Best Pizza Stones
Pizza stones have long been a silver-bullet shortcut to restaurant quality pizza at home.
Whether you choose a pizza stone, steel, or a cordierite-clay mix Sous Vide Guy has you covered with options for every price point. Pizzas are a fantastic way to not only express your culinary creativity, but it’s also a fantastic way of using up spare ingredients after a long week. It doesn’t take a lot to elevate a handful of vegetables and pepperoni to a piping hot, cheesy masterpiece.
Pizza stones and steels come in a variety of shapes and sizes – from squares to circles with ridges and without. This is because pizza stones can also serve double duty with baking, to cite just one example. You can also use Pizza stones to help steady temperatures in your oven. This is particularly great for those fond of trailers or off-road adventure. With that said, make sure to always check the preparation instructions for your new pizza stone or steel. There’s nothing worse than a smoked-out cabin, after all.
1. Top Pick: CastElegance Pizza Stone
Pizza is your go-to comfort food a few times a week but you’re tired of home-delivery pizza arriving cold, soggy, over cooked or under cooked. Boxed grocery store varieties are really not your thing and anyway, you’re pretty fussy about your pizza – the crust has to be cooked just right to crispy perfection, while the inside remains soft and doughy. You’re looking for a foolproof pizza stone to begin making crispy crust pizza at home and want to make sure it’s easy to use and durable.
For a pizza stone you can use safely in your oven, we recommend the Pizza Stone for Best Crispy Crust Pizza.
This pizza stone is made from Thermarite, a lead-free material specially engineered to last with better durability, strength and superior thermal shock. This dynamic material has micropores that absorb moisture out of dough to produce perfect crispy crusts every time. With its superior heat retention and transfer, the pizza is evenly cooked, not burnt. And, not only can you use this pizza stone in the oven, you can also use it on your BBQ, as the Thermarite shields the pizza from the intense heat of the grill. That’s because before being shipped, the last step in creating this stone is firing it in a kiln at over 2,000 degrees. This high-heat procedure also protects the stone from emitting odors when you use it.
This pizza stone measures 14 x 0.63 x 14 inches and weighs 5.66 lbs., so it is not only lightweight, it will fit into most standard-sized ovens. Easy to clean, just wipe with a damp cloth and let dry completely. Includes use and care instructions, an e-recipe book and scraper, so you can turn your plain old oven into a pizza oven any day of the week.
Pros:
- Made from Thermarite
- Durable and long-lasting
- Fits into a standard oven
Cons:
- Becomes stained after use that may be unappealing (but doesn’t affect the quality of the stone)
- Should not be washed with soap or chemicals
- Should not be seasoned with oil
2. Best Versatile: Love This Kitchen The Ultimate Pizza Stone
You’ve made pizza at home a few times but have not been happy with the results. You usually use a metal sheet pan and end up with a pizza that has cooked unevenly with a crust that is soggy or burnt. You’ve decided to up your pizza-making game with a pizza stone and want one that is versatile to use anywhere and will give you excellent results every time you use it.
If you are looking for an all-natural pizza stone that you can use at home in the oven, on the BBQ, or on charcoal grills, we recommend the Love This Kitchen The Ultimate Pizza Stone.
This pizza stone will let you achieve the taste of a professionally cooked pizza in the comfort of your home and get a crispy golden pizza crust with a crunchy and evenly cooked base. Its porous ceramic construction works to absorb moisture from the dough, while the Core Convection Technology drives heat to the center of the dough to ensure your pizza is evenly cooked every time – no more soggy centres. As an added bonus, this pizza stone features a “no-spill” pizza stopper on the back to prevent your hard work from sliding off.
At 16 inches, the stone will require a large oven, so it’s recommended that you measure your space prior to purchase. This pizza stone is not just for making pizza. You can also cook all sorts of bread, quesadillas, as well as cookies.
Measuring 17 x 16 x 0.9 inches and weighing 8.8 lbs., and just over three-quarters of an inch thick, you know it will absorb and distribute heat evenly for a perfect pizza pie every time.
