metal, made in Italy, and at 3.3 pounds the 12-inch is the heaviest pan here. It held its coating through both rounds of 50 eggs at America's Test Kitchen. The bottom is 9.5 inches across inside a 12.5-inch rim, the pan is 1.75 inches deep, and the walls are steep, so a whole omelet is harder to roll out onto the plate.

Made In asks you to heat it and cool it slowly so it doesn't warp, and to keep abrasive cleaners off it. Stack it with a towel or a pan protector on top, too.

What owners report

Plenty of owners cook eggs and salmon in it with little or no oil, and several like that it feels substantial compared with lighter nonstick. The complaints are specific, often from people who used wood or silicone and washed by hand: a rim that chipped after two uses, a coating that bubbled in the middle around six months and chipped at the edge by a year, omelets that started sticking after a few months. A few were let down by how Made In handled the complaint.

Flaws but not dealbreakers
  • The warranty is two years, short for a $159 pan.
  • At 21 inches long with the handle, it takes up a lot of the stove.
Made in Italy5-ply stainlessHand wash only2-year warranty

Who this is for

Anyone who wants a nonstick pan without PTFE, the coating behind Teflon. Ceramic is the other kind of nonstick, and it's lovely with a delicate piece of sole. If you'd rather have a nonstick that keeps its slickness longer and you're fine keeping PTFE under 500°F, a regular nonstick skillet will likely outlast any of these. And for searing a steak, you want stainless steel or cast iron, not either kind of nonstick.

How to choose

Induction or not

Four of these five work on induction: the Valencia Pro, the OXO Professional, the Le Creuset and the CeramiClad. The OXO Enhanced doesn't.

Look at the flat part, not the rim

A "12-inch" pan is measured across the top. What you actually cook on is the flat bottom, and America's Test Kitchen looks for about 9 inches of it. Gently sloped walls make that space easier to use.

Weight you can lift

America's Test Kitchen likes 2 to 3 pounds for a 12-inch. Very thin, very light pans make the heat harder to control, and above 3 pounds a full pan wants two hands.

An oven rating of 400°F or more

That covers skillet cornbread or a pan of roasted mushrooms. Four of the five here go to 550°F or higher.

What I'd skip

Caraway Fry Pan

The one everybody's seen, at about $125. America's Test Kitchen didn't recommend it: it was releasing fewer eggs by the second round and scratching. Prudent Reviews found the surface dips near the wall, so oil and batter pool at the edges, and the shiny colored outside is the kind that chips.

Our Place Always Pan 2.0

The most expensive pan in Prudent Reviews' comparison, rated for the oven to only 450°F, with a square handle they found uncomfortable and a lid that lets steam out onto it.

Carote Ceramic Nonstick Frying Pan

About $28 with a lid, and very light, but Prudent Reviews measured it as the thinnest pan they had, which makes the heat hard to control, and its detachable handle didn't inspire trust.

Zwilling Motion Ceramic Nonstick, 12 in

Eggs released easily at America's Test Kitchen, but the cooking surface is smaller, it didn't sear as well, it doesn't work on induction and it stops at 400°F in the oven.

Great Jones Large Fry

A small surface with tall, straight sides, an uncomfortable loop handle, and only 8 eggs released by the end of America's Test Kitchen's rounds.

How I picked

Coating still slick after repeated rounds of eggsAt least 9 inches of flat cooking surface2 to 3.3 poundsOven safe to 400°F or moreClear on inductionIn stock on Amazon US

I looked at 17 ceramic nonstick pans, the cheapest a $28 Carote. The coating mattered most, then the usable cooking surface and the weight. Results come from America's Test Kitchen and Prudent Reviews, maker specs from GreenPan, OXO, Le Creuset and Made In, and owner reports from Made In's own reviews. Prices are Amazon's on October 23, 2026.

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Common questions

What's the difference between ceramic and Teflon nonstick?

Teflon-style coatings are PTFE, a member of the PFAS family of chemicals. America's Test Kitchen notes that PFOA, once used to make it, was phased out in the US around 2015, and that regular nonstick is considered safe below 500°F but can give off toxic fumes above that. Ceramic coatings contain no PTFE and carry no such fume risk. In exchange, ceramic is more brittle, develops tiny cracks over time and loses its slickness sooner.

What are the disadvantages of ceramic pans?

The big one is that the coating wears out sooner. Ceramic also browns faster, and some coatings want oil or butter at low heat. Rough scrubbing shortens its life, and so does a shock of temperature, like running a hot pan under cold water.

Which ceramic frying pan did America's Test Kitchen recommend?

The GreenPan Valencia Pro 12-inch, as its winner in August 2026, with the 8- and 10-inch versions recommended too. It also recommended the OXO Ceramic Professional, the OXO Enhanced, the Le Creuset Essential, the Made In CeramiClad and the Zwilling Motion.

How long does a ceramic nonstick pan last?

It depends a lot on how it's treated, and nobody can promise you a number. Made In owners who wrote in describe coatings that started sticking anywhere from a few months to about a year. Medium heat and a soft sponge buy you time, and so does letting the pan cool before you wash it.

How do you clean a ceramic pan with stuck-on food?

Let it cool, then soak it in hot water. America's Test Kitchen recommends that for burnt sugar or sauce, rather than scrubbing hard, which wears the coating down.

The verdict

Start with the GreenPan Valencia Pro

Get the 12-inch GreenPan Valencia Pro. At about $80 it's light, it works on any stove, and its coating came through America's Test Kitchen's durability test. If breakfast is always for four, the OXO Professional gives you the extra room.

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