Simple yet endlessly versatile, brownie tins come in a variety of sizes and depths – and their usefulness doesn’t end with brownies. They’re ideal for a range of other sweet traybake recipes too, such as flapjacks, millionaire’s shortbread, tiffin and parkin. You can also use them to make cheesecake squares – see our best cheesecake recipes for inspiration.

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Take a look at our classic chocolate brownies recipe (which is what we used to test the brownie tins), plus other indulgent traybake treats including Oreo brownies, peanut butter blondies, tahini brownies, and Baileys brownies.

And for more appliance and bakeware reviews, read our reviews on the best springform cake tins, best tart tins, and best stand mixers.


Best brownie tins at a glance

  • Best brownie tin: Lakeland brownie traybake tin, £10.99
  • Best blowout brownie tin: Le Creuset rectangular cake tin, £42
  • Best brownie tin for large quantities: Tala Performance large brownie pan, £13
  • Best brownie tin for easy cleaning: Prestige Inspire non-stick brownie tin, £11.99
  • Best-looking brownie tin: Nadiya Hussain x Prestige brownie tin, £9.99
  • Best silicone brownie tin: MasterClass Smart silicone square flexible bake pan, £18.99

What to look out for when choosing a brownie tin?

Before buying a brownie tin, there are a few things to consider:

  • Size: brownie tins come in various depths and sizes, from smaller, shallower trays to large, deeper pans that are ideal for big batches. Before you buy, consider the texture you’d like your brownies to have – shallower tins will give you a cakier bake, while deeper pans are better for achieving a just-set, fudgy centre. If using a recipe that calls for specific dimensions, choose one of the tins on our list that offers a range of sizes.
  • Non-stick: tins with a non-stick surface ensure your brownies release easily, without leaving a crumbly mess afterwards.
  • Easy cleaning: while hand-washing is better for your tin, we do recognise the convenience of being able to pop it in the dishwasher. Just watch out for rolled lips on the sides, which can trap water.
  • Useful additions: these could include generous handles for easy grip, silicone handles that don’t conduct heat, markings to help you divide the brownies evenly, and having the dimensions written on the tin.

Best brownie tins 2023

Lakeland brownie traybake tin

Score: 5/5

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Lakeland brownie traybake tin

Best brownie tin

There’s a lot to admire about this traybake tin from Lakeland, from the robust design to the handy portion guides, which made it easy to divide up our brownies evenly. Best of all, though, was the bake – our favourite kind of brownies have fudgy centres with crispy edges and a firm bite, and this is exactly what we achieved with this tin.

Looks-wise, it’s simple yet attractive with a pearlescent blue finish. We liked the wide handles, which made it easy to move around and place inside the oven. It’s lightweight, too, but still feels sturdy and of high quality – certainly good value for a tin just over £10. There’s also a three-year warranty, which is decent though shorter than the other tins we tested.

The non-stick performance was fantastic and there was barely a crumb left when it came to cleaning up. There are no rolled edges or dirt traps either, so you can pop it in the dishwasher without worry.

One small flaw is the plastic packaging it comes wrapped in, which can’t be recycled. Otherwise, this is an excellent tin that produces firm, chewy brownies.


Le Creuset rectangular cake tin

Score: 5/5

Le Creuset rectangular cake tin

Best blowout brownie tin

If you’d rather pay more for a tin that’s built to last, this offering from Le Creuset will serve you well. It comes with a lifetime guarantee (as with all the brand’s bakeware) and excellent safety features, including wide silicone handles in Le Creuset’s signature volcanic orange – these are especially handy when removing the tin from the oven. It has an effective non-stick coating too, plus plenty of guidance on how to prepare and care for the product.

Made from robust carbon steel, we were impressed by its generous size – it’s 33cm long, and there’s a smaller 28cm version too. Because it’s quite large, we had to double the quantities in our recipe and add an extra 10 minutes cooking time, but this didn’t impact the quality of the bake. Our brownies were still perfectly moist and dense, with a lightly flaked topping and firm structure.

To ensure its long lifespan, Le Creuset advises hand-washing with hot, soapy water rather than dishwashing. It is fridge and freezer-safe, however, and all the packaging is fully recyclable.

For great offers on Le Creuset products, visit our Le Creuset Black Friday deals round-up.


Tala Performance large brownie pan

Score: 4.5/5

Tala Performance Brownie Tin

Best brownie tin for large quantities

Freshly baked brownies are rarely around for long, so we loved that this Tala brownie pan is capable of producing such an impressively large batch. At 34.5cm long it’s certainly a big tin, but isn’t so enormous that it won’t fit in an average-sized kitchen cupboard or drawer. A smaller 29cm version is also available.

The pan is made from high-quality carbon steel, so to no surprise it’s a little heavier than others we tested. If anything, this assured us of its sturdiness and long lifespan. It has also a 10-year guarantee and all the packaging is fully recyclable.

