Ramekins substitutes
Ramekins substitutes — 6 options, ranked
Also called ramequins, souffle cups, individual baking dishes
Use Oven-safe glass custard cups
Use oven-safe glass custard cups of the same volume: a 6-ounce cup holds the same ¾ cup as a standard ramekin and bakes in a water bath in about the same time. Oven-safe stoneware mugs and teacups also work, but they are deeper and narrower, so custard takes 5 to 15 minutes longer to set. Glass must stay away from the broiler and from a torch flame, so for a creme brulee crust choose ceramic. Do not bake in drinking glasses or any dish that is not marked oven-safe.
- Verdict —
- Works
- The tweak —
- Fill as you would a ramekin and bake in a water bath with hot water halfway up the sides. Put room-temperature cups into the bath, not cold ones from the refrigerator.
- Best for —
- baked custard and flan
Updated 8 Oct 2026 · no sponsored swaps
But first: what are the ramekins doing?
Pick your caseWhat are you making in them?
Use oven-safe custard cups or wide, shallow oven-safe cups in a water bath at the recipe's temperature. Custard is done when the edge is set and the center wobbles, 170°F to 175°F on a thermometer. For a broiled or torched sugar crust use ceramic, not glass.
Notes on oven-safe glass custard cups, oven-safe mugs or teacups or one shallow baking dish
Straight sides matter. Use straight-sided oven-safe mugs, buttered and sugared, or bake one large souffle in a straight-sided dish of the same total volume and allow more time.
Notes on oven-safe mugs or teacups or one shallow baking dish
A greased muffin tin works. Each cup holds about ½ cup, so expect more, smaller portions and check 3 to 5 minutes early.
Notes on muffin tin, disposable foil baking cups or oven-safe mugs or teacups
Nothing is baked, so any clean small container works, including canning jars and ordinary glasses. Let a hot mixture cool until just warm before pouring it into ordinary glasses.
Notes on small canning jars or oven-safe glass custard cups
A ramekin does three things. It portions a recipe into single servings, which is why custards in them cook evenly: each one is small and shallow, so heat reaches the center before the edge overcooks. Its thick ceramic wall heats slowly and gently, which protects eggs in a water bath. And its straight side gives a souffle something to climb. It is also safe under a broiler and at the table. A substitute needs to be oven-safe first, then close in volume and depth, and straight-sided only if the dish has to rise.
Every option, one card
Ranked| # | Substitute | Instead of ramekins | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oven-safe glass custard cupsbaked custard and flan | See notesWorks | Works |
| 2 | Oven-safe mugs or teacupsindividual pot pies | See notesTweak it | Tweak it |
| 3 | Muffin tinbaked eggs and egg cups | See notesTweak it | Tweak it |
| 4 | One shallow baking dishlarge creme brulee | See notesTweak it | Tweak it |
| 5 | Disposable foil baking cupsmolten chocolate cakes | See notesTweak it | Tweak it |
| 6 | Small canning jarspanna cotta | See notesYou'll taste it | You'll taste it |
| Not a swap | Drinking glasses and unmarked dishes | not a swapNot for this | Not for this |
| Not a swap | Plastic, melamine or paper cups | not a swapNot for this | Not for this |
Oven-safe glass custard cups
similar taste and texture
Small tempered-glass cups made for baked custard, in the same 6-ounce size as a standard ramekin.
- Best for
- baked custard and flan, individual bread puddings, pots de creme, baked eggs
- Prep
- Fill as you would a ramekin and bake in a water bath with hot water halfway up the sides. Put room-temperature cups into the bath, not cold ones from the refrigerator.
The sides flare, so a souffle rises less evenly than in a straight-sided ramekin. Glass bakeware must not go under a broiler and must not move from cold straight to hot. Its makers also rule out direct flame, which includes a kitchen torch, so bake a creme brulee that will get a burnt-sugar crust in ceramic.
Oven-safe mugs or teacups
similar taste · deeper custard, set slightly firmer at the edge
Stoneware or porcelain mugs and cups marked oven-safe hold a single serving and take the heat of the oven. Only those also marked broiler-safe go under a broiler.
- Best for
- individual pot pies, baked eggs, custards and bread puddings, French onion soup
- Prep
- Check the base for an oven-safe mark. Measure the volume with water and fill to the same level a ramekin would be: ¾ cup for a 6-ounce recipe. Start checking at the recipe's time and allow 5 to 15 minutes more.
- Pantry
- Likely in your cupboard
A mug is deeper and narrower than a ramekin, so the center of a custard sets later and the surface area for a brulee crust is smaller. Handles get as hot as the cup. Mugs with metallic trim or decals, and any cup with no oven-safe mark, should not be used.
Muffin tin
similar taste · more browning on the sides
Each standard muffin cup holds about ½ cup, close to a 4-ounce ramekin, in a pan that goes straight into the oven.
- Best for
- baked eggs and egg cups, molten chocolate cakes, mini pot pies and quiches, individual cheesecakes
- Prep
- Grease the cups well, or butter and dust with cocoa or flour for cakes that are turned out. Fill three-quarters full. Metal heats faster than ceramic, so start checking 3 to 5 minutes before the recipe's time.
- Pantry
- Likely in your cupboard
A standard cup holds about ½ cup, less than a 6-ounce ramekin, so a recipe for four ramekins fills about six cups. The food has to be turned out or scooped; it cannot be served in the dish. A muffin tin does not sit well in a water bath, so it is a poor choice for delicate custard and for creme brulee.
One shallow baking dish
similar taste · softer in the center, firmer at the edge
The whole recipe baked family-style in a single gratin dish, pie plate or souffle dish and spooned out at the table.
