Reviews you can trust.

The Best Dutch Ovens

A Dutch oven is an essential investment for serious cooks. We find the best options at every price and in every size.

By , , and

Last Updated Mar. 14, 2024. Appears in America's Test Kitchen TV Season 19: How to Braise Everything

Update, March 2024

We tested four new Dutch ovens, including new models by Smithey and Lodge. We recommend three of them, but the Le Creuset 7¼ Quart Round Dutch Oven remains our top choice.

See Everything We Tested

What You Need To Know

After decades of testing, we still think that the Le Creuset 7¼ Quart Round Dutch Oven is the best Dutch oven on the market. It simmers, bakes, and braises beautifully. It is incredibly durable, while also being the lightest and easiest-to-use enameled Dutch oven of its size. Our Best Buy is the 7-quart Cuisinart Chef’s Enameled Cast Iron Casserole. This model is a bit heavier and less durable than our favorite, but it performs just as well and is about a quarter of the price.

If you want to spend less or if you have slightly less storage space, we also recommend the 5.5- and 5-quart versions of our winner and Best Buy. And if you’re looking for a small Dutch oven that can serve as a heavy-duty saucepan, we like the 3- and 3.5-quart versions of our favorite and Best Buy as well.

Finally, if you’re looking for a Dutch oven that isn’t made of heavy cast iron, you can read about the best alternatives in our Lightweight Dutch Oven review.

What You Need to Know

Is there anything you can’t...

Everything We Tested

Good : 3 stars out of 3.Fair : 2 stars out of 3.Poor : 1 stars out of 3.

*All products reviewed by America’s Test Kitchen are independently chosen, researched, and reviewed by our editors. We buy products for testing at retail locations and do not accept unsolicited samples for testing. We list suggested sources for recommended products as a convenience to our readers but do not endorse specific retailers. When you choose to purchase our editorial recommendations from the links we provide, we may earn an affiliate commission. Prices are subject to change.

Reviews you can trust

The mission of America’s Test Kitchen Reviews is to find the best equipment and ingredients for the home cook through rigorous, hands-on testing. We stand behind our winners so much that we even put our seal of approval on them.