Best Pizza Stone Substitutes - The Ultimate Guide

If you’ve ever eaten pizza made on a pizza stone, you’ll know that the main reason it’s used is for that ultra-crispy crust.

But sometimes one of these stones is very difficult to get hold of or they are simply too expensive to buy. They also have very limited uses and can be quite brittle.

Does this mean you’ll never be able to make the perfect crispy pizza? It’s not like that! Luckily, there are some substitutes you can use to make a delicious, crispy pizza, although some of these substitutes may work better than others.

So what are the best pizza stone substitutes? Your best options for getting the same crispy, evenly cooked crust include using a perforated pizza pan or pizza baking steel. Other options you can use are cast iron skillets, baking sheets, and cookie sheets. 

In this article, we’ll take a look at how a pizza stone works, how its substitutes work, and which ones are the best. We’ll also look at the best pizza stone substitute products you can buy.

Baking stone vs. pizza stone

A baking stone is a portable cooking surface used to bake certain foods. A pizza stone is a type of baking stone, customized for making pizzas specifically.

Baking stones come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes that are often related to what they are used for . They are made of various materials, such as ceramic, stone and salt.

The materials that baking stones and pizzas are made from tend to be very poor conductors of heat, which is a good thing compared to baking on better conductors like metal or glass.

The reason these stones are better is that you can extract a lot of moisture over a longer period of time without the item burning.

These materials also conduct heat more evenly, resulting in a much more even baked good.

These stones are very similar to baking or cookie sheets, but the main difference is that they absorb more moisture, leaving the bottom of the pizza or food much crispier.

How to use the baking stones:

•  It is recommended to lightly dust the stone with cornmeal or common flour to prevent the dough from sticking. Alternatively, you can use a piece of parchment paper on top of the stone, but this reduces its functionality.
• You should also preheat these pizza stones at the same time you preheat the oven. This will prevent the possibility of the stone cracking from thermal shock (the sudden extreme change in temperature).
•  As these stones are porous, they should only be cleaned with hot water, without chemicals or soaps of any kind.

Pizza Stone Substitutions - Buyer’s Guide

So if pizza stones are so good, why aren’t more people using them? It is most likely due to its price.

Sure, you can get them cheaper, but a quality pizza stone (which we always recommend) that won’t crack after a few uses is usually more expensive than alternative cookware.

Another reason why more people don’t use the pizza stone could be that a lot of people don’t like a crispy pizza crust.

So, whatever the reason you don’t want to use a pizza stone, there are plenty of substitutes that will give you a crispy, evenly cooked pizza, just like the stone.

pizza pans

There are two types of pizza pans: perforated and non-perforated .

The non-perforated pizza pan is exactly the same as a non-stick baking sheet, the only difference being that it is round instead of the traditional rectangular shape. Sometimes these pizza pans come with two handles on each side.

The perforated pizza pan has lots of tiny holes all over the surface. These holes contribute in various ways to the result of the pizza.

Firstly, the holes allow for a more even distribution of heat in the pizza dough due to semi-direct contact with the heat source. There is no surface that has to conduct and distribute the heat first before cooking the base, now it cooks directly.

The second function of the holes is to allow more moisture to be extracted from the dough, which ultimately results in a crispier crust, much like you would get with a pizza stone.

These pizza pans are essentially the best option when it comes to replacing pizza stones, as they provide the closest result to pizza stones. They are very easy to find and fit the budget.

Non Perforated Pizza Pans

Pros

• Its round shape ensures a consistent pizza size
• nonstick
• Easy to clean and maintain
• affordable budget

Cons :

• Doesn’t leave the dough crunchy
• Does not bake bases evenly (some spots will bake longer than others)
• You can not bake on an open fire

Perforated Pizza Pans

Pros

• The round shape ensures a consistent pizza size
• It will provide crunchy bases
• Great, even heat distribution (evenly baked pizza crusts)
• nonstick
• Easy to clean and maintain
• affordable budget

Cons :

• You can not bake on an open fire

baking sheets

A cookie sheet is one of the easiest substitutes, especially since you probably already have one at home.

By simply inverting a baking sheet in your oven, you have the perfect surface for making pizzas. The main reason for turning the baking sheet upside down is so that you can easily move the dough in and out of the sheet pan.

If you bake it “right side”, the edge of the pan will prevent you from easily moving the pizza.

Baking sheets are also guaranteed to fit in your oven, which is a huge advantage over pizza stones.  Sometimes it is very difficult to find a pizza stone that will fit in your oven.

You can also use a baking tray to make your pizzas. Cookie sheets are essentially baking sheets without the rim (meaning they are flat sheets that go inside your oven).

We’d just like to mention that while baking sheets and cookie sheets work for cooking pizza, if you want a crispy pizza you might want to try an alternate method as these won’t help you in that regard.

Advantages and disadvantages of baking sheets

Pros

• Baking sheets fit in your oven
• They are easy to get the pizzas in and out of the oven
• large surface
• nonstick
• Easy to clean and maintain
• affordable budget

Cons :

• It does not guarantee a uniform size of the pizzas
• You can not bake on an open fire
• Doesn’t leave the dough crunchy
• It won’t bake the bottoms evenly (some spots will bake more than others)

cast iron skillets

Cast iron skillets are another great option for crispy pizzas, as long as they are used on an open fire.

Cast iron skillets are highly durable, affordable, easy to find, and have many uses . Unlike a pizza stone that can only perform a set number of functions, you can buy a cast iron pan that can do much more.

For example, if you buy a cast iron Dutch oven, you will be able to make pizzas, bake bread, make casseroles, and fry meats. These are just a few examples of what you can do with cast iron cookware.

There are many different shapes and sizes of cast iron cookware, so you can choose a pan that works for both your pizzas and other uses.

Another advantage of using these shaped kitchen containers to make your pizzas is that you can standardize your recipe. This may seem useless to some, but it’s always nice to have a recipe that you know works.

Containers (or pots) will give you the crispiest results on an open fire, almost as if you were making wood-fired pizzas.

Of course, you can also use these pans in the oven, but the results won’t be as crispy.

Pros and cons of cast iron skillets

Pros

• The shape will ensure uniform size pizzas
• It will make the base crunchy
• Superb, even heat distribution (evenly baked pizza crusts)
• They can be cooked on an open fire or in the oven
• Multiple uses for cooking
• durable product

Cons

• May give off rust if not properly maintained
• can be expensive

baking steels

If you are looking for a product similar to a baking stone, a baking steel will be perfect. These steels are exactly like stone, only they’re made of, you guessed it, steel.

They are large, heavy sheets of metal that function exactly like the pizza stone. You can bake at much higher temperatures, since they are more conductive and much more resistant to heat than stones.

You can also find them in different shapes and sizes, but they are usually larger than the alternative containers.

They will give you crispy pizzas, with the only drawback that you will have the same problem as with the stones (ie the steels might not fit in your oven). They are also much more expensive than the other substitutes and even some of the stones.

However, along with pizza pans, pizza steels are one of the best substitutes for pizza stones.

Pros and cons of baking sheets

Pros :

• The shape will ensure uniform size pizzas
• Will make a crispy pizza base
• Superb, even heat distribution (evenly baked pizza crusts)
• It can be cooked on an open fire or in the oven
• durable product

Cons:

• Very heavy (not comfortable to wear)
• can be very expensive
• It can be hard to find
• May not fit in your oven