- Best for
- large creme brulee, baked custard and bread pudding, one large souffle, pot pie
- Prep
- Add up the ramekin volumes: six 6-ounce ramekins is 4 ½ cups, so use a dish of at least that size. For custard, pick a dish that keeps the depth near 1 inch, bake in a water bath at the recipe's temperature, and allow 10 to 20 minutes longer. It is done when the edge is set and the center still wobbles.
- Pantry
- Likely in your cupboard
One large custard is harder to judge than small ones and the edge can overcook before the center sets if the dish is deep. A large souffle needs straight sides and takes longer than small ones; a 1 ½-quart dish holds what six 8-ounce ramekins do. Individual presentation is lost.
Disposable foil baking cups
similar taste and texture
Small straight-sided aluminum cups, sold in about the 4-ounce size, that stand on their own in the oven.
- Best for
- molten chocolate cakes, individual custards, baked eggs, desserts to take somewhere
- Prep
- Stand the cups on a rimmed baking sheet before filling so they can be moved without bending. Butter them for anything that will be turned out. Thin metal heats quickly: start checking 3 to 5 minutes early.
They are flimsy when full and tip in a water bath unless the water is shallow. They hold less than a 6-ounce ramekin. Foil must not go in a microwave.
Small canning jars
similar taste · similar for chilled desserts
4-ounce and 8-ounce canning jars hold a single serving and come with lids, which suits desserts that set in the refrigerator.
- Best for
- panna cotta, stovetop pudding and pots de creme, no-bake cheesecake, chilled mousse
- Prep
- Cook the custard or pudding on the stove, pour it into the jars, cool for 20 minutes, then cover and chill until set.
Canning jars are made for boiling-water and pressure canning, and their makers do not recommend baking in them in the dry heat of an oven. Keep them for desserts that set cold, and do not put them under a broiler.
Drinking glasses and unmarked dishes
not applicable
Tumblers, wine glasses, glass dessert bowls and ceramic dishes with no oven-safe mark.
- Best for
- serving cold desserts only
- Pantry
- Likely in your cupboard
Glass and ceramics that are not made for the oven can crack or shatter from the heat or from hot water in a water bath. Use them only to serve desserts that never go in the oven.
Plastic, melamine or paper cups
not applicable
Plastic storage tubs, melamine bowls and paper or foam cups.
- Best for
- nothing in the oven
- Pantry
- Likely in your cupboard
Plastic and melamine soften, warp or melt at oven temperatures, and paper cups that are not sold as baking cups can scorch and leak. None of them can take a broiler or a torch.
Don’t swap it here
3 cases- SafetyAny dish with no oven-safe mark, used in the oven, a water bath or under a broiler.Use bakeware marked oven-safe, a muffin tin, or one metal or ceramic baking dish.
- SafetyA glass cup under the broiler or a torch to caramelize creme brulee.Bake the custard in ceramic, then broil or torch the sugar, keeping a torch flame moving.
- A souffle in a bowl with sloped or flared sides.Use a straight-sided oven-safe mug or one straight-sided baking dish.
Questions
6 questionsWhat can I use instead of ramekins?
Oven-safe glass custard cups of the same size, oven-safe stoneware mugs or teacups, a muffin tin, or one shallow baking dish for the whole recipe. Whatever you use has to be marked oven-safe. Match the volume, ¾ cup for a 6-ounce ramekin, and adjust the time for the depth.
What can I use instead of ramekins for creme brulee?
Wide, shallow oven-safe cups or one shallow ceramic gratin dish, baked in a water bath until the edge is set and the center wobbles. Ceramic marked broiler-safe can go under the broiler for the sugar crust, or be finished with a torch. Keep glass cups for custards with no burnt-sugar top: glass must stay away from the broiler and from a torch flame.
Can I use a muffin tin instead of ramekins?
For baked eggs, molten cakes, mini quiches and pot pies, yes. Grease it well, fill three-quarters full and check 3 to 5 minutes early. It is a poor choice for creme brulee and delicate custard, which need a water bath and are served in the dish.
Can I use mugs instead of ramekins?
Yes, if they are marked oven-safe and have no metallic trim. A mug is deeper than a ramekin, so fill it with the same volume, not to the top, and allow 5 to 15 minutes more for custard.
What can I use instead of a souffle dish?
Any straight-sided oven-safe dish of the same volume: a deep ceramic casserole, a straight-sided oven-safe saucepan, or individual ramekins or mugs. A 1 ½-quart souffle dish holds 6 cups, the same as six 8-ounce ramekins. Small souffles bake faster than one large one, so start checking at about half the time.
Can I bake in mason jars instead of ramekins?
It is not recommended. Canning jars are made for canning in boiling water or steam, and their makers advise against baking in them in dry oven heat. They are good for desserts cooked on the stove and set in the refrigerator.
Tips for substituting ramekins
5 tips- Measure any stand-in with water. A standard ramekin holds 6 ounces, which is ¾ cup; fill the substitute with the same amount of mixture, not to the same height.
- Depth sets the time. Custard about 1 inch deep sets fastest and most evenly; in a deep mug the same amount takes 5 to 15 minutes longer.
- For a water bath, set the dishes on a folded kitchen towel in a roasting pan and pour in hot tap water to come halfway up their sides.
- Take custards out when the center still wobbles like set gelatin. They finish setting as they chill for at least 4 hours.
- Let dishes come to room temperature before they go into a hot oven or hot water, and set hot dishes down on a dry towel or a wooden board, not a cold or wet counter.