Best tart tins
With crisp, flaky pastry and a delicious filling, a well made tart makes a showstopping dessert. To make a fabulous tart you need a great tart tin, so we put a range of metal, glass and stoneware designs to the test.
The very best tart tins are versatile. They offer tall sides for different types of bakes and can effortlessly move from oven to table, or even freezer to microwave. These tins can make a host of dishes, from classic sweet pastry desserts like nutmeg custard tart or an easy treacle tart, to showstoppers like chocolate and peanut caramel tart or a decadent butterscotch banoffee tart. They can be used to bake savoury dishes, such as our delicious pumpkin pesto tart or vegan tomato tart with olive oil pastry. Not just reserved for tarts, many of the tins we've tested can also be used to rustle up flans and quiches – for inspiration read our best quiche recipes.
Above is just a selection of the tart recipes we have on olive, head over to the recipes section of the site for more. For more baking equipment, read our best brownie tins and best stand mixer review. For more appliance reviews, we've been busy testing coffee machines: read our best coffee machine review, best bean to cup coffee machines review, best coffee pod machines review and best espresso machines review.
If you’re a fan of baking, you’ll already have a cupboard well stocked with the best springform cake tins, the best loaf tins and even the best bundt tins. But when it comes to baking pastry and tarts, there are many different types of tart tin, pan and dish to choose from.
Best tart tins at a glance
- Best easy-to-use tart tin: Circulon Ultimum loose based flan tin, £12.99
- Best tart tin: Masterclass Crusty Bake quiche tin, £9.60
- Most versatile tart dish: Peugeot Ceramic tart dish, £36.99
- Best heavy duty tart tin: Judge round flan/quiche tin, £8.80
- Best budget tart tin: ProCook tart tin loose bottom, £7
- Best tart tin for eco credentials: Mermaid fluted flan tin, £16
- Best glass tart tin: Kuhn Rikon easy quiche and tart glass pan, £21.21
- Best tart tin for a range of sizes: Stellar hard anodised fluted flan tin, £12
Best tart tins to buy 2024
Circulon Ultimum loose based flan tin
- Available from Amazon (£12.99), Circulon (£22)
Score: 5/5
Best easy-to-use tart tin
More like this
Featuring Circulon’s distinctive concentric circle style, this tin is super versatile and incredibly well designed. We especially liked the handles that made it easy to remove from the oven.
The sides are thick and feature well defined indents, which left a perfectly fluted design on the final bake. The loose base layer wasn't as loose as some of the other tins we tested as it requires a well judged push to release it, but once we figured that out, our tart shell popped out with ease.
Made from carbon steel and coated in a layer of non-stick, this tin produced a crisp and evenly baked tart shell. It's available in 36cm, is oven-safe up to 230°C and also fridge/freezer and dishwasher-safe.
- Available from Amazon (£12.99), Circulon (£22)
Masterclass Crusty Bake quiche tin
Score: 5/5
Best tart tin
The uniquely designed Masterclass tin features small perforations all over its sides and base. These allow for complete air circulation and even browning all over.
The tin is thin and lightweight but feels sturdy. There are no rolled edges to worry about, instead there's a simple thin edge which makes trimming off any overhanging pastry a doddle.
We were a little concerned that the holes would fill with pastry once baked, but the finished tart shell popped out with ease. The final bake was evenly browned and perfectly crisp, including the bottom.
This tin is dishwasher and fridge/freezer-safe, and is available in six sizes, from 18cm to 30cm.
Peugeot ceramic tart dish
- Available from Amazon (£26.58), Peugeot Saveurs (£36.99)
Score: 5/5
Most versatile tart dish
Peugeot are known for their flawlessly designed salt and pepper grinders, and this tart dish looks just as good. Made in Brittany and embossed with the iconic Peugeot lion logo, this dish is one of the most attractive models we tested. It’s available in four colours: dark blue, red, cream and grey.
The handles at the top and tail provide an easy, secure grip and we loved the tall edges, making this a fabulous option for tarts, quiches, flans, pies or even as a serving dish.
We were impressed with the results of our tart shell. Although there’s no loose base, we were able to remove the shell with ease. It was perfectly baked and consistently browned all over.
This dish is microwave, fridge/freezer and dishwasher-safe. It’s available in a 30cm version only.
Judge round flan/quiche tin
Score: 4.5/5
Best heavy duty tart tin
This simple and understated tin from Judge impressed us. It’s made from heavy duty carbon steel and although it’s not overly thick, it's notably sturdy. It features a tightly knit fluting on the inside, which resulted in a strong tart shell.
Our tart shell was well baked, consistent in colour and crisp. Although there are no handles, a 1cm lip runs the perimeter of the tin, making it easy to grip onto.
One detail we really liked was the large loose base. Sitting only a few millimetres shy of the tin sides, the base offered good coverage over the bottom of the tart, meaning there was no risk of tearing or breaking it when pushing the base through.
This 24cm tin is dishwasher-safe but be aware of the rolled lip catching water. It’s also fridge/freezer and oven-safe up to an impressive 240°C.
ProCook tart tin loose bottom
- Available from ProCook (£7)
Score: 4.5/5
Best budget tart tin
Made from heavy gauge carbon steel that’s just a millimetre thick, this is a lightweight but sturdy tart tin. The sides are impressively deep, making it an ideal choice for deep-filled tarts and quiches.
There are no fluted edges, instead a single sloping side which gives the final bake a strong and consistent edge. The tart shell looked great: sturdy edges, evenly baked and consistently browned all over.
This 20cm tin is dishwasher and oven-safe up to 260°C, plus a 10-year guarantee earned it extra points.
