When you think of classic, durable cookware, a Dutch oven is probably the first thing that comes to mind. Made from enameled cast iron, this is a true staple in the kitchen and should last for decades. While the best Dutch ovens are generally large and heavy, they will see you through many cooking tasks, including one-pot meals, braises, soups and even bread.
Unlike cast iron skillets, Dutch ovens don’t require seasoning and clean up easily for the most part. I tested eight of the best Dutch ovens on the market for 2024, from the most affordable to the biggest splurge to find out which ones are worth buying.
The versatility of a good Dutch oven can’t be overstated. As a busy mom of two and a graduate of the French Culinary Institute with years of experience working in restaurants and writing about food and cooking, I truly appreciate that you can accomplish so much with this pot. Like the Mercer Culinary chef’s knife (which was one of my top picks for the best chef’s knives of 2024), a great Dutch oven is a workhorse in the kitchen.
I chose eight top-rated Dutch ovens from brands like Le Cresuet, Staub, Caraway and Lodge and evaluated their durability, ease of use, weight and design. For each I looked at whether the lid fit well, if there were hot spots, how heavy the pot was compared to its capacity and whether the handles were conducive to maneuvering the pots with oven mitts on. Keep scrolling for a look at our best Dutch oven picks for 2024, plus tips on selecting the best one for your needs and how to care for it.
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Best Dutch ovens of 2024
Lisa Schweitzer/Yahoo
Size: 6.75 quarts | Weight: 12.6 pounds | Material: Enameled cast iron | Max oven temperature: 500°F | Dishwasher safe: Yes | Warranty: Limited lifetime
After testing eight Dutch ovens, I awarded Le Creuset the honor of best Dutch oven overall. Yes, I have had this particular cast iron pot for nearly 20 years. Yes, it’s expensive enough to call an investment. Yes, it performs as well as it did on day one. Its icon status in the cookware world is well deserved.
This classic piece of cookware is made in France and comes in a virtual rainbow of colors. I’ve always been partial to the ombré orange color the brand calls Flame, but there’s a shade for everyone. Even with, at times, shoddy maintenance on my part over the years, the cream interior is only a bit discolored and the exterior enamel remains completely intact.
I have done just about every cooking task in this pot — boiling, braising, searing and sautéing. I’m not much of a bread baker, so I’ve never used it for that, but Le Creuset has many fans who believe it’s the best Dutch oven for sourdough bread baking (though that’s better done in a smaller round Dutch oven and not the 6.75-quart oval one). I chose the oval style, way back when, in order to have more cooking surface area for searing larger cuts of meat. I was also impressed that compared to other Dutch ovens, this 6.75-quart pot is 12.6 pounds, which is relatively light for its size.
While $445 is a major splurge for one piece of cookware, we often see this high-quality Dutch oven on sale for around $300 (still a lot!), but if you consider its versatility and how long it will last you, it’s a smart purchase.
- Extremely durable
- Roomy, easy-to-grip handles
- Light-colored enamel interior (so it’s easier to see what you’re doing)
Lisa Schweitzer/Yahoo
Size: 6 quarts | Weight: 13 pounds | Material: Enameled cast iron | Max oven temperature: 400°F | Dishwasher safe: No | Warranty: Limited lifetime
Most enameled cast iron Dutch ovens will allow you to perform the same cooking tasks, so the big differences come down to each pot’s shape, size, weight and durability. This 6-quart Dutch oven from Lodge (the brand behind Ina Garten’s favorite cast iron skillet) is an excellent choice if you’re looking to keep cost in check, and you don’t necessarily expect to pass this piece on to your kids.
I was pleased with the roomy handles that allowed me to grip them with dish towels when moving from stovetop to oven. The light-colored interior made it easy to assess the state of food cooking and the lid fit well. The weight of this 6-quart pot (13 pounds) is on par with most, though it’s about one pound heavier than the Le Creuset Dutch oven, which has a slightly larger capacity. Like all of the Dutch ovens I tested, this one came clean pretty easily with warm soapy water and a sponge.
It remains to be seen if the enamel on this pot is as durable as what’s coating the Le Creuset. Also, it bears noting that this pot is oven-safe up to only 400°F (versus 500°F for the Le Creuset). This may not make a huge difference to you, as most recipes cooked in Dutch ovens involve “low-and-slow cooking” and not high heat or broiling. However, if you plan to bake a crusty sourdough bread in your Dutch oven (typically done at 450°F), the Lodge isn’t your best bet.
- Under $100
- Roomy, easy-to-grip handles
- Light-colored enamel interior (so it’s easier to see what you’re doing)
- Oven-safe up to only 400°F
I evaluated each pot for its value in durability, performance and design. Here are more details on what factors to keep in mind:
Materials: Classic Dutch ovens are made from enamel-coated cast iron and generally have a heavy bottom, which makes for great heat retention and distribution. Some Dutch ovens have light enamel interiors and others are dark. This is a matter of preference, but newer or less-confident cooks may benefit from a light interior, as you can see if food is burning or browning more easily. Often, the cheaper the Dutch oven, the less durable its outer enamel coating is.
Size: When choosing a Dutch oven, you should consider how many people you’re cooking for. Most larger recipes for one-pot meals, soups, stews and braises will warrant a 5- to 7-quart size. A pot bigger than that will be difficult to maneuver without help, but is certainly available from many brands. If you’re interested in baking bread, a 4- or 5-quart round oven that’s oven-safe up to 500°F is a good choice.
Maneuverability/weight: Most Dutch ovens are heavy and harder to maneuver than stainless steel pots. But, if you choose one with roomy, easy-to-grip handles (that can accommodate dish towels or oven mitts), you should be able to move it from the stovetop to the oven to the table without too much strain.
