I use sheet pans daily, which means I go through a lot of parchment paper. Though I love my compostable version, I don’t love keeping it stocked or trying to rip it to the exact size of my sheet pan. There’s an easier way: silicone baking mats. Made from food-safe silicone and fiberglass, reusable baking mats protect the sheet pan, offer a nonstick surface, and fit perfectly every time.
I was pleasantly surprised with the silicone mats I tested for this list. They all fit a half-sheet pan, performed well, and were easy to wash. You’ll be happy to know that whichever one you choose, you’ll have a hassle-free option to parchment paper.
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Why It’s Great: Versatile from oven to freezer; trusted by professionals; surface has some texture
Grain of Salt: Price
Silpat has been synonymous with silicone baking mats since Silpat first developed them in 1965. That launch set the bar, and it now offers silicone baking mats in assorted shapes and sizes. The Silpat Premium mat fits a half-sheet pan and was the most versatile of all the mats I tested. I appreciate that it’s listed as freezer-safe and can handle temperatures as high as 480° Fahrenheit. The silicone and fiberglass mesh also feels slightly heftier than other brands.
Silpat baking mats hold up year after year, even with heavy use in a professional setting. “I tend to lean towards the brand Silpat because I find it has more even baking than cheaper brands,” says Laura Kanya, research & development chef at Ann Clark and recipe developer. “I also think this brand is just more durable for professional day-in-and-day-out use.”
A smooth orange band rings the mat and has notched corners for easy grasping from your sheet pan. The interior texture of the mat, though, is slightly coarse and looks a lot like burlap. I used it to freeze bananas, roast broccoli, and placed it under my cutting boards during meal prep. The frozen bananas released easily from the mat and the broccoli roasted evenly in the oven. The cutting board moved slightly, but still felt secure as I chopped vegetables. After testing, the Silpat was easy to hand-wash and performed well from the freezer to the oven.
While the price is completely affordable, you only get one mat, while other brands offer two for a similar price. This isn’t necessarily a deal-breaker but something to keep in mind if you want multiple mats.
The Details: Oven-safe temperature: 480° Fahrenheit; hand-wash only; 11.6 x 16.5 inches
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Why It’s Great: Comes in a pack of two or four; stays put under a cutting board; slightly easier to wash
Grain of Salt: Came with instructions to not use it for small or sliced foods
The Amazon Basics 11.6 x 16.5-inch silicone baking mats come in sets of two or four. Whichever you pick, you’ll be getting a great deal. These performed great during testing and can be used up to 480°F, which is plenty high for what I cook in a week. My potato wedges baked especially evenly and nothing stuck to the mat. They also helped keep everything firmly in place when I used them under a small, lightweight cutting board and a large, heavy one.
The mats are smooth and slightly stiffer than other brands, yet they roll up for storage without a problem. Easy to clean with a quick wipe of soap and water with hardly any sign of cookies or sweet potatoes after our first round of testing, and their slight stiffness made them even easier to hand-wash since they aren’t quite as floppy. On the downside, they have a slightly more plastic-y look and feel than others.
These were the only mats that came with any instructions. It says not to use them for small/sliced food or sugar syrups because they are easy to burn and hard to clean. This makes me question the nonstick ability and durability of these mats over time, though I didn’t have any problems with burning or any difficulty cleaning the mats. In addition to the multipacks, you can get a three-pack of multiple sizes, as well as silicone mats with macaron cookie templates.
The Details: Oven-safe temperature: 480° Fahrenheit; hand-wash only; 9 x 13 inches, 9.9 x 14.8 inches, and 11.6 x 16.5 inches
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Why It’s Great: Multiple sizes available; cooks food evenly; easy to get sparkling clean
Grain of Salt: Slight movement under a cutting board
The Kitzini baking mats set themselves apart by adding colors into the mix. My set of two half-sheet mats had a modern blue and a deep pink border, both of which I enjoyed and could make it easier to allocate one for a specific purpose.
I made granola using the Kitzini mats and was delighted by how evenly it baked. When I use parchment paper, I usually need to rotate the pans and stir to keep the edges from over-browning but not with the Kitzini mats. The edges were the same color as the center by the end of the baking time. Beyond that, I liked how easy it was to funnel the granola into a storage container after baking. These are sturdy, flexible, and easy to maneuver, even when very full.