As for our brownies, the results were positive. We doubled the ingredients and added 10 minutes extra baking time to account for the bigger tin size. Because this is a large tin, we’d recommend dropping the temperature of your oven slightly to ensure the sides don’t dry out before the middle has a chance to cook. The final brownies had elements of fudginess and the corners were pleasantly crisp. They also held together well and released from the tin easily thanks to the non-stick coating. Cleaning was also a breeze, and the tin is dishwasher-safe.


Prestige Inspire non-stick brownie tin

Score: 4.5/5

Prestige Inspire brownie tin

Best brownie tin for easy cleaning

Washing up afterwards is never going to be the most exciting bit of baking brownies, but this Prestige tin at least makes that part of the process simpler. The non-stick surface uses CushionSmart technology that helped us release our brownies with ease, and while hand-washing will help to preserve the coating, the tin is safe to pop in the dishwasher, too.

The attractive patterned design on the base bolsters its premium feel. It isn’t heavy to lift either, despite being made from high-quality carbon steel, but taking it out the oven was more difficult without any handles to grip onto.

The plastic packaging was disappointing – there was an excessive amount of non-recyclable padding, and the tin itself was wrapped in a plastic bag. There was also a plastic tag attached that was difficult to remove. That aside, its 25-year guarantee earns it some eco credentials, and we were pleased to find lots of guidance on how to care for and prepare your tin.

The final bake gave us all things we look for in a good brownie, too: a flaky top, crispy edges and a fudgy, moist texture.


Nadiya Hussain x Prestige brownie tin

Score: 4/5

Prestige Nadiya Hussain brownie tin

Best-looking brownie tin

Most brownie tins have an uninspiring plain metallic design, but not this one. Created as part of Prestige’s collaboration with Nadiya Hussain, it’s an attractive lightweight piece of kit that still manages to feel sturdy.

Much like the springform tin and loaf tin in this range, it features a glossy teal exterior and textured gold surface that helps with airflow, so you can more easily release your baked brownies. Add to this an excellent non-stick coating, which keeps clean-up to a minimum – a huge win in our book.

The anti-warp rolled edges offer sufficient grip, and we liked the convenience of having the measurements written on the inside. We were disappointed by the excessive plastic packaging, however.

Our brownies were light and fluffy, but a little dry. This is a fairly shallow tin, so less time in the oven likely would have helped. They were pleasantly uniform and had a firm structure, too – ideal if you prefer them more cakey than fudgy.


MasterClass Smart Silicone Square Flexible Bake Pan

Score: 4/5

MasterClass silicone square flexible bake pan

Best silicone brownie tin

Versatility is one of the main draws of using silicone bakeware, and this MasterClass brownie pan is no exception. It uses thick, lightweight materials that feel premium, and unlike metal, it doesn’t warp easily when heated so can withstand higher temperatures.

It’s also easy to store because it can be squashed or rolled up into a cupboard, then bounce back into shape when you take it back out. The downside is it’s quite floppy, so more difficult to remove from the oven than a metal tin. Thankfully, MasterClass has added two extra-wide handles on either side.

We loved its vibrant red colour, and while there is some plastic wrapping, the packaging is mostly recyclable. It’s also safe to put in the dishwasher.

The brownies we baked were dense, gooey and moist, with a flaky top and crisp edges. The middle pieces were very soft and didn’t hold together as easily, but would certainly go down well with a scoop of ice cream dolloped on top.


How we tested brownie tins

We used our classic chocolate brownies recipe to test all the brownie tins featured in this list, using standardised criteria and controlled conditions. This simple recipe allowed to measure all the things we look for in a good brownie, including a moist centre and crisp edges. Each brownie tin was scored against the following criteria:

  • Appearance of the final bake: we looked for evenly baked brownies that were chewy, crisp on the outside, and had a firm bite. The browning needed to be even and consistent in colour, and a crisp, flaked top was a bonus too.
  • Value for money: while brownie tins are incredibly versatile, we asked whether the design and results of the bake were reflective of the price.
  • Ease of use: all the tins we tested were non-stick, so we wanted to see how easily the brownies released from the base without tearing. We also questioned how easy they were to clean, and while being dishwasher-safe is more convenient, it’s not a necessity. A good brownie tin should also be easy to remove from the oven, so those with handles were rated highly.
  • Quality of design features: some of the brownie tins came with additional features such as silicone handles and portion guides, which made them much easier to use. Simple design features, like having the dimensions of the tin written on the inside, were also a plus.
  • Sustainability: brownie tins that came with fully recyclable packaging scored highly. We also considered the longevity of each tin based on the quality of materials and manufacturer’s guarantee.

To find out more about how testing appliances and tools is done at olive, head over to our how we test page.

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Authors

Natalie BassSenior Digital Reviews Writer

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