Are Pyrex Bowls Oven Safe? | Cake & Lasagna Baking Temperatures

Pyrex bowls are oven save and can be used in the oven to bake lasagna, cakes or meatloaf. The key tip is to reduce your oven temperature by 25 degrees Fahrenheit below what the recipe states to avoid overcooking and burning your meal. Pyrex bowls will conduct heat quicker so turn your oven down for the best results.

Pyrex bowl oven temperatures

Reduce oven temperatures by 25 degrees Fahrenheit for all recipes to avoid overcooking your food. Remember to always pre-heat your oven before adding your Pyrex bowl. This is a tip that I have been using for years and always have great results when cooking in Pyrex.

Recipe Cooking Temperature (°F)Pyrex Bowl Cooking Temperature (°F)Pyrex Bowl Cooking Temperature (°C)
Cakes350325165
Lasagna375350177
Meat Loaf350325165
Potato Bake350325165

Many people have found better results when they cook in Pyrex bowls at a slightly lower temperature. Check out the video below that shows how cooking cakes at a slightly lower temperature in Pyrex has great results.

How to use Pyrex bowls in the oven

There are 4 easy steps to using Pyrex bowls in the

  1. Pre-heat the oven before adding your Pyrex bowl
  2. Cover the bottom of the Pyrex bowl with liquid before cooking meats and vegetables
  3. Never put Pyrex bowls directly on a burner or under a broiler.
  4. Put hot Pyrex bowls on a cloth or pot holder and not directly on your bench.
Place hot Pyrex bowls on top of a thick tea towel to cool gradually.

Pre-heat the oven before placing your Pyrex bowl inside

Always pre-heat your oven before putting your Pyrex in to cook your food.

I contacted the Pyrex team and they stated that the reason you need to pre-heat the oven first is because ovens will release an extreme amount of heat to rapidly bring it to the desired temperature often releasing more heat that the maximum you are reaching.

The direct and extreme heat from the oven heating up can cause thermal shock to the Pyrex dish causing it to crack or break.

When Pyrex is put into a pre-heated oven the temperature is increased slower and more evenly.

My Pyrex dish that is perfect for cooking lasagna

Cover the bottom of the Pyrex bowl with liquid before cooking meats and vegetables

Adding liquid to the bottom of the Pyrex dish before adding meat and vegetables will help to regulate the temperature of the glass. This will stop any sudden increases in temperature which can shock the glass making it more brittle.

Adding liquid to the bottom of your Pyrex bowl will also stop the food from sticking to the bottom without the use of oil or butter making your dish even healthier.

Add a small amount of lasagna sauce to the bottom to prevent the lasagna sheet sticking.

Avoid putting Pyrex bowls directly on a burner or under a broiler

Pyrex bowls should not be placed on a burner or under a broiler because of the sudden heat change. The Pyrex glass is not made to withstand sudden temperature changes so avoid doing this to keep your Pyrex bowl from breaking. The key with Pyrex is to make sure it has gradual temperature changes rather than sudden.

Never put your Pyrex bowl on a boiler or straight onto your stove.

Put hot Pyrex bowls on a cloth or pot holder and not directly on your bench

Placing Pyrex bowls on a pot holder or cloth will help it to cool more gradually and also prevent any marks on your bench. The Pyrex glass will quickly want to release heat out and the cloth can help to absorb the heat released.

Benefits of using Pyrex bowls in the oven

There are many benefits to using Pyrex bowls in the oven:

  • Pyrex bowls heats up faster to cook quicker
  • Cook casseroles without the need to add extra fat
  • The glass is easy to clean because it is non-porous
  • Pyrex bowls won’t absorb smells
  • Pyrex bowls won’t absorb color
  • It can be re-used over and over
  • Pyrex bowls can be placed in the freezer – make sure you cool it first

Pyrex bowls heat up fast to cook quicker

Glass conducts heat very well so when you put your Pyrex bowl in the oven the heat will quickly transfer from the dish to the food.

Thicker ceramic dishes take much longer to heat up than Pyrex so you will actually be able to cook your food quicker in Pyrex bowls. Keep an eye on your food because you may find that it cooks quicker in a Pyrex dish than you are used to.

What you can cook in Pyrex bowls in the oven

  • Cakes
  • Lasagna
  • Casseroles
  • Meatloaf
  • Bread

Pyrex bowls can be used in the oven to in replacement of baking dishes and pans, pie dishes, ceramic casserole pans, lasagna pans and can even be used to bake bread.

Pyrex is perfect for baking lasagna and can easily be placed into the freezer after baking to save it for another day. Make sure you cool the dish first before placing it in the freezer and bring it back to fridge temperature before re-heating. Check out my previous article here on how to freeze food safely in Pyrex.

My delicious baked lasagna in a Pyrex bowl.

How hot can you bake Pyrex bowls in the oven?

I contacted the Pyrex team and they stated that there is no maximum oven temperature for Pyrex dishes. They did state the importance of pre-heating your oven before putting in the Pyrex dish.

Pyrex is made from a hardy material but the most important things to remember is to always pre-heat your oven before putting the Pyrex dish.

Avoid extreme temperature changes including rapid cooling and never put your Pyrex dish straight from your freezer to the oven. Bringing it to fridge temperature first is the best idea.

To bake in the oven successfully in Pyrex without burning your food you will need to decrease your oven temperature from what the recipe states. When looking at cake recipes the temperature stated will usually refer to the amount of time and temperature needed to bake the cake in a metal pan.

If you are baking cakes in Pyrex dishes, reduce the temperature by 25 degrees Fahrenheit to allow for the quicker conduction of heat. Pyrex will also hold its heat for longer than metal so the cooking process will continue when you remove it from the oven.

Are Pyrex Bowls Oven Safe? – Summary

Pyrex bowls are oven safe if you preheat the oven and do not place the plastic lid on top. Pyrex bowls are perfect for baking cakes, lasagna and meatloaf as they will not absorb smells or colors and are easy to clean.