To determine the best pizza stone, we looked at a range of factors that included materials, size, shape, thickness, texture, and accessories. While we prioritized actual stone construction, we did look at a range of sizes from 13 to 16 inches in width or diameter, and a variety of shapes (round, square, and rectangular). For crispy pizzas, we centered our guide around stones that are 5/8 of an inch thick. And we also considered which accessories made a pizza stone easier to use. If you need a knife to chop pizza toppings, you can find it in our kitchen products list.
After considering all of the above, we nominated the Emile Henry Flame Top 14.5” Pizza Stone as our Top Pick. It’s the only option in our guide that includes handles — which makes it very user friendly. We liked that it also featured a glazed surface that is scratch-resistant. And it’s compatible with a wide range of heat sources (ovens, grills, BBQs, and even wood-fired grills). Keep reading to learn more about the rest of our top picks.
Top 6 Best Pizza Stone
#1 Emile Henry Flame Top 14.5″ Pizza Stone
Award: TOP PICK
WHY WE LIKE IT: A stylish glazed pizza stone in bright red with intuitive handles to make moving this stone significantly easier.
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- Best scratch-resistant stone
- Dishwasher safe
- Durable handle design
- Easy to clean
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- Lowest heat resistance
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One of the biggest issues with pizza stones is that they’re not really user friendly when you’re cooking with them. They need to be heated before you place a pizza on them, and if you need to remove it from an oven or grill, good luck! You’ll have to either wait for it to cool off or struggle with oven mitts to prevent burning your hands on the stone or your oven racks. We nominated the Emile Henry Flame Top 14.5” Pizza Stone as our Top Pick because it’s the only option in our guide that comes with large built-in handles. This trusted French brand has a history of creating quality cookware since 1850. The round pizza stone measures 14.5 inches in diameter and is slightly more than ¼ of an inch thick. Make your pies look beautiful with our best pie plates.
But beyond this intuitive design is the fact that this is a stylish pizza stone that’s designed to resist damage from cutting or scraping as compared to a traditional pizza stone. And that means that it’s also one of the best pizza stones for the kamado grill. The entire stone is glazed to create a durable scratch-resistant surface that can stand up to cutting directly on the surface. This pizza stone can is temperature resistant and can go directly from the freezer to a hot oven with no issues. This is also the only pizza stone that is dishwasher safe. It does not stain from grease or burn the crust, and washes to an almost new condition every time. And you’ll like that you can use it in an old stone oven, on a grill, a BBQ or even in a wood-fired grill up to 930 degrees Fahrenheit. Get your best chef knife ready, you’ll need it to cut up the toppings for your next pizza.
#2 CastElegance 16” Round Pizza Stone
Award: HONORABLE MENTION
WHY WE LIKE IT: A large 16-inch round pizza stone made from patented Thermarite helps to improve moisture absorption for perfectly crispy pizza, making it one of the best pizza stones.
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- Worldwide healthy safety certifications
- Patented Thermarite improves moisture absorption
- 16” diameter, ⅝” thick
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- Lacks a peel
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There’s nothing like a homemade slice of pizza, and a good pizza stone is the best way to get that experience. We’re nominating the CastElegance 16” Round Pizza Stone as our Honorable mention because it’s one of the few round stones in our guide and it’s also one of the largest. Because of this, we think it’s one of the best pizza stones for consumers. We like that this pizza stone is made from a patented material called thermarite which works to improve the surface’s moisture absorption. Thermarite absorbs moisture, has superior heat retention and heat distribution, making the best crispy crust. This is important because the better a stone can absorb moisture the crispier your pizza or other baked goods will be. This is a feature that puts behind baking steel and pizza pans that are either made of a thick layer of aluminum or cast iron. Make your popcorn any flavor you like by using our best popcorn seasoning.
The old stone measures 16 inches wide in diameter and is ⅝ of an inch thick. It also comes with a four by five-inch scraper to help make cleanup a breeze. And this pizza stone can also be used on grills, giving you great pizza with the promise that it won’t smell (a common complaint with using new pizza stones) because it was treated in a kiln at over 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit during the production process. Best of all, you can download a free e-cookbook when you purchase this pizza stone. While the best toaster oven was good enough for frozen pizza, this pizza stone will change the pizza game in your household for good.
#3 Unicook Heavy Duty Ceramic Pizza Grilling Stone
Award: BEST FOR CRISPY
WHY WE LIKE IT: A large rectangular pizza stone that improves functionality is the perfect thickness for crispy pizza and comes with a scraper for quick and easy cleanup.
