Baking pan substitutes

Baking pan substitutes — 7 options, ranked

Also called cake pan, baking dish, baking tin, cake tin

Use thisBest of 7 options

Use 9-inch round cake pan

The straight swap for an 8x8-inch square pan. A 9-inch round, 2 inches deep, has about 64 square inches of surface and holds about 8 cups, the same as the square.

Swap a baking pan for one with about the same surface area and the batter sits at the same depth, so the recipe's temperature and time still hold. A 9-inch round pan stands in for an 8x8-inch square pan with no changes: both are about 64 square inches and hold about 8 cups. A 9x13-inch pan (117 square inches, about 14 cups) splits into two 9-inch rounds or two 8x8 pans. When the only pan you have makes the batter deeper or shallower, keep the pan no more than two-thirds full and change the time, not the recipe.

Verdict —: Works
The tweak —: Grease or line it as the recipe says and bake at the same temperature for the same time. Going the other way, an 8x8 square replaces a 9-inch round with no changes.
Best for —: replacing an 8x8-inch square pan
Pantry —: Likely in your cupboard

Updated 8 Oct 2026 · no sponsored swaps

But first: what’s the baking pan doing?

Pick your case

Which pan does the recipe call for?

Use a 9-inch round cake pan. Both are about 64 square inches and 8 cups, so the temperature and time stay as written. A 9x9 pan also works: the batter sits about a fifth shallower, so start checking 5 to 10 minutes early.
Notes on 9-inch round cake pan
Divide the batter between two 9-inch rounds or two 8x8 pans and start checking 5 to 10 minutes early. For cake, a 10-inch Bundt pan holds the whole batch but bakes longer. With only one 8x8, halve the recipe.
Notes on two 9-inch rounds or two 8x8 pans, 10-inch bundt pan or 8x8-inch square pan
A loaf pan holds about 8 cups. Bake the batter as about 12 muffins, checking at 18 to 20 minutes, or in an 8x8 pan as a flat cake, checking at about two-thirds of the loaf time.
Notes on 12-cup muffin tin or 8x8-inch square pan
A 9x13-inch pan takes a two-layer 9-inch recipe or a 10 to 12 cup Bundt recipe as one sheet cake. Cupcakes work too: about 24 from either.
Notes on 9x13-inch pan or 12-cup muffin tin
Lower the oven by 25°F and allow up to 10 minutes longer.
Notes on glass or ceramic dish of the same size

A pan does two jobs. Its surface area decides how deep the batter sits, and depth decides how long heat takes to reach the center. Its volume decides whether the batter fits with room to rise. Match the area and the recipe's time holds; change the area and the time has to change with it. The common sizes: 8x8 inch, 64 square inches and 8 cups; 9x9 inch, 81 square inches and 10 cups; 9x13 inch, 117 square inches and 14 cups; 9-inch round, 64 square inches and 8 cups; 9x5-inch loaf, 45 square inches and 8 cups; 12-cup muffin tin, about ½ cup per cup; 10-inch Bundt, 10 to 12 cups.

Every option, one card

Ranked

Baking Pan substitutes compared
#	Substitute	Instead of baking pan	Verdict
1	9-inch round cake panreplacing an 8x8-inch square pan	See notesWorks	Works
2	Two 9-inch rounds or two 8x8 pansreplacing a 9x13-inch pan	See notesTweak it	Tweak it
3	8x8-inch square panreplacing a 9x5-inch loaf pan	See notesTweak it	Tweak it
4	9x13-inch panreplacing two round layer pans	See notesTweak it	Tweak it
5	12-cup muffin tinreplacing a 9x5-inch loaf pan	See notesTweak it	Tweak it
6	10-inch bundt panreplacing a 9x13-inch pan for cake	See notesYou'll taste it	You'll taste it
7	Glass or ceramic dish of the same sizereplacing a metal pan of the same dimensions	See notesTweak it	Tweak it
Not a swap	Flat cookie sheet or glass not rated for the oven	not a swapNot for this	Not for this

What changesWhat changes, option by option7 options

9-inch round cake pan

The straight swap for an 8x8-inch square pan.

A 9-inch round, 2 inches deep, has about 64 square inches of surface and holds about 8 cups, the same as the square.

Best for: replacing an 8x8-inch square pan, brownies and bars, cornbread, single-layer cakes
Texture: the same; bars come out as wedges, not squares
Prep: Grease or line it as the recipe says and bake at the same temperature for the same time. Going the other way, an 8x8 square replaces a 9-inch round with no changes.
Pantry: Likely in your cupboard

It does not replace a 9x9-inch pan, which is 81 square inches and holds about 10 cups. A 9x9 recipe poured into a 9-inch round sits about a quarter deeper, can dome over the rim, and needs more time. An 8-inch round is smaller again, at about 50 square inches and 6 cups.