I noticed some movement when placing it under a cutting board but still felt safe chopping. Roasted sweet potato took a little elbow grease to come off after our first round of tests, but I didn’t have any issues. I hand-washed the mats and was impressed by how clean they got. I couldn’t even tell I used it—no smudges or water spots on the edges! These are dishwasher-safe but I found it easier to hand-wash and air dry.
The Details: Oven-safe temperature: 480° Fahrenheit; dishwasher-safe; 8.5 x 11.6 inches and 11.6 x 16.5 inches
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Why It’s Great: Buttery soft surface; white surface helps you monitor browning; dishwasher-safe
Grain of Salt: Cutting board moved when on the counter
The Oxo silicone baking mat’s white interior and apple-red border made it stand out among the other burlap-colored baking mats. Though the mat arrived rolled up, I could feel the difference in material. The Oxo baking mat is softer and more pliable than the others, and easy to remove from a sheet pan.
The white interior came in handy when I was making caramel corn. It was easier to monitor the color against the white background and decide when it was time to pull the corn out of the oven. I also used the Oxo mats to bake skin-on chicken during testing. There wasn’t any liquid or seepage under the mat from the dinner, but there was very slight staining from the spices. It’s important to note that the Oxo is oven-safe up to 450°F, slightly lower than other brands.
Another downside presented itself when I used the mat under a cutting board. The board moved since it didn’t adhere to the counter, even under a large heavy one. The Oxo silicone baking mats are dishwasher safe, but I still found them easy to hand wash.
The Details: Oven-safe temperature: 450° Fahrenheit; dishwasher-safe; 11.5 x 16.5 inches
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Why It’s Great: Lifetime warranty; easy to clean when greasy; available with different colors
Grain of Salt: Smaller size isn’t available without macaron pattern
The Zulay Kitchen 2-pack of silicone baking mats were the only ones that I tested that didn’t arrive rolled up. After opening the set, I found them as flexible and easy to roll as the other silicone mats. I also liked the notched corners that make it easier to pick up from the pan.
I baked chicken and vegetables on the Zulay baking mats and was pleased by how evenly everything cooked. The chicken released a lot of liquid, though, which did make its way under the mat. But it was still very easy to clean and the grease came right off. Later, when I used the Zulay mat underneath cutting boards for prep work, it stayed in place nicely.
Zulay is the only brand I tested that offers a lifetime warranty since the high-quality silicone and fiberglass center is built to last. These are so durable that you can put them directly onto the oven racks if you dare. I also appreciate that the company logo was less prominent on the Zulay mats than on the other brands.
The mats are quite affordable as well, making it a low-cost kitchen tool. The 2-pack came in gray but there are seven other colors available, as well as a 4-pack that includes two different sizes with a macaron template. Unfortunately, the smaller size for a quarter-sheet pan isn’t available without the macaron template printed on it.
The Details: Oven-safe temperature: 480° Fahrenheit; dishwasher-safe; 8.5 x 11.5 inches and 11.5 x 16.5 inches
My Takeaway
Silicone baking mats are a convenient substitute for parchment paper and I found the Silpat Premium Nonstick Silicone Baking Mat to have a slightly more hefty feel and to stand up over time. The inexpensive Amazon Basics Silicone Baking Mat presents the best deal when purchased as a 4-pack.
Allrecipes / Rachel Knecht
How to Pick the Right Silicone Baking Mat
Intended Use
Silicone baking mats are used as a substitute for parchment paper. They slide easily into sheet pans, no cutting required. Silicone mats are easy to clean, promote even baking, and are reusable. “I like to use silicone baking mats for freezing berries and veggies for an easy and reusable nonstick surface,” says Joya Pettegrew, recipe developer for Town & Country Markets in Seattle. “I think silicone baking mats are very useful for delicate baked goods with higher sugar content such as Florentines or lace cookies or even for making parmesan crisps,” she says.