- Available from ProCook (£6)
Mermaid fluted flan tin
- Available from Harts of Stur (£16)
Score: 4.5/5
Best tart tin for eco credentials
Made in the UK, Mermaid’s silver anodised aluminium fluted flan tin is a fine piece of bakeware with a professional finish. It’s not as deep as some of the other models we tested, but it's a great choice for making well practised thin sheets of pastry.
Aluminium is a great heat conductor so our tart shell was perfectly crisp and evenly baked, except for a fine line around the perimeter at the top which was a little darker.
All Mermaid bakeware comes in 100% recyclable packaging and is PFOA and PTFE free, so it's environmentally friendly. It also comes with a lifetime guarantee.
This tin isn’t dishwasher-safe but thankfully nothing stuck. Tins are available in a range of sizes, from 15cm to 30cm.
- Available from Harts of Stur (£16)
Kuhn Rikon easy quiche and tart glass pan
- Available from Kuhn Rikon (£21.21)
Score: 4.5/5
Best glass tart tin
Unlike other tins on this list, this Kuhn Rikon offering is made from glass. As an insulator of heat, rather than a conductor, glass retains heat for longer. Glass pans take a little while to heat up and we found our tart needed around 10 minutes longer in the oven compared to its metal and ceramic counterparts. The tin has deep fluted sides and is very sturdy.
The finished tart popped out of the tin with ease, and was crisp and evenly baked. The browning around the outside (that had contact with the pan) was a little darker compared to inside the tart but the tart will be filled so this shouldn’t be too noticeable.
As it's made of glass, this tin is naturally non-stick and also dishwasher-safe. It's available in 27cm only.
- Available from Kuhn Rikon (£21.21)
Stellar hard anodised fluted flan tin
- Available from Amazon (£12)
Score: 4/5
Best tart tin for a range of sizes
If you’re looking for a couple of tart tins in different sizes, this Stellar design is a good choice. Available in 10cm, 20cm and 28cm sizes, the range is ideal for making individual tarts or larger bakes for entertaining.
The metal is thin, perhaps too thin, as it easily flexed when held and the loose base was easily warped. The fluting was well defined though, and the thin sides allowed us to get a neat and precise edge on our tart. The loose bottom popped the finished tart out with ease. It was fully baked and crisp but noticeably patchy all over.
These tins are dishwasher-safe and come with Stellar’s lifetime guarantee.
Available from:
What to look out for when choosing a tart tin
Consider the following factors before choosing a tin:
- Size: tart tins come in a range of sizes, from small tartlet cases to large tins for 15+ slices. Check your recipe books and favourite olive recipes, and consider the size you’re most likely to use.
- Loose bottom: for easy removal of your tart from the tin, a loose-bottomed model is the only choice.
- Appearance: while loose-bottomed tart tins ensure an easy release, they’re not the most attractive option. If you’re looking for something you can take from oven to table, opt for a ceramic tart dish, which comes in a variety of colours and designs.
- Versatility: a number of the tart tins we’ve tested also call themselves quiche or flan tins – to make your purchase work harder, opt for a design that enables you to make other dishes too: look for tall sides as well as oven, fridge, freezer and microwave capabilities.
- Material: the tins on this list are made from metal, glass and stoneware. Each material offers a different finish and style of presentation. Metal tins often have a more defined fluted edge, a loose bottom for easy removal and are lighter. Glass dishes are naturally non-stick but slower to heat up, though they retain heat for longer, making them an efficient choice when serving dishes warm. Ceramic stoneware dishes are the most attractive and conduct and retain heat well. They also double as serving dishes and are the most versatile.
How we tested the tart tins
To put these tins to the test, we baked a simple sweet shortcrust pastry shell, following this cornflake tart recipe. All the tins were tested against a standardised criteria under controlled conditions in the olive test kitchen.
We looked for models that produced a structurally sound tart shell. If the tart tin was fluted, we wanted to see well defined indents. Even and consistent browning was a must and we wanted to see finished tarts that were easy to release from the tin. Each tin was scored against the following criteria:
- Appearance of final bake: we wanted to see fully baked, crisp and evenly browned tart shells. There should be strong, slip-free sides and, if fluted, well defined peaks and troughs.
- Ease of use: useful features, like the tin being dishwasher-safe, were a plus. As was a non-stick surface. We also looked for details that may make using the tin more difficult, for example, rolled lips, which have a tendency to collect water.
- Quality of design features: we tested a variety of tins, from solid ceramic ones to lightweight metal designs. We looked for useful elements that made the tins versatile, plus design features that made the final tart easy to remove. Tart tins that come in a range of colours were a plus.
- Value for money: we wanted to ensure that the design features, quality of the tin and additional details aligned with the price.
To find out more about how testing appliances and tools is done at olive, head over to our how we test page.
More reviews
Best springform cake tins
Best loaf tins
Best bundt tins
Best stand mixers
Best baking gifts
Best cake stands
Best baking turntable
Best measuring spoons
Best kitchen scales
Best dough scrapers
Best ice cream makers
The best mixing bowls
Best cookie cutters
Best spatulas
Best paring knives
Best knife sharpeners
Best online cake delivery services
Tart recipes
Miso caramel and chocolate tart
Lemon and lime tart
Nepali spiced fruit and nut tart
Lemon and pistachio bakewell tart
Coffee custard tart
Tartiflette tart
Brown butter frangipane and nectarine tart
Onion tart
Honeyed fig and cheese curd tart
Passion fruit tart with meringue
Lemon tart
Authors
Comments, questions and tips
By entering your details, you are agreeing to our terms and conditions and privacy policy. You can unsubscribe at any time.