Pros:
- No-spill pizza stopper
- Made from ceramic materials
- Core Convection Technology cooks pizza from the inside out
- Can cook other foods besides pizza
Cons:
- May be too large for some ovens
- On the heavier side
3. Best Industrial Long Lasting: California Pizza Stones
You love to buy local, and if not local, you prefer to purchase products that are made in the USA. You love the idea of making homemade pizza and have heard great things about pizza stones. If you are looking for a quality pizza stone made by an American company, then this is the product for you.
We recommend the California Pizza Stones 16x16x1 Square Industrial Pizza Stone for all of your pizza making needs. This pizza and baking stone is made in California and is non-glazed, lead-free and certified non-toxic with a 100 percent guarantee against thermal shock and cracking during cooking and baking.
Made of a high-grade non-toxic Mullite mixture and containing a very high quantity of grog, the stone is virtually indestructible and impervious to thermal shock. It’s great in the oven, and can also be used on the BBQ.
Rough and rugged, this pizza stone is on the heavy side, weighing in at 16 pounds and should not be seasoned with oil. Before using it for the first time, wash it with water and no soap, pat it dry and put it into a cold oven. Turn the oven to 450 degrees F for 30 minutes and then cool. After that, you’re ready to bake pizza!
Oh, and did we mention that this stone works great in wood-fired ovens at high temps? All of these pizza stones have been tested above 2000 degrees.
Pros:
- Guaranteed to withstand against thermal shock and not break
- Lead-free, non-glazed, certified non-toxic
Con:
- Heavy
- May be too large some ovens
- More expensive than other models
4. Best Compact: Pizza Stone Personal Pizza Toaster Oven Pan by Pampered Chef
Perhaps you don’t have access to a full-sized stove and cook with a microwave and toaster oven. You’d love to make small, personalized from-scratch pizzas using a pizza stone, but the ones you see are too large to fit into a traditional toaster oven.
To make crispy crust pizza in a toaster oven, we recommend the Pizza Stone Personal Pizza Toaster Oven Pan by Pampered Chef 8.5”. This small but mighty unglazed pizza stone weighs only 1.75 lbs., but has amazing heat retention. No preheating necessary. Just place your pizza on the stoneware and cook.
The ¼-inch lip keeps pizza dough, batter and drippings contained on the stone. Whether you’re making your favorite homemade pizza or a frozen one, it’ll turn out great when you cook it on the Personal Pizza Stone 8.5″ round.
You’ll also love it for appetizers, cookies and reheating leftovers. It’s easy to remove the stone from the oven without touching the food, the pizza stone won’t retain oils, odors or flavors and as for cleanup, a pan scraper is included. Scrape the stone after using, hand wash and let it fully dry.
Now toaster oven owners can truly enjoy homemade crispy crust pizza. Makes a great gift for a student, a housewarming gift for a first apartment or a gift for a bridal shower.
Pros:
- Small size perfect for a toaster oven
- Lightweight
- Won’t retain oils, odors or flavors
Cons:
- Small size
5. Best Quality: NerdChef Steel Pizza Stone
The NerdChef Steel Pizza Stone is a bullet-proof addition to your growing kitchen armada. NerdChef, as the name implies, is all about geeking out over the science behind cooking. They apply this approach to pizza as well, with 20x higher conductivity compared to ceramic stones with double the heat capacity. This means that the NerdChef Steel Pizza Stone can hit almost 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit when using an oven set to 450 degrees. Naturally this means you’ll have to be extremely careful with removal.
The high heat is no doubt a star, but NerdChef excels in other areas too. Their pizza steel is a low-friction surface thanks to both sanding and seasoning. This doesn’t mean you can get away without using a bit of cornmeal, but it does mean that peeling your pizza off the steel should be an easy process. All of this is backed up by a lifetime guarantee.
With that said, there’s one cause for concern when picking up a NerdChef Pizza Steel. Simply put, even the thinnest available unit is a whopping 16 pounds, going up to 26 pounds with the pro model. Often ‘professional’ designation with these products is misleading. Not so with NerdChef. If you’re picking up the professional quality version that you absolutely want a professional oven to match – in particular when it comes to the wire racks.
Pros
- Twice as conductive as ceramic stones, leading to on-steel temperatures of up to 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Low-friction surface for easy pizza peeling.
- Lifetime guarantee.
Cons
- Extremely heavy.
