Ceramic vs. Nonstick Cookware: Is One Better Than the Other?

During my stint as a short-order egg cook, there was no kitchen tool I cared for more than my nonstick pans. After flipping hundreds of eggs in them during daily service, I would diligently hand-wash and stack them between layers of cloth in an attempt to keep them pristine. As you likely already know, nonstick pans are delicate. Their surfaces are prone to scratching and wearing down over time, and they’re made with chemical compounds that raise concerns for our health and the environment. 

Cue: ceramic nonstick pans. They promise to bring all the slippery properties of traditional nonstick while also being non-toxic. The Serious Eats team has tested and found favorites for both styles. We’ve also found distinctions—and some crucial similarities—that you should consider when choosing one.

Traditional Nonstick Cookware Pros and Cons

Traditional nonstick cookware tends to be cheaper than ceramic and is coated with polytetrafluoroethylene (better known as PTFE or by its trademarked name, Teflon). PTFE belongs to another acronymic group called PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. According to the EPA, this group of compounds is slow to break down and can build up in water, soil, and air. Their health impacts aren’t totally clear, but some early research suggests adverse effects on cholesterol levels, reproduction, and immunity.

Besides making cookware nonstick, PTFE is used because it's a stable, nonreactive compound, meaning it won’t corrode or cause an off-flavor if you cook, say, acidic foods like tomato sauce in pans coated with it (unlike cast iron skillets). It’s generally considered safe and offers a much lower risk of exposure when unscratched and used at temperatures under 250°C or 480°F, which is on the high end of normal cooking ranges (think smoking, steak-searing temps). Above that, the coating will start degrading and can emit gases that cause flu-like symptoms if inhaled (though these effects are uncommon).

Ceramic Cookware Pros and Cons

Considering the hazy safety and environmental impacts of PTFE-coated pans, it’s no surprise that many cooks look beyond Teflon for their nonstick cookware. Ceramic pots and pans are just as slick as regular nonstick and are often marketed as PTFE- and PFOA-free. (It’s worth noting here that the latter has been phased out of use in the US since 2015.) Their coating isn’t like the ceramic of a casserole dish, though. Rather, it’s a ceramic-like layer made from a gel solution (aka sol-gel) of silicon- and titanium-based nanoparticles, which gets sprayed onto the pan’s metal core during manufacturing. Unlike traditional nonstick, ceramic coatings come in colors like coppery orange, gray, cream, or white, as well as black, so you can choose one that best fits your style.

Is Ceramic Cookware Non-Toxic?

Ceramic pan brands frequently label their products as “non-toxic” to set themselves apart from PTFE-coated cookware. It’s shorthand for saying the product isn’t understood to be harmful to humans or the environment, but the term isn’t well-regulated. It does not mean the product has been thoroughly studied and declared harmless (or even that it’s necessarily PFAS-free). As The Guardian reported in June 2025, some ceramic nonstick pans replace PTFE with other possibly risky minerals and have shown the potential for leaching them into food. Each company uses a proprietary formula for its ceramic coating, and thanks to that trade secrecy (as well as a lack of cookware research in general), it would be difficult to say for sure that any ceramic nonstick pan is 100% non-toxic.

Both Will Need to Be Replaced

While traditional nonstick pans are famously vulnerable to scratching and deteriorate at high heat (that’s why we don’t recommend spending much on them), ceramic pans aren’t much better. Ceramic tends to be more brittle than PTFE coatings, making it prone to chipping as well as scratches. We saw many ceramic nonstick pans get scraped and chipped in our tests, and the three that came out unscathed (from Caraway, Le Creuset, and Kyocera) were declared our winners. One study found that ceramic pans are slightly more heat-resistant than PTFE nonsticks, but their coatings also degrade at high temperatures. Even with all the correct care—avoiding metal utensils, using low to medium temperatures, and always hand-washing—neither nonstick cookware nor ceramic pans will last you more than a few years at best. Both types of coating inevitably wear over time, leading to a decline in nonstick performance, too. It’s best to find a pan that fits your budget, including the eventual replacement costs. 

If you’d like to avoid the nonstick vs. ceramic debate altogether, go with a classic cast iron skillet or a carbon steel pan. They’re naturally coated, and while neither will be quite as slippery as chemically coated pans, they will last a lifetime and continue to get more nonstick over time.

The Best Traditional Nonstick Pans

The Best Traditional Nonstick Skillet

Tramontina Professional Fusion 10-Inch Nonstick Frying Pan

$45 at Amazon $45 at Target View on Walmart

We’ve been recommending this affordable nonstick pan for years. It’s super heat-responsive, lightweight, and easy to clean; plus its nonstick coating easily releases eggs and other ingredients. It also has a silicone-covered handle to keep your hands cool while cooking.

Key Specs

• Weight: 1.97 pounds
• Materials: Aluminum, stainless steel
• Diameter: 10 inches
• Maximum oven temperature: 400°F
• Induction compatible: No
• Care instructions: Hand-wash, dishwasher-safe

Another Great Nonstick Skillet

Misen Nonstick Frying Pan

$82 at Amazon View on Misen.com

For those who have an induction stove or want a higher-quality nonstick pan, we recommend this nonstick skillet from Misen. It’s on the pricier side, though still cheaper than most ceramic pans. It’s also extra durable, thanks to its textured surface; it showed no signs of scratching when we scrubbed it with steel wool and scraped it with a metal spatula. While the exterior is (somewhat confusingly) coated with a double layer of ceramic, its interior is infused with the “highest grade PTFE [coating] on the market,” according to Misen.

