Are the mugs oven safe?

Before you put anything in the oven, you need to make sure whether the pan you are using is oven-safe or not.

As baked-in-cup desserts have become so popular, you may be wondering if it’s safe to bake in your favorite coffee cup.

Are the mugs oven safe? Mugs are safe to go in the oven only if they are labeled oven-safe or are stoneware. With other mugs, it’s risky to put them in the oven; they can crack and break from being exposed to high temperatures. 

This article is about the relationship between mugs and the oven: which mugs can go in the oven and which mugs you should keep out of the oven. Plus, we’ll tell you how to keep oven-safe mugs from cracking and answer a few other topic-related questions you might have.

So let’s get started.

Can the mugs go in the oven?

If you’ve seen an appetizing chocolate mug cake or single-serving oatmeal crunch recipe and want to try it in the oven, you’re probably wondering if mugs are oven-safe.

Mugs may be oven safe. As long as the mug is made of an oven-safe material and the manufacturer lists it as oven-safe, you can safely put it in the oven.

It’s also best to check the highest temperature your oven-safe mug can handle before using it for a baked dessert. Your mug may be labeled oven-safe, but if it can only handle temperatures up to 200 Fahrenheit, you may not be able to use it in any recipe.

How do you know if something is suitable for the oven?

When it comes to identifying oven-safe items, including mugs, you should look for the oven-safe symbol. You can usually find it under plates, bowls, cups, or teapots.

Another way to tell if your mug is oven-safe or not is to check the manufacturer’s recommendations and search the Internet for information.

However, sometimes there is no symbol on the mug or it has already worn off. Or you may not even know what brand your mug is to be able to check it online on the manufacturer’s website.

Putting the mugs in the oven without making sure they are suitable for it is risky. Therefore, it’s important to have a general understanding of which mug materials are oven-safe and which ones you should never put in the oven.

What mugs can go in the oven?

If the oven safety symbol on the mug does not appear and the manufacturer does not provide information on proper use of the mug, it is best to use your general knowledge of materials that can go into the oven safely.

Metal cups can go into the oven. However, you must make sure that the cup is made of pure metal. Pure metal is a great conductor of heat and can safely go into the furnace.

However, before you put a metal mug in the oven, make sure it doesn’t have any plastic parts. Also, it is not recommended to bake metal cups with a non-stick coating, as the added non-stick coating reacts poorly with the heat of the oven.

Mugs that can safely go in the oven and withstand high heat are stoneware. Stoneware mugs are thick and will not crack or break when exposed to heat. These mugs have a textured surface or enamel finish.

Stoneware Mugs - The Best Mugs for Baking

If you’re craving a baked-in-a-mug dessert, you should definitely choose a stoneware mug.

Stoneware is a type of non-porous ceramic. Stoneware clay is fired at very high temperatures: up to 2,370 degrees. Therefore, it is not surprising that it can withstand the high heat of the oven, of about 350 degrees. Since stoneware is fired at such high temperatures, stoneware mugs are best for baking.

Stoneware mugs are also great for baking, as they distribute heat well, allowing the dessert to bake evenly. What makes stoneware mugs even better for baking is that they have a nonstick surface. This is the result of the natural non-porous surface of the material.

So you can bake a small batch of your favorite dish in a stoneware mug, end up with an evenly baked dessert, and clean the mug easily thanks to the material’s nonstick surface.

Can you put the glass mugs in the oven?

Glass mugs are usually not oven-safe. Although glass has been proven to withstand very high heat, most glass mugs will break if exposed to high temperatures in the oven.

However, some manufacturers produce oven-safe glass mugs. However, you must be very careful when putting a glass mug in the oven.

Before doing so, check the manufacturer’s recommendations and, if the glass mug is oven-safe, don’t expose it to a temperature higher than the manufacturer claims it can withstand.

Mugs you should never put in the oven

There are some materials that should never go into the oven.

• Porcelain: Porcelain mugs are oven-safe and can withstand high temperatures. However, this is not the case with porcelain mugs. These are made of a fine porcelain that cracks and breaks when exposed to heat.

Before you decide to put your porcelain mug in the oven, be sure to look for the oven safety symbol. If it’s missing, it’s better to be safe than sorry. Do not put porcelain cups in the oven.

• Bone china: Bone china is another delicate material that should never go into the kiln. Porcelain cups are very fine. Also, most porcelain mugs are painted and decorated, making them even more unsuitable for the oven.
• Plastic: As expected, plastic cups should be avoided in the oven. The plastic melts if you put it in the oven. At best, if your oven temperature is set to the minimum, the plastic cup will warp.

You should never put any dish in the oven if it has plastic details. 

• Clay: Clay mugs may seem thick and durable; however, we recommend that you do not put them in the oven because this material is prone to flaking. The paint will start to flake and flake off when you put an earthenware cup in the oven.

In addition to the material of the cup, you should also pay attention to the decorations on the cup . Decorations, added after the mug is fired, will likely chip or crack when the mug goes into the kiln.

Sometimes the decorations can also be made of other materials, which can affect the safety of the mug in the oven.

What happens if you put an unsafe mug in the oven?

If you still think you can get away with putting in a non-oven safe cup, here’s another warning. If you put a mug in the oven that is not designed for it, the mug and the oven will be damaged.

The cup will break and shatter. The broken particles will spread all over the oven, and the liquid inside the cup will spill everywhere. You’ll have to do a lot of tedious cleaning to save yourself from the consequences of popping an unsafe mug in the oven.

Can I put a microwaveable mug in the oven?

Microwave-safe does not mean oven-safe. Some mugs may be microwave safe, but popping them in the oven will be a disaster. Plastic cups, for example, are usually microwave-safe, but should never go in the oven.

A mug should only go in the oven if it has a label saying it is oven safe.

Why do some oven-safe mugs crack after baking?

As we have already told you, some mugs can safely go into the oven. However, even oven-safe mugs can crack.

They usually don’t crack in the oven, but after you take out the mug. You might take your beautiful cup cake out of the oven and the cup crack out of nowhere.

Why is this happening? When you expose the mug to drastic changes in temperature, such as going from the oven to colder temperatures or vice versa, the thermal shock it experiences causes the mug to crack.

All materials are susceptible to thermal shock, even if the mug has an oven safety label. Of course, the stronger the material, the less chance it will crack from thermal shock.

How to prevent the mug from cracking?

To prevent your mug from cracking due to thermal shock, you must follow two simple rules:

1. Do not put the oven temperature above that recommended for the cup . Setting the oven temperature higher than what the mug can handle increases its chances of cracking.
2. Avoid drastic changes in temperature.  Never transfer a mug that has been in the fridge or freezer to the oven. Similarly, when you take the hot mug out of the oven, let it sit on your kitchen counter instead of moving it to a cooler setting to cool quickly.

As you can probably guess, this point suggests that you should never run hot cups under cold water either. Wait a bit before attempting to wash or soak your mug.