Sunday Stove

The Best Dutch Ovens

Five Dutch ovens from about $60 to $350, for short ribs, chili, soup and sourdough, in the 5- to 6-quart size most kitchens use, with what owners say about chips and weight.

By Nell Harlan · Updated Oct 23, 202628 Dutch ovens compared

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Brown four pounds of short ribs on the stove, pour in the wine, put the lid on and slide the whole thing into a low oven for the afternoon. The pot that does that best, and is still easy to lift out, is the 5.5-quart Le Creuset. America's Test Kitchen picked it as the best Dutch oven of its size: the light enamel inside shows you exactly when the onions turn golden, and at about 11 pounds it's the lightest pot here.

It's about $350, though, and you don't have to spend that. The Cuisinart has nearly the same shape for about $73. If bread is the main reason you're shopping, I'd go straight to the Double Dutch, which costs about $60 and makes loading a hot pot with sourdough a lot less scary.

Our picks

Best overallLe Creuset Signature Round Dutch OvenCheck price on Amazon
Best under $100Cuisinart Chef's Classic Enameled Cast Iron Dutch OvenCheck price on Amazon
Best warrantyLodge Essential Enamel Cast Iron Dutch OvenCheck price on Amazon
Best for crustStaub Round CocotteCheck price on Amazon
Best for sourdoughLodge Cast Iron Double Dutch OvenCheck price on Amazon

At a glance

  1. 1.Le Creuset Signature Round Dutch Ovenabout $350
    Best for
    One pot for stews, braises and bread
    Size
    5.5 qt, 9 in base
    Weight
    11.2 lb
    Inside
    Light enamel
  2. 2.Cuisinart Chef's Classic Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Ovenabout $73
    Best for
    The same shape for a fifth of the price
    Size
    5 qt, 8.75 in base
    Weight
    12.4 lb
    Inside
    Light enamel
  3. 3.Lodge Essential Enamel Cast Iron Dutch Ovenabout $90
    Best for
    A cheap pot that takes a beating
    Size
    6 qt, 7.75 in base
    Weight
    12.9 lb
    Inside
    Light enamel
  4. 4.Staub Round Cocotteabout $300
    Best for
    Dark crusts on bread and deep browning
    Size
    5.5 qt, 8.75 in base
    Weight
    12.5 lb
    Inside
    Matte black enamel
  5. 5.Lodge Cast Iron Double Dutch Ovenabout $60
    Best for
    Sourdough and no-knead loaves
    Size
    5 qt, 10.25 in skillet lid
    Weight
    About 15 lb
    Inside
    Seasoned bare iron

The 5 Dutch ovens, ranked

1 · Best overall
Le Creuset Signature Round Dutch Oven

Le Creuset Signature Round Dutch Oven

The lightest pot of its size, with a wide flat base and handles you can grab in oven mitts.

$348.81$454.9523% off · as of 11:15 AM ET
Check price on Amazon
Buy it if

You want one pot for beef stew, chili, soup and the occasional loaf, and you'd like it to outlive you.

Skip it if

You regularly braise for six or more. Get the 7.25-quart instead, which is often about the same price on Amazon.

The base is 9 inches across and flat, which matters more than the quart number: you can brown a big batch of meatballs or chicken thighs with room around each one. The walls are low (4 inches inside), so a sauce reduces quickly and you can get a spoon in at an angle. And the side handles are big loops, so the pot is easy to move even full of short ribs.

Is it worth $280 more than the Cuisinart? Honestly, for most cooks, no. You're paying for a pot that's about a pound lighter, made in France, and very hard to chip. America's Test Kitchen called its larger sibling exceptionally resistant to damage after banging the rim with a metal spoon. It's rated oven safe to 500°F and dishwasher safe, and Le Creuset backs it with a lifetime warranty against defects.

I'd pick a color you like and ignore the rest. Prices swing by more than $100 from one color to the next, and the pot is the same.

What owners report

Complaints are rare, and they're the ones you'd expect: the price, and the weight of any cast iron pot.

Flaws but not dealbreakers
  • Four pounds of short ribs fit, but snugly.
  • The pale enamel picks up brown marks over the years.
  • About $350.
Made in FranceOven to 500°FDishwasher safeAlso in 7.25 qt
2
Cuisinart Chef's Classic Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven
Best under $100

Cuisinart Chef's Classic Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven

Low sides and a light interior like the Le Creuset, for about $73.

$72.99as of 11:15 AM ETCheck price on Amazon
Buy it if

You want a good enameled Dutch oven and you'd rather keep the difference for groceries.

Skip it if

You're careless with metal utensils. The enamel chips more easily than the Le Creuset's.

