The Best Egg Pans for Every Type of Breakfast, According to Home Cooks

Adria Greenhauff
·10 min read
best egg pans
best egg pans

Amazon

Best Overall:

foodandwine - 57 Available at Amazon

Best Value:

foodandwine - 45 Available at Amazon

Best Budget-Friendly:

foodandwine - 10 Available at Amazon

Best Splurge:

foodandwine - 150 Available at Amazon

Best Nonstick:

foodandwine - 25 Available at Amazon

Best Stainless Steel:

foodandwine - 55 Available at Amazon

Best Cast Iron:

foodandwine - 40 Available at Amazon

Best for Fried and Scrambled Eggs:

foodandwine - 50 Available at Amazon

Best for Omelets:

foodandwine - 80 Available at Amazon

Best Large Pan:

foodandwine - 89 Available at Amazon

From breakfast classics to late-night snacks, eggs are one of our favorite ingredients—and for good reason. Besides being delicious, eggs are inexpensive, easy to cook, and extremely versatile. But there's one component to preparing eggs that often gets overlooked. Whether you're scrambling, frying, or baking, you need the right cookware.

The perfect pans for cooking eggs are made of safe and durable nonstick material that is slick enough to slide food seamlessly onto your plate without tons of butter or oil. You also want a pan that can tolerate high temperatures and distribute heat evenly. And if you're a fan of baked eggs, shakshuka, or frittatas, opt for cookware that's safe to put in the oven.

Related: The 8 Best Non-Toxic Cookware Buys for Home Cooks, According to Customers

When it comes to size, the best egg pans are 10 to 12 inches in diameter. This gives you enough surface space to add ingredients like onions, spinach, or bacon while scrambling, flipping, or frying to your heart's content. However, if you often find yourself cooking for one, choosing a smaller 5- or 8-inch pan might be your best option.

With these criteria in mind, we scoured the sea of egg pans available online in search of the top-performers that breakfast aficionados can't seem to get enough of. From the best frying pans for omelets to the best option for feeding a breakfast crowd, here are the best egg pans you can buy in 2021, according to customers.

Read on for more information on each pan, and get ready to enjoy a whole new world of perfectly cooked eggs.

Best Overall: Rachael Ray Cucina 14-Inch Fry Pan

Celebrity chef Rachael Ray is known for her quick-to-prepare meals. So it comes as no surprise that her Cucina line would make the list of our top fry pan for eggs. Why do we love it? First off, this pan is the perfect size at 14-inches. It’s big enough to make a frittata for the whole family, but still lightweight enough to whip up scrambled eggs for one on a busy morning.

This pan has a long-lasting nonstick interior for effortless food release, plus its tough hard-anodized aluminum construction heats quickly and evenly. It is also designed with convenience in mind, featuring a helper handle that makes it a breeze to transition from stove to tabletop. One of the thousands of five-star reviewers on Amazon wrote: “The pan is excellent quality and the nonstick aspect works wonderfully even without using olive oil or butter.”

Cast Iron Skillet Frying Pan
Cast Iron Skillet Frying Pan

Best Value: Calphalon Classic Nonstick 2-Piece Set

What’s better than one pan to tackle all your egg dishes? A dynamic duo, of course. With more than 7,500 positive reviews on Amazon, this two-piece nonstick pan set by Calphalon is a major bang for your buck. The 8- and 10-inch pans are made with a dual-layered nonstick interior that keeps food from sticking, and feature gently curved slides that ensure food stays at the bottom of the pan. They also have long stainless steel handles that won’t heat up on the stovetop and are oven-safe up to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

Users gush about how easy the pans are to clean, as well as their long-lasting design. “These Calphalon pans are great,” one wrote. “I have a large sauce pan I've used for over five years and the nonstick surface is still good.”

Cast Iron Skillet Frying Pan
Cast Iron Skillet Frying Pan

Best Budget-Friendly: Granite Stone Blue Egg Pan

Finding an excellent pan for cooking eggs doesn’t have to break the bank. Just ask any of the hundreds of Amazon customers who rave about this affordable Granite Stone pick. The small-but-mighty pan’s interior features an award-winning nonstick coating infused with diamonds for extra strength and durability. It not only ensures food won’t get stuck, but can withstand metal utensils, spatulas, spoons, and even electric beaters. What’s more, it's free from PFOA and toxic metals.

Measuring 5.5-inches in diameter, the Granite Stone egg pan is just the right size for individual omelets and sunny-side-up eggs. In fact, many users say they use it more than their larger pans. “This small pan beats having to wash my larger pan for cooking one egg,” one reviewer wrote. “As I moved the egg around, it proved to be nonstick. I highly recommend it for quick scrambled or over-easy eggs.”

Cast Iron Skillet Frying Pan
Cast Iron Skillet Frying Pan

Best Splurge: All-Clad 10-Inch Stainless Steel Fry Pan

All-Clad’s stainless steel cookware is touted by professional cooks for its superior construction and performance. This 10-inch pan is a favorite for egg dishes because five alternating layers of stainless steel and aluminum eliminates hot spots and cooks food evenly. It’s also incredibly durable, so it works on all cooking surfaces, from gas to electric, and can even withstand an oven or broiler up to 600 degrees Fahrenheit.