6. Best for Heavy-duty Use: Unicook Heavy Duty Pizza Stone
The UniCook Heavy-duty pizza stone is made from natural cordierite, one of the best modern materials for reaching pizzeria temperatures. Cordierite is filled with numerous pores that absorb, wick away, and evaporate water that’s released from the dough during cooking. This dodges a major issue when using a traditional baking tray – soggy bottomed pizzas. Corrdierite pizza stones like UniCook and perfect for achieve crispy crusts.
You can also use UniCook’s heavy-duty pizza stone as a multipurposed kitchen implement. Making both bread and cookies at home is another great use for the stone. With that said, keep in mind that most pizza stones – regardless of material – can run hotter than oven temperatures. Speaking of, UniCook’s pizza stone is more than capable of reaching temperatures of 1,450 degrees Fahrenheit. With that said, this is more of a by-product of the material used rather than a reasonable target temperature for home cooks.
Pros
- Made of cordierite.
- Heat resistant up to 1,450 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Doubles as a baking sheet for bread and cookies.
Cons
- Any oil spilled on the stone will be absorbed and product an acrid smoke during cooking. Again, never oil your pizza stones – and be careful of cross-contaminating it.
7. Best Value-For-Money: Honey-Can-Do Rectangular Pizza Stone
The Honey-Can-Do Rectangular pizza stone is a fantastic value-for-money purchase if you’re looking for something simple and reliable. Honey-Can-Do use a blend of lead-free cordierite clays to achieve a searing hot surface temperature. With that said, this does mean that you will need to wash and rinse – possibly two or three times – before use, which is reflected in the manufacturer’s instructions. Sous Vide Guy also suggests that you clean both the top and bottom of the stone. Pizza stones like this are machined in such a way that the entire stone, not just the contact area, need to be cleaned. We also really liked the fact that the stone comes with raised sections on its underside. This allows for a little bit of extra space between stone and oven grating for easy-removal.
This blend of clays comes with a few unusual quirks considering some of the other, multifunctional stones on this list. First, the Honey-Can-Do pizza stone can’t’ be used for cookies or bread. This is because both baked goods release a hefty amount of oil – more than pizza dough certainly – during cooking. As a result any subsequent cooking sessions will be barred by a ‘toxic chemical smell’ that mechanics and the like might recognize as burning oil.
Pros
- Blend of lead-free cordierite clays.
- Pizza stone includes raised sections on the bottom to make it easier to remove.
- Good value for price – keep in mind that you’ll want to wash both the bottom and the top of the stone.
Cons
- Can’t be used for bread or cookies – both include large amounts of oil that will stain the stone and lead to smoking during subsequent cooks.
- Can’t be seasoned with oil.
8. Best Clay Pizza Stone: Emile Henry Flame Top Pizza Stone
Emile Henry has a long history of traditional design and their Flame Top Pizza Stone is no different. Unlike many other items on this list Emile Henry’s pizza stone is made of glazed-clay. This creates a fantastic non-stick surface, but it also means you need to be more careful than usual. One of the big draws for this peel is the fact that it functions just as well on a gas, charcoal, or wood-fired grill as it would on the oven. Under these conditions the Emile Henry Flame Top can reach a maximum of 900 degrees Fahrenheit.
Sous Vide Guy also really liked the fact that this pizza stone comes equipped with easy-carry handles on either side. Due to using a glazed clay the Emile Henry is also dishwasher safe. With that said, always be careful with heated drying cycles on your dish washer. These settings can apply heat unevenly to delicate products like this stone and can lead to severe breakages. If you do run into any problems with the build quality of the stone itself, however, Emile Henry has your back with a 10-year guarantee.
Pros
- Traditional glazed clay design.
- Good for temperatures up to 900 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Works on gas, wood, and charcoal grills.
- 10-year guarantee against manufacturer defects.
- Dishwasher safe (just watch the heating settings!)
Cons
- Some consumers report poor packaging and shipping practices.
- Can’t be used on the stove or hob.
Things to look out for:
Consider these things when looking for a pizza stone so you will choose one that best suits your needs:
Material
Pizza stones are made from a variety of materials including clay, ceramic, cast iron, or cordierite. Look for a material that is porous, since this is the method by which moisture is pulled from the dough, creating that amazing crispy crust. Clay is best for achieving a crispy exterior, but it takes a while to preheat. Cordierite is incredibly heat resistant and unlikely to crack like some other materials. Ceramic heats evenly but cracks easily if not properly preheated.