Two 9-inch rounds or two 8x8 pans

The standard way to bake a 9x13-inch recipe without a 9x13 pan.

Two 9-inch rounds or two 8x8 squares total about 128 square inches against the 9x13's 117, so the batter sits slightly shallower.

Best for: replacing a 9x13-inch pan, sheet cakes turned into layer cakes, brownies and bars, casseroles split into two dishes
Texture: slightly thinner layers with more edge
Prep: Divide the batter evenly between the two pans, bake at the recipe's temperature, and start checking 5 to 10 minutes before the stated time.
Pantry: Likely in your cupboard

Both pans need to fit on one oven rack with space between them and the walls, or the batch bakes unevenly. Rotate them once, after the batter has set. A layered casserole such as lasagna has to be built as two smaller ones; it cannot be poured and divided.

8x8-inch square pan

Holds about 8 cups, the same as a 9x5-inch loaf pan, and has just over half the area of a 9x13. It takes a loaf recipe, or half of a 9x13 recipe.

Best for: replacing a 9x5-inch loaf pan, half of a 9x13-inch recipe, quick breads baked as snack cake, small-batch brownies
Texture: shallower, with more crust for the amount of crumb
Prep: For a loaf recipe, pour the batter in, keep the same temperature, and start checking at about two-thirds of the loaf's baking time, because the batter sits shallower. For a 9x13 recipe, halve every ingredient and start checking a few minutes early.
Pantry: Likely in your cupboard

A loaf pan has 45 square inches of surface and an 8x8 has 64, so a quick bread comes out as a flat snack cake, with no tall domed top to slice. A full 9x13 recipe does not fit in one 8x8 pan.

9x13-inch pan

The largest common pan, at 117 square inches and about 14 cups.

It takes a recipe written for two 9-inch rounds, two 8x8 pans, or a 10-inch Bundt pan.

Best for: replacing two round layer pans, a doubled 8x8-inch recipe, Bundt recipes baked as a sheet cake, doubled brownies and bars
Texture: one thick layer in place of two
Prep: Pour in the whole batch, bake at the recipe's temperature, and expect a two-layer recipe to take 5 to 10 minutes longer than the layers would. A Bundt recipe baked this way is shallower and finishes sooner, so start checking at about two-thirds of the Bundt time.
Pantry: Likely in your cupboard

A single 8x8 or one-layer recipe spreads too thin in a 9x13 and overbakes at the edges before the middle is done. Double it first.

12-cup muffin tin

A standard muffin cup holds about ½ cup to the brim.

One 9x5 loaf recipe fills about 12 cups, and a 9x13 or two-layer cake recipe makes about 24 cupcakes.

Best for: replacing a 9x5-inch loaf pan, cake recipes baked as cupcakes, banana bread and other quick breads, cornbread
Texture: more crust and a drier edge; they stale faster than a loaf
Prep: Line or grease the cups, fill each two-thirds full, keep the recipe's temperature, and start checking at 18 to 20 minutes. A toothpick in the center should come out clean.
Pantry: Likely in your cupboard

A 9x13 or layer-cake recipe needs two rounds through a 12-cup tin. Yeast sandwich bread turns into rolls, not a loaf. Half-fill any empty cups with water so the tin heats evenly.

10-inch bundt pan

A 10-inch Bundt pan holds 10 to 12 cups, which is the batter from a 9x13 recipe or a two-layer 9-inch cake. The center tube lets heat reach the middle of a deep batter.

Best for: replacing a 9x13-inch pan for cake, two-layer cake recipes, quick bread batter, up to three-quarters of the pan, pound cakes
Texture: taller and denser at the crust, with more browned surface
Prep: Grease every crease and flour the pan, fill it no more than three-quarters full, and bake at the recipe's temperature. The batter is deeper than in a flat pan, so as a starting point plan on 45 to 60 minutes at 350°F and test with a long skewer near the tube. Cool 10 minutes in the pan, then turn out.

Works for sturdy butter, oil and pound cake batters. Light sponge and chiffon cakes stick and tear in the ridges, and brownies, bars and anything with a crumb topping do not survive being turned out upside down.

Glass or ceramic dish of the same size

An oven-safe glass or ceramic dish with the same measurements holds the same batter as the metal pan the recipe was written for, but heats more slowly and holds heat longer.