The pan’s long easy-grip handle provides added stability, and its flared edges are made to slide food directly onto the plate. Priced at $150, this pan is definitely not the cheapest option on our list, but customers agree that All-Clad’s quality is well worth the investment. “It’s a great stainless pan...does it all,” wrote one Amazon reviewer. “I’d have to fire it out of a cannon into a live volcano to damage it. Enough said.”

Cast Iron Skillet Frying Pan
Cast Iron Skillet Frying Pan

Best Nonstick: GreenPan Lima 8-Inch Ceramic Fry Pan

As some traditional nonstick cookware may still contain harmful chemicals that can percolate from chemical coatings, many home chefs prefer cooking with ceramic. Enter GreenPan, a ceramic cookware trailblazer. Its pans are manufactured without any toxic chemicals or persistent pollutants, including PFAS, PFOA, lead, and cadmium. Additionally, the brand promises its coating will never peel or release harmful fumes, even when cooking with very high heat.

This 8-inch egg pan is a favorite among breakfast aficionados, offering reliable heat distribution and an easy-release finish. Its warp-resistant base and ergonomic stainless steel handle are both oven-safe up to 600 degrees Fahrenheit, so you can bake eggs fearlessly. More than 1,000 Amazon users have left five-star ratings on the pan, with many calling it a “must-have.” One wrote, “Nothing sticks to it. Great for my fried eggs every morning, and I use a little butter just for the taste.”

Cast Iron Skillet Frying Pan
Cast Iron Skillet Frying Pan

Best Stainless Steel: Cuisinart Professional Stainless Steel Skillet

Constructed from durable stainless steel with a high impact-bonded base, this 12-inch pan from Cuisinart heats quickly and consistently, making it a great option for any type of egg dish. Its durable handle and side grip grant complete control when maneuvering around the kitchen, and its tapered rim makes dish transfer clean and cleanup easy. Customers also love that it's oven-safe up to 500 degrees Fahrenheit. One wrote, “The 12-inch pan is perfect for all of my needs from making a single egg to making a huge frittata. You can’t go wrong with this pan.”

Cast Iron Skillet Frying Pan
Cast Iron Skillet Frying Pan

Best Cast Iron: Lodge Collection Cast Iron Skillet

Few dishes can’t be made more delicious with the help of a cast iron skillet. Eggs are no exception. While cast iron doesn’t seem like the natural choice for something as delicate as eggs, using the right skillet can make a world of difference in texture and taste. Enter this Lodge Collection Cast Iron Skillet.

The 12-inch skillet comes preseasoned for a natural nonstick finish that improves with every use. Home cooks also love the tool’s design—sloped sidewalls for easier, less messy cooking and ergonomic handles that help with maneuvering. This pan is also 15% lighter than the classic Lodge skillets, which makes it far less intimidating for everyday use. “The pan maintains even heat, cooks thoroughly, and can move from stove to oven to grill seamlessly,” a happy Amazon reviewer said. “Lodge makes quality, affordable products my grandchildren, grandchildren will inherit.”

Cast Iron Skillet Frying Pan
Cast Iron Skillet Frying Pan

Best for Fried and Scrambled Eggs: GreenPan SmartShape Pan

When scrambling or frying eggs, a super smooth surface and steady heat are key. GreenPan’s SmartShape pan boasts both. Its diamond-reinforced ceramic nonstick coating allows eggs to slide off the skillet, and its unique base is made to perform on less-efficient induction stovetops. And because each pan is hard anodized twice, their aluminum bodies are both durable and scratch-resistant.

Other thoughtful features include v-shaped handles that not only protect cooks’ hands from flames but also make it easy to stack SmartShape Pans on top of one another for compact storage. Amazon shoppers rave about the pan’s nonstick coating, one saying fried eggs “slip out with ease.” Another wrote, “These pans are a dream. Besides the comfort that using a health-promoting product delivers, the way that this product cooks my eggs makes me seem a far better cook than I actually am.”

Cast Iron Skillet Frying Pan
Cast Iron Skillet Frying Pan

Best for Omelets: Radical Nonstick Pan

If you struggle to make the perfect omelet, try the Radical Pan. Its patented high-rise lip is specifically designed for flipping and the pan’s triple-layer nonstick coating ensures your food will slide right onto your plate. “This is the best purchase I’ve made in months. The degree to which food doesn't stick to the pan is insane,” wrote one reviewer. Another said, “The design makes it very easy to flip omelets and sauté. I’ve been using it now for about a year and it's really very good.” Other customers love that this pan was easy to clean, dishwasher- and oven-safe, and features a no-heat handle.

Cast Iron Skillet Frying Pan
Cast Iron Skillet Frying Pan

Best Large: Lodge 17-Inch Cast Iron Skillet

Making eggs for a family get-together or at-home brunch? Then you’ll want this cast iron skillet from Lodge. Measuring 17-inches wide and 2-inches deep, it gives ample cooking surface for frittatas, shakshuka, breakfast casseroles, and more. The durable pan comes seasoned and ready to use, and its two-handle design makes this skillet double a serving tray. “If you cook for four or more people most of the time, this IS the pan for your family,” one Amazon shopper wrote. “No more splitting food between two pans because the one simply is not big enough.”

Cast Iron Skillet Frying Pan
Cast Iron Skillet Frying Pan