Size
Do you have a large family of pizza lovers or do you live alone? To feed a large crowd, chose a larger stone but make sure it fits into your oven. Before making a purchase, measure the inside of your oven, leaving about an inch around for air circulation.
If you are cooking for yourself, consider a small size pizza stone that would fit a toaster oven or a regular oven, one where you can bake a mini-pizza for yourself. If you envision having large pizza parties with friends, then a bigger stone would be a smarter choice.
Keep in mind that as a general rule of thumb, the larger the stone, the more expensive it will be.
Other features
Handles: If you feel you’ll have trouble getting a hold of a hot pizza stone to take it out of the oven, consider a model that has handles. This will make it easier to get the stone out of the oven and to the table to serve your family or guests.
Accessories: Some stones come packaged with accessories, such as a recipe book, pizza peel to slide the pizza on and off the stone, and cutter for slicing up your pie for serving. (Do not to cut the pizza directly on the stone’s surface as the blade could damage the stone.) While a pizza stone that’s sold with these products will usually cost more than one sold on its own, buying these accessories separately may mean spending more than if it comes as a package with the pizza stone.
Durability
Not all pizza stones are created equally when it comes to durability. A thicker stone is usually more durable than a thin one. How you care for the stone matters, too. For example, a pizza stone should always start in a cold oven to avoid thermal shock and cracking.
FAQs
How does a pizza stone work?
Pizza stones work by absorbing and retaining a large amount of heat. Once heated stone maintains a steady temperature for a long time. This allows for a high, stabilized oven temperature through better retention – not to mention a ripping hot surface to get A+ crust. Clean pizza stones can also be left in the oven as a way of maintaining a constant temperature for general use.
Why do I need a pizza stone?
Conventional ovens struggle to replicate the wood-fired nature of traditional Italian brick-ovens. A big part of what makes these ovens effective is their ability to hold heat in the brick, which translates into higher and higher temperatures in the oven over time. Although you can make pizza without a pizza stone it will lack in turns of crust, bottom, and cheese meltage. There’s a good reason that pizza stones are just as popular now as they were 1,000 years ago – even with our recent rapid technological progress.
How do you use a pizza stone?
Pizza stones should be left in the oven as it comes up to temperature. This allows for them to not only speed up the heating process, but also allows for a gradual absorption of heat. Your target temperature should be 500 degrees Fahrenheit on the dot when using a conventional oven.
What are pizza stones made out of?
Pizza stones are made of ceramic, cordierite or a composite material combining multiple component materials. You can also find both clay and ceramic pizza stones, but these are precise tools that must be treated carefully to avoid cracking and damage. The safest bet for the modern pizza parlour partisan is to work with a cordierite stone. These are extremely resistant to cracking, although that doesn’t mean you can hose them down right out of the oven.
Do you need to oil, grease, or season a pizza stone?
Pizza stones don’t need to be oiled, greased or seasoned. Unlike cast iron pizza stones do not need a protective layer of oil to avoid sticking. This instead comes from a combination of high heat and using a mixture of flower and corn meal as a barrier between stone and pizza. If you experience sticking then we suggest adding more corn meal than flower to the stone’s surface. Corn meal acts something like little ball bearings that help you slide your creation of the stone and onto your plate.
What else can you make on a pizza stone?
Pizza stones are great for a number of classic recipes that use high-heat for baking. Pizza stones will also work for making pita bread, quesadillas, English Muffins, potato chips, and a wide variety of breads. They’re also not bad for making a dozen cookies, or one monster cookie if you’re feeling adventurous. Essentially, anything that requires high-contact heat for best results can be used on a pizza stone. As always, be cautious when experimenting and make sure to check the manufacturer’s information.
Can I cook frozen pizza on my pizza stone?
Absolutely! Frozen pizza and a pizza stone are a great combination. Just keep in mind that the recommended recipe likely assumes a conventional oven without a pizza stone. As such keep a sharp eye on the frozen pizza as it cooks – especially around the five-to-eight-minute mark when much of the water will have evaporated.