Best for: replacing a metal pan of the same dimensions, casseroles and baked pasta, cobblers and crisps, brownies and bars
Texture: darker, chewier edges
Prep: Lower the oven by 25°F and expect the bake to take up to 10 minutes longer. Put the dish on the rack of a fully preheated oven, never on a preheated stone, on a stovetop burner or under the broiler.
Pantry: Likely in your cupboard

Glass keeps cooking after it leaves the oven, so edges of brownies and bars go darker and firmer. Do not move a glass dish from the freezer to a hot oven or set it hot on a wet counter.

Flat cookie sheet or glass not rated for the oven

not applicable

Don’t swap it here

3 cases

Angel food or chiffon cake, in anything but an ungreased tube pan.Borrow a tube pan, or bake a different cake.
Cheesecake in a pan without a removable bottom, when it has to be served whole.Line a regular pan with a parchment sling that overhangs two sides and lift it out cold, or bake it as bars in an 8x8 pan.
Any pan filled past two-thirds because the right size was not on hand.Hold back the extra batter and bake it as a few cupcakes alongside.

Questions

6 questions

What can I use instead of an 8x8 pan?

A 9-inch round cake pan. Both have about 64 square inches of surface and hold about 8 cups, so the recipe bakes at the same temperature for the same time. A 9x9-inch pan (81 square inches) also works, but the batter sits about a fifth shallower, so start checking 5 to 10 minutes early. A 9x5 loaf pan holds the same 8 cups but is much deeper and narrower, so brownies or bars baked in one take longer and stay soft in the middle.

What can I use instead of a 9x13 pan?

Two 9-inch round pans or two 8x8-inch square pans. A 9x13 has 117 square inches and holds about 14 cups; two rounds or two squares come to about 128 square inches, so the batter is slightly shallower: start checking 5 to 10 minutes early. For cake, a 10-inch Bundt pan (10 to 12 cups) holds the batch, or it makes about 24 cupcakes. If you have a single 8x8, halve the recipe.

What can I use instead of a loaf pan?

For quick bread and pound cake batter, a 12-cup muffin tin (about 12 muffins from one 9x5 loaf recipe, checked at 18 to 20 minutes) or an 8x8-inch pan, which holds the same 8 cups but bakes a flat cake faster. For yeast bread, shape the dough into a round or oval and bake it free-form on a baking sheet; it spreads wider and lower than a pan loaf. For meatloaf, shape it by hand on a rimmed baking sheet. A pourable batter needs walls, so it cannot go on a sheet.

What can I use instead of a round cake pan?

An 8x8-inch square pan replaces one 9-inch round with no change to time or temperature. A two-layer recipe for 9-inch rounds fits a 9x13-inch pan as a single sheet cake that takes 5 to 10 minutes longer, a 10-inch Bundt pan, or about 24 cupcakes. An oven-safe 10-inch skillet is close to a 9-inch round for cornbread and skillet cakes.

Is an 8x8 pan half of a 9x13?

Close to it. An 8x8 is 64 square inches and a 9x13 is 117, so the square is about 55 percent of the big pan. Half of a 9x13 recipe in an 8x8 comes out a little thinner and bakes in about the same time or a few minutes less. Two 8x8 pans hold one full 9x13 recipe.

Do I change the temperature for a different pan?

Not when the batter depth stays about the same. Lower the oven by 25°F in three cases: the pan is glass, the pan is dark metal, or the batter sits noticeably deeper than the recipe intended. Then judge doneness by a toothpick or skewer in the center, not by the clock.

Tips for substituting baking pan

5 tips

Measure a pan across the inside of the top edge, not the outside or the base. Multiply length by width for the area of a square or rectangle. For a round pan, multiply the radius by itself, then by 3.14.
To find the volume of an odd pan, fill it to the brim with water from a measuring cup and count the cups. Then compare it with the pan the recipe names: 8 cups for an 8x8, a 9-inch round or a 9x5 loaf, 10 cups for a 9x9, 14 cups for a 9x13.
Fill cake and quick bread pans half to two-thirds full, and a Bundt pan no more than three-quarters. Bake any extra batter as cupcakes.
When batter sits deeper than the recipe intended, lower the oven by 25°F and bake longer so the center sets before the edges dry out. When it sits shallower, keep the temperature and start checking at about three-quarters of the time.
Dark metal and glass both brown faster than shiny aluminum. Lower the oven by 25°F for either.

Baking pan substitute: use 9-inch round cake pan. — The baking pan card, to save or send