Key Specs

• Weight: 2.6 pounds
• Materials: Aluminum, stainless steel
• Diameter: 10 inches
• Maximum oven temperature: 450°F
• Induction compatible: Yes
• Care instructions: Hand-wash only

The Best Ceramic Nonstick Pans

The Best Ceramic Nonstick Skillet

Caraway Nonstick Ceramic Frying Pan

$125

$105 at Amazon View on Target

$125

$107 at Sur La Table

The Caraway has tall sides and rounded corners, creating a pan that’s almost a hybrid between a frying pan and a saucier. Even with its high sides, we flipped eggs and crepes without a problem during our tests. It also helped that its surface was supremely slippery. It comes in multiple colors, too, so you can match your ceramic pan to the rest of your kitchen.

Key Specs

• Weight: 5 pounds
• Materials: Aluminum, ceramic
• Diameter: 10.5 inches
• Maximum oven temperature: 550°F
• Induction compatible: Yes
• Care instructions: Hand-wash only; avoid metal utensils

A Tremendous Ceramic Pan That Comes in Multiple Sizes

Le Creuset Essential Non-Stick Ceramic Shallow Frying Pan

$120 at Amazon View on Williams Sonoma $120 at Sur La Table

Like the Caraway, this Le Creuset pan stood up to scratches during testing and easily released omelettes and crepes from its nonstick surface. While the 10-inch model is fairly expensive, you can get an eight-inch egg pan for around $100.

Key Specs

• Weight: 2.6 pounds
• Materials: Ceramic, aluminum, and stainless steel
• Diameter: 10 inches
• Maximum oven temperature: 550°F
• Induction compatible: Yes
• Care instructions: Dishwasher-safe; hand-washing recommended

The Best Budget Ceramic Nonstick Skillet

Kyocera Ceramic Nonstick Frying Pan

$68 at Amazon

The Kyocera is a fantastic, everyday ceramic pan. While it's pricier than the Tramontina nonstick pan, it's more affordable than either of our ceramic picks and well under $100. The 10-inch pan weighs a mere two pounds, making it a lightweight recommendation, too.

Key Specs

• Weight: 2 pounds
• Materials: Ceramic, aluminum, and stainless steel 
• Care: Hand-wash only; avoid metal utensils and abrasive or harsh cleaners
• Maximum oven temperature: 400ºF
• Induction compatible: Yes

Bonus: Our Favorite Pre-Seasoned Carbon Steel Pan

Still not sure if nonstick or ceramic is right for you? Here’s an alternative that might seal the deal: carbon steel. You can think of a carbon steel pan as cast iron’s lighter, more agile little sibling. Like cast iron, it’s been used for centuries and is coated with layers of cooking oil that have been heated until they’ve polymerized into a smooth, shiny surface. This is a process you can do entirely yourself at home or jumpstart by buying a pre-seasoned pan, like our recommendation below.

A Budget- and Beginner-Friendly Carbon Steel Pan

OXO Obsidian 10 Inch Pre-Seasoned Carbon Steel Frying Pan

$60 at Amazon $60 at Target $60 at Home Depot

It’s often said that carbon steel will never be Teflon-level nonstick, but this one came darn close in our tests. Fried eggs, crepes, and a tarte tatin all slid out of it without a hitch. It’s also particularly lightweight and affordable for a carbon steel skillet. In general, carbon steel cookware is exponentially more durable than either nonstick or ceramic; you can use metal utensils with it and heat it to smoking temperatures without a worry. As long as you’re cleaning and seasoning it properly between uses, this pan will also last you decades and get more nonstick along the way. Plus, if something does happen to the pan’s coating, you can just reseason it.

Key Specs

• Weight: 2.6 pounds
• Materials: Carbon steel
• Diameter: 10 inches
• Maximum oven temperature: 660°F
• Induction compatible: Yes
• Care instructions: Hand-wash

FAQs

Are ceramic pans safe?

Many people choose ceramic cookware over traditional PTFE-coated nonstick pans, which some research suggests could be harmful to our health or the environment if scratched or overheated. Ceramic coatings, on the other hand, are made of a silica-based, ceramic-like compound. Due to trade secrecy and a lack of good research, though, we don’t know for sure what goes into those coatings or if every proprietary ceramic coating blend is 100% non-toxic. As it stands, both types of pan are generally regarded as safe to use if they are undamaged, treated gently, and used at low to medium temperatures. 

Is ceramic better than nonstick?

That depends on your preferences! Both are super slick and great for tasks like frying eggs or making crepes. Traditional nonstick pans are coated in polytetrafluoroethylene (aka PTFE), which is generally regarded as safe but may have adverse health and environmental effects if damaged or heated too high. Ceramic pans don’t usually have PTFE, but can be even more prone to scratching and chipping. Either way, we recommend shopping within your budget for a pan that you can plan to replace within a few years, or sooner if it gets damaged. 

Why We’re the Experts

• Ashlee Redger is a writer for Serious Eats and has been testing kitchen equipment since 2022. 
• She has written dozens of reviews, including grill pans, small saucepans, and induction cooktops.
• Ashlee cooked thousands of eggs on nonstick pans when she worked at a breakfast restaurant. Even at home, she still loves pans that allow her to flip a trio of over-easy eggs without a spatula.