Sheet, Cast Iron or Grill Pan? The Best Roasting Pan Vegetables Need

Vegetables are the easiest thing to roast and the easiest to get wrong. Pile sliced squash, onions and peppers into a deep pan and they sit in their own steam and turn soft and pale. Spread the same vegetables over a wide, low-rimmed pan in a hot oven and the edges brown, the sugars caramelize, and the onions char at the tips. Most of the difference comes from the pan, not the recipe.

Restaurant kitchens roast vegetables on heavy aluminum sheet pans for that reason, and they char tomatoes, tomatillos, onions and chiles for salsa on whatever gets hottest: a sheet pan under the broiler, a cast iron pan, or a perforated pan on the grill. This guide looks at vegetable roasting the same way. Below are the pans worth buying, from plain aluminum half sheets to a cast iron baker and a grill pan, with what each maker states and what America’s Test Kitchen found when it compared rimmed baking sheets.

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Quick verdict: the roasting pan for vegetables to buy first

The table compares the five pans we would point most cooks to first. All seven are reviewed in full below it.

Five vegetable roasting pans side by side

One pick for each kind of cook, with the type, size and heat limit each maker or listing states.

Product images from Amazon. Sizes, coatings, heat limits and care details are as stated by each maker or its Amazon listing; check the listing before you buy.

Why a sheet pan beats a deep roaster for vegetables

A deep roasting pan is built to hold a turkey and catch a pint of drippings. Its tall sides are a problem for vegetables: they trap the moisture that cut vegetables release as they heat, so the pieces steam before they brown. A rimmed sheet pan does the opposite. The 1-inch rim keeps oil and juices on the pan, while hot air reaches every piece from the sides as well as the top, and the moisture leaves the oven instead of pooling under the food.

That is why the first four picks below are sheet pans of different sizes and surfaces. A deep pan still has a place: for a big batch of potatoes and root vegetables roasted under a chicken, or for a pan you want to move to the burner to finish a sauce. Cast iron has its own place too, for tomatoes, onions and chiles that you want blistered and black in spots before they go into a blender.

The two habits that matter more than the pan

Give the vegetables room, and give them heat. If the pieces touch all the way across the pan, use a second pan; that is the reason to own two half sheets. Cut pieces to roughly the same size so they finish together, toss them in enough oil to coat, and roast hot. A heavy, flat pan helps with both habits, because it holds its shape in a hot oven and keeps every piece in contact with the metal.

The best roasting pan vegetables need: our seven picks

These seven pans cover how most home kitchens roast vegetables: a bare aluminum half sheet, an oversize sheet for crowds, a coated half sheet, small quarter sheets, cast iron for deep roasting and charring, a clad roaster that can also go on the stove, and a pan for the grill. Each pick lists the same eight specifications, taken from the maker or the Amazon listing.

How to choose a pan for roasting vegetables

Five things decide whether a pan roasts vegetables well. In order of importance:

1. A low rim and a wide floor

Browning needs moisture to escape. A rimmed sheet with walls about an inch high lets it go; a deep roaster holds it in. America’s Test Kitchen favors straight, smooth sides at least 1 inch tall on a sheet pan, which keep oil and juices on the pan without blocking the heat. Buy for the floor area you need, then add a second pan rather than piling vegetables two deep.

2. Bare metal, coated metal or cast iron

Uncoated aluminum is the default in America’s Test Kitchen’s sheet pan review: it heats quickly and evenly and can take a hot oven and the broiler. Its weakness is acid; ATK notes that tomatoes and vinegar can leach metal from uncoated aluminum, and Nordic Ware says acidic food can darken or pit its pans. Coated pans release food easily, but ATK says nonstick should not go above 450°F or under the broiler. Cast iron holds the most heat, which is what charring wants.

3. Size that fits your oven and your household

A standard half sheet is about 18 x 13 inches outside, and ATK prefers that size because recipes and racks are built around it. A quarter sheet suits one or two people and many countertop ovens; an oversize sheet like the Nordic Ware Big Sheet suits a family but needs a wide oven. Measure before you buy.