Read the full write-up

America's Test Kitchen made this 5-quart its Best Buy, and it cooked everything they threw at it well: fluffy white rice, browned meatballs in tomato sauce, crisp French fries. The interior is light like the Le Creuset's, the walls are low, and the base is 8.75 inches across, only a quarter inch smaller. It's nearly a pound heavier and the handles are a little small, which you notice when you're carrying a full pot of chili to the table.

The enamel is where the price shows. Plenty of owners have written about chips, and a few got one straight out of the box, so check yours the day it arrives and send it back if the rim is nicked. It's rated safe under the broiler too, which is handy for browning cheese on a French onion soup.

Flaws but not dealbreakers
  • The light interior stains, like every light interior.
  • Small handles are hard to grip with thick oven mitts.
Bigger version

The 7-quart Chef's Classic was America's Test Kitchen's Best Buy among big pots, with a 10-inch base, for about $104.

Induction readyBroiler safeAlso in 7 qt
3
Lodge Essential Enamel Cast Iron Dutch Oven
Best warranty

Lodge Essential Enamel Cast Iron Dutch Oven

Lodge replaces it if the enamel chips or cracks.

$89.90as of 11:15 AM ETCheck price on Amazon
Buy it if

You want a cheap enameled pot and a warranty that covers chips.

Skip it if

You sear a lot of meat. The sides slope in, and the flat base is only 7.75 inches.

Read the full write-up

Why I picked it

Here's the odd thing about this Lodge: in America's Test Kitchen's hands it shrugged off a metal spoon banged against the rim, while at Prudent Reviews it was the only pot that chipped slightly when a spatula was dropped on it. Lodge seems to know enamel is the weak spot, because it's the only brand that will replace the pot if the enamel chips or cracks. At about $90, that's the deal I'd take.

It holds heat well, and the big round knob stayed cooler than most lids, so you can lift it without reaching for a towel every time. It's made in China, unlike Lodge's bare cast iron from Tennessee. The 6-quart size makes a big pot of soup, but the sloped sides mean less room on the bottom than you'd guess, so brown meat in batches.

What owners report

Owners mostly write about the enamel: chips and the odd crack, and rust on the bare iron rim if it isn't dried after washing.

Flaws but not dealbreakers
  • Small bubbles can show in the enamel under the lid.
  • Lodge calls it dishwasher safe but asks for hand washing with a nylon brush.
Oven to 500°FBig knobPFAS freeMany colors
4
Staub Round Cocotte
Best for crust

Staub Round Cocotte

A black matte interior that browns hard and hides stains.

$299.55as of 11:15 AM ETCheck price on Amazon
Buy it if

You bake bread or you love a deep, dark sear on a pot roast.

Skip it if

You like to see what's browning. The black interior makes it hard to tell when the beef has browned.

Read the full write-up

The Staub held its heat better than any other Dutch oven Prudent Reviews measured, and America's Test Kitchen found its loaves came out especially well caramelized. The crust is the matte black enamel's doing: a dark interior radiates more heat into the loaf. It also hides stains. The pot can go in the oven to 900°F without its lid (the lid stops at 500°F).

The lid is flat with little spikes underneath that drip condensation back onto the food. Nice idea, annoying to scrub, and there's a groove around the edge that catches bits. The knob is steel, small and gets very hot. Keep a towel on your shoulder.

Flaws but not dealbreakers
  • The side handles are the smallest here.
  • About $300 for the black matte finish, and some colors cost $100 more.
Made in FrancePot to 900°FSelf-basting lid
5
Lodge Cast Iron Double Dutch Oven
Best for sourdough

Lodge Cast Iron Double Dutch Oven

The lid is a skillet, so the dough goes in the shallow half and the pot comes down over it.

$59.90as of 11:15 AM ETCheck price on Amazon
Buy it if

You bake sourdough or no-knead bread every week and want a dark, crackly crust.

Skip it if

You make a lot of tomato sauce or wine braises. Bare iron doesn't love acid until the seasoning is well built up.

Read the full write-up

Flip it over and you'll see why bakers like it. The lid is a shallow 10.25-inch skillet with two handles, so you set the dough in that, then lower the deep pot over it like a dome. No reaching down into a 500°F pot with your knuckles, and the loaf comes out without a wrestle. Lodge makes it in Tennessee and seasons it with vegetable oil, and it'll go on a grill or a campfire as well as in the oven.

Bare cast iron needs a little attention: wash it with hot water and a stiff brush, dry it right away, then rub a little oil on, inside and out. It can't go in the dishwasher. The lid is a real skillet too, good for a steak or cornbread while the pot does a stew.

What owners report

Almost everyone who writes about it bakes sourdough, and a few load it upside down, dough in the lid and the pot on top. One owner makes stew and bread in it daily and bought two more. The complaints are about weight, a pot too big for a small oven, and one case of rust.