Maintenance: Some Dutch ovens are dishwasher-safe. We recommend sticking to handwashing pots to preserve their finish — and generally, enameled cast iron is not a tough surface to clean. Always let a Dutch oven cool completely to avoid warping or the enamel cracking from the shock of cold water on a hot pot. Start with warm soapy water and a sponge and see how clean the pot gets. For more suggestions, see below.
How we tested Dutch ovens
I tested the maneuverability and comfort, how each piece performs on the stovetop and in the oven and how durable the enamel coating was. I cooked a one-pot meal of chicken and rice that started on the stovetop and finished in the oven. I also used the Dutch ovens in my kitchen for boiling water, heating pasta sauce and more everyday cooking tasks. I monitored how long it took the pots to heat up, if there were hot spots, if the lids were tight-fitting and if the handles were easy to grip. I noted if food stuck to the cooking surface or left stains and how much work it took to clean the pots. To find the most durable Dutch oven, I approximated wear and tear by knocking them around a bit, as one might do by accident in the kitchen. Some were impervious to this treatment and others chipped easily.
Other Dutch ovens we tested
Staub Cast Iron Dutch Oven 5.5-Quart Round Cocotte ($380): I consider this pot to be a very close second to the Le Creuset Dutch oven. The major difference between the two is that the interior of the Staub is black enamel and therefore challenging for a beginner cook or someone less confident in the kitchen. You can’t easily tell if bits of food are browning or burned like you can with a light-colored interior. In every other way, this pot performs just as well as Le Creuset and is oven-safe up to 900°F without the lid and 500°F with the lid. It can be bought in sizes ranging from a wee 2.75 quarts to a giant 13.25 quarts.
Tramontina Covered Dutch Oven Enameled Cast Iron 5.5-Quart ($120): When I tested the best nonstick pans earlier this year, I found the Tramontina pan to be superior to the rest. The brand’s Dutch oven wasn’t the winner in this testing pool, but it did perform well. The shape of this Dutch oven is a bit taller and narrower than the others, which is not necessarily conducive to getting a good sear on proteins, but seemed fine in testing. I found that when the Tramontina got knocked a bit by another pot, it chipped right away, which doesn’t bode well for its longevity. It’s oven-safe up to 450°F.
Crock-Pot Artisan Round Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven, 5-Quart ($66): When you think of Crock-Pot, you probably imagine a slow cooker, but the brand also offers an array of cookware. The Dutch oven I tested was on the smaller side at 5 quarts and weighed in on the lighter side at 11.4 pounds, which I appreciated. The handles are nice and roomy, but the downside is that the exterior enamel chipped easily when knocked it a bit. It’s oven-safe up to 500°F.
Caraway Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven, 6.5-Quart ($265): My first thought on this Caraway Dutch oven was that it’s very retro-looking and appeals to my design sensibilities more than anything else. Cast-iron cookware is new for Caraway, which is generally known for its ceramic-coated cookware. At $265, this enameled Dutch oven proved very expensive for a pot with handles that are almost impossible to grip properly as they’re way too narrow. Also, the interior is black which, as I mentioned in my Staub review, makes it difficult to judge just how quickly food browns. It’s oven-safe up to 500°F.
Amazon Basics Enameled Cast Iron Round Dutch Oven, 6-Quart ($55): This Amazon Dutch oven is a true bargain. It performed almost as well as the winners in my testing, but the handles were a little tight and the enamel is not super-durable. Its weight is average at 13 pounds for a 6-quart oven, and it’s oven-safe up to 500°F. If you think you’ll only use a Dutch oven once or twice a year (like during Thanksgiving), this may be a good starter option.
Great Jones The Dutchess 6.75-Quart Dutch Oven ($180): Unfortunately, when I unpacked this royal blue, retro-looking pot from the box, the enamel was already chipping off. When I requested another one and I unpacked that one from the box, the enamel was also already chipping off. For this reason, it was disqualified from the testing pool.
Dutch oven FAQs
What is a Dutch oven?
A Dutch oven is a large, heavy pot usually made from enameled cast iron. It can be used on the stovetop and in the oven. Cast iron is excellent for heat retention and the enamel coating makes the surface easy to clean. These pots are versatile enough to use for soups, stews, braises, baking and sautéing.
How do you clean a Dutch oven?
Even if a brand says a Dutch oven is dishwasher-safe, you should use warm soapy water and a scratch-resistant sponge to clean it — as opposed to exposing it to harsh detergents that may not be able to release burned bits of food and cut into its lifespan. Never stick a hot pot into cold water. Always let your cookware cool to room temperature, or you risk cracking or chipping the enamel coating. If there are stubborn bits stuck to the pot, fill it with warm soapy water and let it soak for 15 to 20 minutes before washing with a sponge or nylon scrubber — no harsh scouring or metal scrubbers. If more elbow grease is required, consult the brand’s instructions for deeper cleaning. Some recommend the help of a product such as Bar Keepers Friend to tackle really tough stains.
What size Dutch oven do I need?
A general rule to follow is one quart per serving, so if you usually cook dishes that serve four people, a 4-quart Dutch oven would work, but that won’t accommodate larger cuts of meat or recipes for parties or family gatherings. We recommend a 5- to 7-quart Dutch oven to ensure you have the capacity for a range of different meals. If you plan to bake bread in your Dutch oven, you’ll want a round 4- or 5-quart size that’s oven-safe up to 500°F.
We received complimentary samples of some products and purchased others ourselves, but we reviewed all products using the same objective criteria.