Besides being a substitute for parchment paper, silicone baking mats also help with prep work. You can also slide a mat under the cutting board when slicing vegetables to keep the cutting board in place. Joya also uses silicone mats when she’s working with dough. “My favorite use of a silicone baking mat is for rolling out pie dough, mixing scones or biscuits, and kneading and shaping bread,” she says. “When you line your counter with the mat it sticks and stays in place, and provides you a non-stick surface that’s easy to clean up! It works great.”
Design
The majority of silicone baking mats fit into a standard half-sheet pan, but there are subtle differences from brand to brand. Some mats have notched corners to make it easier to grab the mat from a sheet pan. You can find a variety of sizes to fit the sheet pans that you have in your kitchen and colors to keep foods separate. It’s important to note that the silicone baking mats in this article are made of both silicone and fiberglass and are not meant to be cut to fit a smaller sheet pan.
Beyond size and color, you can also find silicone baking mats with grids and measurements to use for piping macarons or rolling out pie crusts. Laura Kanya is fond of the Roul’pat pastry mat. “One of my favorite tools in the kitchen is Silpats Roul’pat which is a baking mat that you put on our counter that has a guide to roll out pastry and rulers on the side to measure baked goods,” she says.
About Our Tests
We tested silicone baking mats twice, each time for a couple of weeks in a home kitchen to get a good feel for how they would perform in yours. The mats were placed on an aluminum half-sheet pan for various recipes to test their heat conduction, nonstick qualities, durability, and ease of cleaning. The tests included making Absolutely the Best Chocolate Chip Cookies and Oven Roasted Sweet Potatoes, freezing bananas, and baking chicken, quesadillas, and granola. Our tester analyzed each of these attributes:
- Design: Is the mat easy to pick up from a baking sheet? Does the material feel strong and durable? Is there additional material to reinforce the silicone? Are there different sizes and different colors available?
- Performance: How nonstick is the mat? Does anything end up sticking, including melted sugar? Does the baking mat handle heat well and not add any extra time to the recipe? Can the mat have a higher oven-safe temperature tolerance? If used under a cutting board, does it adhere to the board and counter to prevent movement?
- Ease of Cleaning: Does the mat need extra cleaning after greasy or smelly foods? Can the mat be washed in a dishwasher, or does it need to be washed by hand?
Allrecipes / Rachel Knecht
Common Questions
How do you get smells out of silicone baking mats?
A disadvantage of silicone bakeware is that it can absorb smells and pass them onto the next thing you bake or even lead to a multi-layered smell. But to “deep clean” your silicone, you just need to bake it again. Place the clean, but stinky, mat in a heated oven—it doesn’t need to be super hot, just warm and below your mat’s oven-safe threshold—and check on the mat every 10-20 minutes.
If you don’t want to turn the oven back on, there are other methods you can try. Some find that letting the mat soak in a warm vinegar or lemon juice “bath” neutralizes the odors, while others use a paste of warm water and baking soda, which will absorb the smells after about 10 minutes or so. If soap and water aren’t enough to get the mat clean, “I soak in a vinegar solution, about 1/2 cup to a gallon, for about 30 minutes,” says Kanya. “Then, wipe dry and either dry in the oven or dry flat on a sheet pan.”
Will silicone affect baked goods at all?
Since silicone conducts heat differently than parchment paper, it can affect your baked goods. You’ll find that denser cookies will spread more and have more browning, and yet, won’t be fully baked. Because of this, we only recommend using silicone mats in a pinch when it comes to baking most sweets. Silicone mats are more useful for roasting vegetables and nuts, making bark or granola, and when baking delicate cookies like Florentines or macarons.
Kanya uses her silicone baking mats when baking certain items. “I have used them to line the bottom of sheet pans for bars like brownies, seven layer bars and fruit oat bars,” she says. “And they work really well for sticky dense items that fill out the sheet pan and promote even cooking and no scorching on the bottom.”
Allrecipes / Rachel Knecht
Why Take Our Word for It?
Rachel Knecht is a food writer and recipe developer in Seattle. Her writing and recipes can be found on EatingWell, The Spruce Eats, and Simply Recipes. She is always looking for ways to make dinner clean up easier and quicker.
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