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- Rectangular multipurpose design
- Patented Thermarite improves moisture absorption
- 15 x 12”, ⅝” thick, 6.6lbs
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- Lacks a peel
- Expensive
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For many people who are seriously in the market for a pizza stone, they prefer square or rectangular ones to the classic round stones. And that’s because a square or rectangle gives you more surface area to bake other items like pastries. The Unicook Heavy Duty Ceramic Pizza Grilling Stone is a great rectangular pizza stone that measures 15 inches wide by 12 inches long and is ⅝ of an inch thick, for the perfect crispy pizza. It has the ability to heat evenly for optimal cooking, and it draws out moisture from dough making pizza with a crispy crust. This prevents the sogginess that often occurs with most steel baking, aluminum, and cast iron pizza pans.
It’s one of the pricier options in our guide, but this one comes with a scraper that can double as a dough cutter. Likewise, this brand also promises an odor-free baking experience since the stone was sintered at 2,100 degrees Fahrenheit during the production process. This pizza stone is also one of the best pizza stones for big green egg grills. Throw some garlic bread in your best toaster, and get ready for a delicious meal.
#4 Pizzacraft 15″ Square ThermaBond Baking/Pizza Stone
Award: BEST SQUARE STONE
WHY WE LIKE IT: The only square pizza stone in our guide that also doesn’t need to be pre-soaked before use, making it one of the best pizza stones for frozen pizza.
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- Best for frozen pizza
- Doesn’t need to be soaked before use
- 15 x 15”, ⅝” thick
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- Lacks accessories
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Not everyone is focused on making pizzas from scratch. But even if you’re a fan of frozen pizza, trying to bake it on a traditional baking or pizza sheet doesn’t always result in the crispiest pizza. For these home cooks, we recommend the Pizzacraft 15” Square ThermaBond Baking/Pizza Stone. Much like all of the other stones, this one is safe for use in the oven or on the grill but is also one of the best pizza stones for frozen pizza. Gone are the days of using your best speed cooking microwave as a pizza oven.
While it’s the only option in our guide that lacks any accessories, we do like that it’s the only square stone — measuring 15 inches on each side with a thickness of ⅝ of an inch. This pizza stone is made from ThermaBond, a proprietary material that is thermal shock resistant but also helps pizzas to crisp properly. You’ll also appreciate that you don’t need to season or condition this stone before use.
#5 Love This Kitchen The Ultimate Pizza Making Kit
Award: BEST KIT
WHY WE LIKE IT: The Love This Kitchen pizza stone is a complete pizza kit that comes with a large 14” aluminum pizza peel that makes using your pizza stone significantly easier.
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- Best for frozen pizza
- Doesn’t need to be soaked before use
- Highest temperature resistance
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- Expensive
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Our Best Quality pick is also one of our more expensive options, but we think the premium is worth it for this pizza stone. The Love This Kitchen Pizza Stone Pizza Making Kit is the largest pizza stone in our guide, measuring 14 inches wide and 16 inches long. And as is common, it’s also ⅝ of an inch thick for a perfectly crispy pizza. But what sets this apart from the competition is that it features a large aluminum pizza steel that’s 14 inches wide with a long 10-inch handle. And that makes it one of the best pizza stone and peel sets in our guide.
One of the biggest issues with using a pizza stone is that it already needs to be hot before you put a pizza on it. And that can be hard to do if you don’t have a proper peel to safely place your pizza without burning yourself on the stone. The large peel makes this task significantly safer. But you’ll like that this pizza stone is made from ThermaShock Cordierite, a ceramic compound that creates a nice even heat. You’ll also like that this pizza stone is the only one in our guide that features a special no-spill lip to keep your pizza (or any baked good) from slipping once placed on the stone. For your kitchen seasoning needs, you may want to also take a look at the best salt and pepper shakers too.
#6 Cuisinart 3-Piece Pizza Grilling Set
Award: BEST BUDGET
WHY WE LIKE IT: A very affordable three-piece pizza stone set (yes a set!) for the occasional pizza maker with a space-saving foldable pizza wheel.
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- Includes stone, cutter and peel
- Foldable pizza peel
- Cutting wheel included
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- Smallest pizza stone
- Thinnest stone
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Maybe you want a pizza stone, but you already know that you won’t use it frequently. In this case, you don’t need the largest pizza stone. Instead, a more petite 13-inch round pizza stone might be a better choice. The Cuisinart 3-Piece Pizza Grilling Set is a great comprehensive option for beginners or the person who only makes pizza (or bakes) once in a while. This option is the smallest in our guide at only 13 inches, but it’s also the thinnest at ⅜ of an inch thick.