4. Weight and warping

Most sheet pans flex a little when they first hit a hot oven, and ATK found most recover once they cool. Heavier gauges and steel-reinforced rims resist it better. A badly warped pan rocks and lets oil pool on one side, which is how half a tray burns while the other half steams.

5. A plan for the grill

If you grill often, a perforated pan is the cheapest way to add char and smoke to vegetables. Pick bare stainless for high heat and a coated grill wok only if you grill moderately and want to toss the food.

How we chose these seven vegetable pans

We started with what a working kitchen asks of a vegetable pan: a wide, flat floor, a low rim, a body that stays flat in a hot oven, and a surface that suits the job, whether that is fast browning, easy release or hard charring. We searched for pans sold on Amazon in the United States, checked each one’s availability with Amazon’s product data, and kept only in-stock pans from makers we could identify. Specifications come from each maker’s site or the brand’s Amazon listing; where neither gives a figure, we wrote “Not stated.” Independent findings come from America’s Test Kitchen’s rimmed baking sheet and nonstick baking sheet reviews, which we read directly. We left out a second commercial half sheet from Chicago Metallic because it duplicated the Nordic Ware half sheet, and roasters already covered in our main roasting pan guide. We have not cooked with these pans for this guide.

Vegetable roasting pan questions, answered

What is the best roasting pan for vegetables?

For most kitchens, a heavy, uncoated aluminum half sheet, ideally two of them. The Nordic Ware Naturals Half Sheet is our pick; the Nordic Ware Big Sheet is the choice for big batches. A deep roasting pan is better only when the vegetables roast under a chicken or you want to make a sauce on the stove afterward.

Is a sheet pan or a roasting pan better for vegetables?

A sheet pan, in most cases. Its low rim lets steam escape so vegetables brown instead of softening. A roasting pan’s tall sides trap moisture, which suits braised or juicy dishes more than crisp, browned vegetables.

Can I roast tomatoes and tomatillos on an aluminum pan?

For a short roast, yes, but bare aluminum reacts with acidic food, and Nordic Ware says it can darken or pit the pan over time. Line the pan with foil or parchment, or use stainless, a coated pan or well-seasoned cast iron. Lodge suggests keeping acidic ingredients in bare cast iron for no more than about 45 minutes.

Should I line the pan with parchment?

Parchment makes cleanup easier and protects bare aluminum from acid, but vegetables brown best in direct contact with hot metal. If you want the deepest color, oil the vegetables well and roast on the bare pan, then soak it briefly before washing.

What temperature should I roast vegetables at?

Most cooks roast vegetables hot, around 400°F to 450°F, so they brown before they turn mushy. Check your pan’s limit first: ATK advises keeping nonstick at or below 450°F and out of the broiler, while uncoated aluminum and cast iron can go hotter.

Our final pick for roasting vegetables

Buy the Nordic Ware Naturals Half Sheet if you want one plain, proven bare aluminum pan, and buy a second so nothing is crowded. Choose the Nordic Ware Big Sheet for family-size trays, the OXO Non-Stick Pro for glazed and sticky vegetables, the Nordic Ware quarter sheets for small batches, the Lodge cast iron pan for charring tomatoes and chiles, the HexClad roaster when vegetables share the pan with a roast, and the Weber pan when the grill is already lit.

This guide is part of our roasting pan series; the best roasting pan guide covers deep, clad roasters for turkeys, roasts and gravy, and the best roasting pan turkey guide covers holiday birds. To crisp vegetables on a rack, see the best baking pan and rack sets, and for coated sheets, the best baking pan non stick picks. Roasting tomatoes and chiles for salsa? Read salsa roja vs salsa verde and Mexican chiles explained, or see how roasting fits with the other techniques in Mexican cooking methods explained. Or let someone else roast tonight: see the menu and call to order.