Flaws but not dealbreakers
  • About 15 pounds, so plan on two hands and oven mitts.
  • Only one size.
Made in the USALid doubles as a skilletOven to 500°FCampfire safe

Who this is for

Anyone cooking for two to four who wants one pot for soup, stew, braises, chili and bread. A 5- to 6-quart Dutch oven is the size that does all of it. If you're cooking for a big family or like leftovers for a week, go up to 7 quarts. And if your Dutch oven would mostly be for rice and small batches of sauce, a saucepan will do more for you.

How to choose

Enameled or bare cast iron

Enamel needs no seasoning and takes tomatoes and wine without a second thought, so it's the one to get first. Bare cast iron is cheaper and makes a great bread crust, but you dry and oil it after every use and go easy on acidic food while it's new.

Look at the base, not the quarts

A wide flat bottom lets you brown meat in fewer batches. America's Test Kitchen wants at least 8.5 inches across for a 5- to 7-quart pot. Pots with sloping sides hold the same volume with less room at the bottom.

Light inside or dark inside

A light interior shows you how brown the onions are getting. A dark one gives bread a deeper crust and hides stains. Pick light for stews, dark for bread.

Check the knob and the handles

For bread at 450°F to 500°F, the lid knob has to take the heat. Le Creuset, Lodge and Staub are rated to 500°F; some cheaper pots stop at 400°F. Big loop handles matter more than you'd think with a full 12-pound pot.

What I'd skip

Tramontina Enameled Cast Iron Round Dutch Oven, 6.5 qt

About $80, but Prudent Reviews measured the worst heat retention of the pots it tried, and its lid arrived chipped. Its knob isn't meant for more than 400°F, which rules out most bread recipes. The Lodge Essential costs about $10 more.

Milo by Kana Classic Dutch Oven, 5.5 qt

It looks and cooks a lot like the Le Creuset, but its rim chipped when America's Test Kitchen tapped it with a spoon, and it's out of stock on Amazon.

Lodge USA Enamel Dutch Oven, 6 qt

Made in Tennessee with a fun retro look and huge handles, but it costs more than twice the Essential Enamel. At that price I'd rather save up for the Le Creuset.

Great Jones Dutchess

A pretty matte pot with good heat retention, let down by a U-shaped lid handle that's awkward to grab and small side loops.

Goldilocks 6-Quart Dutch Oven

Cheap and wide, but thin. America's Test Kitchen found hot spots, paler bread and chipped enamel.

How I picked

5 to 6 quartsA flat base of 7.75 inches or moreOven safe to 500°F for breadEnamel that resists chips, or no enamel at allHandles you can hold in oven mittsIn stock on Amazon US

These five came out of 28 Dutch ovens, from a $60 bare iron pot to $455 enameled cast iron, chosen on the shape of the pot, how the enamel holds up and how easy they are to handle full. Measurements come from America's Test Kitchen and Prudent Reviews, owner reports from Prudent Reviews and Kitchen Warehouse. Prices are Amazon's on October 23, 2026.

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Common questions

What Dutch oven does America's Test Kitchen recommend?

The Le Creuset 7¼-quart Round Dutch Oven is its favorite overall, and the 5.5-quart Le Creuset wins among 5- to 6-quart pots. Its Best Buy is the Cuisinart Chef's Classic, in both the 7-quart and the 5-quart.

Which is better, an enameled or cast iron Dutch oven?

For most kitchens, enameled. It needs no seasoning, handles tomatoes and wine, and the light interior lets you watch the browning. Bare cast iron costs less and bakes a darker crust on bread, but it needs drying and oiling after every wash.

What size Dutch oven should I use for sourdough bread?

A 5- to 6-quart round pot is the usual size for a standard round loaf, with room for it to rise. Make sure the knob, or the whole lid, is rated for 500°F.

Is a 5 quart Dutch oven a good size?

Yes, for two to four people. It holds a pot of chili or soup, a whole chicken cut up for a braise, or a loaf of bread. If you cook for six or more, or like big batches to freeze, a 7-quart is easier.

Which is better, a Le Creuset or a Staub?

They're both made in France and built to last. Le Creuset is lighter with a pale interior, so it's easier for stews and everyday cooking. Staub's black matte inside browns harder and bakes a darker crust, and it hides stains. For one pot, I'd get the Le Creuset.

The verdict

Le Creuset for most kitchens, the Double Dutch for bread

Stews, braises and chili for years to come: the 5.5-quart Le Creuset, or the Cuisinart if $350 is out of reach. A loaf of sourdough every Sunday: the Lodge Double Dutch, for about $60.

Check price on Amazon$348.81 as of 11:15 AM ET

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