But what we like about this option is that it’s a three-piece set. It’s the only pizza stone in our guide that comes with a stainless steel cutting wheel with a 2 ⅝-inch diameter blade. But you’ll appreciate that this model also comes with a large non-stick aluminum peel that’s 9.5 by 10.5 inches and includes a foldable 11.5-inch handle. We think the folding handle is a huge bonus since it’ll be easier to store this peel as opposed to the peel in our Best Quality pick. This is such a nice item, you’ll need to add it to your arsenal of best cookware.
How We Decided
Pizza stones are a great way to get that perfectly crisp slice of pizza without the restaurant markup. But there are a lot of options out there. So, to create our guide, we focused on the following — materials, size, shape, thickness, texture, and accessories.
In our pizza stone guide, all of our recommendations are made from stone. Many of them have variations of ceramic, but stone based pizza stones are often preferable because this kind of pizza stone provides more consistent and even heat, and is great at maintaining heat for consistent back-to-back cooking or baking.
The shape and size of your pizza stone are going to be based on your personal preferences as well as the size of your oven or grill. In our guide, we featured three shapes: round (Top Pick, Honorable Mention, and Best Budget), rectangular (#3 and Best Quality), and square (#4). Across all the shapes, you’ll see that we’ve highlighted pizza stones that range from 13 inches (Best Budget) to 16 inches (Honorable Mention and Best Quality). And except for our Top Pick (slightly more than ¼ of an inch) and Best Budget (⅜ of an inch) recommendations, the remainder of our picks are all ⅝ of an inch thick.
Except for our Top Pick, all of our recommendations have a naturally rough texture which is ideal because it ensures proper moisture absorption which helps to prevent soggy pizza. However, our Top Pick has a glazed ceramic surface which is ideal because it resists damage and marks — something the other picks can’t guarantee.
And finally, we looked at included accessories. While it’s not technically an accessory, our Top Pick is the only option with handles which makes moving and carrying this pizza stone (especially when hot) significantly easier. Only the #4 pick lacks accessories. Our Honorable Mention and #3 include a scraper for easier cleanup while the Best Quality and Best Budget picks both include a pizza peel that makes getting your pizza in and out of the oven significantly easier.
Best Pizza Stone Buyer’s Guide
The Most Important Factors to Consider
- Materials
Most pizza stones are made from one of two options, stone or metal — although steel-based models are usually known as “pizza steel”. Both have advantages but you need to consider which is best for how frequently you plan on using your pizza stone and the type of oven you have. For stone, ceramic tends to be a popular choice because it’s also great for making baked goods like bread or biscuits. Ceramic is a great conductive material that heats foods evenly without scorching the bottom of the food. Pizza Steel offers more intense heat and can cook foods faster. While it’s great for pizzas, it’s not always ideal for more delicate pastries and it has a habit of scorching the bottom of the bread. - Size
How big are the pizzas that you want to make, and how big is your oven? You’ll need to keep both of these factors in mind as you shop for a pizza stone. Buying a stone that’s too big for your oven, or not large enough to accommodate the foods you want to cook isn’t going to work. A good rule of thumb is to make sure that there’s at least a one-inch gap between the edge of the stone and your oven’s walls. This ensures that there’s proper airflow. - Shape
Pizza stones can come in a range of shapes but the most popular options are round and rectangular pizza stones. While a round stone is perfect for pizza, rectangular stones will give you more mileage since you can accommodate traditional baking sheets for making pastries. And that means that your pizza stone is now more versatile. - Texture
You might assume that a smooth surface is best, but it turns out that the opposite is true if you’re buying a pizza stone made of ceramic. Pizza stones with a rougher or coarser surface tend to create crispier and browner pizzas as compared to stones with a smooth surface. - Thickness
A pizza stone needs to be thick enough to retain heat, but not so thick as to take forever to warm up during the preheating stage. However, with this factor, stone tends to be a better option as it’s lighter even when compared against steel pizza stones of the same thickness. The best stone versions are ½ inch to ¾ of an inch thick while steel is best at ⅜ of an inch. - Accessories
If you’ve never worked with a pizza stone, you might not realize how hard they are to maneuver or work with when in use. Pizza stones must be hot before you place a pizza on them, and that makes putting a pizza on a stone a difficult task — and likewise for taking a pizza out of the oven. Accessories like a pizza peel that is used to place or retrieve pizzas can be a lifesaver since they can save you from potentially burning yourself or dropping the pizza stone. Other nice-to-have accessories like a scraper or a pizza cutter can make eating your pizza and cleaning your stone significantly easier too.
